As a natural hair beginner, you may experience hair challenges that may have you thinking that natural hair isn’t for you or your hair will never grow or turn out right like the naturals on Pinterest. All I can say is been there and I know the feeling but it gets better as you learn what works for you and hair care essentials.
Feel like your hair has been the same length forever, I’ve an Ebook that will help you grow your hair healthier, longer and thicker. Grab your copy here… Also, check out all the Ebooks,guides and journals that will go a long way in your hair care journey here.
Once you start your hair care journey, you may experience challenges that you will wanna give up but don’t . Every beginning has its challenges because it doesn’t come natural to you. Same way when you start hitting the gym, you’ll experience muscle cramps which will have you feel like not going back. It’s the goals you have and the vision that will take you back, motivate you. So, when it comes to hair care when challenges arise, remember your end goal and take the steps to get there.
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Table of Contents
Before we dive into today’s tips, check out these hair care beginner posts that have put together. Lessons and tips that have learned from caring for natural hair over the years.
- My natural hair journey, how it all began.
- What I would do different if I started my natural hair journey today.
- Expect this when transitioning to natural hair.
- Ultimate hair care guide for beginners.
- 11 things you should know about embracing natural hair.
Also, I do have an Ebooks that will guide on your hair care journey, make it easy on you. Buy yours here to kick start the journey with ease.
Hair Challenges Most Natural Hair Beginners Face.
Back to today’s hair care beginner business. I’ll highlight the most common mistakes that most beginners go through, I did experience some of them too and here I am with flourishing long and thick hair.
Hair Care Routine Confusion.
If you’ve been here for sometime or follow naturals focusing on healthy hair, you know how important it’s to have a healthy and consistent hair care routine. The issue is with many hair routines being shared by natural hair enthusiast to choose from, you can easily be confused and overwhelmed.
When I started my natural hair journey, I was clueless, learning in the job. The funny thing is I didn’t know about the hair routine steps, all I did was shampoo my hair, moisturize and twist it. Later came to learn about the steps, started with cleansing every two weeks and now I do monthly washes.
So, when it comes to hair routine, keep it simple, don’t complicate it. You hair needs cleansing to get rid of all the dirt and product build up, deep condition to restore moisture, strengthen and repair hair damage, gently detangle, moisturize, wear low manipulation and protective styles, protect your hair when sleeping.
How often you wash your hair depends how dirty your hair feels, your hair porosity type, how heavy or light are the products you use. And how often you moisturize between wash days depends on your hair’s porosity type and the products you use. It’s important to note that figuring the timelines may take time, get a journal to document your hair journey that’s how you’ll know what’s working and not working.
Related post; easy go to natural hair routine you can adopt and switch up as needed.
Styles not Turning Out Right.
I know we all have seen memes and videos on how styling looks easy when watching a tutorial until you try it out and it’s an epic fail. Have had a million failed braid outs and twist outs for the longest until a couple of years ago. When it comes to styling, don’t stress much about it, keep trying and focus more on styles that come easy to you.
One of the struggles have experienced and probably most naturals is epic fail styles or you can’t wear some styles because of the length of the hair or the volume. Some styles will have you look like you don’t have any hair on your head, all you see is scalp. Wear styles that work best for your length and volume, use extensions to give you the length and volume you desire.
Hair Breakage.
This is a common one especially when your hair has either heat damage or chemical damage. Hair breakage is inevitable but excessive breakage shows that your hair isn’t healthy. You should know about these major causes of breakage because they help with minimizing and stopping it.
You should also know the difference between breakage and shed hair, not all hair on your comb or floor is breakage. To keep breakage off, start by having a healthy hair care routine, using the right products for your hair’s porosity and keeping your hair healthy.
Related post; ways to minimize and stop excessive hair breakage.
Comparison.
The easiest way to give up on your natural hair is by comparing it to your family, friends or other naturals on the internet. Everyone’s hair is unique and different making it unfair to compare to someone else’s. We all have different growth rates and hair thickness, knowing that should set your free from the comparison jail.
Hair Dryness
Dry hair never looks good on anyone and it leads to hair breakage, lots of tangles and split ends. I’ve been there when my hair always felt dry mostly because I only used water to moisturize and an oil to lock in the moisture. I had to figure out my hair’s porosity type and the best products that will moisturize my hair and since then moisturizing has been bliss.
If you’ve dry hair, start by learning about your hair’s porosity type and how to care for it, from cleansing, moisturizing, deep conditioning and the best products to use. Once you’ve that figure out, the next time is learning about the different hair moisturizing methods and how best to moisturize it.
Moisturizing related posts;
- How to moisturize your hair after cleansing.
- Moisturizing Routine for Dry 4C Natural Hair.
- 5 Ways to Keep Hair Moisturized for Days
- Best Tips for Applying Moisturizing Hair Products for Soft Hair.
- How I Moisturize 4C Natural Hair Between Wash Days.
- Dry 4C Natural Hair to Moisturized Hair in 5 Minutes.
- Best Time To Moisturize 4C Natural Hair.
Detangling Struggle
When I started my natural hair journey, detangling was a struggle mostly because I didn’t know better. The first mistake I made was detangle hair when it’s dry, second mistake was not detangling in small and manageable sections and lastly, snapping off the tangles instead of separating the strands and gently removing the tangle/ knot.
If you’re struggling with detangling or making the mistakes I made, you can ease the detangling process by sectioning your hair into smaller sections, hold the sections with a clip and detangle a section at a time. Secondly, NEVER detangle hair when it’s dry, use a detangling product with a good slip, can either be a detangler or rinse off conditioner. When detangling, use your fingers to separate the strands and tangles then follow up with a wide tooth comb or detangling brush.
Related posts;
Dandruff and Itchy Scalp
Dandruff and Itchy scalp are common scalp conditions that you might experience when you start your hair care journey. They can be caused by your scalp reacting to certain ingredients, two products reacting, dirt and product build-up. Always keep your scalp clean, make sure the products you’re using have healthy ingredients, use scalp soothing and anti- bacterial oils like tea-tree oil when your scalp gets itchy.
Related post; how to keep your scalp healthy and dandruff free.
Hair Products Confusion
With a thousand hair products, different conditioner types and styling options you can easily get confused. When it comes to products, my advice is to usually buy all your products from the same brand. Also, start with the essential products; detangler, shampoo, moisturizing deep conditioner, protein treatments, leave-in conditioner, butter/ oil or both.
Don’t buy every single product that promises you growth, defined curls and all other sweets nothings they promise us. Buy a product because your hair needs it and it benefits for your hair. Learn how to use each products and the ingredients to look for in products.
Hair Shrinkage Pain.
I know how it feels to start noticing your hair getting longer but shrinkage won’t let you flaunt it. You ought to know Type 4 hair will always shrink due to the tightly coiled nature of the hair. You’ll notice that your hair will shrink after moisturizing or when exposed to water or moisture. For me, am comfortable with my hair shrinking especially when wearing the Afro out cos the strands won’t be all over my face.
If you aren’t comfortable with shrinkage, wear your hair in a stretched state or opt for stretched hairstyles that will give you the length you desire. There are heatless methods to stretch your hair, so you don’t have to use heat.
Related posts;
There you have it curlsfriends, I hope you found this post helpful. Share it with your family, friends, colleagues an everyone who may need it.
