If you are connected with me on any of my social media accounts whether it is Instagram or Snapchat, you would have probably noticed a significant change in my lifestyle. For those who haven’t or are new followers, a big HELLO to you and welcome to my blogging website. Grab a cuppa tea or something to snack on because this first blog article is probably going to be a lengthy one. OK, so it’s been officially a month and a half since I made the decision to pack all my heating tools and let them collect dust. For those who have Afro/mixed textured hair like me who have spent years taming hair for the Gods, you would definitely know how hard this decision would have hit home. Living as an immigrant in a country where beauty stores and hair salons mainly cater for fine textured and straight hair, you kinda get the impression that curly hair is a curse while straight hair is a blessing. Well in this particular case, this how I’ve always felt. I recall many instances where I have walked down the local beauty stores/supermarkets with a feeling of disappointment due to the non existent curly hair products on their shelves.  

So a little background about me, I am Mauritian Creole. My mother has super thick straight hair and is of French descent, my father is of Creole descent with curly hair. My hair is a mixture of both and has a mind of its own. yep you read that right, my boofy hair has always had a sassy attitude. During my childhood, mum did the usual two piggy tail braids, high bun hair do and what not. Amla oil, Brylcream and Sta soft fro hair food were her go to products when it came to grooming. I used a bar of soap as shampoo to wash my hair. Yes ladies and gentlemen, back in the days, we used whatever was in our sight. I mean I don’t blame her for not knowing how to care for my wild lion mambo jumbo hair type since I myself did not know how to until recently. By the time I turned 13 I was introduced to Dark n Lovely (perm) which is when my hair tragedy began. 

I spent the past 11 years altering my hair with the combination of hair relaxer, chemicals, heating tools (GHD), wrong products and poor hair care regimen. These methods were technically second nature to me and my quick fixes to be perceived as ‘normal’ in some contexts and situations.  I grew up being taught that straight hair was the key to beauty and success. Not knowing any better, I blindly walked down the alley of  hair destruction, regrets, minor bald patches, let me sum it up as hair disaster. Hell broke loose, my massive puff  became an unmanageable frizz ball. Judging from the picture above, it’s relatively easy to tell that my hair was an absolute mess!!! As a result, my hair never grew past my bra straps and my burnt straight ends looked as if my guardian angel just had about enough of extending grace and mercy upon my soul. So a month and a half ago, I took a leap of faith and reluctantly reverted back to my natural hair. I began doing my own research, watching Youtube videos and curly hair blogs to collect some inspiration. They recommended taking the health over length approach as the foundation of transitioning. Let me be honest here, this was a battle of the mind against the heart situation to part ways with my initial hair lengths. It took me several days to think this over.  I won’t lie, emotions ran wild as I grabbed a pair of scissors and snipped off a few of my straight dead ends. Did I cry? yeah almost but there was not a better time to wear my natural crown.

So far, my transition has been a positive process. I am still a little self-conscious and overwhelmed with the amount of products my hair requires. Some days my curls and I are walking on a red carpet, other days I am not feeling my hair. Above all of that jazz, however, I have witnessed positivity outweighing the negatives. My curls receive a lot of attention and compliments everyday even though they still have a long way to go. I am still trying to pick up the courage to snip off the rest of the straight dead ends. I personally think that it took a certain degree of mental transition and a new mindset to begin this hair care journey. I have adopted a new hair care regimen with a couple of products such as snap back curls mousse, Tigi pro hair mask for color treated/blonde hair, shea butter deep moisture conditioning treatment, beautiful textures curl control defining pudding for mixed textures, olive oil edge control gel, extra virgin coconut oil etc. I bought some of these products online and at an African braiding store. I am yet to try out new products but all in due time because it is important that you allow your hair to breathe also. Bombarding your curls with a tonnes of products may cause more harm than good. So its always good to gradually test these products one step at a time. You can’t rush things and expect your hair to behave according to how you want it to, it’s all about trusting the process. 

If my hair journey inspires you to revert back to your natural curls, let me pass on a few bits and bobs that I have learned so far:

• You begin this hair journey with a mental transition before taking the step of reverting back to your natural hair. 
• Reverting back to your natural hair is not easy. It’s not a race but rather a process that requires faith, nurturing and patience.
• This journey is about you and you only. Don’t rush the process! Take your time !!!
• Expect bad hair days. Yep I just said that!!! My hair has a sassy attitude and will act up whenever it wants.
• Don’t concentrate too much on the fact that you are about to transition or already transitioning because it’s depressing and kills motivation.
• Consider deep conditioning and mask treatment as your best friends. They work wonders for your hair when you least expect them to.
• If you don’t have a satin hair bonnet/pillow case, tie your hair up in a pine apple then tuck and roll the loose hair pieces with bobby pins.
• What works for others may not work for you, you will eventually learn what works for your hair type. For example, my hair is super dry so I always have to mix extra virgin coconut oil, argan oil serum with my curl defining pudding to maximize moisture in my hair.
• Avoid comparing your hair type/ curl patterns to others. I know it’s tempting to go astray with the influence and stronghold that the media has on people. Part of reverting back to your natural hair is to embrace your identity and where your roots hail from. You owe yourself kindness and self-love!!
• After washing your hair, dry your hair with a cotton t shirt instead of your usual towel. I have noticed a big difference in my hair. 
• Allow your hair to breathe. Sometimes it’s good to just leave your curls as they are and get on with your day. 
• Be careful when detangling your hair. A detangling tool that works for your neighbour may not necessarily work for your hair type. 
• Pre poo your hair with a hot oil treatment before washing it. You’ll thank me later. 
• Don’t just moisturize the curly strands on the surface. Divide your hair in small sections, moisturize each strand with a wide detangling comb and work your way up. 
• DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT use a bar of soap to wash your hair. soap strips off your hair’s natural oils and leaves it frizzy, dull and some might even experience serious damage. 

P.S: email me your hair transitioning journey if you decide to give this a try.