Hair Maintenance

The topic of hair maintenance can be as fun or as boring as you make it.  If you allow yourself to get bogged down with attempting to remember scientific terms, various hair lingo and terms and/or hair typing systems, it can be a bit boring and overwhelming.  However, if you take the time to feel, touch, and know your hair, use sensory awareness to really develop a relationship with your hair, you will find that hair maintenance does not have to be a complicated thing, and that it can be quite the enjoyable experience.  Our hair needs certain things to thrive.  Moisture is one.  Moisture provides our hair with a basis.  It protects our hair.  It keeps our hair from drying out and breaking.  Secondly, our hair needs oil.  Oils help to nourish our hair and seal in moisture.  It provides our hair with a barrier against harsh conditions like the elements and heat styling (if that's your thing).  Lastly, it needs the support of internal nourishment.  Don't however limit yourself to thinking that proper hair maintenance is achieved only by what you do to your hair strands.  Hair maintenance also begins with what you internally do to nourish your body, not just how you take care of the strands on your head from the outside.  When you drink plenty of water, eat your vitamins and mineral via fruits and vegetables, and get plenty of exercise, your hair too will thrive and benefit.  Those are things you just won't find bottled up and packaged pretty.  Styling your hair is the easy and fun part.  There is a plethora of information and self help videos all across the World Wide Web to help you along your journey.  Have fun with different styles, accessories, and hair tools.  Don't let anyone tell you what is best for your hair.  Learn what is best for your hair; let your hair tell you.  Your hair will thank you.

Please visit the website below for information on upcoming events and information for Return of the Curls:

http://www.returnofthecurls.com/

Embrace The Shrinkage

Okay, so we all knew that going natural was the best thing for us.  We knew that we would have this great head of chemical free hair.  However, if you've been natural for a while, in retrospect, you knew that there was a lot you didn't know.  Like how important moisture would be to our hair (especially since we stayed clear of any liquids with our relaxed hair).  We didn't know about twist outs, or braid outs, that gel could actually be used to style and not just slick, and we also did not know about (or at least think about)...shrinkage.  Love it or hate it, embracing it is part of the natural journey.  You have to know that natural hair shrinks.  It gives a false impression of the length of our hair and for some, that is a hard pill to swallow.  My question is: Why should it be?  You've come this far.  You've took on the mental, emotional, and sometimes even spiritual challenge of loving yourself for who you are by returning your hair to it's natural state; you've accepted the hair on your head; now chemical free. So why look at shrinkage, (or any other characteristic of your hair) as a negative.  Embrace your shrinkage.  Love that your hair draws up when wet.  There are so many ways that you can combat shrinkage if you want to that it shouldn't be a second thought.  You can do the styles I mentioned before (twist outs and braid outs).  You can naturally color your hair with henna, which often loosens your curl pattern, which in turn gives length.  You can style your hair in puffs and updos to show off it's length, and yes, you can even straighten it.  However, for those days when you just want to wash and go, embrace that head of hair that no longer hangs and is elongated.  Love that it's out of the way, and enjoy the no muss no fuss hairstyle.  At the end of the day, you have a ton of options with natural hair, you don't have to live with shrinkage, however, there's nothing like coupling confidence with a cute curly fro that you know is chemical free and healthy, even if it does show 75% of your true length (you know you've given your shrinkage a percentage..LOL).  Bottom line, having a healthy mane is what is most important.  Everything else, is just that-everything else.

Please visit the website below for information on upcoming events and information for Return of the Curls:

http://www.returnofthecurls.com/

Back At One

So if you have ever been relaxed, you know how you felt the first day your natural hair went from kinky, soft, curly hair, to straight, laid, shiny hair.  It felt liberating and relieving.  No more tugs, pulls, "ouches" and trying to figure out what to do with your hair.  Well, that's how it was for me anyway.  I begged and begged my mom to get a relaxer, and after several no's, she finally obliged.  After the process I was ecstatic.  See I hated my natural hair.  Anything was better than the cotton ball I had on top of my hair.  It meant no more being called tender headed by my older sister who was tasked with torturing (I mean taking care of) my hair.  It meant, I would finally be able to manage my hair on my own.  It meant wash days would be a breeze and that I would no longer cry because I had to get it washed.  Yup, I was too happy to now be able to have the hair my sisters had and be able to take care of it myself.  Hmph..so I thought...LOL.  You see, ironically, after years of having it straight, I did everything to it, because I became dissatisfied with even straight hair.  I cut it, dyed it, and finally, I said screw it and got braids, consistently for several years.   For the next 12-15 years, I sat in a chair, for upwards of 12 hours and had my hair braided-three times a year faithfully.  Braids would go in and stay in for several weeks.  I would take them out and relaxed all in the same day.  By the next day, I was getting a new braided style again. You would never catch me with my hair out.  In retrospect, I realized that I never wanted to style or enjoy my relaxed hair, you know, have it roller set, or wrapped in a salon. I just wanted straight hair, thought it was better-it was my mentality. 

So let's fast forward to July 27, 2010.  I was preparing for a trip out of town with my son to sunny hot Orlando in two days.  I had just taken braids out of my hair, and needed something done quickly.  I had decided on African Twists-yes, more braids.  In my area however, you're hard pressed to find someone to do them.  Well, let me be honest, I'm particular and would be going to only one of two places.  So, after finding that no one could work me into their schedule, or really I couldn't work them into mine given the time constraints, I decided, ok, this is a sign, it's time to go natural.  I had no idea what I would look like, anything about products, or have any of the knowledge I have now, but I was mentally ready.  I hadn't had a relaxer in the eight months prior (later I learn that is called transitioning).  I know I didn't want to deal with the state my hair was in by figuring out any style that required me to do my own hair, and I had been contemplating for a while embracing my natural texture, so figured now was the time.  I made an appointment, and on July 29, 2010, I was natural and free.  It was the best decision I had made for myself in a very long time, and I don't regret it at all.  Learning from YouTube, hair blogs, books, other naturalistas and attending hair events have helped me to love, learn and grow my hair and have me regreeting that I disliked it so much in the first place.  I now know that the hair that grows from my scalp naturally is good enough.  It's versatile and beautiful and will grow if you take care of it.  Your hair journey is your own; it's unique.  Embrace and have fun with it.  You too will find the joy in natural hair.