Hello everyone!
Before I start this blog post, let me just put this out there.
*I'm not a doctor, health care provider, hair stylist or hair guru. I am just relaying what I have done to help MY hair. This may not necessarily work for you so if you have any questions or concerns, please a doctor or someone you trust before using my tips.*
As you can tell by the title, I'm going to talk about how you can get your curls back. Whether you suffered or currently suffering from chemical damage or heat damage, this post is for you! The reason why I even started my YouTube channel was that I had my own experience with chemical damage. If you want to know the full story you can click on this blog post or watch this Youtube video to learn more. As debilitating damage is, there is a way to have a head full of healthy curls. First, I'm going to share with you some general tips and tricks that you can start using right now, then I will go into other methods of regrowing your curly tresses. So, let's begin!
General tips on how to nurse your curls back to health:
1. Deep conditioning will be your best friend
Say it with me " Deep condition once a week". I cannot stress how important it is to deep condition your hair. For those who don't know what deep conditioning means, in short, deep conditioning is the process of adding moisture, protein or a combination of both back into your hair with the use of a deep conditioner or hair masque. When it comes to curls, they thrive on moisture! They need moisture in order to become the defined spirals and coils that we love. When damage has been done to the hair shaft, it becomes deficient in one of these areas, therefore, you have to replenish the hair shaft with what it needs. If you want to see some of my go-to deep conditioners, check out my YouTube video where I recommend my top 5 favourites.
2. NO MORE HEAT!
I mean it, heat is probably what got you to this point. Even if you suffer from chemical damage, heat styling can and will cause more damage. The high heat of the styling tools we use breaks the bonds within the hair causing it to become weaker over time. That being said, if you want healthy curls, I strongly recommend hiding your flat irons, curly irons/wands for a while!
3. Patience young grasshopper
Trust me, I know those moments where you look at your hair and you either want to a) ball your eyes out b) shave it all off c) leave in a bun for weeks cause you can't figure out a hairstyle that works for you. I wish I could give you a magical cure that would give you healthy curls in seconds but those don't exist. If they did 1. they company or product is LYING and 2. tell a homegirl so I can hop on the express train to healthy curls. It took me two years to get rid of all of my damaged ends and have a head full of healthy curls. What helped me ease the pain was not obsessing over the condition and growth of my hair. Your hair will grow and as long as you think it may take, just enjoy it. Rediscover why you love your curls and the end goal. Invest in yourself and learn to love your hair at every stage.
Okay, now that we have all the general tips, let's talk about what methods other natural curly girls have used to transition from damaged tresses to healthy curls.
There are two methods that everyone seems to spew out when they talk about reviving from damage.
1. Transition
2. Big Chop
So, to explain both of those methods, transitioning is to let your hair grow out naturally and ever so often, trim the damage off until there's no more damage left.
PROS:
1. You can keep the length of your hair
CONS:
1. You will be dealing with different textures which have been a challenge for some.
Big chop, however, is when you cut all the damage off in one shot.
PROS:
1. You're damage free, yippee! ( like that rhyme?)
CONS:
1. If you're not a fan of short haircuts then this may not be the one for you.
Depending on what you're most comfortable in and what you can personally handle, either choice will get you to the same end goal, healthy curls!
Before I start this blog post, let me just put this out there.
*I'm not a doctor, health care provider, hair stylist or hair guru. I am just relaying what I have done to help MY hair. This may not necessarily work for you so if you have any questions or concerns, please a doctor or someone you trust before using my tips.*
As you can tell by the title, I'm going to talk about how you can get your curls back. Whether you suffered or currently suffering from chemical damage or heat damage, this post is for you! The reason why I even started my YouTube channel was that I had my own experience with chemical damage. If you want to know the full story you can click on this blog post or watch this Youtube video to learn more. As debilitating damage is, there is a way to have a head full of healthy curls. First, I'm going to share with you some general tips and tricks that you can start using right now, then I will go into other methods of regrowing your curly tresses. So, let's begin!
General tips on how to nurse your curls back to health:
1. Deep conditioning will be your best friend
Say it with me " Deep condition once a week". I cannot stress how important it is to deep condition your hair. For those who don't know what deep conditioning means, in short, deep conditioning is the process of adding moisture, protein or a combination of both back into your hair with the use of a deep conditioner or hair masque. When it comes to curls, they thrive on moisture! They need moisture in order to become the defined spirals and coils that we love. When damage has been done to the hair shaft, it becomes deficient in one of these areas, therefore, you have to replenish the hair shaft with what it needs. If you want to see some of my go-to deep conditioners, check out my YouTube video where I recommend my top 5 favourites.
2. NO MORE HEAT!
I mean it, heat is probably what got you to this point. Even if you suffer from chemical damage, heat styling can and will cause more damage. The high heat of the styling tools we use breaks the bonds within the hair causing it to become weaker over time. That being said, if you want healthy curls, I strongly recommend hiding your flat irons, curly irons/wands for a while!
3. Patience young grasshopper
Trust me, I know those moments where you look at your hair and you either want to a) ball your eyes out b) shave it all off c) leave in a bun for weeks cause you can't figure out a hairstyle that works for you. I wish I could give you a magical cure that would give you healthy curls in seconds but those don't exist. If they did 1. they company or product is LYING and 2. tell a homegirl so I can hop on the express train to healthy curls. It took me two years to get rid of all of my damaged ends and have a head full of healthy curls. What helped me ease the pain was not obsessing over the condition and growth of my hair. Your hair will grow and as long as you think it may take, just enjoy it. Rediscover why you love your curls and the end goal. Invest in yourself and learn to love your hair at every stage.
Okay, now that we have all the general tips, let's talk about what methods other natural curly girls have used to transition from damaged tresses to healthy curls.
There are two methods that everyone seems to spew out when they talk about reviving from damage.
1. Transition
2. Big Chop
So, to explain both of those methods, transitioning is to let your hair grow out naturally and ever so often, trim the damage off until there's no more damage left.
PROS:
1. You can keep the length of your hair
CONS:
1. You will be dealing with different textures which have been a challenge for some.
Big chop, however, is when you cut all the damage off in one shot.
PROS:
1. You're damage free, yippee! ( like that rhyme?)
CONS:
1. If you're not a fan of short haircuts then this may not be the one for you.
Depending on what you're most comfortable in and what you can personally handle, either choice will get you to the same end goal, healthy curls!
