Why Is Hair Soooo Important in the African American Community?

This is one of the age old questions out here. I am sure you remember when you were young your mom had that trusty dusty comb, with the bowl of water and hair grease. We all remember the saying that our hair is our crown and glory. For the people who aren't black, I am sure you remember times when your classmates and/or friends did not want to get their hair wet or would wear hair accessories to protect their hair. All of this is so true. Let me say this....Hair is always going to be important in the black community. Why? Its because how we were trained to think. We are still trying to be accepted among our peers, with our men and society. Everyone has an image of us and how we should look. People either want us to have straight hair because it makes us blend in or they want us to be natural so we can be our true selves. At the end of the day, we care for our hair because our hair is what differentiate us from everyone else. There are so many styles and techniques we can do to our hair.We tend to sometimes feel lost without our hair. I am a woman with natural hair and have been natural for almost 5 years. When I had relaxed or chemical-treated hair, I did not want to get my hair wet. Reason being if we got our hair wet, then the entire hair process and the money spent to get it done went down the drain. If my mama knew I got my hair wet and didn't try to protect it, I would be in trouble. Now that I am natural, my hair can stand water because I do not have to worry about my hair reverting back from straight hair to curly hair. Our hair also must go through long processes, even to just wash our hair. It takes me almost 2 hours just to wash my hair. When I used to go to a professional, I would be in the shop for extensive amounts of time. If we do not take good care of our hair, it can easily get damaged, an increased amounts of breakage, dryness, etc. It takes time and money for the upkeep of our hair. So why is hair so important to black community? Because it takes a lot of time and money to keep our hair looking nice. Time and Money are some of the most valued things in society, so why wouldn't we make it a priority? You be the judge.

Diet, Vitamins and Healthy Hair

Your diet does affect your hair and scalp. Please keep in mind what type of food and nutrients you put inside your body. Drink plenty of water. One of my tips to make sure I am getting enough water, I would drink 8 ounces every hour or 12-20 every 2 hours. That helps train your body to get adequate amounts of water needed for your body. Not only does it promote your hair but it's also great for your body and it makes you feel good. :) Try to make sure you are getting proteins such as chicken and eggs, fruits and veggies, nuts and beans. These all promote healthy hair and growth. If you feel like you cannot change your diet, there's always supplements. Before taking any supplement, please check with your doctor to see if it's safe for you to consume or to see if it's even necessary for you to take it. I take multivitamins daily with 1 biotin. I have a decent diet so I don't need to do too much. I can only speak about my experience with my diet and vitamins. My hair has gotten thicker and I have noticed more growth. The thing with me is I try not to pay attention to growth. It's like watching grass grow. Just enjoy your hair and learning the type of hair you were blessed with. We all have great hair and textures. Embrace what you have and make it the best it can be. Remember to be kind to your tresses and build those hair follicles.

Tip- if you want to make this fun, make a goal for yourself and see if you can reach it. If you fall short, just create another goal and try another round. If you pass up your goal the first time, create a harder goal and see if you are good enough to reach it :) this is supposed to be fun, not boot camp. Please embrace the challenge and have fun and see what you can accomplish in 6-12 months time.

Let's create the challenge and let's begin

The Big Chop vs. Transitioning

Thinking about going natural? Have you gave it much thought or just want to quickly try something new? We'll I am here to help you make the decision. If you are afraid to cut off all of your hair and you are not sure if you have the patience to re-learn your hair, then you should do a 6-12 month transition. If you are spontaneous and you are ready to remove all of the chemically treated hair immediately, then go and do the big chop with your big bad self. :) Going natural is a big movement and it's a lifestyle change. Are you ready? Let's go! Here are some tips to keep you focused on your journey.

TRANSITIONING

1. Moisturize your hair more than shampoo. Your 2 textures are going to battle one another and it's important to keep them tamed with moisture. Don't over moisturize but do moisturize daily

2. Keep your hair in protective styles such as buns, braids, sew-ins, extensions, wigs, twists, etc. whatever is your forte to keep your hands out of your hair.

3. Make sure you are taking care of your scalp and new growth. Since that is your new hair, you want to make sure that you are taking care of your "new" hair from beginning to end.

4. Try not to use too much heat or chemicals during he transitioning stage. Your hair is very fragile at this moment and it's important to remember the rule of thumb that "Less is More".

5. Remember the goal is to GROW as much hair before cutting off of your relaxed ends. As your hair grows, try to start trimming off 1/2 to an 1 inch every month or 2 (or every time you take down your protective style).

6. Start creating a hair regimen and start to learn your hair and what it likes and what it doesn't like. That's very important. One naturalette hair might respond well to all organic root stimulator products while it might not work for another naturalette.


BIG CHOP

1. First and foremost congratulations for taking the leap and jumping head first into the natural hair journey.

2. Re-learn and you must train your hair. Must learn that you are no longer relaxed and you learn what your virgin hair needs and wants

3. Your hair will feel try to the touch. Moisturize, moisturize, and moisturize. Don't over moisturize of course! , just listen to what ur hair needs.

4. Natural hair loves water and moisture. Completely opposite from when you were relaxed. Look into doing more wash and gos and conditioner washing (co-washing).

5. Get inspiration from YouTube videos and watch how to videos and hair journeys. It will keep you motivated to stick with it

6. Start creating your own hair regimen that works best for YOU. It's great to get ideas from other people but the fun part is making it your own and find out ur own unique hair needs.

*Remember*- Stick with your journey and don't give up. We all had to go through the journey. There's been many times I wanted to quit. Just give it at least a good 2 years. I started falling in love with my hair after two years. Be kind to your tresses while you go through your journey.

Natural Hair = Versatility

The best thing that I love about  being natural is the versatility that it offers. Going through the natural hair journey is really worth the wait. I have been natural almost 4 years and since it has grown out, I have really enjoyed playing with multiple hairstyles and learning my hair. Please do not give up on your journey... It's definitely worth the wait. :) stick with it ladies

Shampoo Tip

Come on now! We are all victims of the herbal essence commercials! We all think when we shampoo our hair, we think we need to shampoo the entire head of hair and that is not the case. Please listen to your hair. With ethnic hair, the main part you should clean is your scalp and roots. By shampooing all of your hair, you are taking out the needed moisture out of your hair. I shampoo my hair once every two weeks unless I worked out that week. My hair works better with conditioner washes. We need moisture, moisture and more moisture. Now if you have oily hair, then you might can take the once a week shampoo wash. The main point is to listen to what your hair needs not do what everyone else does for their hair. We all have different textures and hair types. If your hair is breaking you might need a protein treatment and a moisturizing treatment to follow up with it. Protein treatments are determined by if you are relaxed or natural and how strong/weak your hair is. If your hair feels like straw, do a deep conditioning treatment and let it sit for 30-45 mins, half the time under heat. All in all, figure out what works best for you. Please remember to be kind to your tresses.

Ugh! Dry Hair

Battling Dry Hair? Here are a couple of fixes: There are many things that you can do to fix the problem. When your hair has a brittle feeling, cut back on shampooing your hair and load up on conditioning your hair every week until it starts to feel softer. If you have any extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil, add about a tablespoon to your conditioner. It will help strengthen and soften your hair. Hair not ...keeping moisture well? No problem, when you decide to moisturize your hair, sleep with a plastic cap on underneath your satin cap. That helps keep the moisture in while you sleep. Also, do a hot oil treatment that contains coconut oil in it. After applying the oil, put a plastic cap on your hair and let it sit or sit under a dryer for deeper penetration. When using products, make sure water is one of the main ingredients. My moisturizing spray and leave-in conditioner are the best water based moisturizers. Remember, be kind to your tresses.

HAIR PRODUCTS!!!!

Lets get serious about what is in our hair. Did you know that guanidine hydroxide is one of the ingredients in no-lye relaxers? It has a pH of 9 to 10 and that is very bad for any hair type and can be dangerous to the scalp and hair. Getting relaxers takes away the strength and shine of our hair. Note: By adding chemicals to your scalp, it can potentially seep into the pores and go into your bloodstream. That is never a good thing. Chemicals can cause long term harm to your body...including products we use daily on our hair and scalp. WAIT! Did somebody say products? I have created a natural hair care line that I am proud of and back up 100% and it is called Kinky Kera Naturals! It is great for men, women and children. It is an all natural product for relaxed, natural, locks and textured hair. All products aren't created equal but you cannot go wrong with a natural product. This product was created to achieve healthy hair. If you are interested in checking it out, please check out my store on Facebook: Kinky Kera Naturals LLC. Remember- be kind to your tresses..