1. “This is a lot of work!”
In the beginning, I remember thinking, ‘this is a lot of work!’ I thought going natural would be easier than having straightened hair, boy was I wrong. This was even more evident in the beginning my natural hair journey because I was still trying figuring out what products to use, and what worked for me—further complicating things.
Solution:
In the end, I knew it was worth all of the work and I made my hair routine as simple as possible.
2. “It’s expensive to be natural”
At the beginning I didn’t know what products to use, so I thought I was suppose to use the $20 or more, eight ounce jars of curling gels and creams. With my all the hair I had, I could easily spend up to $50 a month, which I think is unnecessary.
Solution:
In an effort to keep as many of my coins as possible, I decided to invest in one or two products that wouldn’t run out as quickly and to use better quality everyday products that wouldn’t subtract from my extra income. Let’s be honest, I’d rather go shopping than spend a bunch of money on hair products just for the sake of it.
3. “This heat damage is going to take forever to go away!”
Yes, I had heat damage and it was no friend of mine. After flat ironing nearly everyday (for touch-ups”> much of my hair was toast. More so in the front bang area than the back, which was worse because I couldn’t hide it as easily.
Solution:
With time and a lot of trimming, my heat-damaged, lifeless hair dissipated and I was a full on curly girl. Dealing with heat damage is a pain, but it just takes patience and improvisation to get through it.
4. “I need a break, I can’t do another wash and go, I’m tired”
Sometimes, I just get plain tired of doing my hair. I can’t do another style, I don’t want to. Sometimes, I envy the days when I could get up with straight hair and go.
Solution:
When I get into a funk like that, twists and flexi rod sets become my best friend. I can wear these styles for up to a week and get that break I desire. Even better, with twists, I can wear them for 4-5 days and then take them out and wear a twist out, further extending my hair maintenance vacation.
5. “Different curl patterns, all on one head!?”
For a while, I didn’t realize that one person could have different curl patterns. I just thought my hair was weird. After years of trying to grow out my heat damage, I got frustrated that the front and part of the back section of my hair still seemed to have heat damage because they had slightly looser curls while the other half had tighter curls.
Solution:
After some research and hearing others talk about their hair, I realized I didn’t have heat damage and there was nothing wrong with my hair, I just had a looser curl pattern in some places and tighter in others. I also struggled with one part of my hair being very frizzy but after seeing other naturals with the same issues, I let it go.
6. “This product works for her hair, why not mine!”
Have you ever seen someone use a hair product that seemed to work miracles, leaving you wanting the same results, and when you tried them you didn’t get the same results?
Solution:
I had to learn after a while that one product does not fit all, even if it fits many. We are all unique and what works for one person, may not work for the next.
What are some challenges you overcame during your hair journey?
