What a journey I’ve been on with my natural hair!
I’ve been natural since 2011, and through the years I’ve had my ups and downs. When I first started growing my hair, I wore wigs…for five years straight! (I was in college girl; I just could not deal.)
After five years, I started to notice that my edges were getting thin due to the constant wear of the wigs on my hairline. So, I chose from the then on not to wear wigs consistently. My hair during that time had grown to about waist length, and I was hype seeing my hair straightened for the first time after those years. However, my progress did not last. I soon realized that I didn’t know how to take care of my hair, I only knew how to protect it. Yes, I moisturized and sealed my hair and did all the tasks that I learned at that time, but I did not wear my hair out at all, it was always under a wig. So, when I finally started to wear my hair out, I realized my hair became dry really fast and in response… I was losing inches fast!
Now I am officially ten years in, and it’s funny that this all started with a sincere prayer. For more information on my natural hair journey, please see my article Natural Hair Journey.
My hair specifications
In these ten years I’ve learn SO MUCH about my hair, and I must admit, most of it came from YouTube University. Some things I have learned is that my hair:
- is naturally high in porosity
- is type 4, mostly B, some C and A
- is reddish-brown due to consistent use of henna
- does not have a curl pattern
- loves EVOO and castor oil
- loves shea butter
- has finer strands and is dense
- has a mind of its own
That last one is no joke; my hair does have a mind of its own and I have not figured it all the way out yet! My hair still surprises me with the way it looks and how it can be manipulated into looking different ways. My hair can look very fine and flowy to very thick and coarse. It can look very thick and very thin and everything in between.
I’m pretty fascinated by my hair to be quite honest.
I will also admit, it’s a lot to manage, especially for a lazy natural like me. Even though it is a lot, I am dedicated to my hair, because as the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 11:15, “But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.” My hair care is the only item on my budget that does not have a finite monetary cap, and I exceed the imaginary line almost every month.
People that have helped me to grow my hair
There are several products that have been staples in my hair care regimen and have helped me to grow my hair longer and stronger. But before I go into that, I would be remiss if I did not shout out all the curly girls in that natural hair community that I gleaned knowledge or inspiration from on my hair care journey.
Naptural85 AKA Whitney White
She is my day one natural hair care youtuber. I can remember when she first started using curl formers! I was in shock with how I could achieve a blow out style with no heat! I purchased the curl formers asap! In 2011 when I started my journey, she was the main person that I followed, because her hair texture seemed to be very similar to my own.
I can also remember a video that she recorded in the beginning of her channel that discussed mental health struggles. I don’t think that video is up at this time, but it showed a more vulnerable side to her. I can remember her hair being so short in that video! It would be great to hear more about her mental health today and how she keeps herself afloat amid the success and chaos of an accomplished business empire.
LongHairDontCare2011 or Domineque Banks
Domineque was the first natural that I’d seen talk about “heat training”. Domineque along with Naptural85 were both present in the early stages of my journey. Her hair was the first I saw that was “butt-crack” length and it looked like how my hair would look when it’s blow dried. She was my first inspiration for growing my hair to that length and she gave me options of what I could do with my hair, as most other naturals were discussing “no heat” maintenance. Domineque seemed to be a beautiful soul who wanted to teach others about natural hair.
She has since passed away in 2014, and it was a great loss to the community. God rest her soul and I thank God for her influence.
Natural Neiicey
Neiicey was another youtuber that I was impressed by early on. Her hair was so beautiful and fluffy, and she gave me inspiration to want long flowing hair. Although our hair textures are different, I did get some gems out of watching her videos. I can remember her videos early on; it was much different than what her channel is today.
I can remember some videos she recorded where she would talk about following God and about being a Hebrew woman, which I was shocked to hear, as at the time as it was a newer concept to me. Her style was much different then, and I’m happy for how she helped me at that time.
The Glam Twinz
Kelsey and Kendra both were such beautiful girls to me – but their hair! They talked about Hairfinity and how it made their hair grow. I never got into hair supplements, but they truly inspired me to continue growing. They also seemed cool and laid-back people who just wanted to get some information out to girls like them. They say their hair is high in porosity, but how they describe their hair in some videos seems to show that they are not high porosity, but lower in porosity. I find that many natural girls with uber long strands have LOW porosity hair, which helps them to retain moisture. Moisture is a major issue in the natural hair community, as our coils suffer more from dryness; however, low porosity hair has an advantage of keeping moisture in causing more flexibility and less tangles and breakage. (Hence why high porosity hair is associated with damaged, color-treated, broken hair. But not all, as some people like me have naturally high porosity hair.)
Ebony’s Curly TV
Like the Glam Twins and Domineque Banks, I was fascinated with seeing a black girl with such long hair. Ebony’s channel served as inspiration for me, as it seemed her hair was effortlessly long. I thought it was so interesting that she would often get questions about her race and ethnicity when people saw her hair. But it is well documented that black girls can grow long hair.
Curly Proverbz
Along with Naptural85, this channel has been the most helpful channel for my natural hair care, specifically for using Ayurveda. I found Farida Sharma mid-way through my hair care journey. She talked a lot about henna for hair that I had never heard about before, but I soon learned that my hair loved henna. All the DYI concoctions that I use in my hair today comes from ideas that I first learned about on her channel. She is the queen of Ayurveda for natural hair care!
Green Beauty
Green Beauty is where science meets hair care. I will give Green Beauty the credit of being the one who imparted the science of hair porosity to me. Her videos are so detailed and gets down to the atom of why certain products work and other do not. She was the one who explained to me the porosity test and why my hair needed to be treated differently. She even has scientific videos on ayurvedic herbs that can be used in the hair. She’s definitely one to check out!
Melissa Denise
She’s another long-haired girl that gave me inspiration. Her calm and cool demeanor made it easy to listen to her. She has hair for days!
I was surprised to see a few natural girls online who focused specifically on high porosity type hair. These girls include: Simply Subrena, Jonell Sequira, Afro Khadisiac and Afope Atoyebi. I will also give an honorable mention to Border Hammer who is a hilarious personality, Chime (Hair Crush) who also gave me inspiration and to Cipriana and TK Quann for being my ULTIMATE hair crushes.
Some of these ladies have their own hair care products; Naptural85, Curly Proverbz, Green Beauty and Simply Subrena that I know for sure. Be sure to check out their hair care lines. (Simply Subrena, a heat-trained natural, recently released her hair line in July 2021 so check her out!)
Products that have helped me grow my hair
Oils/Butter
- Shea Butter
- EVOO
- Castor Oil
- Avocado Oil
- Jojoba Oil
- Coconut Oil
- Peppermint
- Lavender
Shampoo
- Mielle Organics Rosemary Mint Strengthening Shampoo
- Melanin Hair Care African Black Soap
Conditioner
- Melanin Hair Care Multi-Use Softening Leave in Conditioner
- Originals by Africa’s Best Hair Mayonnaise
- Biotera Anti-Frizz Intense Smoothing Conditioner with Camellia Oil
- Mielle Organics Rosemary Mint Strengthening Hair Mask
Ayurveda
- Henna
- Amla
- Fenugreek
- Shakaikai
- Neem
Randoms
- Aloe Vera
- Onions
- ACV
- Black Tea
I’ve used these products for a good amount of time to know that they really work, especially for my hair type and porosity. But I’m still finding out more! Especially in Ayurveda, it seems the possibilities are endless. As I try and test these products, I hope to bring them to you with some results.
I hope to go into more detail about these products and herbs and my hair care regimen in another post, as it is detailed and every time consuming! My regimen will certainly help my high porosity naturals and anyone wanting some support in their hair care journey.
So, what are some of your favorite hair care products? Comment below!