“Any woman with kinky textured hair – can wear it, love it and manage it. She only needs the right tools, inspiration and motivation.” ― Monica Millner

I absolutely love my natural hair!

I never knew that my hair was naturally kinky until 2011 when my bestfriend, Jasmine, talked about going “natural.” My hair remained at neck length for as long as I remember. Jasmine shaved off her hair and I thought she must have lost her mind. After watching several YouTube videos and having multiple talks with Jasmine, I came to understand what going “natural” meant for the black woman. 

 

 

I mostly wore afro textured weaves but, I never knew that my hair naturally grew like that. Ever since I could remember, I’ve always used a relaxer. I always hated relaxers because they burnt my scalp and the process of getting it done was a nightmare. After prom, I stopped relaxing my hair. This was not done in the purpose of going natural. I only stopped because I realized I could just straighten out my hair instead of relaxing it so often. By the time I went off to college that fall, I did not get a chance to relax my hair. By 2012, I realized my hair was mostly natural and I decided to just cut off the straight ends.

I followed Naptural85 and she helped me tremendously on my journey. Over the years, I made the effort to learn about my hair. I tried so many home-made remedies and products from several brands. It was scary because I saw so many black women growing their hair and I wondered if my hair would actually grow passed the nape of my neck.

 

Over, the years, I wore a number of protective styles but I made sure I put my hair health as priority. I was constantly moisturizing, massaging and trimming my hair as necessary. When I noticed my hair was no longer responding to certain products, I did more research and switched as necessary.

In 2015 when I began my Masters program, I started to notice a tremendous difference in my hair. It was healthy and actually growing!

 

I was actually doing something right! I still continued to wear numerous protective styles and I believe that switching to lace front closures helped me retain more length because all my hair was protected in cornrows underneath my weave.

As the years went by, I continued to see more progress with my hair.

 

Today, I’m in awe of how far I’ve come in the last seven years. I’m proud, transformed and in love with my natural beauty.  When I look back on how I started, I know God wanted me to go through this journey because 2011 was the year I learned to love myself.  I know God wanted me to see myself the way he saw me. In taking care of my natural hair, I learned patience, love, consistency and determination.

Here are a few things I did to achieve retention:

1. Love your hair: You can’t expect your hair to grow if you don’t love it. Speak to your hair and tell it positive things. Treat it with respect and watch it flourish.
2. Don’t be afraid to experiment: I tried so many different products in the past few years. If I noticed something was not working anymore, I tried something new until I found what my hair positively responded to.
3. Find a routine that works for your hair: I moisturize 3-4 times a week when I have my hair out. When it’s in protective styling, I only moisturize after I wash my weave. Figure out something that works for you. Above all, make sure you moisturize!! Learn how I moisturize my hair. 
4. Protective Styling: It’s okay to wear protective styles! It actually promotes growth retention when done properly. I am the Queen of protective styling. Don’t believe me, check my Instagram!
5. Stay Consistent: When you start, remain consistent and don’t give up! Even when you don’t see changes, know that something is happening!

Check out my growth in the last seven years!

I hope you found this blog insightful and I’d love to hear your thoughts, questions and comments about natural hair. Thanks for reading beauties! Until next time, you can keep up with me on Instagram @iam_Deborah.

Love