10 Years Natural: A Review

Heya, lol it's been a hot minute since I have posted on here.  I write on this great occasion, to announce- I  HAVE BEEN NATURAL FOR 10 YEARS!!!  10 YEARS!! A WHOLE DECADE!  WHAT! HOW!  Ok Joy, Calm down! 24th July was my Hair Anniversary. At first, I was not too hyped until I started reflecting on how far I have come with my natural hair journey.

Circa Early-2009

For as long as I can remember, I have always had my hair relaxed. I have used brands from 'Just for me' to 'Dark and lovely' for kids and adults. So I was never exposed to my natural hair. On the 13th of May 2007, I cut my (relaxed)  hair because it was getting soo expensive to get my hair done in Nigeria on a weekly bases. Also, my hair was too thick and big, so I was always getting remarks from hairstylists - "Ah when I go finish this hair self!" [ABEG don't judge my pidgin English] 

I had a TWA (Teeny Weeny Afro ) until  February 2009, where I relaxed my hair because I had no clue how to take care of my hair.  24th July 2009 was the day I told my mum that I was not getting my hair relaxed anymore!

Circa 2010-2012

IT WAS A STRUGGLE... not only was this the first time 'handling' my natural hair, there was a lack of product for my hair type and my accessibility to those good products was impossible ( with no paraben and mineral). So I had to make do with what I had, Thank God for ORS! 

My hair was mostly in protective styles like box braids. For my braids, I never have my edges braided. And when my hair wasn't in braids I experimented and tried out different wash day techniques- like what products worked and how to detangle my hair safely when my hair matted up, etc. I also had a Hair journal which I will highly recommend if you want to keep a thorough document of your hair journey.

Circa 2013-2014 

OK, I think am getting it, IT'S GROWING!  I was getting into the swing of things. This was my trial and error period with hair products (again). And I also learned how to do twist out, flat twists ( which was the hardest to master) and braid-outs ( which never came out right 😧)

At this stage, I couldn’t understand the concept of shrinkage! -“Like what's it’s deal” -One minute my hair looks like it has grown, then it shrinks 1/2 to what it originally was!!!  So you can say this was my “Frustration phase” in my natural hair journey. ( I will, later on, discover that shrinkage is magical ✨)

But then I discovered the blow dryer…

Circa 2015

I believe this is when my hair grew the fastest... My hair grew like cRaZy!!! This could be because I started using tea tree oil in my hot oil treatments or because I was going through a growth spurt... but I think it was the tea tree oil. I also became a Blowout Addict.  This was also the stage that I started experimenting more with my hair, from using hair products to trying new hairstyles.

Circa 2016

On my natural hair journey, I found myself going through a lot of phases. 2016 was my “I can make some curls” phase. I was always doing a flat twist out with a Bantu knot at the ends... because I had finally mastered it!! 🎉To at least get some decent curls with my hair. ⁣( PS took me a good 7 years to master doing a flat twist out)  

In addition, I was addicted to protective styles. Anything that I can do to my hair,  that takes less than 30mins, was a win !!! ✨ #unilife ⁣By now I had a staple healthy hair regimen that I still use.

The “Twisted Crown” 👑 hairstyle was my go-to... till this day!! It is very important to have a hairstyle that you can go to, especially when your twist-out or braid-out doesn’t come outright. Or just in general. Keynote- I don’t like using hair gel on my edge. Only if I have to... but I rely on my silk scarf to smooth my edges. 

A Special shout out to @naturallymichy who has an ABC Protective Styles playlist on YouTube that I watched for inspiration. 😍😍😍⁣PS: Aariyana, Faith, and Harper were my go-to styles too.

Circa 2017

I wore my hair stretched out most of 2017. I feel it helped prevent breakage especially as I was doing a lot of protective hairstyles weekly. ⁣ I stretched my hair mainly using the “Tension Method”. I was never trying to make my hair bone straight. Using my @designessentialsuk deep treatment oil made my hair look sleek. 

Circa 2018

I am a creature of habit. And by now everything I do to my hair, I can now do on autopilot. This is a good thing but a bad thing because now it is very hard for me to try new products or new hair techniques. As everything is calm.   I did do more heatless stretching methods using braids.  Braided my hair after wash day, then took them out WHEN THEY WERE DRIED and packed it in a bun for extra stretch. That was it!

Circa 2019

The effect of life's stress can indeed affect your hair growth... I believe 2019 was a stressful year as I am now in this hood called adulthood. And I will strongly advise that when life becomes stressful, don't let it change the routine that you have mastered for soo long. If not for the routine that I had had, my hair would have suffered a lot of damage.

And now we come to the end of a decade, where I can look back and see how far I have come. Not only with my Natural hair journey, but with my self-development.  Normally when you start something new, there will be frustrations, anger, confusion, however, if you persevere, the reward is sweet!  I also have learnt to be more patient ( which was the most difficult aspect for me ). In addition, it's all about trial and error! And you will get the hang of it, trust me, you will.  So if you have been pondering ongoing natural... We are on the edge of a new decade for new beginnings. And if you are on your natural hair journey, you have got this! It is possible!

 I hope you guys found this blog post useful. I just wanted to reflect and document my natural hair journey of 10 freaking years!!! Still not over this!! 

In the comments below, what are your hair goals for the next decade?