Congratulations! You have (finally?!) decided to take the plunge. If you “transitioned” for a short period of time or not at all, you probably ended up with what we usually call a Teeny Weeny Afro (TWA).
As a result, you must have done as I, and so many others, did at the time, thinking you were doing the right thing by throwing yourself on all the information you see and taking all the advice that comes along at face value.
I know, when you get to that stage, you only dream of one thing: having a beautiful afro with long hair in the wind. However, believe me, this stage of very short hair is a stage that you should enjoy simply because:
a) the care will not take much time;
b) you will not have to worry about hair shrinkage in contact with humidity so you can moisturize your hair without fear;
c) styling your short hair will be very simple with “wash & go” techniques and quick hairstyles to take advantage of your short hair.
Here after you can find 6 principles based on my own experience that I advise you to follow after your “big chop”:
1. Create an adapted hair regimen:
An adapted routine is equivalent to a SIMPLE routine with GOOD WAYS of manipulating and above all REGULARITY and CONSISTENCY.
A consistent and simple routine allows you to follow the following steps to take care of your hair, nourish it, protect it and above all allow it to grow. You need to:
• pre-poo your hair for 1 hour once a week;
• wash your hair at least once a week;
• do a protein treatment at least once a month;
• apply a deep conditioner to moisturize your hair once every 2 weeks and
• moisturize your hair according to its needs (for such short hair, I recommend at least every 2 days if not every day).
• In your routine, be careful to incorporate the use of a satin cap or scarf to protect your hair.
Don’t forget! Your routine should be followed as it is and from time to time adapted to the needs of your hair so that you can see the results. At this stage, the simpler the better!
2. Forget the growth
Often, when hair is short, we are discouraged because we do not necessarily see it grow fast enough. Let us not forget that kinky hair has the peculiarity of growing in a spiral (which is what makes it so beautiful). As a result, before you can see the length of the hair, it has already grown quite a bit, but in a flattened way.
I advise you to eat healthy and drink a lot first to allow your hair to grow because it grows from the inside. Our hair grows between 0.5 and 1.5 cm per month, provided that, we eat healthy, drink well, have the right gestures and above all that we have an adapted routine. Even if your hair grows slowly, do not worry, you will get there because the most important thing is that it grows strong and healthy.
Hair is always growing and if you realize at a certain point that it is no longer growing, it simply means that it is growing but at the same time, it is breaking because there is something you are not doing right.
3. Filter the advice you receive :
When you become natural, your first instinct will lead you to seek out to be part of the community that shares your vision of natural hair, hence the fact that you will join social networks of groups specializing in kinky and coily hair; you will also inevitably follow influencers who will give you advice. That is good, because not only does it give you a sense of belonging to a cause, but you will also find additional motivation and advice to continue caring for your hair.
However, not all advice is good to take, so you will need a lot of discernment to make the right balance, because what is good for someone else’s hair is not necessarily good for your own. A simple example of homemade DIY is that they may work very well for some hair types but not necessarily for you.
4. Learn everything about manipulation :
How you handle your hair will define how fast it grows in the long run. This is very important but unfortunately it is a very neglected point. Handling hair takes into account several variables that, if we are not careful, can ruin good growth. I advise you, therefore, to learn how to take care of and style your hair by yourself because the patience you will have with it will not be the same as the patience a third person will have with it. Do not hesitate to buy targeted accessories to style your hair yourself, not only will you have fun with them but you will also learn to know them better and act accordingly.
In addition, the process of caring for your routine plays a key role, as you will be handling your hair a lot during your care. Be gentle and patient with your hair and especially detangle it with a conditioner to avoid pulling it.
5. Use the right products :
The right products for your hair are the products that your hair will love, but most importantly, they are the products, which include ingredients that your hair will tolerate. The list of ingredients that our kinky hair does not like is long and we, at Shea’Biscus by Nita, are very careful about which ingredients we use and which one we ban from our formulas. Our products are therefore natural.
6. Do not care about negative remarks:
Keep in mind that no matter what your hair type is, your hair is beautiful, unique and MAGICAL and you look great with it. Wear it with pride without worrying about looks and derogatory remarks because you will get them!
Thank you for reading me. Your comments are like a good “thiebou djeun souwérr” (national dish of Senegal) for me so don’t hesitate to feed me in.