Lesson 8

Lesson 8: Finger combing helps with curls. 

Brushes and combs unwind your curls. If your goal is straight hair then brushing and combing is fine. If your goal is curls then get away from these two tools. At first finger combing your whole head seems a massive task but eventually it becomes easier. Start with four sections and work on one section at a time. Divide that section further if you must and work your way around your head.

For an a video instruction See Napturally85 here on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoVgXo0KcO0

Moderation

Lesson 7: Moderation is key

Overdoing any one thing will cause problems. You will have to experiment until you find the right balance between process and products.

My first attempt at being natural was a disaster. I knew very little and was doing a lot of things that were not good for my hair. The first mistake I made was to wash my hair every day. Every night my curls would get bombed by my pillow and I used a daily shampoo and conditioner to try and maintain a well groomed look. Next I tried the no-poo route when I decided that the shampoo was way too drying and for a period of about six months I used a popular cleansing conditioner instead. My hair looked like a fuzzball. Oil was another one of the overdone things. I experimented with using oil treatments and leave in oils. I found that pre-poo oils are fine but the oils in conditioner are usually enough to keep my hair healthy. The leave-in conditioner is key to set good curls. Once the curls eventually air dry they will last for a few days. 

After months of experimenting with often conflicting advise I found a balance of a once per week shampoo and conditioner. A deep conditioner. A leave in conditioner. I set my curls and wear them for an entire week until wash day. 

I had some success with the max hydration process but it did loosen my curls. I have never actually gone one full round with the max hydration process, which would be the recommended seven cycles. My view is that the results of the smoother hair is due to the extremes in Ph both acidic and alkaline. I also do not like the fact that the Cherry lola causes carbon dioxide. I found out the hard way that banana has seeds that can get stuck in your hair. Overall, I do not like the severity of the Ph and the sliding between these two extremes. I have adapted some of the max hydration and the specific steps that I do like and have been very happy with the results.

I have tried various natural smoothing things. From a coconut cream, okra gel, flaxseed gel, clay, rice flour, rice vinegar name it and chances are I have tried it. Some worked better than others but they are limited to the temporary effect of a conditioner. 

Knots for days

Lesson 6: Make peace with the knots

There will be knots

A hair knot

Knots and tangles are a part of natural hair. I found mini-twists to be the source of single strand twists. Since I stopped regularly wearing them my knots have decreased significantly. I have used a needle in the past to undo single strand knots but no longer do so. I stopped twisting my hair and the knots reduced. Curly hair is forgiving and in coils the knots aren't an issue.You will still feel them when you straighten your hair but you could ignore them.

Types of hair knots

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Love Naturally
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Lesson 5- Keep Your Scalp Clean

Lesson 5: Cleansing is essential

Image: Gentle Approach

You do have to cleanse your hair at least once every 1-2 weeks using a shampoo. Yes, there are different types of shampoos and you may prefer one over the next but do not omit shampoo from your routine completely. Co-washing is fine but you need to cleanse your scalp regularly. 

My favourite shampoo by Naturalmente

Shampoo is meant to be applied on your scalp not your hair. This made a massive difference in the condition of my hair. The shampoo on your scalp is enough to clean the length of your hair when it runs down during the rinse. 

Rinse well when you do shampoo your hair. A part of the problem with the drying factor of shampoo is that it is not rinsed out properly. I typically rinse shampoo at least three times. 

Some naturals advocate for the use of purified water. They say that it promotes healthier hair and also help with getting over growth plateaus. Perhaps use purified water for your final rinse. 

Lesson 2, 3 & 4

Lesson 2: Get creative with hairstyling. Learn to tuck away unruly bits and let the well defined ones do all the work. Hairstyling option are endless so familiarise yourself with a few looks and practice these till you perfect them.  

Lesson 3: Styling in sections will save your sanity.

Lesson 4: Don’t try and do a hairstyle two hours before an event, ever.

Drying time

Drying time from soaking wet to completely dry will vary based on your hair length and your choice of styling. I don’t like blow-drying my afro, I much prefer to air dry it. Drip drying shoulder length hair takes between 24-48 hours. Products increase drying time. So experiment with amounts of product versus drying time. Also, I have found that in coastal conditions my hair dries in half the time. Here on the highvelt I’m in for a solid 48hrs. I like the big bushy look and thus I have to plan my hair if I want to wear it out at a particular time. So, If I have an event in the evening I have to set my hair early in the morning to get maximum drying time and volume by nightfall. 

The shrink

Oh the shrink, on my hair is at about 50%. In full coils my hair looks half the length it actually is. When it was short I wanted it long. Now that its long I miss some of my short hairdo’s. Thats life. The shape of growth is sideways (often referred to as the mushroom) until the hair becomes heavy enough to weigh itself down. For this reason transitioning may actually be easier. For me the weighing down only happened at about 2.3-3 years of natural growth. Hairstyling the mushroom look can be a challenge as you may not be able to neatly pull all the hair into a single ponytail or bun. A possible option is to style your hair into separate sections instead of one uncomfortable teeny weeny pony. Or worse still a massive bunch of hair where the only option is a wrist size scrunchy over once to hold it in place.

Due Natural

This article is the third segment of transitioning hair. If you want more information on what to consider when thinking of transitioning; including some styling options then please read the two previous blog posts. Once you are decisioned about your hair whether natural or transitioning the information below is a list of things I have compiled as useful information guide to help you in your natural endeavour. 

Due Natural

A full head of natural hair can be an absolute surprise. Whether you are in transit or on the natural road the look, the actions, the reactions can be very different to what you had imagined your own hair to be. It will either crack you up or it will be eye watering. My suggestion is that you try and laugh instead of cry.

I have indeed cried a few times at a failed hairdo and I have been party to the tears of others. Natural hair is unpredictable. At every growth stage it will act differently. It will react to products, process, temperature and the like. 

At the start of my natural road I had imagined a stunning head of curls that were perfect ringlets about a 5c size. I saw myself with this stunning head of hair just waiting to be revealed. Once my hair took shape I was shocked to find that most of my curls were actually about .5mm. I discovered that I had tightly curly hair that seemed absolutely unresponsive to a wash n go. It felt like the YouTube vloggers had been put there just to frustrate me. Yes, some of my imaginings have come to pass, the rest is filed into the “really now?” section of lessons I did not have to learn along with the rest of my unrealistic expectations. 

Lesson 1: Discover what is there instead of what is not. Life becomes really simple after that point.

Love yourself. Love what you have and be thankful for what you have and where you are today. We tend to over analyse and be way too self critical. Let go of the negativity and invest in positive speak, positive thoughts and actions. Learn what you do not know. Practice what you want to learn. Make mistakes if you must but keep going. 

Texture

I have three different textures of hair on my head that responds individually to whatever I do. The nape of my neck has soft beautifully defined curls. The centre has coarse and unruly ones. The front is a mix of smooth on the side and not so smooth right in front of my face. 

Some days all of it looks good and I can wear it out. Other days I have to be creative to tie or tuck the undefined sections and still get a great look. The drying process and the exact shrink setting is never the same. So I only know what it really looks like when it is completely dry.