Hey guys!
It's Lay.
So I wanted to do this list because since I left high school last year, I wanted to incorporate big changes into my life. In my opinion, some changes have been going great while others haven’t been the way I want it to. One huge change I made in college is I switched from wearing weaves and braids to wearing wigs. For many people, that probably doesn’t seem like a huge change but for me, it was because with wigs they don’t stay on overnight and you can, for the most part, take them on and off every day (depending on the type, I never used the ones you had to glue on). This change of wearing only wearing wigs has started as a challenge and a way to get to know my natural hair that hid for many years. It has been a full year (I started going natural July 4th, 2019) and I wanted to share what I wished I learned before starting my hair journey. While I will talk specifically about my experience, the things I will say will be general so it can apply to any hair type.
1. Figuring out your hair type is not that simple
So the last time I spoke about my hair was August 2019 and that was only one month into my hair journey. The thing you should try to figure out is your hair type because it determines what products you need in order to fulfill your hair goals. However, it's more difficult than it sounds. I would try to figure out my hair type but then I think I'm somewhere between 4b and 4c. I couldn't tell because hair types ar so general you can be between 2 of them which can get confusing. My curl pattern resembles most to 4b but my hair is so dry it can appear as 4c as well.
2. Health over length
Throughout this year, I was really hesitant to cut my hair at first. I always felt like my hair grew back really so and I hated cutting it. Eventually, when quarantined started, I was wearing natural hair pretty much all the time unless I was going on video but other than that, nope. So when I started noticing my end looking noted and dead I decided to trim the ends. I was actually happy I did that because my hair grew back fast since it was only a trim. It left my hair feeling much fully and thicker because prior to that the last time I cut my hair was 7th grade due to heat damage. Since I've been cutting it occasionally, it's so much healthier.
3. Learn what works for your hair type
For specifically type 4 hair, there is so much that goes into becoming natural. Type 4 hair is drier so our wash days are less frequent. Hair types that are oily have to be washed multiple times a week but 4a-4c can be washed weekly or bi-weekly. Also, the wash day routine is a lot. The order is: pre-shampoo treatments, shampoo, conditioner, deep conditioning, LOC or LCO method and then styling hair. For other hair types, it's just different. I would recommend subscribing to someone on youtube with a similar hair type so you can learn about what products work and don't work for you, what ingredients are helpful or harmful. etc.
4. Always be more gentle with your ends
The ends are the oldest part of your hair. They need the most attention because they are more fragile. I used to be rough with my ends because of how many times it gets knotted to due to the lack of detangling. I learned the hard way to always detangle your hair when it's wet. The moral of the story is if you want the length of your hair to grow, you need to make sure to protect your ends at all costs.
5. Don’t compare your hair to other
Everyone's hair grows at different rates. Based on research the most common reason why people's hair grows differently is genetic. However, other things such as age, diet, stress, medication, etc. can play a large role. On top of that, since there are different hair types and patterns, your hair isn't going to look the way you dream it to be. If you want your hair to boost, focus on having a routine and focus on your health overall to know you're doing things all around that not only helps your hair but just your body in general.
6. Be patient and love your hair through the process
Patience the key to any goal and actually the goal to life. Appreciate the journey and know that everything you are doing will be rewarding in time. I personally believe whether an experience is good or bad, it is rewarding in the sense of you either get where you want to be or learn so you can act accordingly to get to where you want to be. Never forget to love your hair, love yourself, and just enjoy the journey.
That's all for today. I'm really sorry if this blog was short but honestly, my mind is not completely on this topic. The main reason I wrote about this is because I have a posting schedule I want to maintain. However, my mind often thinks about all the crazier things that's happening and I just don't know how to address everything. From racism to the sexual assault stories to what's happening in Yemen to the ICE detention center. There is just so much I want to talk about. I feel like I need to take time to wrap my head around everything I'm seeing and maybe others feel the same way. Knowing about what's going on in the world is really important to lifestyle as people, society is where we live. It is our job to constantly keep trying to improve the world we live in for us, for people we love and for future generations.
I promise to still write what I plan to but maybe figure out a way to incorporate things that are important. Additionally, there are no youtube videos this week because everything from my editing program deleted. I'm planning for there to be some this week and I really been trying to add more to my content so it would mean a lot to me if you would subscribe. In the meanwhile, check out my last two blog post.
Don't forget to share this with your friends and family. Have a good day, evening, or night (whenever you're viewing this). Stay healthy and happy!
Until next time,
xoxo Lay 💋
Blog Post 1- Ultimate Skincare Guide: Products in your Routine
Blog Post 2- Easy steps to get back to your goals
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