Naturals: Finding your lane!

[lusciousladie07]

I am having a few issues being natural. Trying to learn my hair. I went to pick up my son today from school and saw a woman who had THE MOST BEAUTIFUL LOCS I HAVE EVER SEEN. They were down to her waist, dyed a beautiful golden brown and looked so moisturized.

So naturally being a Niko , I went up to her and started asking her questions. Long story short.. She has been natural for 7 years and and has loc'd for 4 years. She stated that as a free hair'd natural <--- her words not mine, that she was constantly frustrated. She spent a lot of time trying to find the right products, following other naturals who she thought had the same hair as her.. and trying to tame her thick hair.

She didnt want to relax again and she just had a heart to heart with her hair and decided to loc and she says it was the best decision she made. Said that this was the right lane for her and her hair....NOT hair type or by her length.. but by her lifestyle and what she wanted as a end result.. to stay natural.

So I ask you ladies.. How did you find your lane?

What events helped you realize that you needed to change?

What is your lane? Straight hair natural, braids or twists, sticking to a certain product line.. etc

 

[tmhuggiebear]

I would love to know this too. Good luck finding your lane though.

 

[blkbuttahflyy]

I found my natural lane when I was tired of relaxing my hair with kiddie perms because the regular ones were too strong. And I was tired of 'needing a touch up' after only a few weeks. I won't even tell you how often I used to apply a relaxer to my roots, then follow up with an electric hot comb. So after several years of telling myself that I would loc my hair when I was older, I realized I was older after I BC'd my APL natural hair. I had no regrets about BC'ing, but then another part of me wished I could have started my locs with that length of hair. Of course my hair would now be past my waist, so all in all, I think it was a good thing I started my new journey with about 2 inches of hair.

If you had asked me in college if I would go 100% natural or loc my hair, I would have thought you were nuts for even suggesting it. The straighter the hair, the better, but with as thick as my hair was and still is, it was never really obtainable. But after moving to the DC Metro area and seeing so many naturals, it changed my outlook.

 

[winona]

I am a loose haired natural. I found my lane by keeping a journal. It is crazy detailed but it helped me really be aware of what I was doing to my hair on a daily basis. It helped me to understand that MY hair likes protein in moderation and lots of moisture. Likes butter in moderation and lots of creamy leave ins ect ect. This is the second time I went natural. The first time I went to basic training and I was called all kinds of names so needless to say I wasnt natural for very long I am so glad that I stuck it out this time because this is the first time in my life that I am actually to do my own hair and it is the healthiest it has ever been

 

[Soliel185]

I think I have found my lane...for the moment.

For me - it's the waking up and having consistently good hair days. My hair is happy, I'm happy, we're happy together.

I got my products down, my techniques down, it seems to be growing pretty good, but honestly if it stopped growing tomorrow I wouldn't even be mad. It suits me the way it is now. I kind of stumbled upon it....I just started doing less and less until I was just fine tuning my routine. I used LHCF and fotki as a guideline, but I followed my instincts about what I thought my hair might like above all and so far it's working for me.


Locs don't interest me as a style choice. I like having wild free hair, but I can see how after a few years of that someone's mind might change -- especially if they're frustrated.

 

[my-my]

I also found my lane by keeping a hair journal. It really helped me to learn what product/types of products worked well for my hair, figure out how to make a technique work for me, and learn what not to do and have a record of it so that I don't repeat it.

I needed the change because I was so sick of the process of relaxers (my scalp had had enough) and having straight hair. Plus its just not practical to straighten my hair with the almost year round humidity.

My lane is wearing braids or twists on my shrunken hair. I don't have the time, patience, or desire to stretch it out first. I twist or braid it while wet, let it air dry and then I don't mess with it for a week. And this allows me to be lazy with my hair which I love.

 

[DMJ's Mom]

My lane is loose and wild for now. I wear a bun 90% of the time. My end result will be locs. I've wanted them since I was 14 but because of work I never got them

 

[Aviah]

My "lane" is low manipulation. I like a little of everything style-wise though. Its one of the reasons I stopped relaxing.

 

[ms.blue]

I'm trting to find my lane b/c this year is the first time actually dealing w/ my hair. I realize that my hair likes protein but only as a dc, my hair does like glycerin but only in the warmer months, I retain so much length if I blowdry my hair (not completely dry), and low manipulation hairstyles work for me. I'm still learning what style or products work for me.

 

[darlingdiva]

I think I have found my lane...for the moment.

For me - it's the waking up and having consistently good hair days. My hair is happy, I'm happy, we're happy together.

I got my products down, my techniques down, it seems to be growing pretty good, but honestly if it stopped growing tomorrow I wouldn't even be mad. It suits me the way it is now. I kind of stumbled upon it....I just started doing less and less until I was just fine tuning my routine. I used LHCF and fotki as a guideline, but I followed my instincts about what I thought my might like above all and so far it's working for me.


Locs don't interest me as a style choice. I like having wild free hair, but I can see how after a few years of that someone's mind might change -- especially if they're frustrated.

Following my instincts has helped me to find my lane, too. I realize that I have good instincts when it comes to my hair and I'll be okay if I follow them (of course, I wouldn't have nowhere near the amount of hair knowledge that I do without LHCF, so it's my mainstay.).

Learning to stick to what works for me has also helped me find my lane. Part of the reason it took me so long to find my lane is that I was so focused on trying many of the products and techniques that people raved about on here. I now realize that there are always going to be new hair products, tools, and techniques, but it's best for me to stick to what works for my hair to achieve optimal results.

My natural lane is low manipulation, twistouts, and braidouts.