Mariama's Draw My Natural Journey!

In case you haven't seen it, here's a quick overview of my natural hair journey (there are actual pictures too at the end):

Maz xx

Bon Annivers(h)aire!!

One year's worth of growth

So guys, it’s been a whole year since I went natural! There have been many highs and lows but overall I’m so glad I did this. Unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures from when I did my semi-big chop (I know… How annoying?!) but I started my natural journey with about two and a half inches of hair. It’s been a huge struggle to get used to my kinky texture, and to be quite honest, I’ve only just started to accept it and care for it the way I should have a long time ago. This has come through writing the blog (which has acted as a record for the way I look after my hair) and also through slowly building a regimen. I know a year sounds like quite a long time but my hair regimen is only just being created. Prior to this, I was just watching YT videos and attempting to copy everything I saw. It was fun but the routines didn’t last, I was growing poor and my arms began to ache from two-strand twisting every 5 seconds. Through reading natural hair articles and picking Mariama’s brain, I’ve been able to build the basic layout for a regimen that is unique to my hair type, texture and length (I need armpit length hair for graduation - 2015 baby! Woop!) I’ve only just entered that awkward length phase but here are some of the things I’ve learnt over the past year and some things I’ve added to my hair care routine:

• Finger Detangling – It’s made such a difference to my understanding of my texture. When you use a comb, you don’t really get to feel what your hair is like. I’ve been able to really get to grips with my 4c hair (hey! An accidental pun!)  and I’ve discovered that it's a bit 4B as it has a couple of clumped kinky-curls tucked away in there. 
• Co-washing – I’ve started washing with conditioner once a week which is slowly improving my high porosity hair and adding moisture. I need to dabble with the products I use but it’s working slowly! I started this at the beginning of my journey and even though it was working so well, I couldn’t keep up with it. I’m a lot more determined now :P 
• Shampoo – I now only wash with shampoo once a month and then detangle thoroughly with my wide tooth comb and my Denman brush. Finding a shampoo that is moisturising is so essential! I use the L’oreal Elvive EverSleek which always works wonders and… it’s sulphate free! 
• Braids and protective styling – I braid my hair all the time now and attempt to keep them in for a maximum of six to eight weeks. I’ve found this is the best length of time to prevent that gross oily clump at my scalp and also to minimise breakage and unnecessary shedding. 
• L.O.C method – Mariama pointed out to me that I never stick with products and see them out ‘til the end! Using my own advice, I have to see this stuff through. My hair has been pretty dry recently so hopefully using a leave in conditioner, oil and then thick cream/butter will make a difference. I started this method a while back and yeah… I gave up (rolls eyes vigorously).
• Blow-drying – I’ve been loving my blow dryer for adding stretch to my afro texture. It makes it a lot easier to do up do’s and protective styles as well as allowing me to see how much my hair has grown. I’ve noticed that where my hair had a lot (and I mean A LOT) of shrinkage, the blow-drying has helped it to stretch permanently but without heat damage. 

This year, I’ve also given up on twist outs and braid outs for definition. It was a sad day but I just realised they weren’t working for me! I’m waiting for my hair to grow out a bit more before I attempt a defined twist/braid out but I will continue to use them to add stretch to my hair before I do a style. My next goal for my natural journey will be moisture retention (in particular for my edges and ends). As I mentioned above, my hair has just been super dry. As I build a cupboard of staple products, I’ll let you guys know but for now, I’ll continue to search!  

Obviously I'm a bit too pleased with my growth here...

Are there any products you use that work amazingly? Spill the beans – comment and email with your questions and suggestions! 

Until next time… Zee xx

Creating a hair routine (Part One)

Creating a regimen is one of the hardest things to do when going natural. It isn’t easy and doesn’t happen overnight, but making a structured routine for your hair is one of the best ways you can take care of it. For the first year of my accidental transition to natural hair, I didn’t do any extra stuff to my hair that I wasn’t already doing when it was straightened - and it didn’t break off. So don’t worry about devising a regimen as soon as you start going natural. You’ll need to try a few things out before you can definitely decide that’s what you want to be doing. Also remember that your regimen doesn’t have to be rigid, it will change when you cut off your straight ends, as the length of your hair increases and according to the season. I recommend when going from relaxed to natural just stick to what you’re already doing, see if it’s beneficial or not and tweak it.

Ask yourself these preliminary questions:

How much time do I want to spend on my hair? (AKA How lazy am I?)

This is very important, I quite like doing my hair (It’s quite relaxing, plus I can catch up on Scandal and Love & Hip Hop while I detangle), but some people find it incredibly infuriating/boring. If you’re one of the latter then you’ll want to do things as quick as possible and limit the wash-day process to one to two times a month.

Dammit! It's wash day again! NOOOOOO!!!!!

The same thing applies to styling too. Because I accidently transitioned I didn’t take too much notice of styling or taking care of my hair. I would pretty much put conditioner in my hair in the morning, have a bath, wash it out and then tie my satin headscarf around my head and go to uni. It still grew (and pretty fast!) so I guess that proves that you don’t have to spend hours on your hair everyday for it to grow.

How much money do I want to spend on my hair? (or How much of a cheapskate am I?)

I won’t spend more then £10 on any hair product (I say that whilst coveting the Macadamia Natural Oil products). That being said you do get what you pay for, you need to use more of cheaper hair products and they tend not to be as amazing quality (like the Superdrug Naturals line. It’s awful! You can’t even use it to shave your legs because there’s NO slip) as more expensive ones. The products I don’t mind paying a little more for are deep and leave-in conditioners. 

How kinky/curly is my hair?

If your hair is comprised of very tight coils or kinks, you’ll also want to limit wash-days and styling sessions. The more you handle your hair the more it may break potentially limiting length retention. This also will determine if you want to wash your hair loose or in twists to avoid tangles, and how long you can keep your hair in various styles.

When will I trim?

Just choose a time period and stick with it. I trim my hair every six months and only cut a teeny bit off (like 5mm). But it depends on how often you get split ends.

Do I want to use heat?

You can still straighten your hair, just decide how often you will do it. For a heat junkie like me I decided not to straighten my hair for a year once I decided to go properly natural (I broke that rule btw, but I didn’t straighten it properly so I don’t count it :P). I still use blowdryers and I have a hood dryer for days when I need to dry my hair quickly and go!

What products will I use?

At first, just stick to what you know. If you shampoo your hair or use a particular brand of conditioner just continue, don’t worry about things like sulphates and silicones just yet (I still don’t worry about ingredients and stuff, I just use what works for me). As your natural hair begins to grow, try and take note of how it reacts to the products. If it seems dry or weak then make a change (but give it a couple of tries first).

Secondly a lot of people jump on the natural bandwagon once they go natural as in ‘I only use totally natural products that were handcrafted by Buddhist monks and given Al Gore’s environmentally friendly blessing!’ – maybe not that extreme, but you get what I’m trying to say. Some people disregard a product just by looking at the ingredient list rather than trying it. Just because something has natural or organic on the bottle, it doesn’t mean that it will be fantastic for your hair. Once you know your hair doesn’t like certain ingredients then you can avoid them, but when starting out just try stuff and see how your hair likes it.

'We don't have hair... but buy our products anyway! I need a new watch!'

Lastly, do you have the time and patience to make your own products? I make my own hair butter and oils, but stopped short of things like gel (I tried to make my own flaxseed gel but t came out looking like phlegm and I tossed it out in disgust!) and deep conditioner (eggs and mayonnaise are only for eating in my book). I also made my own clay wash once, but decided the hassle wasn’t worth it. If you’re not a mixtress, don’t lie to yourself! 

In the next post I will discuss more about creating a wash-day routine :D.

Mariama xx

What's there not to like? Well, many things actually...

So, Zainab told you what she loved about being natural last time. But let’s be honest she’s still in the honeymoon stage, it’s not all sunshine and lollipops! I’ve only been properly natural (no weaves or straightening and all the heat-damaged bits cut off) for a year and have learnt some lessons about being natural! Here’s some stuff I don’t like:

You look about two

Now that I am natural, people constantly think I’m 14 (even with make-up on). I’m not even allowed to buy a lottery ticket without ID anymore! I’m 22! Case in point: my older sister (who is in her late twenties) keeps being asked out by secondary school boys. For some reason, people associate youth with natural hair.

People look at your hair rather than look at you

When I talk to some people, I can see their eyes darting up and down as they look at me then look at my hair then look at me again. I feel like saying ‘Hey! I’m down here! Look at my face! My mouth is lower down!’ Subsequently I get self-conscious that there must be something in my hair, which leads to…

Things get stuck in your hair

Stuff will get stuck in your hair. I am dreading summer purely because of the rise of the insect population. Random bobby pins, bugs, tree branches, umbrellas, Velcro, these are some of the things that have been caught or I have found in my hair. Grr!

Your BF will put his hands in your hair

Talking about things in your hair, for some reason men love to touch women’s scalps. Maybe because they’ve been told for so long that they can’t do it, when they have the opportunity they feel like they have to take it and run. My BF likes to help me (well he thinks he’s helping) fluff my hair in the morning and he likes to touch my hair whenever he can. Forget about having a frizz-free twist out if you have a boyfriend!

On top of that… so will everyone else

Tbh, I don’t mind people touching my hair (if you politely ask first and I know you), I understand that people may not get the opportunity to touch natural afro hair ever again. But DO NOT reach out to touch unannounced (especially if I don’t know you) and DO NOT scrunch my hair from the root (African aunts are particularly fond of the latter- especially whilst exclaiming ‘Your hair is so TOUGH TOUGH TOUGH!’).

Short Hair? They don’t care!

So you’ve decided to go natural, you take the leap of doing the big chop and have super short hair. I’ll tell you this now, no-one will be interested until your hair grows out and is big and long. People will even give back-handed compliments like, ‘You’re so brave! I could NEVER do that’ or ‘You look nice, but I couldn’t go natural, women with natural hair look so… butch.’ Wait about a year then people will start saying, ‘I love your hair!’, ‘I’m gonna go natural too, I want my hair to look like yours!’ 

New things to worry about

I never worried about heat damage before, now I’m too scared to even blow-dry my hair! I’m always worried that I should be doing something to my hair to make it grow or protect the ends or keep it moisturised. I remember when my hair and I used to have a simple relationship :(

You trust NO hairdresser

I haven’t been to a hairdresser since August 2011 and I probably won’t go again for a very very long time (unless I colour my hair, I don’t think I could do that alone :S). 

Always looking the same

When my hair was short (Zainab also has this problem) there were only a handful of styles that I could do, so I always looked the same. However, when I had short hair, I didn’t know about the wealth of information available so always looking the same didn’t really bother me. But now that Zainab has Youtube and there are loads of bloggers and vloggers with super long hair and beautiful hairstyles it makes you so envious. This leads to my next point…

Impatience about hair growth

Before I went natural I was content thinking that my hair would never grow past my shoulders. But now that I know the possibilities, I just want my hair to grow long and now damn it! If my hair isn’t tucked away, I’m always tugging on it to see how long it’s grown. Length checks are my crack cocaine, I just can’t help it!

People not understanding that you don’t relax your hair

I don’t get what’s so difficult for people to understand about going natural. I like my hair like this! For example, this is a conversation I had with someone at work once:

Guy: So, why is your hair like that? Are you in between weaves or something?

Me: …No…This is my natural hair… I stopped getting weaves or relaxing my hair.

Guy: (Looking at me with squinted eyes) So you don’t relax your hair?! Or use a weave?!

Me: No.

Guy: Really?! Never?!

Me: No, I don’t feel the need to.

Guy: (Still squinting) Wow… you must be some special kind of girl…

If that’s not an odd reaction I don’t know what is! I’ve also had people accuse me of being bald (because I was wearing a headscarf, so must be covering something up) and I'm always accosted in a certain high street by hairdressers offering to do my hair. Leave me alone! I like my hair like this! Geez!

Are there any things you guys don’t like? Tell me I’m not alone!!

Maz xx 

Tools all naturals need!

Hello. My name is Mariama… and I am a product/hair care tool junkie. You name it, I got it! Flexi-rods (two sets, I didn’t like the first ones – poor quality), Curlformers (also two sets – I had to buy a new set when my hair grew out, luckily they’re not the real ones!), various bottles of oils, bags of decorative hair bands and pins, at least 3 different bottles of conditioners (I can’t resist a conditioner on sale), various shampoos blah, blah, blah… Seriously this list can go on for quite some time! Long story short, I have lots of hair stuff!

Once you start your natural journey, you’ll find it so much fun to try out new stuff – but it can be overwhelming figuring out how to start and what to use. If you don’t want to use all the pennies in your piggy bank, here’s a list of some items that you must have when you’re a newbie!

Detangling stuff

An essential is a wide-tooth comb. There are lots of other detangling aids like the Tangle Teezer or the Denman brush (there’s the normal one or you can get the one designed for thick/afro hair), you can even forgo combs and use your fingers. As a beginner I would suggest just a wide-tooth comb at first. 

Conditioners

L-R: Beautiful Textures Rapid Repair DC (doubles as a leave in), Dr Bronner's, Giovanni, Cantu Shea Butter

If you find your hair is unbearably dry, a good leave-in conditioner may be what you need! It can make all the difference to dry strands! The best leave-in conditioners have water (aqua) as their first ingredient, this means they can penetrate the cuticle and moisturise the strand from within. Good cheap ones that both Zainab and I have tried are pictured above.

L-R: Herbal Essences Hello Hydration, Frizz Ease, L'Oreal Hair Expertise, Tresemme Naturals

Secondly, a rinse-out conditioner will be your new best friend! Find a good conditioner and stick with it. It should be able to cleanse your hair like a shampoo (lots of naturals use just conditioner to wash their hair), make your hair slippery, soft and smooth.

Shampoo

L-R: L'Oreal Hair Expertise, Hawaiian Silky, Aussie Miracle Moist

Not all naturals use shampoos, but it’s the only thing that keeps my scalp clean. You may read or see other people totally refusing to use shampoos with sulphates in them, but I say you should try it first. I have used shampoos with and without sulphates, and to be honest the shampoos with sulphates clean my scalp the best. I have also used clay and whilst it did make my hair soft, I felt it wasn’t very cleansing (plus it made Zainab’s hair incredibly dry).

Creams and Oils

You use these to seal in the moisture (the water and leave-in). They act as a barrier to prevent the water from diffusing out of the strand. You can use a butter and an oil depending on the thickness of your hair or just one of them.

• Butter – There are lots of different types: Shea (which Zainab and I use), Mango, Avocado. Or you can buy a cream (which is probably easier) instead of making your own.
• Oil – Once again you can buy an already made mixture or make your own. You can use one or make a mix: Olive, Grapeseed, Jojoba, Argan, Almond, Coconut, Castor… I would suggest buying one or two cheap ones like coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil.

Headband/Hairtie

As I always say to Zainab, ‘stick a headband on it!’ A headband will save your hair do when it’s looking (let’s be honest) a bit crap. Stick it on your head –*poof* you have a high puff or *poof* you have a bun. I have had my hair tie since I was 12 and she hasn’t let me down yet. She may just be a scrap of black satin that I wrap around my head but she’s better than anything else!

If you’re buying an elasticated headband make sure it’s snag free (so doesn’t have a metal bit) and fits your head, there’s no point in a too tight headband (your hair will break around the band) or too loose (it won’t hold your hair).

Hair bands

I don’t use hair bands very often (my hair is too big so they always snap) but they can be very useful for sectioning, buns and puffs. You want plain snag free ones, just keep a couple on hand.

Bobby Pins

Get good quality bobby pins, not the cheap 100 for £1! You want quality ones that won’t bend up out of shape or flake at just a touch. 

Silk Scarf/Pillowcase

To sleep with, and once again you want a good quality real silk scarf and/or pillowcase. It’s worth it believe me, you’re going to be using it for (probably) the rest of your life, so don’t be afraid to spend a little money. I got mine from the Topshop sale but you can check eBay, ASOS and other retailers. If you still wanna be cheap, Primark sell sateen scarves that feel kinda the same (but after a wash or two they don’t really hold up well).

Hair clips

For sectioning when detangling and styling, try and get ones without teeth so your hair won’t get caught on them. The best ones are the butterfly clips.

Scissors

Buy a pair of hair scissors and do not use them for anything else! Hair shears are extremely sharp so they actually make a clean cut through the hair, rather than splitting the strands. If you use them to cut other materials, like paper, the blades will become duller with each snip. So if you catch your Dad trying to use your scissors to descale fish (sigh – yes this is my life), snatch them and run!

So that’s all you need! Take this list to your local shop and demand for a shop assistant to help you build up your hair collection!

Maz xx

Third time's the charm!

Erm... this is only the half of it :P

There are so many products out on the market and with the growth of the natural hair community via sites such as YouTube, it makes buying products difficult! So what’s our solution? We buy everything that’s out there until our cupboards overflow. It ain’t easy and it’s anything but gentle on our pockets! I decided one day after seeing Jane Carter Solution Hydrating Invigorating Shampoo that it was worth really testing how it worked. (A product review will be coming soon!) I began trying new products at least 3 times to see how my hair reacted. It’s really important to try new products, but at the same time, what works for one naturalista may not work for another. No two people are the same and in that sense, no two hair types are either. There are a few things people may look for when buying and testing a new product and these will be the same few things I will use to review my products along the way. So this is my guide to trying a product before you give it away, sell it or bin it.

1. Consistency – Is it what you expected? When I buy a conditioner I avoid the overly watery ones. They never seem to penetrate the hair shaft meaning my hair is dry and my money is wasted. Instead, I opt for the thicker and creamier types. By shaking the bottle, I can decide whether the product will be thick enough to really make a difference to my dry 4c hair.
2. Scent – I like fruity and fresh smells so anything too perfumed is a massive put off. The scent is important because if you like to layer products (the whole leave-in, oil and butter method) you may end up with a scent that is overpowering and slightly sickly.  :S
3. Moisturisationess -  (A bit of a made up one lol) How does your hair feel after using it? Your main aim is to make sure it keeps your hair moisturised. If your hair is like mine you want to ensure the overall texture has improved. No your hair won’t become like a 3a natural, but it should become softer and more manageable if the product is doing its job.
4. Slip – Is the product able to really remove knots whilst adding moisture? I find that majority of the cheaper conditioners don’t have enough slip until oil is added to enhance the product. Basically, you shouldn’t have to add something to it before it does its job) I usually go with the idea that what feels good for my skin, feels good for my hair. This is my general consensus as usually after a long detangling process, my fingertips feel “buttery” (I like making up words lol) if the product is doing a good job on my tresses.
5. Price – A very important point! Is the product worth the price? No matter how cheap it is, I feel cheated if it ends up not working. Especially when I know I was broke when I paid for it, haha! Hair products like Moroccan oil are expensive but if they do the job, it’s fine by me!

These are the only things I wanna look for when I buy something and then I re-evaluate these points after every use. Smelling the product is kinda hard with shop assistants staring at you but get in, get out and it’s alright! Stay tuned for a few product reviews guys and dolls.

Zee xx

Twelve Top Tips to Transition!

(Disclaimer** Okay guys, if I’m honest, these are more like statements rather than tips but I just liked the alliteration. Seriously, try saying that title ten times in a row!)

Transitioning is difficult. Trust me, been there, done that and I couldn’t stand it all! I should’ve really just done a big chop but as I said before, the start of my journey wasn’t exactly intentional… And the thought of losing what little hair I had scared the life out of me. So instead I grew my miniature fro and the rest was as it is now I guess… It wasn’t incredibly difficult but these are just some of the things I wish I had known before I had started transitioning. Boy would it have helped.

1. You think you know how to two strand twist? Think again my friend.

Going natural really teaches you a thing or two about your hair and one of them is that twists ain’t easy. It will take some practice and you’ll definitely get enough time for that. But with both the relaxed ends and natural roots, it won’t look as polished as most. It will take time, but you’ll get there and the first perfect twist will get you excited!

2. Your hairstyles won’t be what you expect them to be in the beginning. It’s a part of the journey!

You’ll watch videos of YouTube gurus and see people on the street with amazing hair. You can attempt to re-create it and it really could work but most of the time it’ll come out looking NOTHING like you planned. It’s genuinely a learning curve. Don’t be put off by the style you attempted to achieve! Try again one day. Practice really does make perfect.

3. The two textures will drive you up the wall and round the bend! 

There were days when I wondered why I bothered going natural. I was always told by my family and hairdressers that I needed a relaxer in order to manage my thick, course and unruly hair. Dealing with two different textures made this all the more believable but hold on to the reason why you changed your mind about relaxers! It gets easier, and rather than reach for the “sofn’ free ‘n’ pretty” decide if this means you’re ready to lose the straight ends.

4. Learn to be gentle when you detangle

The point between your new growth and the relaxed ends is very fragile. It could snap at a moment’s notice and it WILL. Be very careful when detangling because you’ll quickly realise that gone are the days when you could whip through your hair with a small tooth comb. The wide tooth comb will be your new bestie but you still need to remember that gently does it!

5. Once your natural hair grows out further, you might realize how damaged your hair was when it was relaxed. 

Trust me, the comparison between the new natural hair and the previously relaxed hair will be a bit shocking. It’s enough to motivate you to keep going with your natural journey and for me, it was enough for me to grab the scissors!

6. Find at least 3 people in the natural community you can gain advice from -  YouTube, blogs, friends, family

This is an important tip because the support is more helpful than you might think. Go through blogs, YouTube, friends and family and pick some people you think could benefit your journey. I find it’s best to watch videos from people with a similar hair-type to mine however, tips from a 3a person may be helpful to a person with 4c hair too. 

7. Find someone you can personally take the journey with

Lucky for me, my sisters have been natural for a while. Having them there has made becoming natural a lot easier than it would have been otherwise. It gives you a lot of motivation and also allows you to share tips and ideas that could help the both of you.

You wanna look like me?

8. Find a simple routine you know you can stick to even if you’re in a rush

This needs to be done! If you’re the sort of person that takes a long time detangling with an array of different sized combs and three heat caps (ahem… that’s me), think about what would be the fastest and most effective way of completing it all. Getting your routine down to a just a few hours is a helpful way of knowing (if necessary) you can get your hair done quickly, with desired results and leave the house without looking like a troll doll.

9. Don’t throw out all of your products unless you know they didn’t even work in your relaxed days

Being natural can be expensive especially if like me and Mariama you can’t help but watch YouTube videos constantly. You want to buy everything they have! Work on using what you have already, you may find it’s great for sealing in moisture or adding shine – if it never worked anyway, bin it, give it away or use it for another purpose. (Hair conditioner makes good shaving cream for soft legs lol)

10. Not every product you use will work 

You might find that the products you use will be more effective for the relaxed ends and others for the natural roots. Don’t expect everything to work because most products are made for a specific target market. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes creams and conditioners aimed at straighter hair-types might still work for you (Maz swears by Aussie Moisture) but just because it says it’ll “melt away” the tangles, doesn’t mean it really will. If you’re left with a Costco size tub of conditioner, see my above tip. Hehe. : P

I can wish for her hair, but it ain't gonna happen!

11. Don’t expect a curl – it may never happen

After staring at blogs and YouTube (damn you gurus with your amazing hair and perfect personalities! Grr) you may secretly expect your hair to fall at this perfect angle and hang with loose curls. It may never happen even if it does; no two naturals are the same! Embrace your beautiful hair and learn how to work it gurrl! (Okay. I promise never to do that again.)

12. Expect people to say mean things not know they’re being mean – it will happen.

This is my favourite tip - maybe because I’ve experienced it first-hand. People will say things to you that are so horribly rude but take it with a pinch of salt. They aren’t all hip to the natural hair movement! Let them say what they have to say, fight your corner if you need to and after that brush it off. Confidence is key and karma is a bish.

So this is it guys. I hope I helped somebody out there! Transitioning isn’t all easy but the results are wicked. Taking a pair of scissors to those relaxed ends is so worth it and it’s just the first step to being a fully-fledged natural! Enjoy it whilst you can. : D

Zee xx

Get empowered by your afro! (Part 2)

So there I was. For the first time since my last relaxer, I faced my hair in its new state. I was still ready to chicken out and call in sick for work the next day until I realised I had no choice but to go in. A simple roll, tuck and pin was all I could do in the short time I had designated to my hair that morning, (it would take longer than I had planned) but after a second stare (you can tell I enjoy looking at myself in the mirror lol) I actually didn’t look all that bad! I made it a point to watch the faces of everyone that I came in contact with that morning and honestly, nobody really cared! I had to wonder why I thought they would. Because it was such a big deal to me, I assumed it would mean the same to everyone else. It sounds stupid, I know, but these were the thoughts racing through my head.

A month later and I do get the odd questions from colleagues but I’m so comfortable in myself that it doesn’t bother me. “Why is your hair not done?!” Erm… This is my hairstyle guys! “Aren’t you going to relax it? *GASP* Why not?!!” Of course, people will never understand what they aren’t a part of but that’s a whole ‘nother story and it’s a long’un!

It’s so easy to be brought down by the negative comments you get from people. It’s actually worse when people don’t realise that what they say can be seen as hurtful but in some ways, it helps me to realise that this natural hair journey is truly a JOURNEY. I’ve learnt so much about myself that I never realised existed or mattered. Now it’s just about sitting back and awaiting results. Well, not so much sitting back. Mostly moisturising and detangling but you get my drift. Stay empowered by what you have guys. It’s not always easy but it’s definitely worth it.

Zee xx

Oh BTW, I just realised how melodramatic this may sound to the readers that have had their hair out all their lives, haha. This is just my story and I thought it could help those of you in the same situation. It’s really not as easy as it seems!

Mariama's Hair Stats

Why did you go natural?

Like Zainab, it wasn’t deliberate. I’ve had natural hair at varying times in my life, but I didn’t know I was ‘natural’. My mum used to relax my hair when I was younger, then when I got into secondary school I began to take care of my own hair and would get it corn-rowed. Then one day when I was 15 I relaxed it – just for fun – and I hated it.

I used to sleep in rollers to make my hair big and curly again until I discovered straighteners. Every other morning I would use them to curl my hair (now I think about it, it’s such a paradoxical action) and my hair broke off and would never grow past my shoulders. Because of this I cut my hair into a short bob and would get weaves to emulate the length I never thought I could have. During the summertime I began wearing my natural hair and noticed how quickly my hair was growing. I discovered YouTube videos and looked online for healthy hair tips and the rest is history!

When did you go fully natural? 

In April 2012, I stopped wearing weaves and using heat (but I never say never!).

What is your hair aim?

At the moment my hair is the longest it has ever been and I want to continue on until I reach waist length (hopefully by my graduation in Summer 2015).

What is your hair type?

A mix of all the 4s. At the moment it is dense, coarse with a low porosity but it has changed over time.

Zainab's Hair Stats

Why did you go natural?

It wasn’t really a conscious choice, I had a really short hair cut in summer 2011 and I went to a certain hairdressers to maintain the look. I remember being really offended when the stylist kept repeating, “You really need a relaxer” as he was doing my hair and it made me wonder if relaxers were really that necessary. I wore weaves throughout the winter months to protect my hair and when I took the weave out I had a lot of new growth and I didn’t have time to relax it!

At the same time I began watching YouTube videos of Naptural85. I used to come home everyday and watch them over and over again, I just couldn’t believe that black hair could grow! I began to consider that being relaxed wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be and I thought why not try and go natural?

When did you go fully natural?

I chopped off my relaxed ends in July 2012. I think my last relaxer before that was August 2011.

What is your hair type?

4b in the crown and 4c everywhere else! It is very kinky, coarse, dense (it takes me a while to find my scalp anyway) and highly porous.

What is your hair aim?

I want to be armpit length (APL) by graduation in two and half years.