When I first started my natural hair journey, my hair was so damaged. I had a completely different curl pattern than the one I have now. In a sense, I had to get to know my hair texture all over again. Here is what I learned along the way about identifying and fixing natural hair problems.
Get creative if a hairstyle doesn’t go as planned.
When I was transitioning, I noticed the ends of my hair were not as healthy as my new growth. While doing a twist out, I tried to think about what I had around the house that would help curl the ends of my hair. I’m on the go pretty often so it wasn’t ideal for me to run to the store and get perm rods. In fact, it was 9 pm at night, and believe it or not, straws came to mind. I cut a few of them into multiple pieces, wrapped the ends of my hair around them, and secured it with a bobby pin. The rest is history! I’ve been using this method ever since. Sometimes a hair fix starts with creativity! If you know what the solution is, you can always find a tool!
Pay attention to your hair!
For some reason (I have a few theories), the right side of my hair has a tighter curl pattern than the left. So naturally, the left side of my hair gets more attention than the right side. Usually, I finger coil the left side of my hair so that the coils match the right. Apparently, there is a whole community of naturalistas that have this issue. Make sure that you pay attention to your hair and usually, you can figure out what is needed and what works best for YOU.
Use products that your hair reacts well to!
My last tip would be to use products that your hair reacts well to. When I first started my hair journey, my hair was very damaged and weak. Oil would often weigh it down and make it look a hot, greasy, mess! However, once my hair started thriving, it CRAVED oil. In fact, it drinks it up very fast. I’ve also learned that cream-based products work best on my hair when used with some sort of oil. To be honest, I don’t even touch my hair without oil being added first.
I hope that these tips help set the foundation for identifying and fixing hair problems. Remember to be creative if a hairstyle doesn’t come out as expected and pay attention to how your hair reacts to different methods/products. You will be your own haircare expert in no time!
xoxo
Koiya (@koiyaaaa)
