My hair at 1 year and 7 months .
#1 Dry hair - Deep-condition and Deep-condition some more! You would be surprised to know how deep-conditioning your hair can work wonders . If you recently big chopped then you probably are experiencing more dryness as your newly natural hair is lacking quite a bit of moisture .However you can solve this problem by moisturizing your hair often even if it requires spraying your hair with some water daily . Wearing a satin bonnet to bed can also help your hair retain moisture .
#2 The different Textures - There are a million different textures in your hair , frustrating I know . This is one natural hair problem you just cant run from. The best you can do is learn how to deal with your different textures whether that means being more gentle on certain parts of your hair or spending more time on other areas.
#3 Combing your hair is quite the challenge - Twist outs take way too long? You can only comb your hair when it is extremely wet ? You're Tired of combing your hair every night before bed? Well the truth is you really don't need to comb your hair that often. Build your confidence and Rock your fro! It is that one style you just cant go wrong with. Buy an Afro pick and get to picking femmes!
#4 Big chop - "I LOOK LIKE A BOY !' - I would be lying if I said I didn't feel like a boy after doing my big chop. However I did get over it with time. I didn't allow it to lower my self-esteem anymore than it already did ,so try to pull that confidence from anywhere you can find it ,Beat your face to the Gods and work it sista! think about your long term goal here and exercise patience.
#5 The products recommended just don't work- Everyone seems to know a product that will work for your hair and after spending so much money on it ,it fails . Get to know your hair, its a learning process and there is no rush to it. Try to figure out what your hair can tolerate and what it cannot .Check the ingredients in the products you're considering to purchase to see if it matches with any product you tried using before that your hair didn't really like.
#6 Gel defines my curls but it makes my hair crunchy !- Gel is awesome for defining curls but it leaves your hair feeling too crunchy. I would suggest applying some kind of oil or moisturizer to your hair before you use the gel and even a little after ; this will help your hair to dry softer.
#7 "My hair is taking forever to grow "- Everyone's natural hair is different ,and some just grow faster than others .My number one tip to anyone who is newly natural or considering to go natural is to learn how to exercise patience because you are definitely going to need a lot .The wait will pay off in the end . Apart from having patience your next step is to research different products or oils that help with hair growth . Rosemary ,Lemon grass oil and Castor Oil are three that I know of .
#8 Unsatisfied with your hair texture ?- The natural hair community tends to glorify looser textured hair over the other hair types . Your natural hair journey should focus on accepting your hair for what it is . The sooner you do that the faster you will learn to love your hair .
#9 There is Frizz everywhere :(- You just spent an hour doing your hair and as soon as you step outside *Poof* there is frizz everywhere . For this problem ,apart from using frizz eliminating products I would recommend using butters and creams ( products with a thick consistency ) in order to hold your hair better. Also use an old t-shirt instead of a towel to dry your hair and in addition to that try air-drying or diffusing your hair after washing .
#10 Going natural is actually very expensive - So you thought going natural would allow you to spend less on your hair ,well I thought so too......until I went natural .Turns out that natural hair products are quite expensive on the market ,especially the products that are considered to be the "good stuff ". Products do not need to be expensive in order to be "good" .There are reasonable natural hair products on the market that can work just as well in your hair and in addition to that you don't always need to go out and buy hair products; some of the right ingredients for your hair can be found in your kitchen ;)
#11 Hair dyes are still Dangerous - I thought going back natural would be an opportunity to dye my hair any colour I wanted whenever I wanted . I was probably thinking natural hair was invincible at the time :D but it turns out even after going natural you still need to be cautious about bleaching and dying your hair . Severe hair damage is still possible if you become lackadaisical with your hair after coloring . In order to lower your risk of damage I would recommend getting your hair treated regularly , keeping your hair moisturized as best as possible , use shampoos and conditioners geared towards colour treated hair .
#12 Too much product is not enough product - As naturals we tend to think that our hair needs a lot of a certain product before it can work. If you're having this issue then the product that you're using is probably just not working for your hair at all if it requires you using half the bottle .Explore other natural hair products that can do the same job without having to use too much of it.
#13 Bedhead - bedhead is real -.- and it is a sneaky bastard .Don't you hate waking up late and you have to do your hair and its just one flat mess everywhere so you throw in some stuff fast . "shugsh" it up and go , then when you get where you're going.. BAM! flat head right in the back! . My solution to this oh so annoying issue is to apply product from the back of your hair and then move forward OR don't sleep laying down :D haha just kidding .
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