Before I decided on blogging on natural kinky hair, I asked myself why I should blog on a topic that the internet is almost suffocated with. A simple google search will yield lots of blogs on natural hair you will be spoilt for choice. However, when I looked again, I realised Africa especially Southern Africa was falling a little short of variety on natural hair bloggers because most of these bloggers and vloggers are from the USA and a bit from UK. What I now know on natural hair maintenance has been acquired over time from these hair bloggers and vloggers and a lot of trial and error to find out what is compatible with my type of texture. I have taken tips and ideas from them and tried to apply it to my hair, keeping what works and discarding what my hair has rejected.
Let me declare that I am no expert on natural hair. I am learning to be an expert on MY natural hair. In documenting my experiences, I want to make a contribution to this pool of information to help a black sister in need. Maybe someone with my hair type will see my posts and feel encouraged to embrace what God has endowed her. I want to try and help those who may want to grow natural hair but do not know where to start and what to do. I want to bring it home to many of my sisters who may think to grow your hair long you need to be of mixed race. I noticed when telling my friends that blacks can also grow their natural hair long, upon showing them You Tube videos on natural hair, many always said, she is mixed that’s why she has long natural hair. Well I want to rebuff this myth. I am a black African and I am not mixed and I have taken up the challenge to know my hair and learn to take good care of it so that I can grow it as healthy as possible and as long as possible.
Every person with hair can bring out the full potential of their hair if they take time to know their hair and learn to take care of it properly. Hair is different and one needs to appreciate that. What straight hair can do, wavy or coiled hair may not be able to do the same. I have realised that at the moment I can’t do wash-n-go’s. My go to styles are twists, twist outs and Bantu knot outs. I may try the numerous styles found on YouTube but not all will work on my hair type or the shape of my face.
Some six years ago I went natural but this lasted only for two years and I went back to the relaxers. You see, it is very easy to go back to the relaxers. You simply walk into a saloon and in an hour or two, emerge from it with bone straight hair that if you are like me, you even start regretting why you ever did it from day one. I believe one of the reasons I went back to relaxing my hair was because of lack of information. All I could find on the net were bloggers on dread locks. Now I did not want dread locks and thought my options were limited. Had I known what I know now on natural hair, I could be counting six years of growing healthy natural hair instead of the almost two I have now.
I have learnt from other people on how to manage my kinks and I believe it is my turn and duty to reach out to others as well. So, that is why I blog on Natural hair.
