My Natural Hair Journey; Products that worked

So I started my natural hair journey about two months back. Honestly, I never knew I would walk this path. I remember I always use to tell my sister that I do not have the strength to go natural. I see all the things she does to her hair and I do not have the patience for all of that. Another thing that scared me was the texture of my hair. I had a very stubborn natural hair. I was so glad when I finally was able to perm my hair because my mum made it a point of duty for us (I and siblings) not to perm our hair until after secondary school. I was so looking forward to perming because making my hair was always very stressful. In those days we did not have products that make it easy to maintain natural hair so perming was just the way to go.

Fast forward early this year, the heat was terrible, the sun so hot, sometimes you cannot even think straight.  I could not just do the weaves anymore so I made the decision to go cut my hair. I remember at the salon, my stylist kept combing my hair and hoping I’d change my mind. My hair was very full so he kept asking, “are you sure you wanna do this” and I am like “hell yea, let’s get this thing down asap” So two months down the line and I am enjoying it. I so do not regret my decision. I am not enjoying it because it is short, I love the fact that I can pour water on my head while taking a shower and I do not have to deal with itching my scalp as a result of the terrible heat.

Let me talk about my hair care routine. So in my mind, I just felt I did not really need to apply products since the hair was still very short. Who does that? Me! apparently. I like nice short curly hair, as a matter of fact, my cutting the hair is to keep it short and curly. So in my mind, I thought the hair will just grow and start to get curly as long as I continue to pour water every day. O was I so wrong? I got a rude shock when after a month my hair growth was stagnant. At this point, I had to apply wisdom because I knew if I continued this way I will end up with an unhealthy hair. The first thing I did was to get rid of the shampoo and conditioner I used while my hair was permed. Those products contain sulphate which is not very good for natural hair. So I had to replace them and I had no idea which products to replace them with because there are so many products available on the market. I asked a friend who transitioned and she advised I use beautiful textures products. I decided to try the products because they were quite pocket-friendly aside the fact that a friend recommended them. Unfortunately, I used the products just a couple of times and I really did not like the way my hair looked so I stopped using them.

Everyone starting out on this natural hair journey should start by finding out what kind of hair textures they have. So my search began again for hair care products for my stubborn hair. Choosing a product was not easy because you have to choose from a whole lot of products and sometimes you need to try a couple of products before you know which one will suit your hair texture. Right now, I cannot say I have found the right products for my hair but I am testing some products and hoping it suits me. For shampoo and conditioner, I make use of Cantu sulphate-free shampoo and conditioner, for curls, I use aunt Jackie’s curl la la (I loved it the very first time I applied it) and Eco styler krystal clear gel. I use Jamaican black castor oil as well, it’s very good for growing your edges and moisturizing. If you have been thinking of starting your own natural hair journey then you can start out with these products. My hair care routine has changed. I wash every week since my hair is still very short. For my daily routine, my main moisturiser is water. Water makes it soft and easy to style. I do not use my curling custard every day but I use the Jamaican black castor oil at least 3 to 4 times a week. My hair gets really dry so I also make use of shea butter.  If you wanna try any of these products or other fantastic natural hair products, head over to one of the most reliable online shopping malls in Nigeria JUMIA
You can also get them here House Of CeeCee

Chinye Onwamaka

Chinye Onwamaka is a professional makeup artist and fashion consultant based in Lagos Nigeria. She writes about fashion, beauty and relationship tips for young people.