All About Hair: Natural Hair Has Versatility Like None Other

(I love this picture of Jill Scott)

As a natural haired girl, I often hear things like "you can go natural because your hair is long", or "your hair isn't that nappy so you can do that".  The truth is, I started wearing my hair natural over 10 years ago and my hair was only 2 inches long.  Additionally, if you don't thing my hair is nappy, kinky, curly, or whatever you wanna call it, stick around on one of my wash days and you'll see my nappy truth! 

These types of statements come from the mis-education of our own hair.  Kinky textured hair is extremely versatile.  It can go from a solidified afro, kinky curls, coiled curls, to bone straight and still revert back to it's natural state. Lots of us have never even taken the time to experiment with our natural hair to see what style options there are.  There are many more resources and products for natural hair than there were when I first went natural.  I will be honest in saying that for me, being natural requires a little more maintenance than it did when it was relaxed, but once I found a washing and conditioning routine that worked for me, and I learned how to deal with my hair in its natural state, the easier it became.

If your contemplating going natural or you are just beginning your natural hair journey, here are a few encouraging things to remember:

• This journey is your own, so don't compare your hair to the hair and results of others. Enjoy your own journey
• Be patient. On average, hair grows 6 inches per year. Sometimes a little less and sometimes a little more. Patience.
• Except your hair texture whatever it happens to be and learn to work with and the love the texture you have
• Experiment with a few products and find something that works for you. Don't try every single product that you see someone else using in hopes that you will get the same results. It doesn't always work out that way
• Minimize frustration.  Everyone has had to play around with products and styling techniques before they found something that works.
• Have fun!  Experiment with different styles and techniques and enjoy your hair at every stage.
• Remember there are lots of online resources and natural hair communities on Youtube.com. Fotki.com, and lots of others to help you with questions regarding transitioning , big chops, hair styling and products.

Again, I'm not trying to convert everyone to natural, nor am I saying natural is better, because your hair is exactly that, YOUR hair. What I do want to do is, provide information about textured hair and to provide encouragement for those that may be thinking about becoming natural or those who need a little reassuring along the way!