Natural Story: Things I Wish I Knew about Being Natural

bmoreflyygirl said:
lol so true... I like this thread. I want to add that nobody said this was going to be easy. A lot of people feel like it's just hair and I just decided to chop it off and go natural (which may be true for some people). But realistically, it's bigger than that. Just because you've gone through a mental transition and are comfortable with your hair in its natural state doesn't mean everybody else will be. Also, we have to realize that some people aren't to that point yet, but they will get there eventually. So bear with them. I'm sure there are plenty of us who had the same gripes and issues about natural hair that other people express to us at one point in time too.
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This is so true. I find often i cannot relate to some threads on LHCF because i enjoy working with my hair.

If you like straight styles 24/7, 365 days a week maybe going natural is not the thing for you. The more you fight your hair the more difficult going/staying natural will be for you.

If you don't like natural styles- i.e twists,braids,cornrows,twistouts, wash and gos etc. Maybe going natural isn't the thing for you. If you find straight hair more attractive going natural is probably not the thing for you. You have to transition your mind out of the straight hair mentality, by that i mean what you did with your relaxed hair you will not be able to do with your natural hair. I think that a lot of fustrations stem from this.

Natural hair is not inherently difficult. Don't believe the hype. Its as difficult as you want it to be.

Sometimes its not just hair. I know for me its not. Call me a nappy nazi:p Would i wear weaves/wigs etc. Yeah, in a heartbeat. But chemically alter my hair to resemble something else. Never. Its just not part of my belief system anymore.

Experiment, Experiment. With no-cone, no-oil, etc. You will find a routine that works for you! And your hair will thank you for it.

Focus on Health and everything else will come into place.
 
sweetwhispers said:
.....Call me a nappy nazi:p Would i wear weaves/wigs etc. Yeah, in a heartbeat. But chemically alter my hair to resemble something else. Never. Its just not part of my belief system anymore.
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This is a great read for us transitioners...and I love the above excerpt.
 
sweetwhispers said:
This is so true. I find often i cannot relate to some threads on LHCF because i enjoy working with my hair.

If you like straight styles 24/7, 365 days a week maybe going natural is not the thing for you. The more you fight your hair the more difficult going/staying natural will be for you.

If you don't like natural styles- i.e twists,braids,cornrows,twistouts, wash and gos etc. Maybe going natural isn't the thing for you. If you find straight hair more attractive going natural is probably not the thing for you. You have to transition your mind out of the straight hair mentality, by that i mean what you did with your relaxed hair you will not be able to do with your natural hair. I think that a lot of fustrations stem from this.

Natural hair is not inherently difficult. Don't believe the hype. Its as difficult as you want it to be.

Sometimes its not just hair. I know for me its not. Call me a nappy nazi:p Would i wear weaves/wigs etc. Yeah, in a heartbeat. But chemically alter my hair to resemble something else. Never. Its just not part of my belief system anymore.

Experiment, Experiment. With no-cone, no-oil, etc. You will find a routine that works for you! And your hair will thank you for it.

Focus on Health and everything else will come into place.
Click to expand...

I have to say ITA with your post. I enjoy working with my hair too, so sometimes I can't relate.
 
Thanks Sunshine lady...I soooo needed this today. Got more of a cut than a trim today and now I am 100% natural. :look: Let the games begin! :D
 
Wow cool thread:)

Some things I wish I knew...

-even "nappy" hair can be fun to experiment with
-natural hair does not need a gazillion different products to be managed, it appears to be more technique than product
-some of the popular styles seen on straight-haired individuals can sometimes be duplicated on natural hair
-a good moisturizer can be your hair's best friend
-looking for styles? forget the so called natural magazines and browse through online photo albums

Now all I need to do is learn how to style my hair and I'm all good
 
I am sure that this has already been posted, but I recently had to learn not to panic when my hair suddenly changed up and tangles wanted to come out of the clear blue sky :ohwell:. I'm still not 100% sure why my hair changed up, but I believe that it happened when I temporarily stopped sealing my ends with oil. Don't ask me why. I think I just got distracted from following my usual good hair practices while trying out some new products. I like to try new products out by themselves (with no help from oils or other products) so I can see how they really work.

The good news is I think I have my hair back under control and never again will I doubt the power of sealing in moisture with oils (like jojoba).:p
 
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Just to add: I wholeheartedly agree that just because you're natural does NOT mean that you don't need to trim. I self-trimmed for the majority of my 2+ year transition and finally got the last of the relaxed ends cut off on Saturday.

Guess what? I have NO MORE TANGLES. Sometimes a trim is just what the doctor ordered!
 
I've just finished reading this entire thread. I'm standing up from my seat - clapping my hands . . .

BRAVO, BRAVO :lol: :grin: :lachen: :yay: :band2: :dance7: :kisses: :kisses: :kisses: :kisses: :kisses:
 
Thanks for this wonderful and positive thread Sunshinelady! If I hadn't bought myself a couple of pretty wigs I think I would have relaxed again back in December, I had gotten sooo tired of my hair. I love my natural hair so much now. Right now it's in a bushy wild fro and I find I'm becoming less and less concerned with "perfection" which for me is wonderful. I would also add to be careful about playing in your hair "too much" because it can lead to breakage if you aren't careful.
 
Just wanted to amplify what the poster above said:

Hand in Hair Disease will kill your hair aspirations. A good way to stop this is to keep a rubber band on your wrist and snap it everytime you put your hand in your hair. You will become more aware of doing it and stop.
 
Thank you, Sunshine!! Excellent advice! I'm still learning about taking care of my hair! :)
 
Does anybody have any children with natural hair? How do you prevent knots from forming in their hair? When you were natural as a child, do you remember your hair knotting up? My son has 3b/3c hair and his hair knots up a lot, but I use a detangling spray to get the knots out of his hair, so combing is a lot easier. I wonder is that jsut a natural process of being chemical free? It seems like it could be challenging, but there are some women hair that have very long, natural, 4a/4b hair, so I think I am jsut going to stay on this ride, and see how things go.
 
Hey Short: Knots and tangles seem to go with the territory. I don't have children, but I bet they can offer a lot of suggestions in the Children's forum.
 
Very good advice, I don't go to ethnic beauty shops to buy my shampoos and conditioners, since I have become natural, I use shampoos and conditioners for coloured or damaged hair, where I get them for my local supermarket, such as Dove, L'oreal etc.
 
sunshinelady said:
Hi ladies,

5. When you get the urge to get a relaxer go get a wig or get braids. It will help you get over the hump. Just have one on hand for events that you want something different. I really wish someone told me that when I hit that "not cute" 1.5 year mark. It was a rough period and I should have just gotten braids.
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WOW...you just connected a big dot in my hair life.....I had my first relaxer when I was 9...even though I became fully nautral again by the time I was 11, that one time I got a relaxer damaged the front of my hair. I remember the very front falling out. Even though now I have hair, that front part has always been a little weird and thinner that the rest of my hair. Now I know it will not grow back:( but now I think I know the culprit. I wish I had never had that relaxer.
 
CutieB: I am so sorry that happened to you. When people get chemical burns, the think everything will heal and go back to normal. We know now that it doesn't. A burn is a burn is a burn! :(

On another note, have you gone to a naturopath? Sometimes, they can make suggestions about whether the difference in that patch of hair is due to nutrition.
 
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