Lessons I Learnt Since Going Natural

When I first transitioned to natural hair my only goal was to grow longer and thicker hair,...

but on my journey I realised that going natural changed not only my hair texture but also led me to other journeys of self-discovery and evolution. Such as clean beauty and eating clean, or at least trying to most of the time. On reflection it helped with a mind-set shift of what beauty means. If you want to get just a little bit deep with me, keep reading for five lessons I have learnt since going natural.
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1. The more you leave your hair alone the more it flourishes
When the natural hair movement was at its peak there were so many fads of what you should be doing to grow thicker and longer tresses. We all remember co washing, pre poo, or rice water to a name a few. There was pressure to try out all these new ways of caring for your hair and if you didn’t you was painted with the brush of shame and not doing the right thing for your hair to grow. I even got sucked down the rabbit hole of trying every craze going, yes I was doing the most.  I soon began to realise that every fad going does not have to be for you. Some things I tried even caused damage to my hair. I remember trying the maximum hydration method and the results were awful causing breakage.
Once I worked out what works for me I pretty much stuck to it and this involves minimal manipulation to my hair. Yes if I leave my hair alone then it does not only grow, but it is healthy growth. Leaving your hair alone does not mean neglecting it, it is more doing the minimal amount of hair care with the maximum results of growth, thickness and minimal split ends.
 
2. A twist out is just as beautiful as your natural texture
Society has conditioned us to believe that unless your hair texture is loose, soft and curly then you have bad hair. As black women we have all been conditioned to some extent that our hair could be better and is not good enough in its natural state. I used to spend ages doing twist and braids outs to achieve defined kinks and coils. Now I rock my fro, a blow out and twist outs and they are all are equally beautiful. My natural hair journey helped with self-love and self-confidence. Now the majority of the time I do not give a damn about other people’s opinions about my hair. There are times when everyone is insecure and this includes me, when these moment occur I reflect that other people’s negative opinions shows a lack in them and ain’t nobody got time to respond to that energy.
 
3. Experimentation is a good thing
I still love trying out new products on my hair and my blog would not be that informative if I didn’t. Experimentation is really important in the early stages of transitioning or if you big chop as you need to work out what works on your hair texture. Bloggers, friends or family can recommend things that work well for them but there is no guarantee that it have the same effect on your hair. So you have to try things for yourself to develop your own natural hair routine. Beside from your favourite product I found it is also good to have alternative products that work well on your hair. As a seasoned naturalista I know there are many times when formulas change or you cannot find your usual product in store, so you have to use something else.
 
4. Your natural hair is your personal journey         
If you want to always wear your hair out or protect your hair under a wig it is up to you. As long as you learn to love your kinks and coils. In today’s society there is so much emphasis on a herd mentality, especially on the internet were only one opinion is valid and people cannot express how they feel. A naturalista might wear a particular style that is comfortable for her lifestyle and it doesn’t necessarily mean they hate their hair. So let’s not be quick to judge and just spread love to our fellow naturalistas.
 
5. You can be an inspiration for others
In the early days of my natural hair journey I would get negative comments from fellow black women who could not understand why I would want to wear my hair natural. Now years later these same people are now natural and asking me advice on how to manage their hair.
When I first started my blog I mainly wanted to help my 4c naturalistas, as there was a lack of information and shine on this particular group of women. I hope that my little blog can make a difference in someone’s life when it comes to their appearance and self-acceptance.
 
I feel I am no longer on a journey as such, my hair is just part of me, it’s beautiful and glorious in its natural state and nobody can tell me nothing. Let me know in the comments what lessons have you learnt since becoming natural.
 
Caron X