Going Natural for the First Time

Like everything in life, the first time seems to always be the hardest, at least for many people that is. I have been Natural for close to 2 years now and in the beginning it was not so easy. I wasn't sure whether I should do the BC (Big Chop) which is when one cuts off virtually all of their permed or relaxed hair and let their natural hair grow out. Another alternative was to let my hair grow out and cut off the permed edges. I ended up letting my natural hair grow out while weekly trimming and sometimes even cutting off inches of my permed hair.

Styling my half permed and half natural hair was never a challenge because I used to put Bantu knots on my hair every 1-3 nights to blend in the natural and permed hair and created a spray (I will talk more in depth about that in later posts) to keep my hair moisturized and looking healthy.

If you are going natural for the first time here are some tips that will help you along the way! Enjoy

1. When going natural do it at your own rate. Which means if you are comfortable doing the BC then do it. If not then let your natural hair grow while continuing to trim the permed hair off. Either way you hair will end up natural!

2. Dont spend a lot of money buying and trying new hair products out. I will have products reviews and home recipes for you to try that are affordable and easy to make. Get some essentials like a Suave shampoo and conditioner, and mixed chicks leave in conditioner to keep your hair moisturized during the day (This is one of my favorites and is very effective)

3. Ask your friends that may be natural for the products they use. You don't need the whole store to maintain your new look.

4. Natural hair IS CLEAN. Despite the misconception that natural hair is dirty and never clean, thats just rubbish! Natural hair is as clean as permed hair if not cleaner. My hair loves water so I give it what it wants! Instead of washing it with soap, however, I do what is called a CO wash which is simply washing it with conditioner only so that the natural good oils from my scalp won't leave and the bad oils i.e. sweat, buildup etc... will be washed away. I regularly CO wash my hair once or twice a week while washing it with Shampoo once or twice every two weeks. At first it may sound strange and psychologically you may reject the idea but please keep in mind that most women with permed hair go to the salon once in two weeks, which means they tend to not wash their hair in two weeks. This could mean that if you CO wash your hair once in a week your hair is technically cleaner that someone who washes only once with shampoo in two weeks (Hope I didn't offend anyone).

5. Keep your hair very moisturized otherwise breakage may occur. Breakage is when your hair splits and breaks usually in the middle of a hair strand and makes a snap effect. This is not normal and means your hair could use some more moisture.

6. Sleep with a polyester or silk scarf or bonnet. This keeps the moisture and shine in your hair. You want to avoid a cotton scarf because it will strip the oil from your hair and make it dry and dull!


Always enjoy your hair

Thanks for the support
For any questions contact me at Simply.Naturel@gmail.com

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