Beginnings...

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Aloha! My name is M and I have been wearing my hair natural for over a year. I was never into "fake" hair. I couldn't wear fake hair for longer than a week, I like to feel my own hair! My background is Dominican and I live in Canada. We have access to a lot of natural hair care for black hair, but not all. We do not have Beauty 4 Ashes or Carol's Daughter here, but we have Ojon in Sephora. I bought the moisturizing shampoo and conditioner for $60 and I like how natural it is and how it uses the ojon nut oil.
Like all females, I want long, natural hair. My hair is pretty short but I'm proud of wearing it naturally. Today was my Hair Washing Day and I started off with a half an hour soak of extra virgin olive oil, peppermint tea leaves boiled in water, egg whites and lemon. I left that in my hair then rinsed it off and shampooed with Ojon Moisturizing Shampoo, then I conditioned it with some generic conditioner for dry hair. I got some tea leaves stuck in my hair which wasn't fun to pull out!
Afterwards, I towel dried my hair and applied a dab of natural cocoa butter throughout the entire hair. Now, it's fluffy and soft; and looks like an Afro. I let it be for a bit, than I either section it off with hair bands or twist it for the next day if I want a curly look (which I prefer.) This is me -----> and my hair . I use blonde hairdye to keep it brown, as I find that having black hair is a bit too dark for my complexion and washes it out.
The best things for your hair you can get is Macadamian nut oil, which I find very rare to find, and jojoba oil. I paid $10 for a tiny 50mg bottle, but I added water to help it last longer and sprayed it on my hair. I have used organic, pure hard coconut oil on my hair and will continue to do that. I stay away from mineral oils and petroleum, and I do not braid my hair. My hair is very dry, coarse and looks like a frizzy inseparable Afro all the time. It is SO frustrating to deal with and it takes a lot of time and care, but I'm up for the challenge.
Furthermore, if you will be swimming this summer be sure to use a swimming cap. When you swim your hair will shrink and it will look very unattractive since you will not have time to deal with it at the pool\lake\beach. Also, there is a lot of shrinkage due to humidity in hot weather so try to wear your hair in a two-twist or in a trendy scarf or something! Stay away from hair straighteners. It won't work in humidity, your hair will return to it's shrinking state.

Other things I use regularly for my hair to keep it soft and natural:
1. Olive oil and a bit of water in a spray bottle before twisting my hair at night
2. Natural, pale yellow shea butter for moisturizing the ends of my hair
3. Wide toothed comb (it is a good idea to comb out your hair every day or two
4. Honey and olive oil before shampooing (honey REALLY softens your hair!)
5. Ojon Shampoo & Conditioner, Yes To Carrots natural shampoo
6. Jasmine oil (but do not use if you are breastfeeding as it inhibits breast milk)

*I will post pics of these products in my next blog so you can easily identify it when you are out hunting for your natural hair care products. I think black women with long, natural hair is very beautiful. I don't mean biracial girls who grow their hair easily and have a different texture. Biracial hair IS very beautiful and requires some of the maintenance we use for our hair, but it is unique and different than ours in that their curls are much looser and their hair is finer\silkier. But African hair is beautiful and if women embraced their natural hair and took the time to care for it as they did their weave\braids, they would be very proud of the results! I hope to prove that during the duration of this blog. Hair GROWTH is not so much my goal as just embracing the hair God gave me.