I never knew why each time I relaxed my hair, it was always so thin and scanty. Though I had very soft hair, I was just never satisfied with how my hair looked. I hated the burning sensation relaxers gave and I wanted more from my hair. I admired the look of rich, bouncy, luscious curls that characterized the hair of African women on my social media timelines. I wondered why my curls never came out like that…and so, I decided to research.
I found out about the harm relaxers did to my hair and how they had damaged my hair follicles just to give me ‘more manageable’ hair. Growing up, I noticed the so-called ‘Hairdressers’ hated to make natural hair because they felt it was too much to handle. Fast forward a little over a decade, and I know the damage I had caused to my hair over the years. I ditched my Dark and Lovely, Dr. Miracles and Profectiv relaxers and embraced water, coconut oil and shea butter. I ditched my straggly hair strands, cut them all off and transitioned to the natural hair community. Queen Diva had risen from her slumber!
The natural hair community is gradually gaining ground all around the globe, especially among Africans and Black Americans. I believe being natural is a lifestyle and not just a hair routine. This is why it is very easy to improvise products that can work best for your hair as a ‘naturalista’, as natural hair sisters are usually referred to. Women of different races, colour and lineage have varying textures of hair. This is why it is important to do some research and understand your hair before joining the natural hair community. In this article, some natural hair terminologies will be explained.
First, having natural hair in this sense means, having hair that is devoid of relaxers, texturizers and most chemicals. Hence, you have hair that is in its natural undiluted state. A lot of Africans had their hair relaxed while they were young due to the notion that we have tough, coarse or ‘unmanageable’ hair. So, if your hair is relaxed, you would need to do a big chop to have back your natural hair. A big chop refers to the cutting off all relaxed strands of hair that you’ve got. After this, your hair would need some tender love and care. The number one need of every natural hair is MOISTURE!!!
So, to have a successful beginning in your natural hair journey, the basics you’d need are:
- A Good water – based shampoo
- Conditioner (deep conditioner and leave-in conditioner)
- Oil or cream (like Shea butter (popularly known as ‘ori’ in Nigeria, coconut oil, and so on).
You can include styling products but the above are the basics or at least, those are what I started with.
Now, every naturalista knows that deep conditioning is an essential part of hair care as it keeps your hair moisturized and juicy. UUUUH I like the sound of that! Although you can lay your hands on already made deep conditioners, natural home-made recipes give you an assurance of what exactly you are putting into your hair. These natural homemade recipes also save money as good quality store-bought ones might be a bit on the pricey side. A good example of such deep conditioners is the Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque.
Now to our DIY deep conditioner tutorial, you would need the following:
- Mayonnaise (yes, the normal mayo we eat)
- Honey
- Any oil/sealant of your choice (olive, coconut, etc, oils)
Simply mix these ingredients in a bowl in the right quantity depending on how full or how bad your hair needs a conditioning treatment. Massage the mixture thoroughly throughout the hair starting at the ends all the way to the root. Cover your hair with a plastic cap for at least 30minutes, rinse out and comb carefully. You can apply a leave – in conditioner, if you wish.
And that’s it! Easy peasy!
BONUS DIY RECIPE:
HOW TO MAKE ONION AND HONEY JUICE FOR HAIR GROWTH
- Blend some onions, pour in a container and add honey to diffuse the strong smell of the onions.
- I also kept this in the fridge to keep it cool. This helps to facilitate hair growth.
- Apply to your scalp, cover with a plastic cap and leave in for like 15 minutes.
- Shampoo after.
I have been natural for a year and four months and I must say these DIY recipes have helped a lot. Try them out and let me know how your hair thrives.
Till next time,
Enjoy your natural hair…and
Always reflect God’s perfection xx