[NH 101]: Newly Natural Lessons Learned

Say it with me... Yayy!! It's been a little over 4 months since my Big Chop! It seems like much longer than that though, largely due to all that I've been through so far. I feel like I've already gone through enough products, methods, styles, and Eco Styler gel for an entire year lol :) And while my pockets may be a little lighter, my trial and error experiences have made me a little wiser and I wanted to share some of the lessons I've learned (so far) with you!


♥Water Is Your Friend!♥

Back in my permed days I would go above and beyond to protect my hair from water. If it meant going to work still wearing a scarf because of fog or wrapping and covering my hair before stepping out in the rain, I did what needed to be done because just one touch from humidity could (and often did) completely destroy my head of perfectly straight, frizz-free hair. Based on that alone, you should be able to understand my unwillingness to grasp the concept that adding water to my natural hair was OK; better yet, neccessary. Needless to say, for the first week or so after my Big Chop my hair was as dry as bone.

Sure, my hair was all juicy and moisturized when I left my house in the mornings... until I made it to work to find a head of brittle fuzz and frizz! Even though I was co-washing every morning, I didn't realize the importance of water and moisture retention. I began spritzing my hair with water while adding my leave-in conditioner, while adding my Eco Styler gel, while finger shingling, etc., and I immediately saw a huge change in how moisturized and manageable my hair was, as well as how long I was able to stretch my hair styles. Bottom line: You NEED water in your life boo-boo. No ifs, ands, or buts about it!


♥What is that... Satin?!♥

Yep, another one of those natural hair staples I totally underestimated the importance of is the classic $2 satin bonnet! Still stuck in my permed hair mentality, I continued to tie my hair up every night using my trusty old silk scarf thinking it's silk, it should do wonders for maintaining my natural hair style right?! Wrong.

I would go to sleep all dolled up at night only to find a matted mess when I awoke, which meant more time styling my hair because I'd have to co-wash and go all over again every morning... Too much time, too much effort.

Then I met Bonnie (that's what I call her anyway)...

Me and my Bonnie have been rocking ever since! I can count on her to keep these coils under control while preserving my style and protecting my ends from damage. The satin bonnet deserves a post of it's own because it's simply genius... just know that if you're natural and you don't own one of these daddies, you're [#losing]. Big time.


♥Sometimes Less is Best♥

Now this one is specifically dedicated to all my heavy-handed product junkies out there. Sure, we've all been there... we've all watched reviews on YouTube (done by gurus who have thee most gorgeous hair) and ran out to the nearest beauty supply store to grab 5 jars of this new found miracle potion. Trust me, I've been there!! And this is exactly why I'm writing this post...

One of the first lessons I learned the hard way about my natural hair was just that... It's MY natural hair. There are so many different categories of natural hair types and I just don't fit perfectly into any one of them. Although I've come across some who share similar characteristics, I have yet to find my hair twin. While the product reviews and tutorials on YouTube and natural hair blogs have helped me survey products before purchasing, I can't realisticly expect to achieve the same results just because it worked for Sally Sue (and you shouldn't either).

Furthermore, many products are misleading and give us false hope as consumers. Expensive products are packaged in pretty (and often tiny) bottles promising frizz-free, defined curls that will effortlessly last for days and days... Yeah, right. If it were that easy, wouldn't we all have gone natural a looonnng time ago?!

Instead of being caught up in pretty packaging and empty promises, I've learned to trust my own judgement and exercise restraint. I've been natural for 4 months now so I've pretty much figured out what works best in my hair. It seems that everyone under the sun is capitolizing on the growing natural hair community by coming out with some 'new' hair care product promising perm-like wonders (minus the perm,) and frankly I don't buy it. Literally. I can get the same (or better) twist-out results using inexpensive natural products such as water, shea butter, and coconut oil as I would using a $32 4 oz. bottle of somebody's miracle curling cream... Need I say more?


♥Sayyy Cheeese!♥

You're probably thinking, pictures... really? Yes, really! Pictures are an important part of my natural hair journey; it's my personal way of measuring growth over time. I think it's cool and quite motivating to see how drastic the changes are over just a couple of weeks...

8.13.2011 Big Chop

8.29.2011 (2 weeks post BC)

9.12.2011 (1 month post BC)

10.13.2011 (2 months post BC)

11.13.2011 (3 months post BC)

12.28.2011 (4 months post BC)

It's nothing short of amazing to see my progress in pictures. If you're on this natural hair journey be sure to document your progress through video, pictures, blogging, whatever... just do it!


Well my loves, I guess that's all for this installment. Thanks for taking the time out to read my post and I hope this helps a new natural out there! More tips and lessons learned to follow (=

Have any newly natural lessons learned that you'd like to share? Leave your thoughts below!

Posted in: Natural Hair 101