Trimming My Natural Hair

Since I do not trust anyone to touch my natural hair ever again, I decided to trim/dust my ends myself. Many beauticians do not understand how natural hair work and how to treat it. I think if I went to a professional, he or she would end up cutting off more than he/she was suppose to or mess up my curl pattern some way. I don't trust them with MY hair. Now I am not a professional whatsoever, but I parted my hair in 6 sections and parted sections within each section. I used hair scissors to trim my ends. I did my research first before doing my own trim and I really liked the youtube video tutorial of Naptural85 on trimming your own hair. It was very helpful. I followed what she did the best I could do. It took me approximately 2 hours because I was taking my time so I wouldn't end up cutting all of my hair!

Results: I enjoyed trimming my own hair so in case I messed up, I would be the one to blame. It took time but almost everything with doing my hair takes a little bit of time. I think I will continue to do it myself until I see that I am not doing a good job. You should definitely check out a few youtube videos before trying it yourself. I think it is well worth it. Keep in mind to be kind to your tresses.

Birth Control and Growing Your Natural Tresses

Everyone has heard about the hormonal changes that I woman goes through when they get on a birth control method, whether it is the shot or the actual pills itself. Now a lot of people have do their research before getting on birth control and/or learning about what their hair truly needs or missing. I have been on birth control pills since September 2004. I have never experienced having trouble growing my hair since being on it but I have noticed that it tends to break more than it used to. I won't blame it all on my birth control pills but it has opened my eyes to the changes in my body due to birth control pills. When I moved to New York in 2009, I decided to start taking a multivitamin and that has helped me tremendously. I have noticed that my Centrum Multivitamin does not have enough Biotin in it. It only has 15% of its daily value. Not enough to my liking. Before going further, you should always consult your doctor when changes your vitamin regimen. I personally take my multivitamin with (2) biotins a day. I have noticed improvements as well as growth. Everyone has their choice in vitamins that they would like to take. If you are not a big vitamin person that are also on birth control, look into certain foods that enhances your hair and nails. It is crucial to drink plenty of water. Water is essential to everyone's health whether you are trying to grow you hair or not. Also try to exercise daily. It helps with blood circulation, including in your scalp to stimulate your hair follicles. It is funny how our bodies work, especially after doing your homework and learning. Growing and learning about my new hair is very important to me. Also, I reached my one year napptural anniversary on July 2nd! It came fast and I am happy that I made it and didn't give up. In the meantime, be kind to your tresses and stick with it. :)

Going Natural Without Going Broke

Everyone knows at the beginning stages of going natural, you want to try all types of products to see what will work best for your hair. I have learned throughout my journey to mix and match products together so nothing goes to waste. For example, there has been tons of shampoos and moisturizers that didn't work out in my favor. So one special tip that I would like to pass on is add something that does work for you with the products that doesn't quite work for you. I had a bad experience with the Pantene Pro-V Relaxed and Natural shampoo and conditioner. It worked well for me when I was still relaxed but my natural tresses did not respond well to it. I listened to my hair and it was so dry after I conditioned my hair. So I knew that my hair loves Extra Virgin Olive Oil and it is a natural softener as well as coconut oil. So I add olive oil and/or coconut oil to any shampoo and conditioner that makes my hair feel dry. It helps a whole lot. I think instead of giving away your purchases, try to enhance them by adding your favorite oil to improve your product. Sometimes I will even mix good conditioners with my bad ones with a little bit of oil. Try this out first before throwing out products that you have paid for. Until you find your staple products, this will be a great way to use everything that is left in your cabinets. :) Going natural is a journey worth taking. In the meantime, be kind to your tresses.