Good Hair! My Curly Journey

I've always found it difficult to talk about this topic, not because it is hard but because of its complexities in society. I am not going to address the problems of black hair or get anywhere political because that is no fun. Rather I will talk about my hair journey and the routine I use today. 

Ever since I was a child hair has ALWAYS been an issue. I had strong beautiful, full, thick, coarse hair and because of that I had to keep it braided. Ever since I started school I could not imagine myself having a bad hair day. I was trained to keep my hair neat and clean. This type of mental training began to torment me as a child. I had a mother that could not braid- crazy right! I had to accept that fact that I would have to be able to braid my own hair if my mother couldn't find anyone else to braid it. So everyday I would braid my barbies hair, whether they were blonde, brunette or even the Brandy one, ALL of them had their hair braided. 

Circa: 1998

Braids, Braids, Braids

As I grew into my teenage years I got better at braiding my own hair. Whenever I couldn't find anyone to braid my hair I relied on myself. My senior year of high school is when I really broke out of my hair weave shell. I wore my hair without weave for the first time and it felt liberating. I thought about why I didn't do it in the first place because it wasn't hard to do. Now this wasn't a simple let your hair hang loose type situation, there were challenges. My hair had been relaxed maybe three times, I had new growth at the scalp and it was difficult to style or even manage. I could not handle the maintenance of my hair so I decided to just go back to my protective style by wearing a weave or braids. 

Circa:2008

This is my hair, two year growth with relaxers. 

Once college came around I decided to go completely natural. I didn't really know what I was getting myself into. At first i didn't think it was going to be difficult because black people wear their hair natural all the time. I did research on hair growth, types of hair, and what products were good for my hair. I came up with five steps that I now use as a ritual whenever I cut my hair or go natural.

1.) Forget about the misconception that "in order to have good hair it has to be straight and relaxed". 

I think this was my biggest problem because I grew up in a predominantly Caucasian city. We were one of the first black immigrant families to move to Faribault, Minnesota. My conception of what beauty is was based off what was around me. Although it is not a problem to have Britney Spears as a role model, I began to think that all girls wanted to look like her. One of my favorite black role models was Brandy, because she was someone that I could relate to. Once I got older I accepted the fact that not everyone wanted to have blonde hair and blue eyes. Even with this notion I still struggled with my hair. Until I finally did my research.

2.) Do your RESEARCH!

Even though we have had this hair for as long as we can remember, there is still a lot of information that can be helpful. I went online and came across a website that I call "My Holy Grail of Hair 101." I came across this website from a girlfriend who had lost her hair to a relaxer and she was in the process of growing it back. The website is called http://www.healthyhairjourney.com. Not only did this website provide information about hair growth, they also have products to help protect your hair. There also other healthy hair forums and blogs for example: Alikaynaturals.com, curlynikki.com to name a few. I have also found ways to make my own hair products and conditioners. If you decide to go natural then make an effort to use natural products. There are things you can use that are located in your kitchen to help maintain your hair.

3.) Figure out your: CURL PATTERN

When I first came across this word I was real confused because I simply thought that my hair was just curly. I went on this website(http://www.naturallycurly.com/pages/hairtypes/type4) to find out what my curl pattern is. I found that my curl pattern is 4C. The type of products you can use will depend on the type of curl that you have. The smaller the curl the more frequent you need to deep condition and maintain it.

4C curl Pattern

4.) Be Healthy

Healthy hair comes from the individual living a healthy lifestyle. It doesn't matter what type of hair you have but if you do not take care of yourself mentally and physically, your hair will show it. Exercising is very very good for hair growth because it stimulates blood flow, which stimulates hair growth. Be sure to eat healthy foods that have plenty of vitamins. During my college days, buying foods that were rich in vitamins was beginning to get expensive so I took a different route and bought vitamins. the best vitamins for hair growth and strength are: Biotin (helps grow hair, skin, and nails), B-vitamins (help with hair, skin, nails, metabolism and often contain Biotin), and MSM (help with the maintaining the length of a hair strand). This website also has great vitamins specifically for hair growth: hairfinity.com. Now, vitamins should not be used in place of food, you should try to maintain a well balanced diet as often as possible. There is no substitute for the nutrients that raw food gives you. 

5.) Lastly: LOVE YOUR HAIR!!!!

No matter how, curly, coil, or zig-zaggy it looks, love the fact that it makes you, YOU! Over the years I have gone through a lot of challenges with my hair but it has allowed me to explore and educate myself. I still get braids, and have weaves as a protective style but I now appreciate my hair the way it is. We still have things to worry about, but our hair should not hold us down. It should be the least of our problems. Don't let it define you. 

LOVE YOURSELF 

AND EMBRACE IT!