Hi, My name is Linda. And I had a few questions about taking care of my hair. I have an African background. My mother is Congolese and my father Angolan. I have hair type "tight-O" and "Looser-O". I find it terribly difficult to take care of my own hair.
I didn't really get it from home. My mother always shaved her hair bald. And my hair was always relaxed. Since I was 16, I stopped relaxing my hair (I'm 20 now). I have always continued braiding and weaving my hair.
As a shampoo and conditioner I always use Dark and Lovely Moisture plus conditioning shampoo. I also always use Dax Bergamot Pomade. And often when I want to style it I use Fantasia IC Hair Polisher Olive moisturizing shine serum, I often vary that from the liquid form or the spray form.
I have noticed that my hair has deteriorated a lot in the past year. It is not even anymore. That is because I have had a low/sidecut.
Last week I took out my weave. My hair was so clumped together that I could barely do anything with it. I washed it, put some pomade in it, and braided it back. Now I walk around with headscarves (which I am trying to give a modern twist).
I really want to keep my natural hair and I really long for the hair I was born with, but I don't know how or where to start.
I've been surfing the web a bit, and I've come across two brands that really appeal to me. Namely Mizani and Trichovedic.
How do I start?! Do I have to cut my hair before I can go natural? Because I've been looking on youtube a bit. A lot of these women go through 1rst and 2nd chops before they get the actual structure of their hair back.
The only information I'm missing is how do they maintain it? What products do they use? And how do they make their hair grow? I'm really into long hair. I would love to have a big afro. But how do I start? Can you help me?
I'd love to hear from you!
Yours sincerely,
Linda
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Dear Linda,
Thank you for visiting kroeshaar.com and asking all your questions.
Too bad you didn't send a picture. I would like to see your hair because if you stopped relaxing 4 years ago you should be natural now. So you don't have to cut your hair. If all goes well you are now walking around with your natural hair. Not with the hair you were born with because that changes with the years of life.
It is very understandable that you find it difficult to take care of your hair. Not only because you did not get it from home, but especially because it was always relaxed. However, taking care of frizzy hair is not difficult. The most important thing is to make the mental switch. The moment you realize that the hair care methods you are used to are based on a completely different hair type than yours, it will be easier.
Simply put, combing and washing every day, for example, does not belong to frizzy hair. Not because it is difficult hair, it is just a different type of hair where other standards apply. Just like how you can't say that smooth hair is difficult because cornrows (kwiekwieba) don't stay in place.
It may take a while for it to really sink in, but in the meantime you can start looking for the right products for your hair. For example, what does your hair like better, oil, water or a mix of the two? This is important to know because it allows you to choose the right hair care.
I have never personally used the brands you mention, but what I can tell you is to try to choose as many products as possible that are based on natural ingredients. In the webshop, for example, the hair products are specially developed for frizzy hair and they are free of cosmetic ingredients that are on the prohibited list.
If you have worn your hair in braids for so long, I think it would be a good idea to start clean and do a Detox with the Detox Conditioner or Clean Start . You will notice how different your hair feels after one of these treatments.
For the care you can choose. So if your hair likes oil more, I would recommend the Silky Shea Hair Butter , more water, choose the gel. If you want a combination of water and oil, choose the hair milk.
With your hair it shouldn't be that hard to make an afro. I would initially think that because you have mixed blood, you might not get a frizzy afro like me, but from the way you describe your hair type it should work. As you can probably see in the picture, I personally also have tight o-curls. Here is a link to my instructions for an afro: How to Make an Afro Video . Will you send us a picture when you have succeeded?
Odi,
Mireille
