Casual Friday: My (Hair) Story

TGIF all!

After several requests, I’m finally sharing my natural hair journey and care regiment.  Before I begin I just want to be clear, I am not a natural hair expert or profess to be one.   All the opinions expressed in this post are all my own and not an endorsement of any product.

Back in 1995 during my first year of graduate school, I let my BFF talk me into dyeing my hair blond…yes blond (y’all can see where this is going!).   Trust me when I say I my hair was a  hot mess! By the time I decided to change my hair, it was so severely damaged that the only way to get it back to being healthy was to cut all the color out. I nearly had a nervous breakdown when the  hair stylist started cutting my hair.  All I thought at the time was that I was going to be ugly with natural hair. Back then NOBODY went natural unless they were trying to make some personal or political statement.  I was particularly worried about my mother’s reaction to me cutting off my hair.  I was concerned she was going to come to Philadelphia and kick my butt for cutting off all my hair.  When I revealed my haircut to family and friends, their reactions ranged from  disbelief to “What the heck did you do to your hair?!”.   Some family members  thought I had cut my hair to join some black revolutionary group or was living an “alternative” lifestyle (this still cracks me up til this day).  My boyfriend at the time would repeatedly ask me “when are you going to straighten your hair again?” which my response was “when you stop acting like an asshole!” Our relationship fizzled soon thereafter.

After a time people just came to accept my natural hair and would consult me when they decided to do the “big chop”.  After years of figuring out what works for my hair, I am totally at peace with it. I learned through the years my hair even in it’s natural state is versatile and can be worn in various styles.   I’ve  rocked a mohawk, blown it  out and  worn it super short.   I’ve also learned that  the maintenance of natural  hair can be just as  time consuming as chemically straightened hair. Right now I’m in the process of getting my hair back to being healthy after damaging it with with heat (against my hairstylist advice, I had my hair flat ironed right after it was colored…a huge no-no).   I completely regret  my poor decision but luckily  this time the damage isn’t that severe.    My hairstylist advised me to allow the color I have to grow out so my hair can be healthy again.   She instructed me to wash my hair every two weeks with cool water to seal in moisture.   “Wash day”is  honestly a pain because it can take me 2-3 hours to do my hair.  When washing my hair I use either Creme of Nature Moisture & Shine Shampoo with Argan Oil  or Aunt Jackies Oh So Clean! Shampoo .   Both shampoos are sulfate free and leave my hair soft with no left over residue.   Moisturizing my hair is very important because  its so dry.  To help keep it moisturized,  I use Design Essentials Rosemary & Mint Super Moisturizing Conditioner  for deep conditioning .  I mix coconut oil into the conditioner to add shine to my hair.  I leave in the conditioner in for 15-20 minutes to penetrate the hair shaft.  Once that’s finished,  its on to the last step… curling my hair with perm rods.  I have a big ole head, so when I first started using rods, it would take me 2 hours to  curl my hair.  Now that I’m a curl pro, I’ve cut down the time to around 45 minutes.   I apply a small amount  Miss Jessie’s Curly Meringue and Creme of Nature Style & Shine Foaming mousse  to small parts of my hair and roll.  I can use anywhere between 30-40 perm rods to roll my hair (Whew!!!).    After I finish I  sit under a dryer for 40 minutes to dry and set my curls.  After the whole process is done I always want a drink cause it’s so exhausting! LOL

So there you have it! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

Have a wonderful weekend!