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"naturally me"
by elle jay
by elle jay
My natural transition
It's only natural to start with my own hair journey before I start with some of yours. So here it goes. I'm almost nine years into it and unlike most of you naturalistas, I did not do the big chop. It was more like the big fall out! Yes ladies, I had gotten a bad relaxer! Half my head of hair was gone before I finished putting the relaxer on the front of my head. It basically ate my hair and it was coming out in clumps! I cried so hard because one, I thought ALL my hair would fall out and two, I thought it would NEVER grow back.
I just didn't have the head to be bald, and the thought of me with no hair was killer! Well, good thing my mom did braids and I loved wearing them! After a lot of tears and a year of rocking every kind of braid style (booty braids, yarn braids, micro braids etc) I did the semi big chop, cutting only the relaxed ends off. By then, my hair was at least five inches long. Transitioning from relaxed to natural was easy for me.
I was already a “braids kinda girl”, so of course I wore the two strand twists all the time. It was easy, low maintenance, and at the end of three weeks I'd take them out and wear my twist out for another week, wash my hair and do it again. Like every girl, I went from one color to the next, but now I just sport my natural hair with my natural hair color. Over the past nine years, I've tried a few different things but I was never a big product junkie. I'll tell you about the time I almost went bald AGAIN; let you all in on my favorite hair care secrets that are also easy on the pockets; and even feature some of your natural hair journeys!
wash day confessions
Every once in a while, someone will ask me, "what do you wash your hair with" and I always say I don't technically "wash" my hair with shampoo and conditioner...I use a mud wash! Since I only "mud wash" my hair every 3-4 weeks, I go through a few steps to make sure my hair is clean and moisturized. A typical wash day takes at LEAST three hours out of my day.
It's a BIG process!
Here's what I do:
1. I always prepare and mix the products that I use on my hair before I start the process...this way, I'm not dripping water and product all over the bathroom while trying to get the next thing ready.
2. I first rinse my hair in the shower with extremely hot water, rubbing my fingers on my scalp as if I'm washing it. This loosens up any dirt that may have built up over the past few weeks.
3. Then I pour on a mixture of apple cider vinegar and water on my hair. The vinegar act as a cleanser also, further removing caked up anything left on your hair (be very careful not to get ANY of this in your eyes...I've done it before and it WAS NOT fun!).
4. After pouring on and completely rinsing out the vinegar, I pat my hair with a towel and begin parting my hair to apply my mud wash. I don't comb my hair out until after I deep condition, just because it's too much stress to constantly comb your hair.
5. I part my hair in four sections and apply the mud like you would apply a relaxer. I personally make a part down the middle and another from ear to ear across the top of my head. I part each section as I apply and twist it out of the way to keep down mess.
6. After I finish, I put a plastic bag on my head and let the mud sit for another 15 minutes. The mud is also a conditioner so the longer it stays the better results.
7. I UNTWIST and rinse all the mud out and section my hair off again. Now it's time to apply my egg, mayo and honey deep conditioner. Since this has the consistency of store bought conditioner, I APPLY it just the same.
8. After every strand is COVERED, I get another plastic bag and this time leaving it on for 30-40 minutes.
9. I RINSE well, twist it up in chunky sections, moisturizing with my shea butter concoction and let it air dry over night.
10. I NEVER apply heat to my hair of any kind, no blow dying or sitting under a hair dryer. Everyone’s hair is different and my hair just doesn't act right when it's forced to dry. It doesn't hold moisture like I want it to.
The next morning I'm ready to do my two strand twist! And that is my 10-step wash day routine!
got breakage?! here's some tips!
Never comb or detangle your hair dry. Always spray your ends with water, or apply your favorite moisturizer.
Add Aloe Vera juice to equal parts of water. Aloe Vera has calcium and vitamins that helps keep it strong but soft.
NEVER start from the roots! Always start combing your hair from tip to root. The less stress you put on your hair, the stronger your hair will be.
Once or twice a week, oil your hair. Oil your scalp and message oil through out your ends.
Use less chemicals. I'm not saying go juices and berries but easy off the products that contain words you can't pronounce.
And that ladies, are a few tips to help keep your hair long and strong!
