One thing most Naturals have in common is the tedious Olympic task of taking care of our natural hair every day. Women and men who practice natural hair techniques and styling look like they have run a hair marathon. The hundreds of steps that go into managing hair before the styling process begins is crazy. There are also hundreds of methods of styling your hair. The method you choose depends on the outcome you want. For example, if you want defined curls make sure you use a micro fibre towel instead of a regular towel and make sure not to touch your hair often in the drying process.
For some, quitting the heat and relaxer is a big NO! This is the first real step to becoming a Natural Queen. The struggle lies in the limp and lifeless hair you have left after years of heat and chemical damage. The only way to move forward is to know your hair type and watch lots and lots of natural hair YouTube tutorials. To be able to look after natural hair one needs to have in-depth knowledge of your hair type as one curly hair method might not work on your hair type.
I spoke to curly girl influencer Shaylyn Petersen on how she achieved her curls, and these were her go to steps that will help you achieve those luscious curls:
- Step 1: Avoid heat, opt for protective styling!
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The main reason your curls and coils aren’t popping is because they have become lifeless from the continuous heat damage throughout the years. It is hard to not pick up that hairdryer, especially when you need to go to an event. One solution according to Shaylyn is using protective styles during the first couple months of restoring your hair. This means you could get braids or even some people opt for weaves. Whatever choice you make, don’t pick up your heat styling tools.
- Step 2: Moisturise, moisturise, moisturise!
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Once again this only pertains to curly girls who need this step. As curly girls, our hair tends to be dryer than non-curly hair type girls. So it is very important to deep condition at least once a week and to swap out shampoo for co-wash. Shaylyn’s favourite deep conditioner is the Aunt Jackie’s Coco Repair Coconut Crème Deep Conditioning. Hair porosity determines if you need this step more frequently than others. Low porosity hair is moisture resistant- this means that it may be hard to get moisture into your hair. Once you do, you don’t need to worry as much about your hair drying out. High porosity is harder to retain the moisture.
- Step 3: Big chop or trim
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This step is so crucial if you ever want to attain your natural hair. Shaylyn trimmed her hair every 6-12 weeks while she was transitioning. After finally deciding to do the big chop, she began to trim her hair every 6 months. Shaylyn no longer had damaged hair weighing her down. As womxn, some of us might feel insecure about doing the big chop. Often we rely on our hair as a comfort blanket. That is why you can choose to wait 1 year before doing the big chop. The process of going natural is slow ad that is why it is encouraged to opt for protective styling during the transitioning period as it promotes hair growth.
- Step 4: Curly girl hair tools
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Shaylyn provided a list of tools she uses when styling her hair:
– Micro-fibre towel/ cotton t-shirt
– Tooth brush (for those edges)
– Hair dryer with diffuser attachment
– Hair products (Only use products that work with your hair type)
– Vent brush/ comb
– Spray water bottleShaylyn emphasised that because she is completely natural and has been for the last 3 years, a wash and go method would not work for a curly girl that is transitioning. Using curly hair tools like flexi rods can help you during your transitioning period. Also when it comes to styling natural hair, never style your hair dry! Always have a spray water bottle with you to dampen your hair before styling to avoid breakage.
- Know your hair type!