How To Embrace Natural Hair

Natural hair is a right we all have. It’s a very strange concept, especially living in a world where freedom is an acquired right. But fact is many of us are “slaves” to trendy hairstyles, chemical treatments, hair dyeing or a look we are just to frightened to change from. 

So you want to change and finally recover your natural hair, and end the usage of relaxers and other chemical treatments. But you’re a bit lost on what to do… Learn how to embrace natural hair with the help of this post.

Table of Contents

Reasons To Go To a Natural Hair

I myself was told many times by hairstylists and familiars that I should dye my hair, it would make me look “younger”. My choice for a natural hair is to preserve its health. And also, I have to be honest, because I am just too lazy and impatient to stay at a salon for 3 to 5 hours just to have my hair changed for a couple of months. My hiar is good-looking enough, thank you very much.

Anyway, each woman has her own reason to retrieve her authenticity; some want to preserve their hair against aggressive hair styling methods such as weaves being too tight or harmful straightening chemical products. Other women simply prefer their natural hair in spite of the pressure from the dominant aesthetics. 

I do believe that a healthy, well treated hair is always beautiful. We have it in all and each one of us. You just need to find a haircut that looks good on you and the right haircare products. Oh, and the right haircare routines as well.

relaxed hair vs natural hair

How To Embrace Natural Hair?

Still, if you have a curly hair that tangles easily when going natural, this might be easily said than done. According to this post here are some challenges you can face and how to deal with them. They are true for most hair types, anyway, if you want to go natural:

Find the right detangler products

My natural Homemade Hair Conditioner was the best detangler I found so far, but I only have wavy hair. You will need a lot of trial and error, but it’s worth to change if you are not happy with a product. After one or two applications, you should be able to know.

Find the right tools

It took me many years to find the right brush for my hair: a paddle brush. If you plan to manipulate your hair on a daily basis, a reliable detangling brush that doubles as a wide-tooth comb is crucial to getting started. Also, use silk-everything: silk headbands, silk scrunchies, silk bonnets, silk pillowcases. They will keep your hair from breaking and losing moisture.

detangling natural curly hair

Use protective styles

These are hairstyles that help minimize the amount of hair manipulation, like braids, and avoid causing further damage. Check out some cute protective styles you can try. I myself make a ponytail many times just to avoid to brush my whole hair – brushing increases the chance of hair to break.

Avoid heat styling

This is a common one to help protect your hair, even for hair conditions, and it makes sense. I understand that heat is great to hair style your hair, but I never understood the need to use it ALL THE TIME in salons. It always makes my hair oilier than usual – the scalp reacts to the excess of heating that receives and produces more sebum. It also damages your hair shaft – of course, you are drying it from moisture! It becomes brittle, thin, dry. It might give you a straigh hair but not a healthier one.

Deep condition weekly

Natural hair requires a lot of extra TLC, and the best way to spoil it it is to give it lots (and lots) of moisture. It will help keep your curls healthy and full of life; it’s also the key if you’re noticing your edges are taking a beating from your protective styles. Make a deep-moisturizing mask to your hair once a week, in addition to use a conditioner for every wash. Apply it from roots to ends and leave it with a head cap or a towel for around 30 minutes.

Make regular trims

Getting a trim every 8 to 10 weeks will help keep your hair healthy as you’re growing it out. Hair grows an average of a quarter- to a half-inch per month, so getting the same amount trimmed off your processed ends will help you maintain your length while making room for your natural texture to come through.

Why Use Natural Hair Care Products?

There’s nothing like using natural products for a natural hair. Might look simple and unsofisticated, but there’s nothing more luscious than to treat your hair with natural ingredients. Nature is ancient and has thousand of years of improvement and evolution.

Vegetable oils are naturally moisturizing, and are also filled with essential nutrients for your body, like vitamins, anti-oxidants and fatty acids – therefore they are good for your skin as well, and much better than artificially processed emmolients and humectants.

Many natural plant-based ingredients are at same time antifungal, antimicrobial and cleansing, and yet mild. They are able to keep your natural oils under control, and fight microorganisms and diseases at same time – or at least help prevent them -, while not being too harsh for your scalp and hair shaft. 

just nutritive african american hair shampoo

While most over-the-counter products are good to wash your hair, and even condition it, they fail most of the times at providing all nutrients, like vitamins, healthy fats, antioxidants, proteins, as they are based on synthetic, lab-created ingredients. They may also be a bit too harsh for your hair, creating an unnecessary imbalance for your hair and scalp.

In the end, the choice is always yours. But be sure that I will always recommend natural skincare and haircare products, homemade or not, as I believe that our skin and hair benefits from all the nutrients – and mildness – that natural ingredients have to offer.

If you have tried many over-the-counter products for a healthy natural hair without sucess, give natural ones a try now. You can either try the homemade remedies listed before, or you can purchase them formulated specifically to recover your natural curly hair.

Homemade Natural Shampoo Bar and Hair Conditioner

You can make your own shampoo and hair conditioner at home!! I only have recipes for solid shampoo bars, as shampoo bars imply less ingredients, are simpler and easier to make and maintain. The hair conditioner will look a lot like the hair conditioners you are used to.

Shampoo Bar Recipe

This shampoo bar formula is formulated for all hair types. It contains vitamins and proteins to nourish your hair, and conditioning ingredients to keep it hydrated and natural.

This shampoo uses SCI, nourishing argan oil, B5 vitamin (d-panthenol), a silk protein, conditioning BTMS, cetyl alcohol as a detangler for your hair, and my three favorite essential oils for hair: rosemary, tea tree and peppermint essential oils.

Solid Shampoo Bar Recipe With SCI
Make a homemade mild shampoo, where you know about all the ingredients, made with a mild surfactant and a pH of 5.5, the right one for your hair. Customize it for your hair type and with your favorite scent.
Dificulty: Easy
Weight: 200g
Check out this recipe
shampoo bars with rosemary flower on top

Hair Conditioner Recipe

This homemade hair conditioner is basically an emulsion, made with argan oil and jojoba oil, aloe vera juice, vegetable glycerin, B5 vitamin or d-panthenol, rosemary infused water or hydrosol, and rosemary essential oil. You can also add geranium essential oil for a great scent, but it’s optional.

Use this hair conditioner sparingly, and increase quantities until you find the right amount and frequency for your hair.

Hair Conditioner Recipe
Try to make this hair conditioner recipe at home! Made with pure oils and vegetable ingredients, to nourish your hair the right way. Scented with rosemary and rose geranium.
Difficulty: Easy
Weight: 100g
Check out this recipe
hair-conditioner-recipe

Hair Treatment for African American Hair: Embracing Your Natural Hair

If you wish to try some over-the-counter products, I’ve chosen for you a great hair treatment kit from Just Nutritive, all made with all-natural ingredients.

Just Nutritive has a good reputation for their natural hair growth products. Check out this review from a blog about hair loss and the more than 2000 Amazon reviews, where more than 60% gave 5 or 4 stars. They explain their products’ ingredients in much detail, which passes some trust right away.

This kit will help you recover the natural looks of afro and curly hairstyles. Embrace your natural hair with a great help from this kit:

  • African American Hair Kit (Just Nutritive): “You abuse your hair with relaxers, perms, bleach, hair dye, and tight hairstyles. We want you to embrace the hair you were born with. We gathered our favorite products that will nurture and treat your hair so that you can show off your beautiful locks.” – justnutritive.com

Takeaway

If you are tired of styling/using relaxers on your hair and wish to go natural, you’re in for a healthier lifestyle… and a big change in your life. Be ready for a lot of trial and error, and have patience. Learn to know your hair and its natural curls, and the best haircut and style for you.

I believe that a beautiful hair is a healthy one. Natural products are effective at nourishing your hair and scalp, and you can use them to repair and give life, shine and strenght back to your hair. You can find a great hair treatment kit to transition to a natural hair at Just Nutritive.

I hope you enjoyed this article, if you have any questions or wish to make a suggestion, please, leave a comment below.

2 thoughts on “How To Embrace Natural Hair”

  1. I stopped putting relaxers on my hair years ago.  I remember the first time my mother put a relaxer on my hair. I loved it but when it started to grow out, the damage that it caused, and of course I went back and had it done again and again. With my own daughter and educated her on the damage it would cause and on how beautiful her natural hair was. She has always been natural.  Now, in this era, there are so many products available for natural hair that was not available to me before.  I have been natural for many years now. Thanks to these products and often make my own remedies.  So Glad I embraced my natural hair.  Thanks this was a really good read. 

    • Hello Jamila, thanks for your comment! I am glad you have enjoyed the post.

      I am all in favour to value and praise what nature gave us. It makes us unique. You can of course make it even better… but never at the expense of your health. With the right haircut for example, or natural products that help “style” your hair by detangling, or giving shine, while at same time they nourish and protect your hair.

      Beauty should totally come from good health 🙂 And when your hair is healthy and natural, it is surely beautiful. You’ve made very good choices for yourself and your daughter 🙂

      Cheers,

      Sofia 

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