New Year New You, if you are like me you have been trying to improve on the perfection in your life and eliminate that which didn’t work in the past. And If you follow me on any of my social media sites like my Twitter http://twitter.com/singlegirlguide or facebook fan pageYou may have heard me mention that I haven’t permed my hair in 6 months.
Although I haven’t yet taken the steps of getting the big chop. And As a licensed professional I know that I am jeopardizing the length of my the permed hair, I’ve acquired over the years to go natural. I still haven’t quite figured out why I haven’t relaxed my hair and that’s why recently I have been waffling on my decision, not to chemically relax my hair.
To Perm or not to Perm
I swear I feel as if it is a case of the doctor being the worst patient. The reason that I decided to go natural was, because after relaxing my hair, it didn’t have the body it once had. It didn’t make sense to be relaxing my hair to only be disappointed by the results. So I was opting for weaves anyway.
My son who hasn’t had a hair cut in his life, had all kinds of ringlets and a texture to die for with his unprocessed hair. So it gave me the courage to see what my hair looked like without any chemicals although I haven’t seen my natural hair since well I was younger than he is now.
There was a chance that my hair wasn’t as thin and dull as It had recently become. So in the last 6 months I have stopped perming my hair. And Although I promised myself that I was going to wait a year before I permed it I have been having second thoughts.
My new growth is curly and a texture very similar to the my son’s hair. I would need significant length before I was comfortable going completely natural without any hair weaves of anything. And the next step would be to find something that would be blend able with the texture..
So before you go on this journey here are just a few things that you should keep in mind.
Hair Breakage is unavoidable
This is soo prevelent I feel that I should say it again. Hair breakage is unavoidable.
When you go from relaxed hair to natural without cutting out the permed hair, chances are that the hair textures are fighting on your head. And they will not mix.
Most people say that the hair is likely to break at the line of demarcation, or point where the permed hair and the new growth meet. Although I haven’t found that to be my personal experience. That is why most people end up cutting the permed hair off their head.
Big Chop or Not to Chop that is the question
If you are like me walking around with a baby fro is not an option but at the point you go natural you are going to have to realize that there will come a time in the future where you will be tired of catering to the 2 different hair textures on your head.
I’m still on the fence about this because I have not done the big chop but I do know that as soon as I get the length I want in my hair it is going to be necessary.
I do see the difference in my textures and at the point I start wearing my hair without any weaves or anything I know that i’m not going to want to deal with doing my hair to cater to both textures.
Find a Regiment
This is definitely a time of reinvention. The best thing for you to do is find a hair care regiment that works for you hair. If you are like me dealing with your natural hair is a brand new experience.
Luckily my hair is like my son’s but I never knew what he actually had to go through until I started to deal with this mess on my head.
I’ve always made a point of giving my hair proper treatments, such as protein packs, hot oil treatments (which I used to skip on my permed hair because it weighted my hair down), moisturizing treatments, co-washes and pre poos.
Now I am trying to use what I have been doing in the past, as a guideline for dealing with my new hair texture, and making necessary adjustments. What may have worked for your permed hair, might not work so well on your natural lock. Natural hair needs a lot of moisture. So it is necessary to access what about your regiment works and what doesn’t.
Protective Styles
Find a style that is going to work for to protect your styles from the elements. Try to make styling decision that require as little heat as possible and that require alot of combing. Most women try
Twist Out
buns, braids, weaves, flat twists or braid outs, to maintain the texture of the locks and protect the hair from breakage due to over styling.
Use the Right utensils
Fine tooth combs should never really be an option but when going natural the wider the tooth the better.
I hope this article has been helpful for you on deciding if taking the natural hair journey although I haven’t yet come to terms with how I will wear my hair in the end I do know that the goal for me was healthy hair. So the best thing for you to do when you are deciding on to perm or not to perm is to figure out what your goal is.
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