GOING THREW NATURAL STAGE

Being natural was tough for my first time, I would wonder about how everyone is going look at me without permed hair. I would wear my afro out in the public freely but once hair grew out the more nappy it was. Using a comb that was not fit for the size of hair. Never knew I needed to buy a wide tooth comb, for the thickness of my hair roots. Detangling your hair in the shower is usually easier because the hair is wet and you probably comb conditioner through it to make it more slippery. There will be times when you may need to work through tangles on dry hair, so here's how to do it without pulling handfuls of hair out in frustration. However, no matter what your preference, consider using some hair conditioner to increase slip and help reduce damage. If your hair is fine and split end prone, brushes are best eliminated. My hair has thicker strands and or dense hair, brushes are a godsend. Brushing should come last as the brush bristles are closely spaced together compared to other tools fingers and wide tooth comb.The Denman remains a very popular hair brush for naturals. When I first went natural I carried a small spray bottle of water around to keep misting my hair to keep it from getting dry and looking dusty.  As I became more aware of what my hair needed, I started adding items to my spray bottle to keep my hair fresher longer. I used to love simply mixing distilled water and a few drops of regular castor and extra virgin olive oil for the summer months. In the winter months I would even put in Aloe Vera but as I became more aware of what my hair needed, and what my hair may need. I have seen improvement in thickness within a few weeks, hair will also temporarily hold curls after use. Keep in mind once you open the bottle and transfer it into your spray bottle you will have to keep it in the refrigerated to keep the Aloe Vera Juice from going bad. Even before I knew of the great properties it holds, it's great for both hair and skin. I update my game with

more ingredients according to my current climate. Learned to love my 4c/4b hair but not a great option for the morning you slept on it without a protective style in place. Hair with be matted to my head and definitely hard to comb out. Try my best to put some two or three strands twist in before bed because will be a nightmare if you don't. If you go to sleep without protective style and it's matted to your head simply spray down with a DIY mixture that contains water. I remember when I would just try to comb out my dry hair, length will be falling off into sink or comb. That will not be a good idea to pursue do not punish yourself.

If, the hair is extremely matted together use some leave in conditioner of your choice to loosen the hair up. Regardless of how one may feel about natural hair, the truth is that regardless of hair type, it's never a one size fits all type of deal. Every black woman's locks are unique, and requires its own distinct regimen to fully flourish. And when you have 4C hair like me, due to the shortage of resources, it can be tough trying to figure it all out, especially if you're newly transitioning or have only recently gone natural. I urge everyone to listen to their hair and pay close attention to how it responds to product(s). Sometimes an overload of styling products is not what your hair wants, and sometimes it is. Type 1 hair is straight. Asian people are usually categorized to have Type 1 hair. Hair that's fine, thin, and soft is Type 1A. Hair that has more body than Type 1A is considered Type 1B. Straight hair that's coarse and resistant to styling is Type 1C. Type 2 hair is wavy but isn't too oily or too dry. Type 2A hair is easy to style because the strands are thin and fine. Hair that curls to the shape of the head is considered Type 2B. Type 2C hair is a bit coarse that frizzes easily.

Type 3 hair is curly and has obvious S-shaped curls. This type isn't as shiny as the first two types. Type 3A is curly hair that's glossy and loose. Hair with medium curls that range from bouncy to tight, corkscrew ringlets are considered Type 3B. Type 3C hair is dense and has the most volume, but it also tends to shrink the most. Type 4 hair is overly dense, fragile, and wiry. It's full of tight curls that form into coils. The strands may appear coarse, but they're actually fine and thin. Type 4A hair is made up of tight coils and would look like Type 3 when stretched. Type 4B hair is less curly and features a sharp Z-shaped pattern. Type 4C is similar to Type 4B, but it's more tightly coiled. It may be difficult to differentiate Type 4C from Type 4B since they're both defined as "kinky." One trick to know if your hair is 4C is by rinsing it with just shampoo and letting it dry naturally. If it doesn't have any definition after it's been washed, it's definitely a 4C. This hair type's shrinkage is more than 75% which makes 3 inches of hair appear only an inch long.

4C hair needs plenty of moisture, so water-based products would really help the strands stretch out. On the other hand, use heavier products if you want to show off your curls. That same product may not be working as well as before they may have changed the formula, you may have to consider switching up brands or products. Just like blue magic grease when I used it the first time being natural, kept my hair from looking and feeling dry by adding moisture to hair but no coils. Now that my hair has been trained Blue Magic Super Sure Gro grease has made my hair curly coils and has kept my hair moisturized. Seal the ends for increased moisture retention, apply to edges and nape to stave off dryness, use as an anti‐humidity agent to decrease shrinkage, and thus tangles/knots. Removal of long‐term twists/braids and to detangle, use a good shampoo when washing the grease out. Everyone do not use because petroleum is one of the ingredients. Which some say is bad for the hair. This is one of those myth of you ask me. I remember my mother using blue magic grease and water to comb through my hair. Putting hair up in those pony tails with bow and ribbons and plated up with barrettes at the end of hair strands. Can't forget getting scalp greased with grease but hair still grew out with no problem. Oil and myself are not the best of friends to me it's a temporary fix for my hair, unless it's a heavy oil.

The reason I say that because my hair will be right back dry like a dessert the next couple hours. Notice my scalp and hair is very thirsty and love heavy products like grease, if I use grease once or twice a week my hair will be happy and will show me by being respectable to hairstyles I pursue. Down in Texas where it's very hot, grease is my number one product to use during the hot summer months. The sun shining like it do oil will not last on my head only be prone to dryness and back to the brittle stage, I go. Those with natural 4a 4b and 4c hair textures have some of the unique and beautiful curl patterns. However, this texture is also one of the most complicated and tricky to care for due to its tight curl patterns. Most people like to say type for hair has ringlets or coils instead or curls. Ringlets or coils are just very tight curls where the diameter of the curl is only a few millimeters wide.  The LOC method is applying liquid, oil, and cream, in that order, but it should really be changed to LCO. Oil should be applied at the end because it's a sealant, so it locks in the moisture by creating a barrier. Once you apply that oil, any additional moisture will have a really hard time penetrating that barrier because oil and water don't mix. As for liquids and creams, they're in the same family. You do need a water-based liquid because water is the key ingredient for moisturizing your hair. Creams, on the other hand, usually have both liquid and oil. At the end of the day, just remember that oils lock in moisture, so think of it as a final step. This method helped me a lot in my struggling

months being natural. This is why I'm constantly learning new ways to work with my hair and combining different products to get more or less of the same results that I'm looking for. I always aim for big hair that's moisturized but not weighed down by products."