How do I start my natural hair journey?

This is not 10 years' worth of hair growth, but it is where I am right 

now 10 years post my big chop hey guys we are now in April 2022

It is so crazy to me to think about that, I have been on this natural

hair journey of mine for 10 years, and I am so amazed by how much my 

hair has grown in 10 years and I have cut my hair along the way I wasn't 

really keeping up with my trims when I first went natural, I never expected 

my hair to grow as long as it has now all my life it grew to about my 

shoulders and even every time I've gone to the salon, my hair has been 

cut right at my shoulder, so I really felt like my terminal hair, the length 

was about shoulder-length I feel like I have like a terminal hair length or 

Something even when I was relaxed this is about the length that my hair 

would get, and then I would always cut it up to about here, and then it would 

grow back out to about this length, and that's with regular trims that are

with me trying to keep my ends protected, that's with me moisturizing it

with all of that, I still feel like my hair will not grow past this length and

now I admit back length and I feel like I have the

keys in my pocket, the tips that I want to share with y'all so that I can

continue growing my hair longer than it has ever been, and I can help you all as

well some years ago about two years after I cut all my relaxed hair off

my hair had grown to a link that really shocked me and I think it shocked other

people and I kept getting asked what are some tips to help you to grow

long hair and what I'm going to do today is I'm going to watch that article and

take you along for the ride if you want to see the full article 

if those tips that I shared in that article have I still been using those tips

are they still beneficial, do I want to change some things up, or if that article

still holds some value, so go ahead and follow along with me as we watch this

article together hey guys firstly I listen to my hair, if my hair feels dry then I

add moisture to it if it feels oily, then I hold back on adding more oils to it if

I see split ends then I trim them, so I just do whatever my hair tells me to do

don't always listen to what everyone says works on their hair because it 

might not work for yours, I definitely still agree with this tip listen to your hair

there are so many videos y'all on YouTube where there are a lot of people 

Who really doesn't know what they're talking about, I'm a licensed cosmetologist 

Every In a couple of years, I have to continue my education because I love 

the hair I'm always looking up ingredients and products I'm always trying to

see what's going to be the most beneficial for hair, and I feel like a lot of people just

listen to what other people say and don't do their own personal research so

there are several people on YouTube who say stuff

don't know what they're talking about and then a lot of people run with it

everybody's hair is different, TO listen to what your hair tells you to do and the

the only way to do that is by paying attention to how your hair feels paying

attention to what happens when you use this cream or this type of butter or 

this oil on your hair, how does that affect your hair, does your hair split a lot when you

feel your hair does it sound like it's dry like you have to literally

listen to what your hair says and then adjust what you're doing with your

Routine accordingly, the second tip I say is to moisturize.

I know that when I first big chop my hair felt dry to me, it felt rough and I

wanted soft fluffy hair and I found that I needed to add

moisture to my hair I realized that I needed to do deep conditioning on my

hair every time that I shampoo it, the second tip still definitely applies as

well you have to keep your hair moisturized and with any living thing, you have to

Moisturize it, and by moisture I mean water. Water is key to making sure that your

hair continues to live to thrive, well it's kind of dead but

you need to make sure your hair continues to grow from the scalp and

water is going to help you do that water is what moisturizes your hair you

actually need literal water applied to your hair, and then you can

fill in that water with the oils the creams the butter another

way to moisturize your hair is by drinking water having a healthy diet um

whatever it takes into your body is going to show itself in your skin in your hair

in your nails, so make sure that you are moisturizing your hair and your body

from the inside out, another thing that I mentioned was deep conditioning my hair

I still do a moisturizing deep conditioner every single time I shampoo

my hair I do still use sulfates, I do still use all the things that people say

not to use I use them on my hair IS, fine with that but if you found

issues with using that in your hair then don't do it is, goes back to tip number

one listen to your hair I do have a keratin smoothing treatment on my hair

and that's a lot of protein but In addition to that, I do protein treatments

as well, I use the Plex, system which is the cream of nature's

a version of I've used that on my hair and that has definitely kept it

strengthened, but then I also go in with the moisturizing treatment after I

Apply that, my third tip would be to be consistent with YouTube comes a lot of

advise a lot of tips a lot of helpful styles and suggestions, but you have to

take the good and take what's going to work with your hair and then leave the

rest of it alone, I hear the term lock method is being used a lot lately and

I've been doing the method on my hair from day one, and I always use

My eco styler gel I love it I'm addicted to eco styler gel, so I've consistently kept

the same method and my hair loves that the method you definitely have

to be consistent with natural hair, I noticed that my hair if I tried too

many things, then it's like what in the world is going on but

overtime I've used the same steps in my hair, I feel like I need to update my I

don't know have I ever, I don't even know if I have ever actually posted like

My the regimen I think I might have, but it probably needs updating, but I have done

basically the same thing except for the order of the lock method I don't use the

Lock method any more I use the loco method and for me, that works out better

because I apply the liquid to the cream and I seal all of that in

with an oil, consistency is really important, and I still do a lot of styles on my hair I

still, the protective style of my hair is that, another tip I haven't really

watched this article you know, so I might be I'm thinking I did say protective

style but yeah make sure you're consistent the fourth tip is to do

protective styles y'all I am telling you protective styling works from

like the second week that I've been natural, did a protective style I got that

like two inches of hair into a Mohawk I did up dos I was so set on helping people

realize that you can do so much more with the two or teeny Afro, than just

wearing a wash and go now nothing's wrong with the wash and go, but I don't

want people to feel like they have to be stuck in the idea that you had to do a

wash and go because your hair is too short to do anything else for the most

part of my hair is protected right now, this's a flat twist out that I have going

On with my hair and when I do styles like this I normally wear the twist for 

you know like a week or two, and then I'll take the twist out I'll enjoy my from I'll

enjoy my curls and my hair for a few days, and then I go right back into

protective styling mode so although I enjoy my hair, I want it to

continue to grow, so I spend most of the time with my hair protective so this is

still, true protective styles definitely have helped my hair to grow so whether

that's box braids, whether that's just twisting or braiding my own hair up

leaving it alone for a week or two, enjoying it and its twist out in its

the fluffy state now this is me like previously I love Mohawks, but I love

like big hair these days, so this is like a twist out that became a braid out and

it feels really good, and it's like I mean y'all I had to do it sorry

but yeah, so protective styling is key if I was to be in my hair all day every

day I would see the breakage I would see the hair the little hair is all over the floor 

That's breakage when you have long strands of hair from the root that's normal

shedding but when it's little pieces here and there that's not good so I

definitely enjoy my hair and I definitely like I still straighten my

hair I blow dry my hair this year I have been stretching my hair a lot more and I

feel like that's going to help me to grow it out a Little, bit more, I would

say enjoy your hair but also make sure that you protect it the fifth tip would

Be to enjoy your hair, so just enjoy every stage of your hair

growth, and I think that's kind of like a life lesson that sometimes

people don't live in whatever stage of their life that they're in and that 

comes with our hair too if you're transitioning right now, don't get upset

by the fact that you're not fully natural do something about it, go natural

cut your hair off but if you're not comfortable doing that enjoy the

transitioning stage if you have relaxers on your hair, greatly enjoy your

relaxer, do whatever styles that you can do at the, a moment with your relaxed 

Hair if you're natural and your hair is a teeny-weeny Afro, do whatever you can 

do with your hair challenge yourself if you're not comfortable you know with your

 TWA and you don't want people to see it, and you want to  you know protect it and

wear weaves or braids until it grows out a Little, bit more, I'm not knocking that at all

do that if you're happy with it then I love it,  I'm just saying don't dwell on the

fact that you're not where this other person is, and you're so down with yourself 

Because you want what that other person's hair looks Like, not just love whatever hair

you have at the moment and just enjoy whatever journey you're on right now

those are kind of the main tips that I have, they're pretty generic but do all

that good stuff and your hair will grow y'all it's so funny watching this article

because I have not watched it and to just know that I'm still holding on to

these things that I said, I think it was like seven years ago maybe eight

it's pretty amazing because like enjoy your hair like that's it, I cannot

stress that so much like if your hair is not how you want it to be

change it I've seen certain videos posted maybe in the last year or so where

people are so negative toward other people because women are deciding to 

Relax their hair now women are deciding to get like curly perms and jerry, curls 

And whatever they want to call it now people are shaving their head's people are 

 Locking their hair, why does it really matter what somebody else does with their hair

if they're not impacting you in your life like if they feel okay doing that to their 

hair if that person is happy with it is, makes them happy

then just let them be and if you don't like it then wear your hair in a way

that you like, but don't knock somebody else for doing what they feel is like

good for their hair, be patient because that is definitely key

don't hate on anybody else for what their hair is doing

build each other up as if the girl beside you have waist lengthy hair give

she likeS a shout-out I was gonna say give her a high five but

I don't think we're touching people yet, enjoy your own hair build each other up

in this natural relaxed colored bleached highlighted curly straight heat trained

Whatever it is the thing that we have going on, let's just build each other up.