The Aha Moment
The typical natural story and why you have NEVER TRULY seen your curls until you have clarified.
As someone who works with naturally curly hair from behind the chair daily, I find it very interesting how the very thing that should, as the name implies, come naturally to us tends to do anything but that. Think about it: hair, like every other characteristic we are born with, is unique to only us; the way our eye color might change depending on the time of day or even our mood, the way our hips sway when we walk, even identical twins aren't truly identical. As adolescents, many of us tend to struggle with these differences as shallow experiences meet us in our school hallways at every turn. By college, we typically find our niche and eventually understand that beauty, like many things in this world, fades. We began to embrace our wide smile that will allow others to count all our teeth, the snort that we inadvertently let out when around company, and the hyperpigmentation in our skin that we spent years trying to cover up; now we look upon this thing as markers of uniqueness and reasons to celebrate.
Although hair should fall into this category, it rarely does unless, of course, it is long, silky, and high density (the number of hairs per square inch on your head); but getting into why will have to wait until the next blog post. For now, let's fast forward to the revolution that we find ourselves in the midst of currently, The Naturally Curly Movement. Unlike many of the trends of past this one, I do not see being put in a box along with your Aero popped collar shirt and the stanky leg. No, this one is here to stay for generations to come, women of today will teach their daughters, sons, nieces, nephews and even the cashier at the local grocery store the freedom that comes with embracing their kinks, coils, curls and even waves. The issue is usually not the motivation to do so; it's how to do so. Spend 30 minutes on any social media platform, and you will be over the top with envy and desire to have that large, luscious mane staring back at you from the other side of that screen. You quickly find yourself losing sleep from watching tutorials and reading blogs on how to get waist-length hair in 3 years or less. Only to discover after purchasing every single product ever recommended to you, that it was all a sad waste of time and money. You find yourself at what seems to be an impassable wall. Nothing is working, and like many, you have never heard of a stylist that specializes in naturally curly hair, or if you have, you immediately have flashbacks to moments at the hair salon and suffering through a service where the stylist cut your hair shorter than expected, straightened it, and you, unfortunately, left the salon unhappy vowing never to return. For many, part of the freedom of embracing their natural hair is the idea that they no longer need the assistance of a hairstylist. Well, I am here to break the news to you that this is a huge misconception and you must still visit a salon. The only difference is you must now find someone who specializes in the care of natural hair. This is where the internet, social media, and asking a curly person on the street where they get their hair done becomes very handy.
Why do I Need a Stylist? and What will a Curl/Natural Hair Specialist do for me?
Odds are if any of the above statements resonated with you, you more than likely have some buildup on your scalp and hair from the experiments with products, techniques, and DIY hair care regimens. Unfortunately, most of the things you have been doing at home, thinking they were helpful, have actually been suffocating your hair. Dry/brittle hair, Breakage, Excessive hair loss, Dandruff, Waxy Film, this can be felt when the hair is wet or seen, as the water will bead up on the hair (unfortunately, many people are confused about what clean hair actually feels like so this is something that can be easily overlooked without the help of a professional). These are just a few of the indications of hair that has buildup. Buildup can occur on hair anywhere from weeks, months, or even years of using cheap, adulterated ingredients that have sat on top of the hair, essentially creating a shield over the hair cuticle, preventing any water from getting inside the hair shaft. To really understand why this is a huge issue, we have to unpack generations of misinformation concerning hair care regimes, especially when it comes to the African American Community. Sitting between grandma's legs, getting my hair done with Blue Magic and Pink Lotion.
This was never an enjoyable experience for me. I have always been characterized as "tender-headed" or told I "held a bad head". Despite the frustration from both parties, this was an unavoidable practice. Once done, I was free from the hair pulling and crying for at least a week, with plaits, knockers, and berets in tow. The styling products used were typically anything that was affordable and most likely had the words "Gro" on it. These heavy, greasy products were fine for a young girl who liked to play outdoors and didn't like getting her hair done. In fact, it's the same reason why our African American ancestors grew to use them on a daily basis as part of their own hair routine. Grease became a staple in the black community dating back to when we were first brought to America, leaving behind our familiar hair care regimes connecting us to our native country and tribes. The grease that we soon would know all too well protected the skin and hair from being in the hot fields while also warding off lice and other insects from unhygienic living situations. Grease was our ancestors’ way of working with what was available to them. This leads us to the centuries of a community continuing a toxic cycle because "if it's not broke, then why fix it!" These heavy oils and butter were fine for hair that was being straightened with a Hot Comb in the kitchen or getting relaxed, but for those that wish to wear their hair naturally with definition and less maintenance, this will only leave you frustrated, feeling defeated and inferior to the woman on social media with the perfect curls that are able to get amazing results no matter the products she chooses.
It's not the products; it’s DNA and a whole lotta water.
This is typically the predicament that many new people wanting to wear their hair naturally find themselves in. The person on the other side of the screen more than likely has 'unicorn hair,' meaning that they, despite choosing the worst products possible, are still able to retain their length and achieve results envied by most. People who make a living as hair influencers usually have this unicorn hair, which makes my imagination run wild with wonder. To think, if they actually treated their hair with care and all barriers were removed, how beautiful their hair would truly be. The most important and life-changing secret ingredient to know when attempting to wear naturally curly hair is WATER. This ingredient though simple, is most commonly overlooked because it has been engrained in us that the products do all the work and that it will give us the bouncy, juicy curls that we dream of. This is why the product industry, a multi-billion dollar industry with a capital B, will continue to deceive you into believing that oil, going against everything we have learned logically about oil and water, will moisturize your hair.
They use the vulnerability of women scouring the aisles at the local store, desperate to find something that will help her look presentable for work, to market products that say things like "4c", "moisturize," and 'hydrate," knowing she will be right back to restock when it has turned out to be yet another failed attempt. Keep in mind that most of all your favorite brands are owned by one larger company, so it does not matter if you have chose to go with a different line, they are still getting rich from your trial and error product experimentations.
In steps a Curl Specialist.
It is usually at this stage of the journey that I start to see clients, almost as a last resort. They sit in my chair, hoping I am able to heal and reverse all damage that might have happened. Sometimes, a curl specialist is able to make your dreams come true and give you a lesson on how to properly care for your hair and also how to actually read an ingredient label, as well as send you home with proper products to keep you on the road to recovery. However, other times, the hair is so dehydrated that one salon visit will not be enough because the hair has gone through so much trauma that it will take as long as 12 months to get the hair to a place of proper hydration. At this stage, additional salon visits are required as there will need to be a more hands-on approach to getting your moisture level up.
Clarifying Shampoo:
Also referred to as detoxing, it is a way of removing product residue, hard water, and heavy oils from the hair. This step can be done anywhere from one up to three times, depending on your history with these heavy-coating ingredients! Once properly done, the hair will feel completely different; this is usually when I will have the client feel their hair to get them familiar with what clean hair ACTUALLY feels like. This is very important, as once you leave the salon, the responsibility is on you until your next appointment. There are some forms of clarifying shampoo that are solely used in the salon, as misuse of these products will be detrimental to your healthy curl journey. I do, however, recommend milder forms of clarifying shampoos along with customized instructions per individual. How often a person needs to clarify will depend upon their activity level and lifestyle, although no one should be doing it more than once a month. After clarifying, a professional will know that you have to start reintroducing moisture back into the hair; this means following with a more moisturizing shampoo than the clarifier. The products used will vary per client, with selections depending on the stage their hair is in currently and according to their lifestyle. This is why finding a specialist is so very important, as they will save you money and time. We are here to help you understand YOUR curl and even sometimes help you realize that the curl you are dreaming of, you will never obtain. We have a habit of idolizing a particular curl that is deemed acceptable, and as a specialist, it is our job to help you understand these things and hopefully guide you to a place where you are in love with the hair God blessed you with.
Some Clarifiers I recommend:
Kinky Curl Knot Today
Malibu Un-doo Goo
All Purpose Cleansers and Conditioners
An all-purpose Cleanser is, just as the name implies, on a scale of most cleansing with least moisturizing attributes to most moisturizing with least cleansing attributes. The all-purpose cleansers sit right in the middle, giving you an equal amount of cleansing and moisture. AG Balance and AG Boost are to be used weekly. Once we have successfully removed any residual ingredients, a more moisturizing cleanser can be introduced. One of my recommendations would be: Innersense Hydrating Cream Hair Bath. As stressed throughout this post, finding a Natural Hair Specialist is essential to achieving and maintaining optimal moisture and shape in your hair. We are here to help you weed out the false information and save you time by making your wash day and life easier.
Have you found a trusted Curl Specialist? What kinds of content would you like to see more on this blog? What’s the biggest thing you’re struggling with right now that I can help you with?
written by: Samantha Hernandez
Natural Curl Specialist. Wife. Christian. Animal Lover. Reviving Curls in Lancaster, PA
The typical natural story and why you have NEVER TRULY seen your curls until you have clarified.
As someone who works with naturally curly hair from behind the chair daily, I find it very interesting how the very thing that should, as the name implies, come naturally to us tends to do anything but that. Think about it: hair, like every other characteristic we are born with, is unique to only us; the way our eye color might change depending on the time of day or even our mood, the way our hips sway when we walk, even identical twins aren't truly identical. As adolescents, many of us tend to struggle with these differences as shallow experiences meet us in our school hallways at every turn. By college, we typically find our niche and eventually understand that beauty, like many things in this world, fades. We began to embrace our wide smile that will allow others to count all our teeth, the snort that we inadvertently let out when around company, and the hyperpigmentation in our skin that we spent years trying to cover up; now we look upon this thing as markers of uniqueness and reasons to celebrate.
Although hair should fall into this category, it rarely does unless, of course, it is long, silky, and high density (the number of hairs per square inch on your head); but getting into why will have to wait until the next blog post. For now, let's fast forward to the revolution that we find ourselves in the midst of currently, The Naturally Curly Movement. Unlike many of the trends of past this one, I do not see being put in a box along with your Aero popped collar shirt and the stanky leg. No, this one is here to stay for generations to come; women of today will teach their daughters, sons, nieces, nephews, and even the cashier at the local grocery store the freedom that comes with embracing their kinks, coils, curls, and even waves. The issue is usually not the motivation to do so; it's how to do so. Spend 30 minutes on any social media platform, and you will be over the top with envy and desire to have that large, luscious mane staring back at you from the other side of that screen. You quickly find yourself losing sleep from watching tutorials and reading blogs on how to get waist-length hair in 3 years or less. Only to discover after purchasing every single product ever recommended to you, that it was all a sad waste of time and money. You find yourself at what seems to be an impassable wall. Nothing is working, and like many, you have never heard of a stylist that specializes in naturally curly hair, or if you have, you immediately have flashbacks to moments at the hair salon and suffering through a service where the stylist cut your hair shorter than expected, straightened it, and you, unfortunately, left the salon unhappy vowing never to return. For many, part of the freedom of embracing their natural hair is the idea that they no longer need the assistance of a hairstylist. Well, I am here to break the news to you that this is a huge misconception and you must still visit a salon. The only difference is you must now find someone who specializes in the care of natural hair. This is where the internet, social media, and asking a curly person on the street where they get their hair done becomes very handy.
Why do I Need a Stylist? and What will a Curl/Natural Hair Specialist do for me?
Odds are if any of the above statements resonated with you, you more than likely have some buildup on your scalp and hair from the experiments with products, techniques, and DIY hair care regimens. Unfortunately, most of the things you have been doing at home, thinking they were helpful, have actually been suffocating your hair. Dry/brittle hair, Breakage, Excessive hair loss, Dandruff, Waxy Film, this can be felt when the hair is wet or seen, as the water will bead up on the hair (unfortunately, many people are confused about what clean hair actually feels like so this is something that can be easily overlooked without the help of a professional). These are just a few of the indications of hair that has buildup. Buildup can occur on hair anywhere from weeks, months, or even years of using cheap, adulterated ingredients that have sat on top of the hair, essentially creating a shield over the hair cuticle, preventing any water from getting inside the hair shaft. To really understand why this is a huge issue, we have to unpack generations of misinformation concerning hair care regimes, especially when it comes to the African American Community. Sitting between grandma's legs, getting my hair done with Blue Magic and Pink Lotion.
This was never an enjoyable experience for me. I have always been characterized as "tender-headed" or told I "held a bad head". Despite the frustration from both parties, this was an unavoidable practice. Once done, I was free from the hair pulling and crying for at least a week, with plaits, knockers, and berets in tow. The styling products used were typically anything that was affordable and most likely had the words "Gro" on it. These heavy, greasy products were fine for a young girl who liked to play outdoors and didn't like getting her hair done. In fact, it's the same reason why our African American ancestors grew to use them on a daily basis as part of their own hair routine. Grease became a staple in the black community dating back to when we were first brought to America, leaving behind our familiar hair care regimes connecting us to our native country and tribes. The grease that we soon would know all too well protected the skin and hair from being in the hot fields while also warding off lice and other insects from unhygienic living situations. Grease was our ancestors’ way of working with what was available to them. This leads us to the centuries of a community continuing a toxic cycle because "if it's not broke, then why fix it!" These heavy oils and butter were fine for hair that was being straightened with a Hot Comb in the kitchen or getting relaxed, but for those that wish to wear their hair naturally with definition and less maintenance, this will only leave you frustrated, feeling defeated and inferior to the woman on social media with the perfect curls that are able to get amazing results no matter the products she chooses.
It's not the products; it’s DNA and a whole lotta water.
This is typically the predicament that many new people wanting to wear their hair naturally find themselves in. The person on the other side of the screen more than likely has 'unicorn hair,' meaning that they, despite choosing the worst products possible, are still able to retain their length and achieve results envied by most. People who make a living as hair influencers usually have this unicorn hair, which makes my imagination run wild with wonder. To think, if they actually treated their hair with care and all barriers were removed, how beautiful their hair would truly be. The most important and life-changing secret ingredient to know when attempting to wear naturally curly hair is WATER. This ingredient though simple, is most commonly overlooked because it has been engrained in us that the products do all the work and that it will give us the bouncy, juicy curls that we dream of. This is why the product industry, a multi-billion dollar industry with a capital B, will continue to deceive you into believing that oil, going against everything we have learned logically about oil and water, will moisturize your hair.
They use the vulnerability of women scouring the aisles at the local store, desperate to find something that will help her look presentable for work, to market products that say things like "4c", "moisturize," and 'hydrate," knowing she will be right back to restock when it has turned out to be yet another failed attempt. Keep in mind that most of all your favorite brands are owned by one larger company, so it does not matter if you have chose to go with a different line, they are still getting rich from your trial and error product experimentations.
In steps a Curl Specialist.
It is usually at this stage of the journey that I start to see clients, almost as a last resort. They sit in my chair, hoping I am able to heal and reverse all damage that might have happened. Sometimes, a curl specialist is able to make your dreams come true and give you a lesson on how to properly care for your hair and also how to actually read an ingredient label, as well as send you home with proper products to keep you on the road to recovery. However, other times, the hair is so dehydrated that one salon visit will not be enough because the hair has gone through so much trauma that it will take as long as 12 months to get the hair to a place of proper hydration. At this stage, additional salon visits are required as there will need to be a more hands-on approach to getting your moisture level up.
Clarifying Shampoo:
Also referred to as detoxing, it is a way of removing product residue, hard water, and heavy oils from the hair. This step can be done anywhere from one up to three times, depending on your history with these heavy-coating ingredients! Once properly done, the hair will feel completely different; this is usually when I will have the client feel their hair to get them familiar with what clean hair ACTUALLY feels like. This is very important, as once you leave the salon, the responsibility is on you until your next appointment. There are some forms of clarifying shampoo that are solely used in the salon, as misuse of these products will be detrimental to your healthy curl journey. I do, however, recommend milder forms of clarifying shampoos along with customized instructions per individual. How often a person needs to clarify will depend upon their activity level and lifestyle, although no one should be doing it more than once a month. After clarifying, a professional will know that you have to start reintroducing moisture back into the hair; this means following with a more moisturizing shampoo than the clarifier. The products used will vary per client, with selections depending on the stage their hair is in currently and according to their lifestyle. This is why finding a specialist is so very important, as they will save you money and time. We are here to help you understand YOUR curl and even sometimes help you realize that the curl you are dreaming of, you will never obtain. We have a habit of idolizing a particular curl that is deemed acceptable, and as a specialist, it is our job to help you understand these things and hopefully guide you to a place where you are in love with the hair God blessed you with.
Some Clarifiers I recommend:
Kinky Curl Knot Today
Malibu Un-doo Goo
All Purpose Cleansers and Conditioners
An all-purpose Cleanser is, just as the name implies, on a scale of most cleansing with least moisturizing attributes to most moisturizing with least cleansing attributes. The all-purpose cleansers sit right in the middle, giving you an equal amount of cleansing and moisture. AG Balance and AG Boost are to be used weekly. Once we have successfully removed any residual ingredients, a more moisturizing cleanser can be introduced. One of my recommendations would be: Innersense Hydrating Cream Hair Bath. As stressed throughout this post, finding a Natural Hair Specialist is essential to achieving and maintaining optimal moisture and shape in your hair. We are here to help you weed out the false information and save you time by making your wash day and life easier.
Have you found a trusted Curl Specialist? What kinds of content would you like to see more on this blog? What’s the biggest thing you’re struggling with right now that I can help you with?
written by: Samantha Hernandez
Natural Curl Specialist. Wife. Christian. Animal Lover. Reviving Curls in Lancaster, PA