Do Any of These Sound Familiar?
"Your hair probably won't grow past this length".
"You have to choose swimming or your hair. You can't have both".
"You need to trim your hair every 6 - 8 weeks in order for it to grow".
June 2018 ,,,, 
June 2020...
These are just some of the myths churned out by some inattentive hairdressers who can't be asked to spend time analysing and advising you on natural black hair care. Just slap on that relaxer or attach that weave, cough up - then off you go! Erm... Nope!!! Please teach me about my hair!!!
Thankfully, I've managed to debunk these myths in recent years. But it's come at the heavy cost of disappointment and pain. I have lost much of my hair repeatedly, on this journey to finding what really works for me. I earnestly stress that I am absolutely NOT a hair specialist - I am merely hoping that by sharing what I now know, many people will avoid the mistakes which I have made.
The above images represent the success I have achieved through research, and also through many mistakes. They demonstrate the move away from conventional products within the black hair care community, such as coconut oil, jojoba oil and even olive oil, which everyone wholeheartedly informed me was harmless. The 2018 picture depicts my struggle with products such as these and many others that natural hair connoisseurs were using - their examples featuring thick, luscious, `4C' hair. However, what I have found is that all bottled products, from the mildest shampoo to the most innocent conditioner, simply do not agree with my hair, (nor my daughter's for that matter, so it's most likely genetic), and I am DONE trying to discover why! This is the reason that every single product I use in my hair is literally from my kitchen or garden - and fully edible.
The Right Mindset
I must emphasise the fact that I am definitely not a hair expert! And I would urge anyone seeking help along their natural hair care journey to understand that your hair is your own. What works in mine may not achieve the same results in yours. Do lots of research, and when something works... stick with it!
As time goes by, you will become really acquainted with your hair. You'll begin to notice any changes in texture or appearance more easily, and be able to detect whether your hair is communicating something positive or negative. But please be very patient with your hair, and allow it time to respond to anything new you decide to incorporate into your regime. Treat these blogs (and all resources) as a source of suggestions and tips which may be useful, and with consistency, determination, and bags of patience, I'm sure you will begin to see some great results!
Future blogs...
In future blogs, I will continue to share my journey, with secrets to my success with my hair as a lover of swimming, overcoming the problem of hair that never seemed to grow, hair loss and a rare problem which I encountered with my own daughter's hair as her teenage hormones raged!
Nice one wend, I'm going to check out some of these ideas.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog!! Very informative!!! Congrats🥳
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteIt’s encouraging to see the transformation in your hair.
ReplyDeleteO wow, this is very encouraging! Makes me want to try swimming again! But will def give the ACV a go. Does ACV lather at all like shampoo? & do you use a conditioner after?
ReplyDeleteThanks for your interest! Please do give it a go! No, it doesn’t lather at all. It doesn’t function like shampoo, and tbh, I’m not sure I’d trust it if it did. And you should find your hair is nicely conditioned and detangled afterwards.
DeleteOh wow good advice, very informative. I do use ACV but only to drink! Will defo try in hair. Thank you.
ReplyDeletePlease do!
DeleteThis is very very cool.
ReplyDeleteI alsoove swimming 🏊♂️ and utilising methods like these are essential to having my cake and being able to eat it too.
Great stuff!
Absolutely, my fellow water baby! 😆
DeleteI HAVE to try this, my hair is cutting out right around the edges and back!!
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I'm a bit dubious about is the smell of the rice water!
Don’t worry, that’s easily remedied! If you’re boiling the rice water use grapefruit peel. Cut it into pieces and boil it with the rice water. You have a lovely citrusy sent!
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