March the month of 'Good Hair' ~ 1 Year Natural: @Mya_Yoyo's Hair Journey

The Root Awakening

My decision to go natural was a big shock to most people myself included. I’m one of those #WeLoveEmFAKE girls, back then I wouldn’t be caught dead without a weave or some sort of hair extension.  I loved my hair long and FAKE!

Fortunately I have never really had issues with my hair, growing it has never been a problem. I got my first relaxer at age 10 it was my present for passing common entrance. At its longest my hair was 15 inches long but I took the length for granted.  Young and foolish, 16 at the time I got it dyed cooper and of course did not know how to look after it. It kept falling out till I finally chopped it into some sort of Mohawk style.

I rocked the style for about a week and stopped leaving my hair out after that. I went from braids to weave to weave to braids ……

My natural hair and I were not friends.I did not feel that I looked attractive with it.

Thinking back on it now I must have been stupid because...

relaxed or not my hair was beautiful lol *SIGH*

Soooooo...

Why would a superficial person like me decide to go back to the basics???

YEARS after the dye mishap my hair started to pick up shape and it slowly began to return to its former glory (this wasn’t because I looked after it btw). IT was at this point that I made my decision to go natural, it was sometime in June 2010.  I saw a family friend’s hair and I feel in love with it.  I felt like I had nothing to loose I had gone through the long hair phase and the short hair phase & I still wasn’t confident enough with my real hair anyway & I always hid it beneath extensions.  To me going natural felt like it would be the solution to my real hair issues and I knew it would bridge the gap I had created between my locs and I.

Too my not so surprise it did just that! I fell in love with my hair!! We developed an actual relationship and it became my baby. I was aware that I looked a bit awkward, and it was going to take some getting used to, but I flaunted the hair proudly & I couldn’t careless what anyone thought.

THE BIG CHOP

I refused to cut my hair immediately, it was summer I wanted to set p (lol), there was no way I was going to be walking around Nigeria Bald! Lol! So I used the holidays to think about it and research natural hair, this was my chance to be born again. “If I’m going to start from the root I’m going to do it properly". TRUST ME natural HAIR PORN is the BEST motivation EVER!!!!!

My last relaxer was in November 2010 and I did my big chop on the 13th of March 2011. I transitioned for four months, although I cut a few inches off after my last relaxer, I don’t have any tips on transitioning because I did braids in January right before I came back to England and the day after I took the braids out was the day I chopped my hair off. It was a liberating experience, I mean I will never cut my hair again but to my surprise I felt brand new and pretty damn good.  This marked the beginning of a new phase, new chapter of my root awakening.

Having a TWA is just the beginning, that’s the easy part trust me; well once you get over the initial shock of being BALD! ( I wore a wig for every big event for a while lol ) Waking up, jumping into the shower, whacking some eco styler and oil on wet hair.  3mins max on your hair and you are out.. I miss that ☹. 

I loved my twa days getting to know your hair is fun, you become a product junky and no amount is too much so long as its for your hair and it natural. My shelf was a little potions shop, I had every oil under the sun; from coconut to sunflower.

THE REGIME

IN My twa days I started out doing the MOST!! Everyday I tried a new oil, new conditioner, new treatment; it was ridiculous I’m surprised my hair did not fall out.

But eventually I stuck to these products: •       Original source mint conditioner (co washing) •       Aussie leave in conditioner mixed with a table spoon of coconut oil •       Black soap (shampoo and clarifying) •       Coconut oil (seal) •       Whipped Shea butter mix (coconut, glycerin, castor, Shea and tea tree oil) •       Jojoba oil and honey for deep conditioning •       Organics hair mayonnaise conditioner •       Eco styler

As my hair grew, the region & climate changed I had to get rid of some products/start using some additional products.

My current products: •       I use giovani eco tea tree conditioner to co wash/deep condition •       Hello hydration to co wash •       Black soap (clarify) •       Kera care natural textures shampoo •       Black tea (rinse for strength) •       Sweet almond instead of coconut (coconut started to dry my hair out) •       Water and glycerin mix •       Castor oil •       Grape seed (heat resistant) •       Honey amla shea jojoba and herbal mix for deep conditioning •       Organics twist and loc gel •       Kera care curling cream

Do's and Don't s

I don’t use any leave in. I do shampoo my hair once every two months. I do deep condition once a week when my hair is out. I do hot oil treatments instead when the braids are in. I do seal in the moisture every other day

 Hairstyles

I’m a bit boring with my hair, a wash n go girl. I try to leave my own hair out for at least two weeks every month after that I go back to protective styling which is usually in form of braids or Ghana weaving. In my experience the best braids for growth are kinky twist but I don’t like them much (I only did them once tbh)...

While my hair is out, my signature look is the wash n go, simply because I cant b bothered and I quite like the 70’s look.

I tend to dress around my hair (lol). 

I also do twist and braid outs, however because of my curls my hair tends to tangle a lot when I twist it hence the reason I don’t do it so often. I have done sister locs with my hair twice before, these are temporary dreads. I did them to keep me from manipulating my hair so often.

Team Natural for Life?

I Never planned to be natural forever, I wanted to rock a fro for 3-4years then go back to the creamy crack. But right now I’m not so sure, I can’t see myself getting it relaxed in the next 10 years....

I can’t stress how much I love my hair,

how much I love watching it grow,

how much I love fiddling with it and how much. 

I love discovering new things about it.

Despite this I hate the fact that it fizzes up,

dries out and tangles so easily.

Who ever said natural hair was Low maintenance is a LIAR!!!

I have never in my life put so much time and effort on my hair. Only thing  natural hair has over relaxed are the not so frequent trips to the hairdressers. You have to become your own stylist whether you like it or not. I was never one to really look after my hair so you can imagine my shock when I realized that, it’s a full time hands on job on your part. I am still not used to it but its one of those sacrifices you have to make for good healthy hair I guess.

I wish I had more pictures but I’m still getting used to the whole “real hair” thing so I don’t take much pictures when my hair is out....

Yoyo