There I was standing in the mirror with a young, untamed, un even afro staring back at me. In my head I’m thinking “how did I get here?... my scalp itches I don’t know how to style this mess”. In that moment I was regretting letting my hair grow past the length of a low cut caesar with the deep waves!

That was back in 2015 when I decided to experiment with growing my hair out.  Since then I’ve cut it down low twice but finally in 2016 I re-committed to growing it out again and I want to take you on the journey with me. Before I started the hair growth process I had no idea how challenging it would be to manage longer hair. All of a sudden I needed to pay more attention to hair products and maintenance. No longer could I brush my hair on the way out of the door and look polished and put together. Back in 2015/2016 I didn’t know how to properly care for my hair so when it started to itch or become unmanageable, my solution was to cut it short again. Now I know better so I’m doing better lol

PEEP SOME OF MY FAV

STYLES FROM 2015 - 2017

My hair journey took a turn for the best on Christmas 2016 because one of my best friends Ashley gifted me a  5 PIECE SNACK PACK by Oyin Handmade. The snack pack included sample size containers of a range of Oyin hair and skin products. During the next few weeks after Christmas I began to try each product on my hair and I was pleasantly surprised with the results! Since then I have incorporated Oyin products into my haircare routine and realized that having long hair can be manageable as long as I used  products that were natural and compatible with my hair type THANKS ASH!

“ THE SECRET IS

THERE IS NO SECRET”

For those who are just  starting your natural hair growth journey I want to let you in on a little secret… are you ready?...There is no secret… Having African American natural hair is a honor but it is also a daily emotional roller coaster ride. There is an ugly trial and error phase that we all must go through. This is the time frame when your are experimenting with products to find the right one for you while your hair is growing wild. This phase can take days or even years for some people. But you have to go through it in order to find out what works best for your hair.

Fantasia sings ”sometimes you have to lose to win again” in her song “Lose to Win”.  She was referring to romantic relationships but that lesson applies to your relationship with your hair too! Finding the right hair care groove means more losses than wins (especially early on) ! You have to be willing for your hair to look or feel “crazy” or “wrong” until you find out what works for you.  This is especially true for those used to relaxed styles or your hair meeting European beauty standards.

PRODUCTS I USE ON WASH DAY

Below I’ve listed the products I’m using currently and the order in which I use them on wash day. I will share my styling products in a future post. I hope that these product suggestions help you and that this post gives you some hope if you’re fed up and ready to do a big chop lol. I am always open to new product suggestions, List them below so we can all glow up!

Step 1: Shampoo

Getting your hair nice and clean on wash day is important. I wash my hair about every 2 weeks. Most recently I have been using Creme Of Nature Argan Oil Moisture & Shine Shampoo. It smells wonderful, the argan oil is moisturizing and most importantly it’s silfate free so it doesn't dry my hair out

Step 2: Co-wash

Co-washing is short for “conditioner-only washing.” It means skipping shampoo and relying solely on conditioner however I found that co-washing alone doesn’t work for me  so I co-wash after shampooing. I use the GINGER MINT CO-WASH by Oyin Handmade and baby this stuff is so refreshing to the scalp and smells like a ginger dream.

Step 3: Condition

After shampooing, I replenish my hair with a nourishing conditiner. Currently I am using Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Shine Conditioner and it does the trick! Not my favorite conditioner but it totally does the job.

Step 4: Deep Condition

Finally, I deep condition with Creme of Nature Intensive Conditioning Treatment with  Argan Oil. This adds another level of nourishment and helps restore any damage and hets my hair ready for styling.

Peep my progress: Check my best hair looks of 2018