Love Being Natural

I love Komaza Care 's Coconut Hair Milk! Komaza Care's Coconut Hair Milk is my leave-in conditioner of choice.  I have been using it every since my big chop.  They recently changed their formulation to make it slightly thicker, and it is even better, as it is easier to apply and less runny. I am also a huge fan of Komaza Care's Moku Hair Oil. I typically use it a couple days after I've washed my hair.  I spritz my hair all over with distilled water, a little of Komaza Care's Vitamin Reign, then apply fingertip-size amounts to sections and ends of my hair to seal.  It livens up my curls every time! Komaza Care's customer service is fantastic.  They are based in Sacramento, and every time I have ordered from them, the product is at my door in just a couple of business days.  I am also very happy that they are now sold in the Atlanta area!  When I buy my Komaza goodies locally, I shop at Sage Naturalceuticals in the Castleberry Hill area.  Sa...

Over the past 10 months of my hair being natural, I have encountered many women who have asked me what I use in my hair, how do you get it to spiral like that, etc.  I see many women whose hair I LOVE and admire, so of course, it felt good to be complimented and asked for advice.  However, one recurring theme struck me - how many women have given up on going natural because they couldn't figure out what to do with their hair.  I really wanted to say to them NOOOO!!!! DON'T GIVE UP! but most times, I keep my cool, saying that everyone's journey is individual, while encouraging them to stick with it by trying a new approach - go to a professional who will teach you what to do with your hair.  We forget that we were all taught what to do with relaxed hair for most of our lives.  Just because our hair is "natural" doesn't mean that we "naturally" know what to do with it.

Learning my hair continues to be a beautiful journey.  When Giselle did my hair, she gave me a list of everything she used and showed me what she was doing as she was doing it.  This was such a sharp contrast from some past experiences I'd had with stylists, where many act as if what they are using on your hair is a state secret.  Giselle empowered me with information, so I could go forth and do my hair well.  Since that time, I have experimented with different products, which can be expensive, but ultimately rewarding when I find what my hair loves.  Here's what I use now.

Going natural was an act of love to myself.   I got my first relaxer when I was twelve years old and in the sixth grade.  I remember up until that point, my Mom spent hours doing hair - mine, my two younger sisters, sometimes others, in addition to her own.  With our hair straight, it took less time.  I don't remember thinking poorly of natural hair, as I LOVED the old pictures of my Mom and Dad with their dy-no-mite 'fros from back in the day; I think perhaps I may have thought of getting my hair straightened as something akin to a rite of passage.  I do, however, remember that four years before then, when I was eight, I wanted to be White like my favorite actress on a soap opera so I could be thought of as beautiful and be rich and live in a big house like they did on television; but then I remember seeing the women in Essence magazine and that was the end of my thinking that to be pretty you had to be White.  Thank God.  But I digre...