I get asked about my hair all of the time. “How did it get so long? Is this my natural hair? How do I get my hair like that? What products do I use?” I even get asked “Is that all of your hair?” My hair has come so far. In this post, I’m going to walk you through my hair journey of damage and revitalization. So to begin, my mom has really long hair and my aunts on my dad’s side have really long curly hair. When I was younger, my hair would be in braids (no artificial hair) more often than not. My mom actually would straighten my hair at a young age. The earliest I can remember my hair being straight was in the third grade. I didn’t regularly start straightening it until middle school. As often as I was straightening it, not once did I experience heat damage. 8th grade, I finally started wearing my hair in its natural state. Curly hair products for “ethnic” hair weren’t popular during this time (2011/2012). I used a lot of Aussie and Garnier Fructis products. Another product I began using that surprisingly worked in my hair was the “Pantene for Curly Hair” conditioner. From what I can remember, I didn’t have problems with any of these products. I didn’t experience any damage or dryness. All in all, my hair did well with these products. I began to dye my hair when I was 16. I dyed it A LOT. I would constantly put bleach in my hair. Which was fine, because I took GREAT care of it. However, once during my senior year, I dyed the back of my hair blonde. But I got super lazy. Barely deep conditioned, barely moisturized it. This is where my damaged hair journey began. I began straightening my own hair freshman year of college. As I look back, I was putting WAY too much stress on my hair. I would, both, blow dry and flat iron my hair on the highest setting. Which I am just NOW realizing was HORRIBLE for my hair. My hair began to break off, more so in the back where it was bleached. I had to get 4 inches cut off that following summer because of how damaged it was!I decided at the beginning of my sophomore year of college that I was going to try to go as long as I can without heat or chemicals. I didn’t add any more color until 2 years later. I didn’t straighten my hair until 3 years later, my graduation day. My once dead, limp waves returned back to my full, defined curls after giving them a break. My routine changed during this no color/heat challenge. I tried deep conditioning my hair as often as possible. At one point, I was deep conditioning every Sunday. I stopped washing my hair as much. Occasionally, I would braid my hair into two cornrows. Rock those for 2-3 days, then take them out to rock the post-cornrow braid out. When I do this, I am able to go a week without washing my hair. I also stopped using shampoo as much. I try to shampoo my hair every 2-3 weeks. You don’t need to cleanse your hair as much as you think you do. I cowash my hair more often than I do shampoo. What is “Co-washing?” Co-washing is simply “washing your hair” but skipping the shampoo step. If you have curly hair, MOISTURE is important. Your hair needs water, otherwise… it’ll look a mess, it’ll become dry, etc. Shampooing your hair every time you add water to your hair is so unnecessary. It also is very damaging to your hair. Shampoo cleanses your hair by stripping your hair from the natural oils. Just beware of buildup. I like to shampoo my hair every 2-3 weeks. I cowash my hair every couple of days to a week. It depends on how my hair looks and how lazy I am that week. I co-wash my hair into 2 sections and put them into 2 buns after ringing them out. I like to air dry my hair. If I do need to dry my hair (usually during the winter), I will dry my hair with a T-shirt. T-shirt drying helps reduce frizz that a blow dryer or towel will cause. While my hair is damp, I will put any leave-in conditioner that I like at the moment. And that’s it! Sometimes I’ll put some peppermint oil or Jamaican castor oil! But I don’t do this often. Products I use: “Shea Moisture: Jamaican black castor oil shampoo” “Aussie: 3-minute miracle conditioner” Love this, better than a lot of higher end choices “Eden: Natural curl defining creme.” I love it. It has a nice, thick consistency. Products I am interested in trying next: “Aunt Jackie’s Flaxseed gel” Hair-care tips!
My advice to all you curly headed beauties from what I am learning on my journey! Reduce the amount of heat you put in your hair! Reduce the amount of times you dye your hair! Look into henna color treatments, a natural way of coloring your hair. Remember, less is more! So limit the amount of chemicals you put in your hair! Get your trims! And BRAIDS! Braid your natural hair overnight, for a couple of days, whatever amount of time you prefer. But watch how your hair benefits over time. Lastly, be extremely patient with your hair! Growth and health takes time!
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thoughts from the soul.I have a lot to say. I'm a Leo sun+moon sign with a Pisces rising... that should explain it all. Archives
May 2022
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