I hate labels but within the natural hair community we have them and they can be equally amusing as they are sad. This journey (going natural or accepting your curly hair”> is not as easy as some profess nor as hard as others scream at the tops of their lungs. It’s a process that requires experimenting, adjustments, and managing in order to attain perfection, or something close to it. Here are a list of natural hair pitfalls that could make your journey go very badly if you don’t change your ways!
The Denialer
This is the newly natural that refuses to accept that she needs to make changes in her regimen and habits. She just carries on using all the same products she did while her hair was relaxed and assumes her hair will adapt…um, no. Going natural requires adapting to your hair’s changes and using products and techniques that will help your hair to thrive and be healthy.
The Follower
This newly natural will follow every YouTube vlogger, blogger, stylist, and author that says anything about how to care for natural hair. Nothing wrong with that, right? It’s important to be consistent with a regimen in order to see if it works for you before trying another. Also, following someone with a texture that is very dissimilar to your own may not be helpful. Understand your hair’s porosity and needs are essential to determining who might be the best to follow.
The Excessive Product Junkie
At the start of a hair journey, almost every newbie will be a product junkie as a means to discover which products perform the best for her hair, but unless you have a vast amount of funds you will be pinching pennies in an attempt to try every new product that hits the market. Give a product a chance (around a week”> to determine if it works before purchasing another. Your hair is not a chameleon and therefore will not adapt to every product you use so it is important to not become discouraged if the first, second, or third product you purchase is not giving you the desired results.
The Overprotective Styler
Many naturals protective style and that’s actually a great means to length retention, but if your hair has never seen the light of day, that may be cause for a concern. Some styles can create tension on your hair, thus increasing its potential to succumb to breakage. Some women find themselves relying on these styles because they truly never learn how to care for their own hair. Take it off or out and get to know what your hair needs and looks like. This will help it to thrive on its own without the aid of extensions.
There is the other overprotective styler that never lets her hair down and that’s just not fun. You want to have fun with your hair so wearing your hair loose is a great way to see your hair as a pleasure instead of a nuisance.
The Cutter
Cutters cannot get enough of trimming. They trim every chance they get or every six weeks like they did when their hair was relaxed. Your hair will not retain length if constantly being chopped, so unless you want to keep the same length and style, let up on those shears. If your ends look great (meaning no split ends and knots”> then leave them alone. Trim when needed and not according to a clock.
