I teamed up with Mielle Organics to bring you guys a full tutorial of how I style my hair for the winter using their products on a wash and style day. My favorite go-to hair style for winter is two strand twists. Take a look at how I throw it all together for a cute winter slay in my video below!

Walgreens

TJ Maxx

This is where patience and learning your own hair comes into play.

3. Protective styles = hair growth

Photo: The Creamy Crack Rehab

I've discussed this before in a previous post and I have to be honest that I am seeing a trend of some people who may not be comfortable with their natural hair hide under "protective styles". Some even wear them constantly in order to "not deal with" their own hair. While protective styling is beneficial, it's not best to wear them all the time. Styles like braids, wigs, and sew-ins are great when your natural hair needs a short break, but be wary of major breakage on the crown and edges area from tight tension which can cause traction alopecia (from braids under sew-ins and styles like box braids), lace on wigs, wig caps, chemicals from weaves, and even from products like wig glues.

Don't be afraid to opt for low manipulation styles like braid outs, twist outs, buns, twists, bantu knots, and more. If you want your hair to be healthy and grow, you're going to have to "deal" with it whether you like it or not. Simply rockin' a sew-in wont cut it and don't let people who already have long (natural) hair fool you into thinking protective styles is all it takes. Also keep in mind hair only grows 0.50 inches a month too with or without protective styles.

My personal motto is that when it comes to Black hair, there are no shortcuts and there's no easy way. Whether you have a relaxer, you're natural, rock wigs, or weaves, we just have to go the extra mile to take care of our hair. 

4. "Natural hair isn't for everyone."

How the hell is something that naturally comes from me not for me?

5. "The hair typing chart is discriminatory/useless."

There's a lot of debates in the Natural Hair Community on the usefulness or uselessness on the curl pattern chart. I find it to be useful and preposterous to assume it discriminates against any curl type. All the chart does is show your curl pattern and some suggest certain techniques and types of products to use in your hair. It's used in the beauty industry by professionals for styling purposes too. For example, a gal with thick, tightly coiled 4C hair wouldn't be 'round these parts doing certain techniques as someone with loosely curled 3A hair. Keep in mind the hair typing chart is not the end all be all, and you should always experiment with your own hair, but I do find it helpful.

6. "Men aren't attracted to women with natural hair."/ "They only like women with looser curls."

Now don't get me wrong, there are always going to be ignorant clowns, but personally I've never had an issue attracting men with my natural hair and many naturals can say the same. Some also believe that the men who do appreciate natural hair only like it when it's a Type 2 or Type 3 curl. Again, there's always going to be ignorance and discrimination, but there is appreciation for women with tighter Type 4 coils and kinks. To keep it a buck, texture discrimination comes on both sides as well. There are many woman-ran blogs, social media pages, and YouTube videos strictly promote loose curls and discriminate against texture.

Rock your curls for you and don't worry about the goof-balls who are still stuck on stupid when it comes to natural hair.


7. "Wash day takes all day."

Photo: dreadstop.tumblr.com

There are so many different methods, rinses, techniques, and treatments naturalistas use for their hair. Don't get overwhelmed with the ACV Rinses, pre-pooing, and bentonite clay masks. Usually these treatments are done when hair may be damaged or for an extra boost of growth. This is why it's important to do your own research and find what works for you.

As long as you're keeping your hair moisturized, deep conditioned, keeping your ends clipped every 3-4 months, and not stressing your hair or adding too much tension, you may not even have to do all those extras. Try to keep it simple at shampooing, deep/conditioning, leave-in conditioning, and moisturizing (LOC method) your hair for wash day and get into the groove of things before trying other methods.


All in all, it's up to you to find what works best for your hair. I have to reiterate that over and over. Even if you have a bomb ass hair stylist, you still have to put the work in because no one knows your curls like you do. Continue to do your own research.

UPDATE: Jan 2024 

That wasn't my first time experimenting with henna. Back in spring 2016 I used light brown henna and got similar results as my second time; no color. Third time ain't the charm over here and I'm over it. Let me explain to you why I'm not henna-ing my hair anymore:

1. No Color

While there are benefits to henna treatments, many people add henna in their hair for the purposes of naturally coloring their hair. I returned natural in September 2010 and I started using box dye from August 2011-November 2012. I didn't have a negative experience with the dyes, but I wanted to focus on maintaining healthy hair and using natural products. I always love to change my looks and I thought a cute red would look good on me for the spring, so choosing a natural alternative was my only option.

I used Light Mountain's henna in "Red" last spring and not only did I use it properly, but I also added in extras like hibiscus, beet juice, pomegranate juice, and lemon juice and only a slight highlight in my hair appeared. Apparently henna for coloring hair only seems to work on light hair.


2. Too Messy

I don't have a problem with a mess, but too messy is when the line gets crossed. When I first tried light brown henna in 2016, the mess wasn't as messy, but last year when I used red henna, the mess was ridiculous especially since I used multiple products to "boost" the color. I kept the red henna in my hair overnight and of course the juice dripped onto my pillow. Never again.
3. Waste of Time & Money

Again, henna is great for naturally strengthening hair, but I feel there are other less expensive alternatives to naturally strengthen hair. Henna isn't too costly (unless you're adding in extras like I did), but I feel there are other ways to add some oomph to your curls. I wanted to add some color to my hair, but it didn't work on my hair so for me it was a total waste of time and money. A protein treatment for strengthening my curls would have sufficed for me.

4. Too Many Risks
While henna can be used as a booster if you want to eventually dye your hair with a permanent color, it comes with a risk. Henna stays in your hair for quite some time, so if you dye your hair after a henna treatment there's a risk it could be damaged or fall out due to the chemicals clashing. I've worked too hard for my hair to grow to be walking around looking like Myra leaving Sheneneh's Sho'Nuff Hair Salon.


Basically those are the main reasons I'm not using henna anymore. Healthy, but since I want a pop of color, it's done nothing for my hair. I have read suggestions of people stating pure henna from Indian stores is better than natural beauty boxed brands like Light Mountain, but I think I'm just get like Nicki Minaj and "hang it up, flatscreen" (y'all know I'm not a fan, but that's her best line). Please keep in mind these are my personal experiences with henna (specifically Light Mountain's "Light Brown" and "Red" henna mixes) and what didn't work for me may work for you.

I may just grab a box of natural dye and call it a day or find other alternatives. Otherwise, when it comes to henna, I'm done.

girl bye.