Growing up, I had this long, beautiful, thick head of hair that I absolutely hated. As a tender-headed kid, hair days were my worst enemy. I never really learned how to take care of my hair, but I do remember starting to do it myself in middle school. Looking back, my mom definitely should have taught me a few things first.
By high school, I was dancing, hanging out with a lot of my white friends, and straightening or perming my hair constantly. In college, I experimented with different styles, but honestly, my hair was always a hassle, and I was never “into hair.”
It was not until my 20s that I started actually taking care of it. That is when I unintentionally started my natural hair journey. I did my first big chop around 2016, and my hair was the healthiest it had ever been. Keeping it short worked for me because it was easier to manage, and I was finally learning how to care for it properly.
I have been completely natural for about 13 years now, but I have kept shorter hair consistently for the past two. I would do big chops, then let it grow down my back within the year. I let it grow out for my wedding, then again during my pregnancy and into my child’s first year. My most recent chop was on my child’s first birthday, and since then my hair has basically stopped growing.
Part of that is definitely because I became a mom and started neglecting my hair. It felt like another full-time job I did not have the time or energy for. My natural hair is thick, curly, and beautiful, but it is also a lot.
Then about a year ago, my husband gifted me the Shark blow dryer for my birthday, and it was a total game changer. I realized it took me the same amount of time to wash and style my natural hair as it did to wash, blow dry, and straighten it. The difference was in the maintenance.
My natural hair lasted maybe a day or two before it needed to be refreshed or completely restyled, which no one has time for. Straightened hair lasted much longer, especially once I discovered anti-humidity products. That was a game changer.
Right now, I am working on heat training while still protecting my curls.
Products I Have Been Loving
Color Wow Dream Coat Spray
I was honestly nervous to try this at first because I saw a girl talking about how it damaged her hair. She was very vague about how she used it, so I said, forget it, I will try it myself.
The first time, I did not love how it felt, but that was on me because I applied it to hair that was not thoroughly washed. Even then, it still worked. The second time, I used it on properly washed hair and it was a dream. It kept my hair straight, even though I have a sweaty scalp, hairline, and face in general. Two weeks later, my hair was still holding up.
At first, it did take a minute for my curls to bounce back when I washed, but they came back with no problem. I also make sure to deep condition every single time I blow dry, and that helps a lot.
Amika Products
No complaints here. I love Amika products. They work perfectly for my hair, give me a smooth finish, and do not weigh it down. They have quickly become staples for me.
✨ I will link my curated Amazon list https://amzn.to/4gFpTBl so you can check out everything I use. If you are struggling to find peace with your hair like I was, these products might just make life a little easier. And since this is still a journey, I will definitely share updates as I go.
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