In honor of Black History Month, I would like to talk about my natural hair care journey. In my middle school years, I got a perm because I felt that I did not like my hair type, and having straight hair was the best option to maintain my hair. As the years went on, my hair grew to shoulder length. In 2018, I was accepted into the illustrious Hampton University. As I came to Hampton, I saw my fellow colleagues with amazing curl patterns that ranged from 3a to 4c. I was amazed by how people were comfortable in their natural hair because I never felt comfortable in my natural hair. With this being stated, I knew I wanted to change my hair for the better. So, in 2019, I decided to do the big chop to start my natural hair journey. In all honesty, having my natural hair in a small Afro made me feel different. I felt empowered because that was the natural me, nothing more, nothing less. As it is currently 2022, I have been natural for about two years, and I want to say it was more complicated than I thought. There were many techniques that I had to learn that really would help my hair grow and prosper. Here are a couple of tips I learned:
Know Your Porosity
Porosity is how much moisture a person’s hair can retain. I have low porosity, which means my hair does not easily gain moisture. I found this out by doing the water test. The water test is taking a strand of my hair and putting it in a glass of water. After about 2-5 minutes, I noticed that my hair stayed on top of the water. According to the research, that means I have low porosity. In order to retain moisture, I need to heat up my deep conditioner and my oils to gain moisture within my hair. As soon as I started doing this technique, my hair started growing rapidly.
Know Your Products
There are a lot of products that can be used for low porosity hair when it comes to shampoo, deep conditioners and much more. Although it can be used for low porosity, everyone’s hair is different. Therefore, it is important to see which products would really work on your specific hair. It definitely does take time to know, and the best thing to do is test the products out on your hair to see which products best match your hair.
Time
Everyone’s hair grows at a different rate. Therefore, it is important to be patient because there are different factors as to why it can grow at a fast or slow rate.
Trim
Right now, I am lacking in this area, but it is important to trim your hair. It is suggested to at least trim your hair once a year not to cause any breakage or split ends.
Protective Hairstyles
My favorite protective hairstyle is braiding. I usually keep my braids in for about 4 to 7 weeks, and it makes my hair grow so much. Other protective hairstyles include mini twists, wash and go, braid outs, twist outs, and much more.
With this being stated, I am honored to be an African American woman, and I am honored to embrace my natural hair!