Natural Hair Goals

I have been natural a.k.a free of perms/relaxers since August 2007. If I’m going to be truthful, it had nothing to do with taking care of my hair, and everything to do with going away to college, and not being able to have them done regularly. The first few months without a relaxer was a rough transition, but as with everything else, I adjusted and it became the norm. Although my hair started to grow a lot faster and thicker than it ever had before, I was using curling irons and flat irons on my hair at least three times a week. I now know how terrible this was for my hair even when it was looking healthier. 

The last two years I’ve gotten a little bit better about buying products made specifically for natural hair and using less heat. Even though I was technically doing better with my hair than the first few years of being natural, I was actually not doing nearly half of what I should have been doing to maintain my hair, and reach my natural hair goals. It has honestly been in the last two months I have diligently taken care of my hair the way I should be in order to have the healthy hair I have been aiming for. I have a few natural hair friends whose hair looks beautiful and have reached out to them for guidance, as well as, reading up more information on the best care for my hair from other natural hair beauty bloggers. These are a few things I have learned about my hair, in addition to coming up with a routine, and finding the best brand/product for my hair. 

I co-wash my hair 3 times a month and shampoo and condition my hair once a month. 

I deep condition my hair once a month.

Coconut oil, grapeseed oil, jojoba oil, and occasional Jamaican black castor oil work best in my hair because I’m in the low porosity hair category. (Eden Bodyworks is my favorite brand right now). 

I have to use leave in conditioner AND coconut oil in my hair DAILY. 

Protective styling is a MUST for healthy hair. I make sure to style my hair in an end protecting style two or three times a week.

I finger comb my hair every other day and use a wide tooth comb to comb my hair while conditioning it when (co)washing my hair weekly. 

I NEED TO REGULARLY HAVE MY HAIR TRIMMED. (I am terrible at this one and have put it in capital letters to force myself to look at this and do better.)

Never go to bed without a bonnet on my head.

I avoid using heat on my hair more than 3 times a year. 

Moisture comes from water NOT products. Water = good for hair.

DRINK MORE WATER DAILY. (I used to be good at this and haven’t been the best lately. I’m going to do better!)

I’ve only been doing 98% of these bullet points with my hair for about 2 months and I can already feel and see the difference in my hair. I’m not sure why it took me so long but I’m excited to see how much my hair will grow by this time next year.

My ultimate goal is to have a crown of glory that is close to this..

…ugh…how BEAUTIFUL ARE HER CURLS/KINKS?! This is my ultimate goal for my natural hair and the same for my daughter. Thankfully it’ll be easier to do with my daughter’s hair because she already has the tight curls, and she’s growing up in the natural hair era. 

Do any of my natural hair sisters have any added tips for hair growth and strength? All advice is welcome. Happy Monday everybody!

Brie <3

[02.06.17]