4 Years Of Being Natural And The Lessons I've Learnt.

I can't believe it's 4 years already!! I thought by now I'd have reached my dream length of mid back length but alas! I have since learnt that hair will do what it wants to do so you just need to be patient, help it along and be as healthy as you can so you don't hinder your own progress.

Lesson Number 1
My hair HATES direct heat. No matter how much I deep condition, do a protein conditioner, moisturize, leave in etc before I use a blow dryer; I end up with little bits of broken hairs all over the floor whenever I use a blow dryer. In the beginning I couldn't figure it out but I've since come to learn that my hair just doesn't like it. Period.

Lesson Number 2
My strands are very fragile and therefore can't take a lot of manipulation or the use of a wrong product which will cause tangling. My hair does better when it's washed in sections and when a conditioner with EXTRA SLIP is used. Mielle Organics babbasu and Mint conditioner has been a life saver. When that's not available, Aussie Moist 3 minute deep conditioner does it for my strands.


Lesson Number 3
Watching TV and trimming my hair is not a good combination lollll. You'd think this was elementary but trust me, it happened to me early this year. I ended up cutting 3 inches of hair in the back of my head because I wasn't paying attention. I was so upset you can't even imagine. In one instant, I chopped off 6 months worth of growth. It took me a little while to get over it but eventually I did. After all it's hair and it will grow back abi?

October 2015

January 2016 after the accidental chop

March 2016 - growing back.

Lesson Number 4

Pictures never lie. There have been times I was convinced that surely my hair wasn't retaining length and then I'd put pictures side by side and see that on the contrary, I was actually was.Shrinkage makes it harder for us naturalistas to really tell on the face of it whether length has been retained or not but if you're documenting your journey, it's easy to tell by pictoral comparisons.

The hair in the back and front sides grows longer than the rest of my hair, giving me a 'V' shape in the back 

Lesson Number 5

Layering moisturizing products in my hair, keeps it moisturized for longer and gets my curls juicier over time :) For the longest time I would just use a spritz mix but my hair would dry out quite quickly. I learnt early this year to first use a liquid moisturizer, a cream moisturizer and then an oil. My hair stays super soft for days! My favourite products to use in this sequence are Taliah Waajid Protective Mist Bodifier, Taliah Waajid Curly Cream and any oil my hair likes.

Lesson Number 6
The hair in my crown has to be treated differently from the hair everywhere else on my head. I noticed that not only is the hair in my crown coarser, but I was also experiencing a lot of breakage and soreness in that area too. Even when I wasn't braiding or weaving or putting any pressure, sometimes it would just feel sore. I now pay special attention to the hair in that area whenever I''m doing anything to my hair, making sure it gets plenty love and attention. The soreness I'm still watching to see how that pans out. If it persists, might just go see a Trichologist.

Lesson Number 7
Less is more. Gone are the days where I would have a 10 step procedure for wash days :) I keep it simple. This equals less manipulation and better length retention, Couldn't ask for more.

Lesson Number 8
The older I get the more sensitive my entire scalp seems to have gotten. To think that years back I would do tiny braids back to back, and do all sorts of things to my hair in the name of beauty; these days even with simple cornrows for crochet braids, I get at least one sore on my scalp. It's one reason I prefer to get my hair done myself as much as possible and also why I've used mainly used wigs this year as a protective style.

Lesson Number 9
My hair loves less popular oils like Palm kernel Oil and Apricot Oil. I'd read about apricot oil somewhere and decided to give it a go. Trust me, if you can, please get this oil. It instantly makes dry hair feel softer and smoother.

Lesson Number 10

Big Hair!! I still have no love for 2 strand twists :) Big hair with color does it for me and because I'm not willing to commit to color in my hair, I like to experiment using colored extensions or spray color. Works a charm for me!

Will do a flat iron and length check in December ( will probably thread the hair overnight and then iron the morning after) for now, I'm concentrating on getting and surpassing those 3 inches I chopped off in January and also ensuring my hair is as healthy as can be!