When I started my natural hair journey in 2006 there wasn’t a huge natural hair community. I figured it out via hours and hours of searching through countless videos on youtube. These are the tips that I wish I had from the beginning. Hopefully they will ease you into your transition of learning about and loving your beautiful head of curls.
1. Wash your hair in sections. Whether you do your hair in the shower or at the sink the amount of time spent detangling type 4 hair can be dramatically reduced if you section your hair into 4-8 (braids, twists clips) prior to cleansing and conditioning.
2. Avoid using a comb. Finger detangling curly hair is a more gentle technique than using a comb that will reduce breakage and avoid disruption of your curl pattern
– with the exception of parting your hair
3. Minimize manipulation. – Learn to let your hair do what it does. Manipulating your curl pattern with excessive combing and brushing, installing small braids and removing them within a few days or hopping from style to style is not only damaging but also time consuming. Pick a style and stick with it for a while.
4. Read this book. Curly Girl Method
5. Keep it simple. Wash and gos are the epitome of simplicity when it comes to curly hair care though it’s not always practical (cold weather, professional event where you can’t show up with wet hair) and the curlier your hair (approaching 4c) the more challenging it can be. Regardless of your hair style the best way to reach your hair goals and avoid frustration is to keep it simple
6. Keep your hair moisturized. Taming your mane from frizz, maintaining growth, preventing breakage and developing manageable hair all stems around keeping your hair moisturized
7. When dealing with kids hair start early. THIS applies to 2 aspects. You want them to start loving their hair at an early age. Develop fun self assuring loving relationships with their hair. This he means being extremely patient when washing, detangling and styling your child’s curls. Many kids have a tender scalp and even the smallest bit of manipulation is uncomfortable for them. It is important to be patient and gentle. GIVE yourself plenty of time. Try to avoid doing hair in rushed situations
8. Stay off you tube unless you have a SPECIFIC GOAL. You tube is a natural hair encyclopedia of tutorials for managing curly hair. Be careful not to get sucked into the trap of watching hours of videos that don’t align with your goal. Limit yourself in time and quantity of videos you can consume. Just like you find your staple products find your staple you tubers (chime, mahogany curls, naptural 85) that will help you develop a regimen to reach your goals.
9. Don’t be a product junkie.
With all the products out there it can be tempting to try them all [one of them will have to work eventually] Stick with a product at least til the jar is gone. If you learn about a product and want to test it out do your research, read the reviews before you purchase as the product may not give your the same results as the person who recommended it. Try sample packs and give it a fair try. 2 weeks to a month before moving on. At the very least finish the bottle. If you tell yourself you have to use this product until its gone you are much more picky when deciding what products to spend your time and money on. Create a drawer or shelf where your products go don’t let I take overflow. Don’t be afraid to move on if a product doesn’t work but get rid of it give it away make sure it’s not sticking around if it doesn’t work for you.
-find what works and stick with it
10. Protect your hair. Constant friction from rubbing on clothes, hats or pillows at night can cause friction that leads to hair breakage. Protect your hair by keeping it moisturized, using scarf or bonnet
11. Product ph affects porosity of hair- normal hair pH is 4.5-5.5 at lower ph’s (2-4.5) cuticles lay flat hair porosity decreases (whatever moisture is in the shaft is locked in) at higher pH’s the cuticles lift decreasing hair porosity and it is difficult to maintain moisture in this state. in order to get the perfect balance first raise the cuticle with a product with a higher ph then moisturize and seal the moisture (water) in with a lower pH product.
12. Avoid shampoo. At least the ones with sulfate in them. For curly hair shampoo can very drying leading to frizz and breakage. Try co-washing using a bentonite clay or a sulfate free shampoo experiment with washing every other day and co-washing in between.
13. Pile up on conditioner – Water should be one of the 1st 5 ingredients in your products and if should have good slip for easy detangling.
14. Water is not the enemy and wet hair daily. Water is the ultimate moisturizer – all other products work to seal water into the strands or keep water out. Sealants are designed to help your hair maintain the moisture from the applied water. If you hair is dry prior to the sealant being placed the sealant will keep water out. The number one moisturizer for your hair is water. There is no product as hydrating to your hair as water. deally you should hydrate daily but you shouldn’t go more thsn 3 days without adding water to your hair
15. Don’t obsess over ingredients. If your not a product junkie this won’t be a problem. There are a few ingredients that you need to avoid but you can develop an effective yet simple hair care regimen with as few as 4 products (bentonite clay, apple cider vinegar, conditioner, gel)
16. Be cautious and responsible with heat – Heat can be damaging to hair but this doesn’t mean it needs to be completely eliminated from your hair care arsenal if you desire to straighten your hair purchase a quality product that alows you to adjust the setting use low heat and use infrequently. Try using heatless curls and stretching techniques
There is no need to avoid it all together a popular YouTuber LongHairDon’tCare had waist length hair but she blow dried her hair monthly prior to protective styling
17. Follow the 80/20 rule. 20% of the effort (cleansing, moisturizing and styling) will yield you 80% of the results (beautiful, manageable, strong healthy hair). Cleanse moisturize and style 2-3x a week.
18. Self therapy. Learn to love and accept your hair find your inspiration.
19. Enjoy the diversity of all the things natural hair can do. From wash n goes, TWA, Curly Afros cornrows, twists, twist outs, bantu knot outs, protective styling with extensions and so much more. Hair is the ultimate accessory and there are endless opportunities for you ro explore from the mundane straight wrap to the eye catching fro mohawk.
20. Interview your hair stylist and don’t be afraid to walk out. If you want to go to a professional stylist for natural hair make sure you ask questions to make sure they will be using products and techniques that you are comfortable with. There is nothing worse than paying someone to do your hair and then being completely miserable with the results. Ask questions: What products do you use? How do you want my hair to be preeped? Will you be using heat to achieve this style? If their techniques don’t jive with you, find another stylist.
21. EXPERIMENT- don’t be afraid to switch it up natural hair is so diverse, cut it, color it, braid it, straighten it, but do it responsibly and in moderation. It’s hair. it will grow back.
22. Find a support system- There are multiple natural hair communities on Facebook, Youtube and Blogs where you can find and share information.
23. Document your hair journey. One day you wake up with waist length hair and you wonder what did I do to get here. Documenting can help you figure that out.
24. Stop trimming your hair.
If you have a length goal you must stop trimming your hair every 6-8 weeks or you will never reach it. As long as you are utilizing healthy care habits your split ends shouldn’t need trimming that often. If your hair is breaking off because the ends are damaged it will be challenging to reach your hair goals but be strategic trimming should take care of that. You shouldn’t have to cut your hair every 6-8 weeks
25. Get a hair cut/shaping.
-growing your hair out to all the same length may seam ideal but it’s a lot more interesting and attractive to have some shape to your mane
26. As your hair gets longer sleep in a pineapple – This will help you to sleep comfortably while giving you a little more length and maintaining your curl.
