Natural Hair for Beginners

Hey Yall! My last post about natural hair got a lot of hits so I decided to post a new one. I've literally been natural all of my life, with the exception of two painful years, but for the majority of my life I've worn my hair with some form of heat in it. My curls are so curly that they begin to curl one on top of the other and intertwine, thus forming dreads after only a week. Basically, I didn't know what to do with my hair. But in my spare time, I've been browsing through multiple natural hair websites & I've comprised a list of tips that I've wished I'd had when I started going natural:

Tip # 1: Know your hair type. This probably sounds stupid. It's the hair that you were born with. Of course, you know your hair. It's long thin loose curls. Or maybe it's thick tight & kinky. That's all well & good, yet trust me I've tried to type "hair tutorials for mixed race curly hair"......and nothing came up. Lol! Use a website like the following for the curly hair classification system. After you've figured out your hair type using this website, verify that it is YOUR hair type by typing the hair type name into the search bar of youtube. Videos will pop up with numerous people with your hair type. I have type 3c/4a hair.

Tip #2: Learn the Terminology. What is a big chop? A co-wash? Figuring out natural hair terminology is crucial to figuring out how to care for your natural hair. Use this dictionary to figure out every term that you need.

Tip # 3: Know What Ingredients Make for Healthy Hair. Many girls who go natural continue to use the same hair products which they used before their transition to natural hair. This is not good! Actually, many of the hair products which you used before your transition to natural hair, may actually have ingrediants which remove mositure from your hair. With natural hair, you need moisture!! This website offers the best Q & A session that I've ever read. Very informing.

Tip #4: Explore the Wonderful Worldwide Web. There are numerous websites out there to help you in your journey to natural hair. My absolute favorite is curlynikki.com. She has great hair tips, tutorial, survival stories (haha) and ideas. She even has numerous guest bloggers that help to make the website awesome. Use Youtube! There are so many awesome hair tutorials on the web. Like I said ^^^, type in your hair type and work from there.

Tip #5: Find a good detangling method. This is probably going to be my worst tip, because it continues to be my biggest struggle. But hang in there ladies (and gents haha), like me, you'll be able to persevere. Youtube, youtube, search search search...that's all that I can really say. Yet this post is a good way to start.

For the time being, I'm still using heat...a little contradictory after I gave all of these tips, right? Wrong! haha. For now I'm studying as many natural hair methods as possible. Pesonally, I don't think that the winter time is a good time for me to try to keep my hair all natural. I've worn it natural for several days, but it dries out really easily since there is very little humidity in the air. I am constantly having to wet it. So as soon as the spring comes and it begins to get more humid I will take another stab at natural hair. Hopefully when that time comes around, I will have all the right products and knowledge to take care of my hair. I don't want to go completely natural (as in using no heat) for the rest of my life. But once the summer comes, because it is so humid and pressed hair instantly frizzes, I plan to not add heat to my hair whatsoever. Also, I want to make sure that I am properly educated on how to care for my hair and not damage it. But to all of you girls who are teaching yourselves in the winter, I salute you!

Good Luck!!