Natural Hair Philosophy Greeting Card
Hello to my Brown Truth Tubers Out There,
I just wanted to take a moment to share my first Brown Truth Greeting Card!
Let me know what you think!
I’ll try to share one each week, or better yet as often as I make them!
-The Brown Truth
“The Fro’ Is Growin’…!”
Brown Truth Natural Hair Moment #9:
“…I realized after separating my two strand twists for work this morning that
my fro’ seems to be getting bigger, thicker, and higher…”
SO EXCITED. COMING UP ON TWO YEARS RELAXER FREE AT THE END OF JUNE.
–The Brown Truth
“…Trimming Time…Why Is It Relevant For Retention…?”
Brown Truth Natural Hair Moment #8:
Ladies, being natural isn’t just saying …”oh I’m not going to relax my hair anymore…”, there’s more to this thing than you may initially think.
For most African American woman, we initially think that we’ve made it over the hurdle, and that we are FINALLY done after that “Big Chop” or “Primary Transitional Length Goal”; nevertheless, you’d be surprised to learn the hard way. You’ll be shocked to learn that the initial steps are a part of a milestone, which is only a small part of the beginning…a microcosm of the bigger picture.
What’s in the big picture you may be wondering? It all comes back around and around again:
- Healing [stopping usage or chemicals]
- Nurturing [learning how to style, wash, condition, detangle]
- Maintaining [feeding, moisturizing, watering, etc]
I must say that it is certainly a convoluted task at first, you know…the ‘washing your hair’ and ‘conditioning your hair’ and especially ‘detangling your hair’ can be an ALL DAY task at first (at least until you get the hang of it). However, taking the time to pay attention to your natural tresses and understanding that what works for one natural may not necessary work for you. This mindset can lead to you overwhelming yourself with the do’s and don’ts of the natural hair world, which could ultimately be a waste of time, if it plain and simply does not apply to your hair texture.
What’s the purpose of this conversation? I would love for all of my natural-haired beauties to understand that natural hair is a kind of “all or nothing” domain where if you are even missing one key element in your regimen, it could be the never-ending result of stagnant health and length retention. So, in addition to all of those different stages, just make sure you are trimming as well.
For most of us, seeing our hair grow long and past our shoulders is like a dream. We can get so caught up in reaching a hair length that we’ve never experience before that we want to hold on to it for dear life once it’s arrived…DON’T DO THIS!!!
Continue to treat your hair with the utmost care and trim it when needed (this does not mean every month either guys…it’ll never grow to the length it should be in a reasonable amount of time if you do this)…you’ll know when it’s time.
When it’s time your hair will:
- Start to get slight single strand knots that can be untied
- Get really puffy/rough at the ends [you’ll feel this whenever handling your hair]
- Start to look different lengths when blow-dried or straightened
- Won’t twirl at the ends after creating a two strand twist
…and finally…
5. Just look like you REALLY need a trim, which is easily visible to the eye
So ladies, don’t hold on to your hair as it grows…keep it freshly trimmed and you will enjoy unimaginably long healthy hair in the years to come toward waist length and beyond!
I personally trim my hair once every four-five months…it’s proven to like this timeline and continues to flourish at a symmetrical growth rate in between all of my trimmings.
SIMPLE IS ALWAYS BEST!!!
-The Brown Truth
…The Perfect Fix For A Natural-Haired Beauty…
Brown Truth Check-In Time:
Just checking in on this lovely evening with some fly pictures of my nicely made two minute created updo. I’ve been wearing this style for the last three days. It wasn’t hard to create, I just decided mid-twistout that I would not separate my hair and just put a little water on the back with my hand. I then hair-pinned it so that my hair would hold upward.
I’ve gotten so many compliments, so I just wanted to share these exotic pictures of me enjoying this newly-liked and discovered style.
-The Brown Truth
With ‘Natural’ Being The Key Word…
^^^Example of how water, butters, and oils make my hair look/feel^^^ Brown Truth Natural Hair Moment #6:
There’s no need to put anything else in your hair.
I like to keep it simple and use in moderation:
Water, Butters, and Oils [in that order].
WATER:
1. Is the best thing you can do everyday for your hair.
2. Is inexpensive.
3. You can NEVER get enough.
4. Is beneficial at EVERY stage of any regimen.
5. Is a Natural’s Best Friend!
BUTTERS:
1. You don’t have to worry about cholesterol with this kind.
2. Provides moisture; aids with any kind of sealant.
3. Gives your hair that ‘Oh so smell good fragrance’.
4. Helps with the manipulation of your hair, wet or dry.
5. Balances out that shine and sheen we all love our hair to have.
OILS:
1. Penetrates the hair shaft better than any other moisturizing agent.
2. Keeps your hair detangle-ready.
3. Can be used as a moisturizer, conditioner, fragrance, heat protectant, growth aid, shall I go on?
4. Provides vital nutrients that the hair constantly needs to flourish.
5. Is easy to personalize into your homemade natural hair products.
^^^Healthy Hair. Loves-WATER, BUTTERS, AND OIL^^^
-The Brown Truth
When You’re Aiming For A Certain Hair Length Or Goal:
Brown Truth Natural Hair Moment #5:
I was just thinking about how often I have to answer questions about how long have I ‘been’ natural or how my hair ‘grows’ so fast…and it occurred to me that the most patient naturals almost always have the BEST growth results.
I am coming up on 23 months post relaxer in just a couple of weeks and my hair is already well past my collar-bone. I have not put heat into my hair at all for the last two years, no color, no EXCESSIVE or UNNECESSARY cutting and trimming, and I faithfully keep my hair ‘misted’ daily. I’ve only trimmed it when I needed to, I do hot oil treatments biweekly, and deep condition/detangle my hair every week.
I don’t have the type of natural hair that you can just brush and that’s it for a ponytail. It’s extremely thick and tightly curly and takes a lot of love…
It all comes down to the healthy shape you want your hair to be in…I hardly focus on length and put everything I have into health…fast growth and thick strands just comes along with the territory.
My message for naturals: PATIENCE, though it may be difficult, is your best friend when it comes to the health, growth, and retention…before you hit that ‘first’ length goal…this is not the time to try every beautiful or stylish hairstyle in the book…it’s the time to nurture your hair and give it exactly what it needs…until next time my natural-haired sisters…take it week by week…
The Brown Truth
Keepin’ It Simple In Order To Make It Long…Natural Hair Of Course!
Here are ten easy and natural ways to ensure your natural hair grows beautifully and long.
SIDE NOTE:
To be honest I have been doing protective styling for the last 22 months of not having a relaxer and my hair has grown exponentially fast…However I am switching it up as an experiment to see how fast it grows with being out, wet, and loose everyday!
I can already see that it’s growing just as fast! I will be giving an update within three months (already one month in!)
-The Brown Truth
The Brown Truth 