1. How long have you been growing your hair?

I have been growing my natural hair since my birth date. No, I do not mean to be offensive but it is the honest truth. That said, allow me to elaborate on why I made that statement. The first reason is that any hair that grows directly from your scalp is considered your natural hair. This can be relaxed hair, natural hair, permed, cut, colored or dreadlocks. All of it is considered your “natural” hair as long as there is no extension from an artificial source connected to your real hair.

I have been growing my hair since about June 2011. When I first started growing my natural hair out it was relaxed. So I was in a transitioning state from relaxed to relaxer free. After fully transitioning I did a big chop in July 2015. Altogether I have been growing my natural hair for 11 years. After the big chop, I have been relaxed and chemical-free for 7 years and counting.

2. How often do you wash your hair?

I wash my hair as often as I need to shampoo it. I probably should wash my hair more often but I do not. I would say that I washed my hair once a month. If not once a month I would shampoo and condition it every 6-8 weeks. Why do I do this? First I will start off by saying my hair tends to be very dry. So washing it would dry my hair out more than it already is.

I try not to use too many products on my hair so that it doesn’t have much build-up which would cause my hair to be greasy or dirty. I only use hair lotions or leave-in conditioners the majority of the time after I shampoo. And lastly, I don’t frequently use hair gels, hair grease, or hair spray. Those items will leave the most residue on your hair which will cause product build-up and itching which will require you to have to wash your hair more often. 

3. Is your hair relaxed or natural?

My hair is currently 100% natural hair. When I say 100 percent I mean that it is chemical-free. I do not use hair relaxers, perms, or any type of hair coloring on my hair. I would like to add some color to it or possibly a texturizer but I am undecided at the moment. 

4. Is it hard to manage your natural hair?

Yes, it is a lot of hard work managing my hair especially as it gets longer. My hair is very thick and coily. This makes wash days a struggle for me without proper hair care preparation. Shampooing is fun but once washing it is done I have to style it and that’s where the challenge begins. Detangling is a task because I have to try my best not to create knots in my hair. If I have knots I have to separate the hair carefully so that I don’t cause breakage.

5. Do you like your natural hair?

I love my natural hair. I love the way my hair looks while it’s being shampooed. My texture looks great and my curls are very bouncy. My relaxed hair was a bit limp and thin and I used to have a ton of split ends. This may be because I did not know how to properly care for my hair at such a young age. When your hair is relaxed you can see every inch of breakage and you tend to have TONS of heat damage from flat ironing to hide your new growth.