Celebrating 5 Years with Natural Hair!

Happy to be Natural
Five years strong!

This past weekend marked the fifth anniversary since I went natural back in 2009.  I did my big chop on the third day in May after a nine month transition.  Recently I looked back on my natural hair journey and thought about how I would have done things differently.  It took a lot of trial and error to get to where I am today but I finally figured some things out.

In some of my more recent posts I discussed the different uses for hair oils.  I spent a very long time thinking that I was sealing in moisture with coconut and olive oils.  In actuality, grapeseed oil was the true winner when it came to this because it was heavy enough to lock in the moisture.  Now I know that coconut and olive oils are to be used to help moisturize and condition the hair; not to seal.

My Current Hair Length
Another new discovery is that hair gel is not the enemy.  I had so many failed attempts at styling my hair that I often blamed my beloved Eco Styler gel for the outcome.  I learned that if used in the right way it could enhance my styles and make them last longer.  Now I use the grapeseed oil to seal in moisture and apply the gel as a holding agent with no issues.

Watch my Youtube video for more on what I learned over the past five years with Natural Hair
MITCHELLZEE’S 5 YEARS NATURAL VIDEO
MYTHS AND TRUTHS ABOUT NATURAL HAIR

Celebrating 2 Years with Natural Hair

This week marks my two year Natural Hair anniversary.  What does that mean exactly?  Well, it was two years ago this week that I decided to go ahead with the Big Chop and finally let go of the last of my relaxed hair.  Since then, I have tried many different styling techniques and hair products hoping to find what works best for my thick and curly hair texture.  There have been some hits and surely lots of misses but it has been a learning experience all the same. 
The reason for all of my trial error is because I wore my hair straightened by chemical relaxer since age 11.  Before that, my mother styled my hair so the last two years have been my first experience with doing my hair in its’ natural state.  Not only that, my hair is beginning to grow past the shorter lengths I am used to which means I’m also learning how to maintain my length. 
So proud of my TWA
in 2009
Still, even after all of the research, hair forums, YouTube videos and my own personal hair trials, I am discovering that I still have a long way to go before I can claim that I have mastered my hair.  My natural hair journey hasn’t exactly been easy but it is still something I wish that I had done sooner.  It just makes so much sense to do my hair without all of the extra manipulation that comes with heat styling and chemical processing.  I don’t run inside when it rains.  I enjoy my fro and my big hair.  When I get that itch to wear it straight, I can do that too.  I love my natural hair and I can’t wait to see where it ends up in the next two years.