Thursday, September 22, 2011

I Think It's Time to Switch it Up



I was browsing YouTube a little while ago and I happened upon a video called "Natural Hair Texture" on OurLovelyLourdes's channel. It made me question whether wash n go's are really as easy as they seem. Tiffany, the vlogger, showed her hair on camera after she washed her hair wish shampoo, conditioned, detangled, rinsed, and air dried with no product in her hair. Her hair was all poof until you got to the ends, where they became pretty little curl units.

In the early stages of my hair journey all I did was "out" styles. Normally it was a bantu knot - out. I loved the way my curls looked! They always turned out so pretty and soft. The picture posted was taken March 30, 2011, making me one month and two days post BC. During this time I was mostly using natural products and occasionally some conditioner. My hairstyles would normally last for about three days but could often be stretched to about five. Shea butter was a regular in my routine because it always made my hair soft.

But even though I loved this routine there was something wrong with it. In the past I've been really lazy when it comes to hair care. That was partially due to ignorance, but due to bad practices of my own as well. So when I first started setting my hair in Bantu knots and twist outs, it was the first time since around sophomore year in high school that I was really dedicated to taking care of my hair. And I didn't like all the time it took to do my hair this way. It made my arms hurt and I was just beginning my hair journey,so I hadn't fully switched my mindset from relaxed to natural hair. Wash n go's seemed so fast and easy and I thought of them as the natural hair style that shows your "real" texture and I wanted to see what that was like. I guess I kind of felt like I was being dishonest about what my "real" texture was.

But I have paid close attention to my hair up to this point and I've learned a lot along the way. In my post talking about my hair curly hair theory I said why I think hair's curl pattern changes as it ages. I tried to explain my thoughts as clearly as possible but I still wished I could have had a visual showing exactly what I was talking about. When I saw her hair I immediately thought it was a perfect example of my theory so I had to repost it. I think this video illustrates the fact that our "real" texture looks nothing like the way it does from wash n go's. Tiffany hit the nail on the head when she said it was all an illusion that we play with hair products to make it look the way we want.

So since we manipulate our hair into looking a way it wouldn't otherwise no matter how we style it, I'm thinking that I want to revisit Bantu Knot Outs. I'd be really excited to see what my hair looks like in that style with an additional five months of growth. I think I can be a little more patient when it comes to my hair and this will give me a style that will probably last longer than a wash n go. Not to mention I won't have to deal with all the single strand knots I've been finding in my hair lately. Ugh!

What do you think about all this? Share your thoughts below. :)

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