Natural Hair Guide: 8 Natural Hair Tips for Beginner’s

Happy Tuesday, my lovely ASSASSINS! I hope you all had a great weekend and a smooth, quick Monday! Recently, I’ve found myself answering quite a lot of questions about “going natural”. So I wanted to share some of the tips I’ve learned along the way and hopefully this can help anyone else on their new natural journey!

Say Goodbye to Heat!

First things first, stop using heat on your hair immediately! This means no blow dryer, flat iron, curler and anything else hot that could harm your hair. I use to flat iron A LOT throughout the week and my hair definitely paid the price for it! I had sections that wouldn’t curl up anymore because it was so damaged. . . talk about horrible! Now I’m scared of heat and keep it to the bare minimum; I’ll sit under a dryer if I can’t wait 1-2 days for my hair to dry. I also apply heat once every three months on a low setting for my trims. This is so I can trim my ends and make sure it is trimmed evenly. However, if you have a natural hair salon near you, the stylists should be experts at trimming natural hair in its original curly state. Just be sure to do your research thoroughly beforehand!

Don’t Be Afraid of Trims. . . They’re Your Friend!

I know we work hard for our inches and don’t want to cut them but. . . if you don’t cut those ends they’ll spread like wildfire. Oftentimes, people go long months and even years before getting their hair trimmed! I know everyone is different however, nine times of ten you’ll end up creating more damage when you try to hold onto those split ends. Once the hair splits, it’s essential to trim it quickly before it goes up the hair shaft and causes more damage. This is why people end up getting a hair cut instead of a trim because they’ve waited way too long! I always know when it’s trim time because my hair is harder to detangle and it “pops.” Typically, I find that occurs every 2 1/2 – 3 months, considering my hair is growing quite fast. See. . . look how amazing trims are! 🙂 All in all, listen to your hair and just let those split ends go!

Pictured above: Protecting my hair with crochet braids

Big Chop vs. Transition

This is a tough one as it depends on your personal preference and what you’re comfortable with doing! I’ve personally never had a perm (Thanks Ma!) however, I did bleach my hair a few times and used more heat than I should’ve. When I decided to go completely natural, my decision was to transition and slowly cut off the damaged hair. The thing with transitioning is, you have two different hair textures to care for and style! I had to do tons of manipulating to get my straight hair to appear naturally curly. So hair rods and soft curlers were a necessity for my ends! I also recommend protective styling; crochet braids and box braids were my best friends. Nonetheless, this decision is completely up to you and what you think will be best!

Related: How to Get a Perfect Braid Out

Take Out Your Coins!

Learning about what products your hair likes and doesn’t can get quite expensive! Starting your natural hair journey will have you wanting to buy every product that’s marketed towards you. Some of us are product junkies and some of us aren’t (in this case, I’m not) but either or is OK as long as you find what works! Now, it’s taken me years to find the type of products that my hair thrives on. Also keep in mind that what works for transitioning hair may not work on your natural hair and vice versa! I use products now that my transitioning hair hated a few years ago. It’s all about trying new things in moderation. . . that’s how I stopped myself from becoming a product junkie. For example, I would buy one conditioner and not buy another one until it was done! This really helped me to stay consistent and see what products worked vs. what didn’t.

Patience is Key!

I mean this all around too. . . natural hair requires so much patience! To see what products work and which ones don’t requires patience. Wanting to see a significant amount of growth? Patience. Washing, detangling, deep conditioning and styling every week. . . you guessed it. Patience! This natural hair journey is not for people who want “microwave” results. There’s a brighter side to all of this though, because one day you’ll wake up and your hair will be flourishing! I promise, you WILL find the products that work for you and you WILL reach your hair goal! Just be patient!

Pictured above: Four day hair still shiny and moisturized from deep conditioning

If You Don’t Deep Condition, Shame on You!

This is the biggest thing I stress to people when they ask for me hair tips. PLEASE DEEP CONDITION YOUR HAIR! Key word here is “deep” and I want to make sure you all know the difference. Those instant conditioners that some of you use for 5-10 minutes do not provide enough moisture for your hair! Look for deep conditioners (also called masques) that require 25-35 minutes under a steamer or dryer with a shower cap on. I know, we all live busy lives and this just sets us back with getting it done a lot quicker but trust me. Your hair will be so moisturized, soft and shiny after you rinse out that conditioner! The final outcome with instant conditioners vs. deep conditioners are clear as day. If you want healthy hair, you must find time to deep condition AT LEAST once every two weeks. Side note: I deep condition once a week!

RELATED: Shea Moisture Superfruit Complex 10-In-1 Renewal System Review

There’s a Method to Detangling

Yes, there is and if it weren’t for my Mom I’d still be killing myself! She pointed out to me that our hair grows out, NOT down! Therefore, when I detangle my hair I need to be holding it stretched out towards the way it grows. I realized that I had gotten accustomed to straight hair and always combing/brushing it down. There was a significant difference in my detangling time once I started holding the sections of my hair out. It was literally like magic! Lol. Try this tip next time while you’re detangling and let me know how it goes!

LOVE YOUR HAIR!

My final tip is to LOVE AND EMBRACE YOUR NATURAL HAIR! Our hair is absolutely amazing and we should cherish it. It’s so unique in a sense that we can essentially do anything with it. . . and look GOOD! YOU HEAR ME! Being natural means embracing everything that comes with it. Our curls have a mind of their own, sometimes they’re perfectly placed and other times they’re frizzy doing what they want! Lol. Knowing that I wake up every day and don’t know what I’m going to get once I take my bonnet off is hilarious. I love it. . . I embrace it and you all should too! Know that your hair is beautiful and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!

I hope you all enjoyed this post! Please make sure to subscribe and leave a comment below as your feedback REALLY helps!

Until next time ASSASSINS. . . Stay Motivated!

Let’s be friends! 🙂

Make sure to follow me on Instagram @MissAshleyAllison Twitter @MsAshleyAllison and Snapchat @MsAshleyAllison.