Firstly i'd like to say hello to everyone. This is my first post after reading all your brilliant and helpful comments for over a year now.
I'm in London - and its freeeezing!!!
I'd like to share a telephone conversation i had with my Mum last week with you all. You see, i shaved off all my hair exactly a year ago - to get rid of the relaxer and to grow my natural hair as long as possible (i am 3c/4a extremely curly and the curls are defined). When i was young i remember having very long natural hair and wanted that back. My Mother is natural and has hair down to the middle of her back.
My hair is now 5 inches long and i'm frustrated that it isn't growing quicker and all i can do with it is wash n go's. I hate styling my hair and quite frankly i'm lazy. I'm at a stage where its not long and its not short and i just want to put it back into a ponytail.
Anyway i phoned my Mum (she now lives in Jamaica). The conversation went like this............
Me - Mum please tell me how you looked after my hair when i was young.
Mum - I just washed it and plaited it.
Me - No, tell me exactly what you did cus when i try to 'do' it its all frizzy, its thick and its ultra curly. I can't do anything to it unless its soaking wet and getting a comb through it is a nightmare.
Mum - Just take your time.
Me - and do what?...i need detail please.
Mum - Well, i shampoo'd your hair and put conditioner in and then dried it with a towel. I then plaited it up.
Me - OK....can you break it down even more? Did you use a leave in conditioner and seal it with oil and......
Mum - what are you talking about? - sealing in? Donna your hair is lovely and it sounds like your hair is back to the way it used to be. Look, after i rinsed out the conditioner i'd wrap your hair in a towel for while then i'd make small parts, oil your scalp with the parts, cob it through whilst your hair was still damp and plait (individual braids). Your hair didn't tangle when i combed it - infact the comb glided through all your curls. After 2 weeks i do it all over again. Your hair grew like nobody's business. Donna, i think these days there is information overload. All these different products - i didn't even know about them even if they were around 30 years ago. Just keep your hair clean, your scalp oiled if it needs it and leave it alone. Don't think about it and stop keep putting your hand in your head all the time. You also need just a little bit of patience. I used to set half the day aside to do your hair remember. Just sit in front of the tv and before you know it, it was done. You have to learn patience.
Me - Didn't you use a hairdryer?
Mum - No, just a towel until it was slightly damp. I waved a blowdryer over the top of your hair from when you were about 12 because your hair was very long by then and took ages to dry with a towel, but i didn't dry it completely - i always plaited your hair when it was damp.
Me - You are right. I'm gonna go do what you did to my hair and i'm going to be patient even if it takes me all day. What comb did you use and what oil for my scalp.
Mum - Donna! I just used a normal comb and a green oil (she means Dax) Your hair will grow, just forget about your hair and stop thinking that its hard work because it isn't.
Me - Sometimes my scalp is really itchy.
Mum - Then scratch it! If its like that for a few days - wash it.
Me - Thanks Mum, i wish you were here to do my hair.
Mum - i know but see it as a time to get to know your hair.
Me - Why did you relax my hair?
Mum - Well, it was the thing to do back then. You did ask me, but you weren't begging me or anything, we just did it.
Me - OK Mum, i gonna get on with it.
.......so on my day off from work i followed my Mumma's simple instructions but added a leave in conditioner to it.
It worked! I shed a tear. I'm not lying. I did my first set of individual plaits and my hair feels so silky, so healthy and it was shiney....and i'm proud of myself. It wasn't great looking but it was a fantastic first attempt even if i do say so myself!
My boyfriend even said my hair looked nice.
I now love my hair and i apologise to it for cussing it out so many times!
What i'm trying to say here is that maybe, just maybe, we need to stop all this buying of products and just go back into time and care for our hair the way of Mum's did.
Thanks for reading this long post.
I'm in London - and its freeeezing!!!
I'd like to share a telephone conversation i had with my Mum last week with you all. You see, i shaved off all my hair exactly a year ago - to get rid of the relaxer and to grow my natural hair as long as possible (i am 3c/4a extremely curly and the curls are defined). When i was young i remember having very long natural hair and wanted that back. My Mother is natural and has hair down to the middle of her back.
My hair is now 5 inches long and i'm frustrated that it isn't growing quicker and all i can do with it is wash n go's. I hate styling my hair and quite frankly i'm lazy. I'm at a stage where its not long and its not short and i just want to put it back into a ponytail.
Anyway i phoned my Mum (she now lives in Jamaica). The conversation went like this............
Me - Mum please tell me how you looked after my hair when i was young.
Mum - I just washed it and plaited it.
Me - No, tell me exactly what you did cus when i try to 'do' it its all frizzy, its thick and its ultra curly. I can't do anything to it unless its soaking wet and getting a comb through it is a nightmare.
Mum - Just take your time.
Me - and do what?...i need detail please.
Mum - Well, i shampoo'd your hair and put conditioner in and then dried it with a towel. I then plaited it up.
Me - OK....can you break it down even more? Did you use a leave in conditioner and seal it with oil and......
Mum - what are you talking about? - sealing in? Donna your hair is lovely and it sounds like your hair is back to the way it used to be. Look, after i rinsed out the conditioner i'd wrap your hair in a towel for while then i'd make small parts, oil your scalp with the parts, cob it through whilst your hair was still damp and plait (individual braids). Your hair didn't tangle when i combed it - infact the comb glided through all your curls. After 2 weeks i do it all over again. Your hair grew like nobody's business. Donna, i think these days there is information overload. All these different products - i didn't even know about them even if they were around 30 years ago. Just keep your hair clean, your scalp oiled if it needs it and leave it alone. Don't think about it and stop keep putting your hand in your head all the time. You also need just a little bit of patience. I used to set half the day aside to do your hair remember. Just sit in front of the tv and before you know it, it was done. You have to learn patience.
Me - Didn't you use a hairdryer?
Mum - No, just a towel until it was slightly damp. I waved a blowdryer over the top of your hair from when you were about 12 because your hair was very long by then and took ages to dry with a towel, but i didn't dry it completely - i always plaited your hair when it was damp.
Me - You are right. I'm gonna go do what you did to my hair and i'm going to be patient even if it takes me all day. What comb did you use and what oil for my scalp.
Mum - Donna! I just used a normal comb and a green oil (she means Dax) Your hair will grow, just forget about your hair and stop thinking that its hard work because it isn't.
Me - Sometimes my scalp is really itchy.
Mum - Then scratch it! If its like that for a few days - wash it.
Me - Thanks Mum, i wish you were here to do my hair.
Mum - i know but see it as a time to get to know your hair.
Me - Why did you relax my hair?
Mum - Well, it was the thing to do back then. You did ask me, but you weren't begging me or anything, we just did it.
Me - OK Mum, i gonna get on with it.
.......so on my day off from work i followed my Mumma's simple instructions but added a leave in conditioner to it.
It worked! I shed a tear. I'm not lying. I did my first set of individual plaits and my hair feels so silky, so healthy and it was shiney....and i'm proud of myself. It wasn't great looking but it was a fantastic first attempt even if i do say so myself!
My boyfriend even said my hair looked nice.
I now love my hair and i apologise to it for cussing it out so many times!
What i'm trying to say here is that maybe, just maybe, we need to stop all this buying of products and just go back into time and care for our hair the way of Mum's did.
Thanks for reading this long post.
cute story happy hair growing
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