So you have gone natural what next?
Most people are cautious about going natural because as you know our hair i.e. African curls can be very dynamic and hard to tame. Going natural can be scary at first but as you see the little curls and coils sprouting from your scalp it all gets very exciting.
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What you need to know about going natural;
· African hair is very dry because the sebum (oil) from the scalp does not really get down the hair shaft, due to this natural ladies have to incorporate a lot of moisture into their hair. Moisture is key in your natural hair journey and you can add moisture by using water based leave in conditioners and leave in sprays.
- Do not have preconceptions of your hair, everyone’s curls/coils are unique and do not go looking at other ladies hair and think that yours will look that way.
- Build a regimen when dealing with natural hair. A regimen should include cleansing, deep conditioning and styling . The cleansing can be done with diluted shampoo or natural products such as baking soda or apple cider vinegar. Deep conditioning is important to keep your hair strong and moisturised , using protein based deep conditioner will keep your hair strong. An example of a regimen can be found here. Never comb your natural hair dry! Always comb your hair when its wet, dripping with conditioner and with a wide toothed comb. This will get rid of tangles and prevent breakage.
- Try to minimize the amount of heat you use on your head. Heat in excess is very bad for your hair and will only lead to limp, weak hair with split ends. When using heat such as blow- dryers and flat irons it is imperative to use heat protectants which come as sprays or serums. These protect your hair from the harmful effects of heat styling.
- Stretch your ends as much as possible. This means keeping your ends straight using rollers or protective styles. This will prevent little knots that are a defining feature of natural hair. Due to the curliness of natural hair it can tend to get little knots on it and these knots cause a lot of breakage. Try and keep your hair in protective styles such as twists, braid outs and twist outs as much as possible.
- Enjoy your natural hair! Keep your head up and enjoy having your little afro, your twist-out or huge afro. Naturals are always looked down upon especially here in Africa. You will always get the “Insert name here, don’t you think your hair looks shaggy, unkempt? Maybe you should think of relaxing”. Never get discouraged and always be proud to know that your hair is natural and it is very versatile.
Nyachomba and Mary are bloggers at www.thenaturalgirlsguidetobeauty.blogspot.com. They share a passion for natural hair and showcasing Kenyan culture to the rest of the world.
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