Don't Be Afraid to Style your Naturally Curly Hair

Hi Fellow Naturalistas,

Now that I'm a little over a year natural,  I realized that I've been way more creative with my hair as a natural than I ever would when I was relaxed.  When I was relaxed, I wore my hair in a bob. Period.  I mainly did this because it really never grew past mid-neck.  My maintenance routine was to keep a reoccurring 2 week appt at the salon, get a relaxer every 6 weeks, and in between my appts, wrap my hair every night.  Repeat.  This led me to years of never really successfully knowing how to do my own hair.

When I went natural, one of the things that was a goal of mine from the beginning was to learn how to "do" my own hair.  That included cleansing, conditioning, and styling.  Since I'd never done this before, it was a daunting goal, but one that was necessary.  Now I'm the first to admit that I'm not a creative genius when it comes to styling hair.  But with all of the natural hair videos & blogs that are available online I don't have to be!  I'll also admit that styling my hair is an investment of time but it's an investment that for "me" returns great dividends. 

I'm happy to report that, I primarily style my own hair (though I do treat myself to a natural hair stylist about once a quarter.  Shout out to Taji!).  I "know" my hair and most importantly I am comfortable with styling my hair.  Can I do all kinds of super complicated styles?  Nope.  But I have found a few go to styles that work for me & look forward to trying many others.  Many naturals often ask me, how did you do that style?  I could never do that!  My response is always, try it!  I direct them to the Youtube links where I've gotten my style inspiration.  Some try them and some don't.  Here are the words of encouragement I share with them and I now share with you:

1.  It's important to "know" your own hair.  Your hair is an extension of your body.  Just as you should know about your other body parts you should know what works for your hair.  Is your hair protein sensitive?  Does it like butters or creams?  Does it respond well to gels?  Is it thick, normal or fine density?

2.  Learning to style your own hair shows you what looks "work" for you.  Though I believe that anyone who desires to wear their hair natural curly/kinky/wavy can, I will say not every style works for everyone. There are styles that will compliment each natural's facial structure better than others.  Some of this is due to not using the correct products on your hair & some of this is due to the style just not working for you.  You'll never know what your options are if you don't experiment with a few styles.

3.What if my hair is not long enough to do the styles that I like? or My rendition of the style doesn't look like what I saw online or in the blog.  Don't distress.  Most styles can be tweaked to the current length of your hair.  Depending on your curl pattern, your style might not look exactly like someone elses. That's ok.  Every head of hair is unique.  This is also part of learning your own hair.  You'll see what your  curls will look like when styled a certain way.

4. I tried a style I found online and followed all the steps perfectly and my hairstyle was a FAIL.  Everyone, and I mean everyone who does their own hair WILL HAVE a hairstyle fail from time to time.    It's ok.  Doing your own hair is trial and error.  Sometimes your styles will not be successful but it's great that there are a number of quick fixes to still have your hair looking fabulous in a few minutes!  If your hairstyle attempt goes awry you can always mist your hair with some water and pull it back with a nice headband, create a bun if it's longer, and there is always the option of a puff!  During your next wash session, go to a trusted style that you've mastered for encouragement, and then when you get up the nerve, try the failed style again with some tweaks!

Failed Roll/Tuck/Pin

Converted to fab side puff with flat twist in front.

Have you ventured out of the box when styling your hair?  If not, what is holding you back?

Playing with My TWA

As one of my goals is to learn how to care for and style my own hair, I've been playing with my TWA over the past month.  Here are a few of the easy styles that I did and liked....others I tried & failed (and ladies you will have hair style disasters, but I've learned it's nothing that a good headband and a little water & gel can't fix!)  All styles were created on freshly cleansed hair shampooed (yes, I use a sulfate free shampoo) with Curls Creamy Curl Cleanser and conditioned/detangled with Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Moisturing Conditioner.  I use Giovanni Direct Leave In Weightless Moisture Conditioner as my leave in and seal with Organic Coconut Oil.

The "Wash & Go" (w/ecostyler gel)

While this style seems to be a staple style for most individuals with a TWA,  I haven't fallen in love with it. It seems the gel used to define my curls leaves my hair a little crunchy.  I'm going to keep working with different products until I get the curls defined without the crunchiness.  Any suggestions?  In this picture, I added the Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie and then put on a good helping of Eco Styler Gel with Olive Oil and rolled my finger tips over my hair almost in a massaging motion to make my curls pop.

Faux Puff with Finger Coiled Bangs

This has been my favorite so far!  I love it because my hair in the puff is sooo soft.  I say this is a faux puff becuase my hair isn't really long enough to put in a puff but with the headband, I'm able to sorta create one.  To achieve this look I added about a quarter size of the Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie all over to damp hair sealed with Organic Coconut Oil.  I used a pic to fluff my hair out.  I sectioned off my bang area and put on the headband.  Then I used Jane Carter's Wrap and Roll setting lotion to finger coil the bangs.  It creates sheen and  a very soft hold.

2 Strand Twist Out

This style was a win and a fail.  It was a win because it looked great the first day.  It was a fail because I haven't mastered retaining the wavy pattern for more than 2 days :(   For this style, I saturate my hair with Jane Carter Wrap & Roll Setting Lotion and then 2 strand twist with the Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie.  You'll see 2 different days in the pics below.  I love the definition and my hair is still soft and well moisturized.

Make a free photo collage

Finger Coils

My finger coils were also a win and a fail.  I use the same combo of the Jane Carter Wrap & Roll Setting Lotion and Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie just coiling the section of hair around my finger tightly and releasing.  Unfortunately, my roots puff up leaving just the ends coiled.  So I wouldn't just wear this style without an accessory, but with a headband, it looks pretty cool!

I'm currently wearing my hair in a semi-protective style so I won't be manipulating it quite as much.  I went back to visit Taji and got a partial two strand twist out with a few extensions in the bang area.   I'm going to try to leave this in for two weeks.  I'm maintaining this style by misting with Oyin Handmade Greg Juice and sealing with Coconut Oil in the morning. I'll retwist my hair at night as needed and sleep on a satin pillowcase at night.

Free picture collage personalized with Smilebox