Discovering What Works for YOUR Natural

They are literally everywhere you turn.  Seemingly perfect curls and twists.  That oh-so-desirable length.  Moisture for days.  Not a hair out of place.  You think to yourself, "Man, I want her hair! I want my hair to do exactly what her hair does."  You hastily approach this woman and almost scream out, "What did you use in your hair? How did you get it to do that?".  You hang on to her every word, you make notes on the products she used, as well as her technique.  You hurry to the nearest beauty supply store, go home and turn your bathroom into a personal hair salon. When you finish doing exactly what you thought she said, you look like a chia pet! LOL!!! Wanna know why?  Those perfect curls and twists were HER natural. 

Having natural hair is a delicate balance between you wondering why you didn't go natural a decade ago to you toying with the idea of going back to a relaxer (GASPS!!!!! lol).  Be strong.  We all go through it.  Everybody's natural hair is not the same. There are so many different textures, curl patterns ( or lack thereof) and  lengths and they all are beautiful in a unique way.  Being natural is much like some of the age old lessons we were taught as children: You just have to BE YOURSELF.  Below are a few tips that may help you discover your natural.

1. Research, research, research.  Find out what your curl pattern is.

2.  Determine your hair's porosity (check out my blog post on hair porosity. here).  This will help you to figure out which moisturizing technique will work best for your hair. Nobody likes a dry fro.

3.  Know that what hair product works for one natural, may not work for you, which leads me into tip number 4....

4.  Products do NOT create curls that you don't already have.  Example: Erica uses product x and her head is covered in curly awesomeness.  If I use product x, then I too will have a head covered in curly awesomeness lol. Catch my drift?  Since you have done your research and you know your curl pattern, then you know that whatever product you choose to use will only define and enhance your natural curl pattern.  This is the whole point of being natural right? =)

5.  Don't be afraid to try new styles and products, but never forget the basic products that first made you love your hair.  I can't tell you how many times, I've become so consumed with trying new things that I forget that Kinky Curly leave-in is a great fit for my hair or that my homemade shea butter whip gave me one of the best twist outs I've ever experienced.

6. Love YOUR natural. You went natural for a variety of reasons.  Try not to become discouraged if your hair doesn't look like your favorite naturalista's. Being natural is a unique experience for each woman.  Own it!

Check out my pictures of some of my natural hair victories and fails over the past year. lol