As 2015 draws to a close and we usher in 2016, we reminisce on the highs & lows of our ‘hair year’.
The inches we retained, the ones we lost, the setbacks, the aha moments, the hours spent in front of the mirror, trying to get our hair to behave, the oils, the butters, more oils, more butters…
All the new fancy words that have been added to our natural hair vocabulary. Texlaxed? Inversion method? It goes on.
We are reminded, that only the living can grow hair, good or bad, curly or coily ; and so we count our blessings & we are thankful to God for giving us another year, in the land of the living, to obsess over all things HAIR!
And so as I kick off my bathroom slippers, slip into my old trusty bathrobe, turn on Adele’s 25, grab a glass (more like a bottle) of Moscato, turn down the lights & and turn out the world, my reflection begins.
I believe the key to healthy hair & steady hair growth, is not moisture retention or jojoba oil or an expensive deep conditioner;
The key is consistency.
Consistently following a good hair regimen & consistently having good hair practices.
And I realised, that I had Infact failed woefully, in caring for my hair this year.
This year, I;
•Abused my straightener
•Abused my blow dryer
•Left my edges to do as they please = broken edges
•Left my ends to do as they please
•Did not moisturise enough
•Did not deep condition enough
•Used protective styles, as a means of neglecting my hair
•Excessively dyed my hair
By the time I had woken up, to smell the thin & lifeless hair, the year was already drawing to a close. And I realised that to get different results, I had to do things differently.
So join me, as I get on the “new year, new beginnings” bandwagon.
These are my 2016, new year/new hair resolutions;
1. Step away from the dye bottle;
2. Develop a proper hair regimen: I am a trial & error kinda gal. I have experimented with every ‘method’. The result of which is, I don’t have a consistent hair regimen. That has to stop.
3. Get Wiggy With It: I love my weave & when those get boring, I switch to braids.
For a long time, I convinced myself that I was ‘protective styling’. Although, the reality of the situation, was that I basically forgot my hair under the weave.
Which meant that I wasn’t retaining as much length as I should have & the quality of the hair I was retaining, was questionable.
With a Wig, I can be stylish, my inner Beyoncé can still come out to play, I can properly care for my hair & I still get the benefits of a protective style. I got my inspiration for wig wearing from Lade of http://www.rehairducation.com .
4. Wrapping my hair at night; regardless of how tired I am.
5. Avoiding straighteners like a plague;
Who am I kidding; I love sleek hair; it makes your makeup look better, styling hair is so much easier & it KILLS your hair, slowly.
Perhaps I’m the last person in the world to get the memo, but straighteners suck up the moisture in your hair. And the extent of the direct heat on your strands, gradually leads to breakage & thinning.
6. Learning the art of Air drying. And Saving blow dryers for special occasions & desperate occasions.
7. Moisture! Moisture! Moisture! & don’t forget to SEAL; I cannot overemphasise this.
Moisture maintains hair elasticity, promotes it’s overall health & appearance ; as well as having the added advantage of preventing breakage, tangling & promoting length retention.
Sealing locks in all that moisture that you’ve struggled to infuse your hair with. With sealing, 9 out of 10 times, all the moisture in the hair evaporates & you’re left with dry hair, an hour later.
For moisture, the first bus stop should be water. Before any creams & butters, your hair should have a healthy relationship with water.
For my hair, I will be incorporating the LOC method; as well as investing in the cheapest possible hair steamer steamer.
8. Co-washing My Hair; every 2 weeks at least.
9. Growing My Hair From The Inside Out; Healthy Body=Healthy Hair
The first step, is to increase my intake of foods that promote hair growth, such as Spinach, Fish, Chicken, Turkey, Beans etc.
The second step is hydration. Drinking more water & involving more water in my hair regimen.
For my hair, I find that substituting Aloe juice for water, leaves my hair soft & pliable. I will further elaborate on the benefits Aloe Vera juice, in another post.
The third step is to get on the hair vitamins bandwagon. Although I don’t have ‘hairfinity’ money, I can definitely afford to buy Biotin, from my local pharmacy.
10. Document My Journey; documenting your hair journey, or any other journey for that matter & sharing it on social media, keeps you accountable.
Call it the ‘shame factor’; but it sure as hell works.
11. Baby My Ends & Edges; These are the two most fragile areas of my hair & it wouldn’t hurt to shower some extra attention on them.
My formula, for dealing with my ends and edges, is castor oil & basically preventing over manipulation.
These are my New Hair, New Year resolutions.
My Healthy hair journey officially began in November 2015.
I hope you are able to come with me on my journey & be inspired to start yours too.
Chiamaka O.
You can connect with me on;
Instagram-@chiamaka___o
Wordpress:
https://yellowibogirl.wordpress.com
https://thesmartsinglenigerianwoman.wordpress.com
