Turns out afterall my hair is not...

[B3e]

Hopefully, I'm not alone in this, but, have any of you over the course of your hair journey realized you had your hair all wrong?

For instance, over the past few months I have been in braids and simply conditioning, moisturizing, and washing my natural hair...over time and as it grew I realized I'm not a 4B or even Z like I had assumed while transitioning. I'm more of a 4A if anything.

Also, my hair isn't naturally dry or slow growing.

The only thing I figured right about my hair was that its health is contingent on my mood/well-being.

How about you all...turns out your hair isn't...?

 

[Junebug D]

I found out my hair wasn't thick but it was in fact rather thin after I had straightened my natural hair for the first time. A bit of a shock to the system since I'd been hearing complaints about how "thick" my hair was since I was a little girl.

 

[charmtreese]

I realized about 6 months in my hhj that my hair is not coarse but fine. However, it took me much longer to learn how to care for my fine, 4b strands. Since the curl pattern or lack there of is soooo tight and my strands are soooo fine it's been a real journey in trying to figure out what works and what does not work. Another realization was that my hair was NOT thick but thin! Throwing that into the mix with everything else, made me want to throw in the towel several times!

It really amazes me how we can be so wrong about the hair on our own head for so long!

 

[KurlyNinja]

Before LHCF I thought my hair was naturally dry. But I found out, of course it will be dry if you don't put any moisture in it! And if you are constantly sealing your hair with basically pure mineral oil! I think this is the healthiest my hair has ever been in my life. Not the longest... but definitely the healthiest.

 

[Iluvsmuhgrass]

Turns out my hair isn't really THAT hard to care for. A co-wash, some leave ins, and I'm on my way. Right now, I don't even have to comb it... unless I do a low temp blow out. It's growing just fine. I'm retaining just fine. It doesn't require super expensive products that I really can't afford during this part of my journey.

I've learned that even though it's thick, my strands are fine. I have a 3c/4a/4b mix and I have to try to find something that makes all of the textures happy. I have a few patches of 3c that straightens easily with just product. That frustrates me because when I'm trying to wear a moist fro, it tends to clump and straighten out. I have to go in and separate with my fingers to get it to blend in. My head is surrounded by 4a coily goodness. And at the crown and temples a dense loosely wavy/cottony 4b that tends to be a bit dryer than the rest. It's been interesting I wouldn't trade it or the experience for the world.

 

[curlyninjagirl]

Turns out my hair does not need as much moisture as i thought it did.

And I, too, realized that my hair grows faster than I thought. What the what?!?

 

[me-T]

my hair is not in the style of your avi lol... where'd you get that pic?

 

[Gigi-07]

Turns out my hair growth is not too slow or too fast, but EXACTLY the average.
I used to think it grew really fast, since I didn't expect it to grow much anyway, and I see my braids hanging off so much NG. But one day, I whipped out a ruler and actually measured the new hair, and it was the exact half inch expected after 30 days for most people.

 

[newbeginnings2010]

I wish! I am 14 weeks post and my 4z is still the 4z I thought it was. I love it, but it's sooo difficult to handle with my relaxed ends. I just need to figure out how to take care of both textures.erplexed

 

[NikkiQ]

turns out that my hair isn't as thin as originally thought. maybe it was from the constant relaxers every 4-5 weeks, but the moment i started to do my sew-ins and stretch out my relaxers, my hair seemed to thrive and show its true thickness

 

[Janet']

For me, it wasn't so much what my hair is or isn't but how I viewed my hair...you know, it's that same premise of: dog training doesn't train the dog, it trains you...my natural hair is training me, lol!

 

[brittanynic16]

After using growth aids I figured out that my hair grows faster than average on it's owe.

 

[Tyra]

I also was suprised to learn just how fine my natural hair is.
My hair is extremely dense, however the strands are baby fine strands.
I try to be more gentle now because of this fact.

 

[B3e]

my hair is not in the style of your avi lol... where'd you get that pic?

Lol right! I love that style can't wait to replicate it. Snatched the pic off of corbis.com I always find unique things on that sight picturewise.

 

[andromeda]

Turns out my hair isn't as naturally thick as I thought it was. Somehow I had conveniently forgotten that back when I was natural as a youngin', I never had rudy huxtable thickness when I pressed; the thickness was only there when my hair was in its natural state. The relaxer didn't magically rob my hair of its thickness - it was never there to begin with.

Also, I don't recall having a single coil, curl, or wave when I was natural way back when. I decided to go natural with the belief that my hair was "c-napp". Turns out I do have coils, which doesn't change my feelings about my hair one way or another. I love my coils because they're mine not because they're coils.

Turns out my hair is capable of retaining length and is not hydrophobic.

 

[aquajoyice]

Turns out after a 6 month stretch and really getting to know my natural texture my hair is straight up 4a all over. I also thought I had extremly dry hair when it was the lack of having the right moisturizers and sealing in the moisture. Ever since learning to balance my hair's PH I have seen a complete difference in my hair it has more shine and bounce. Also i've realized my hair loves natural products and this saves me a ton of money on store bought products.

 

[CurlyMoo]

Turns out that certain parts of my hair isn't fine but instead it's just a looser texture.

 

[prospurr4]

It turns out that my hair is NOT destined to be NL for life! I have reached lengths that I thought were impossible, especially given my 4b/c hair type.

Good thread, OP!

 

[ms.blue]

I always thought that my hair grew slow
my natural is hard & unruly based on what my mother said
my hair is fine/ low density which is not true I have a mixed of thick, regular and fine hair all over my head.
I thought my hair is 4b/c when it's actually 4a/b and possibly 3c.

 

[bride91501]

I always thought my hair was destined to be damaged and weak forever, that is until I left the track glue, relaxing, and bad haircare habits alone and let my hair be.

When I got my first weave install put in after my BC, my hairdresser commented on how HEALTHY my hair was! I couldn't believe it- my hair has NEVER been described that way!

Thank GOD for LHCF!!

 

[B3e]

It turns out that my hair is NOT destined to be NL for life!

Thank you and I definitely agree, it's amazing how a little push in the right direction by so many supportive people can change your outlook for the better. I'm constantly telling people now how beautiful their hair is/can be if they just love it and take care of it.

When I got my first weave install put in after my BC, my hairdresser commented on how HEALTHY my hair was! I couldn't believe it- my hair has NEVER been described that way!

Thank GOD for LHCF!!

Amen to that, lhcf has changed lives.

I definitely love the feeling you get when someone comments on how healthy your hair is. That moment makes up for all the moments when you may feel that you're going nowhere fast with your regimen.

Keep the light bulb moments coming! Nothing better than realizing a truth about your own hair. :yup: That's what this hair journey is really about - empowerment through knowledge.

 

[shunemite]

Turns out after all my hair is not tough but fine 4b delicate strands that shouldn't be yanked, I realized after reading "Andre's Let's Talk Hair" about 10 yrs ago.

Turns out I don't have "bad hair" or "ugly hair" as I was told growing up by peers at school. I learned to love my kinky 4b hair and care for it, and in so doing love myself, instead of secretly looking at other hair types and wishing I had their hair.

 

[LoveCraze]

Turns out that my hair is not growing out of an unhealthy dry flaky scalp. I swear, when I used to get relaxers, my scalp stayed dry and itchy to the point that sometimes I'd have to go back to the shampoo bowl just to wash some of the flakes from my hair. Well since going natural and taking control of my hair and scalp health, I no longer have this problem At All. It is such a blessing.
Also turns out that I do have a curl pattern when before I thought it was just a jungle of unorganization. I would have loved it either way because it's mine! So I love my hair texture in all it's kinks and coils and curls.
Good thread OP!

 

[CherryCherryBoomBoom]

Before the start of my hair journey two years ago, I really didn't know my hair had a curl pattern, as strange as it may sound, as I'd always be relaxing, blow drying or braiding it. But now I choose to embrace my lovely natural 4a coils and curls .

 

[B3e]

Turns out I am not my hair, no matter how healthy and long or raggedy and torn it maybe, I am not my hair.

Me and my hair are one in the same stuff but I am my own self. I should never let a setback/success/goal consume me rather allow it to enrich my life experience.

 

[YaniraNaturally]

Like many of them women on this site, I never knew my texture despite being natural for 16 years. I constantly whined about how my hair was a coarse, unruly ball of cotton (my hair was always in a weird stretch state i.e. just out of tiny braids). I hated everything about my hair so I relaxed the summer before my junior year of high school. Around week 3 after a relaxer I'd start moaning about how "the naps *cue the dramatic music* were killing me!" Now a day away from week 14 I can't help but at my ignorance.

Almost 4 years after that first relaxer I am so in love with my texture I was supposed to flat iron my hair last week but I was too infatuated with my NG to part with it.

 

[B3e]

I feel like my hair is laughing at me sometimes. I was redoing my edges and my hair was so deliciously soft and strong...but, didn't look anything like a 4. As I feel my hair I usually go in with preconceived notions so this really threw me. I couldn't even force myself to view it as a 4. It might be its own type. *frustrated and complacent sigh*

Now that I think about it, my mum is definitely not a 4...but she cuts her hair and randomly perms it so much I really don't know what she is...my dad is definitely a 4...might be 4d...not quit z.

I guess I don't know my hair after all. Tempted to give up trying to define it and just roll with its moods.

 

[brucebettye]

I learned that my hair loves water and I don't have to hide from the rain. I don't have to straighten my hair to make it look nice. I can actually wash my hair in the morning and go to work without it being a 5 hour process. I don't have to go to the salon to have healthy hair. Never thought I could take care of my hair without owning a flat iron or curling iron.

 

[FRESHstart101]

OHHH finish the phrase lol

turns out my hair isn't ... a total lost. jk


i learned that my hair LOVES water and any other type of moisture,
i need to try a light protein soon to see how my hair
reacts but so far water is my constant friend.

 

[naturalgyrl5199]

...course....

My hair is not course. I have fine hair over every square inch of my head-therefore giving it a THICK or COURSE appearance...but it doesn't act like it.

I also have some softer 3C areas in the nape of my head so it doesn't hold twists like the front and middle parts (argh).

Overall this journey to natural and sites like LCHF, KISS, Nappturality have been helpful....I don't use any special products for fine hair...I simply give it whatever it needs.