by Michelle Thames of HappilyEverNatural.com
I
began my natural hair journey in 2009. I transitioned for 24 months
before cutting the reaming perm off of my ends. I will say that I have
learned a lot– there have been good days, and not so good days. But all
in all, I am happy and I have learned to accept, expect and embrace certain things.
- Sometimes your hair refuses to dry… raise your hand if this is
true for you! Have you ever created a bomb twist set and went to sleep knowing
that your hair would essentially be on “fleek” tomorrow because you spent all
night twisting it and now your fingers hurt? But then you wake up and begin to
take your hair down, only to realize that it’s still damp in places! Argh… natural
hair problems! I have learned to accept the fact that my hair won’t
always dry when I want, and that if I want a particular style I have to
spend more time to let it dry before attempting to take it down.
- That inspirational style from Instagram didn’t turn out like you
expected. Lets face it, we all are on Instagram getting hair inspiration
from so many different naturalistas! You see her hair is on point, so
you go and try out the style yourself with hopes of it turning out like
hers. You do the exact same steps, follow her exact same routine, use
the same products… and then bam she has voluminous curls and you have a
fro. Hey there curlfriend, it happens LOL! I have learned to accept that
even if I do the style the same way I may have different results and I
am okay with that! Which speaks to my next point…
- Everyone has different hair. Different textures, porosity, curls, coils, all
of that. Yes you heard that right! Everyone has different hair. I know
it’s easy to get wrapped up on Instagram, blogs, or YouTube looking at
pictures and videos of different naturalistas hair and saying, “I can’t
wait until my hair gets that length, or I want HER hair”. We have
all
been there! The fact is, your hair is your hair, and that naturalistas
is hers. It’s okay to get inspiration etc, but I have learned to embrace
my
own hair. Always remember you and your hair are BEAUTIFUL. Learn to
work with what you’ve got and you (and your hair) will be happier in the
long run.
- Patience. If you don’t have this in the natural hair world…
man oh
man! Patience is key when you are natural. On those wash days when I
just wanted to give up, I didn’t. You just have to stay patient in every
aspect (patience to see growth, patience to detangle, patience to wet
set, lol). Trust me on this one. You will get to where you want to be,
you
just have to be patient.
- Most importantly, seek a stylist when needed. I know we get to the
point where we feel that we don’t need our stylist anymore, and that we
can do it all on our own. Well I still seek a professional stylist when
it comes to getting my ends clipped and also straightening my hair. So
my advice is to seek a stylist when you feel it is appropriate.
- Lastly, HAVE FUN! Needs no explanation just have fun and remember
it’s only hair! Cut it if you want, color it if you want! Hey it’s your
hair! Remember that!
What have you learned since going natural?
