Exactly 4
years and four months ago, I decided to stop straightening my hair using
chemical relaxers. This was the best decision I ever made concerning my hair
because it has never been this healthy.
During
these four years I have learnt a lot about my hair and I would like to share
these lessons with you.
- Accept your hair as it is
After ending
my transition it dawned on me that my hair just didn’t look like any of the YouTube
gurus I had been following all through my transition. The texture just wasn’t the
same and my hair shrunk like crazy. If you have recently gone natural or are
currently transitioning to natural, chances are that your hair will look different
than what you expect and special in its own way.
- Less is more
The less I do
with my hair, the more it thrives. Most of the hairstyles I do usually last a
week and need very little if any manipulation at all. If you are a length
chaser please keep this in mind.
- Health over length
In as much
as I love long hair, I prefer healthy hair more. Healthy hair looks attractive regardless
of its length. It helps to get regular trims to keep the hair looking healthy.
- Braiding is not for everyone.
Braids are
a beautiful protective style, but the reality is that if you have a sensitive
hairline like me. Braids are not for you!
- There is no one size fits all.
At the beginning
of my natural journey I used to co-wash my hair because that is what most
naturals were doing. The truth is my hair hated it after co-washing its was as
if I had done absolutely nothing and even styling was a problem afterwards. I opted
to shampoo my hair with every wash-day. Even though there are natural hair rules
that you have to follow, take time to listen to your hair and give it exactly what
it wants.
- Scalp oiling is not for
everyone
I came to
the realization that my scalp produces enough sebum. Sebum is the oil produced
by your skin, have you ever shampooed your hair and rinsed it off only to find
that your scalp still had some whitish looking residue? That is sebum and it is
actually healthy for your hair if it is not completely washed off. If your
scalp produces enough sebum then you don’t need to oil your scalp but if your
scalp is naturally dry then light oils for your scalp will come in handy.
Check out my natural hair update video and please subscribe!
Thank you for reading ,
Love Joanne.
Welcome to Grow African Hair Long (GAHL) 