When I hear a sister say “I haven’t had a relaxer in years”, it makes my heart sing. I love that some of us are happily embracing our chemically free loose hair journey without a care in the world. From tiny winy Afros, coils, braids, two strand twists to the infamous Afro puff that we all succumb to when we’re in a rush, too tired or that “wash and go” that didn’t allow us to just “go”. WE ARE LOVING WHO WE ARE!
Lately I’ve witnessed damaged virgin hair! OMG! WTH! STD!(SHUT THE DOOR)… 🙂
When I consult clients we discuss their loose natural hair journey and the many hair stages, styles, regiments and products that they use. One of the damaging culprits to loose virgin hair is super tight braiding. You know the kind of braiding that have your eyes slanted and the small white bumps forming on the very edges of your hair line? Not only does the tight braiding hurt physically, the tight technique damages your hair line. When it’s time to take the braids down a portion of your hair comes out as well. That hair has been broken from the scalp. 😥
Let’s not leave out weaves-sew ins. This technique can be very damaging if you do not protect the hair from the thread. Please make sure that your stylist uses procedures to protect “your” hair.
The number 1 culprit is the lovely flat iron. Those of us with length become brave enough to add color to our loose natural hair that can sometimes leave your hair severely dry if you do not provide proper hair care by deep conditioning once a week. On top of the color we now flat iron our hair so frequently that we sometimes scorch/damage our virgin hair. Now it’s time to have a visit with the scissors. That hair is now damaged beyond repair. Cut it off
Tips for loose natural hair:
Shampoo weekly with a good clarifying shampoo to remove product buildup and condition the hair.
If you want the straight look, be very careful of how frequently you flat iron your hair by wrapping your hair at night (train it) and sleeping in a satin scarf.
Consider Sisterlocks so that you don’t have to worry about braids, weaves, flat irons, etc 😉
ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS KEEP THE BODY HYDRATED WITH WATER, NO MATTER WHAT HAIR JOURNEY YOU CHOOSE.
Be Good on Purpose
TressByTess