"Mama, I love my hair!" | Natural Hair

It's a must that we teach our daughters to love their natural hair, whether it's kinky, curly or coily. However God made them, is unique and beautiful. And if we compliment them and tell them how beautiful their hair is, then they'll pick up that same attitude. But if we're constantly telling them, “Your hair is nappy.” or “Child, you need a perm.” or “I don't feel like being bothered with this mess on your head.” They'll take on those same types of attitudes about their hair and other black girls hair.

If they see another little girl rocking her natural hair, their response most likely will be something on the negative side, and probably putting down the other little girls hair, simply because they haven't been taught to love their own hair, so they wouldn't be able to comprehend the fact that another little girl actually loves her kinks.

My daughter Kalynn has been natural all of her life, and the thought never entered my mind to put a relaxer in her hair, not once. Not even before I knew what her hair texture would be. Relaxers were torture to me growing up, having sores and scabs in my head, so I was not about to put her through the same thing. And although her hair can be a handful to maintain, I make sure to tell her all the time how beautiful her hair is, and now she's taken on that same attitude. She LOVES her hair. She always wants to wear her hair out and we all know the horror of tangled natural hair, so I rarely let her wear it out, but on occasions I do, and she's always ecstatic.

If you have a daughter, please love on her hair so that she'll learn to do the same. Teach her that she doesn't have to conform to society's idea of “beauty” because how God created her is her own beauty and that's all that matters.

Natural Hair | My Favorite Natural Hair Products

Curl Talk: With Amber, Hey Girl!

Yayyy! This is my first Curl Talk feature, with some one other than myself, and I truly thank this beautiful naturalista for stepping to the plate to help inspire other ladies who may be transitioning or who have recently big chopped and even those who have been natural for years, or all of their lives. Thanks Amber! -xoxo

Introduce yourself:

I'm Amber, a twenty year old PR student, intern, blogger, and natural hair enthusiast. I'm a jersey girl, but attend school in Philadelphia.

How long have you been natural and what made you return natural?

I've been natural since January of 2011. I'd always longed for thick, curly hair, but my mom permed my hair when I was 6 and I never knew my true texture. YouTube and blogs like Curly Nikki lead me to take the plunge.

Who inspired you to go Natural, if anyone?

Seeing all of the gorgeous naturals on YouTube and natural hair blogs like Curly Nikki and Naptural85. Seeing their gorgeous tresses lead me to seek out my true texture.

Big Chop or Transition? Why?

Long term transition, a little over a year, maybe a year and a half. I transitioned in high school when proms and graduations were lurking, so I knew I didn't want to go for the chop. Now that I'm comfortable in my hair and routine, I would love to cut if off, go short, and start over!

How did family and friends react?

My friends and family loved it as much as I did! Especially my boyfriend at the time.  Everyone was skeptical that I would really do it, I think they thought I was going through something! Haha

Your Natural Regimen:

I like to keep is simple. I use Apple Cider Vinager or natural shampoo bars to clean my strands without stripping the moisture. Then I condition with Tresseme flawless curls condish. I do this about once every week to week and a half. I'll co-wash in between with Tresseme if I need to. I use aloe vera gel as a leave in and light styler, and seal with my whipped shea butter blend. I switch up my deep conditioners depending on what my hair wants and needs, and I try to do it at least once a month. Moisturizing and sealing are the focal points of my reggie.

Any advice to ladies thinking of going natural?

Just do it! Don't go natural in search of someone else's curl pattern. Be ready to accept whatever gorgeous texture you have. Keep your regimen simple and make sure it works for you. And most importantly have fun getting to know your hair! Try knew things and don't be afraid to do things differently than other naturals.

Where can we find you?

Check out my blog, - Stages of Gold at http://amberburns.com

Follow me on twitter - @AmberSB_

Follow me on my personal Instagram - @AmberB_ or my natural hair Instagram @JerseyCurl18

Thanks again, Amber! :)

Curl Talk: With Me!

I will be doing a segment called “Curl Talk” with some beautiful Naturalistas, and since I am natural, I should probably start with myself.

Introduce yourself:  I’m a wife and mother of two. Aspiring photographer and writer. I love to cook, but don’t ask for none, cause I’m stingy when it comes to food. Haha! I’ve always had a passion for writing, and I seem to have a lot to say, so I decided to create a blog to get those thoughts out.

How long have you been natural? I’ve been natural for 2 months, I big chopped on April 3 after transitioning for 7 months.

Why did you decide to go natural? I’d like to say I had an epiphany and that’s why I decided to go natural, but that’s not the case. I just got tired of relaxers, and I loved the versatility of natural hair on other naturalistas. So, here I am in all my natural beauty!

Who inspired you to go Natural, if anyone? A lot of ladies unknowingly inspired me to go natural, especially once I joined instagram, that’s when I decided to go full speed ahead with it.

Big Chop or Transition? Why? I transitioned in the beginning because I didn’t think I could handle cutting all of my hair off. But after 7 months I grew tired of the two textures and I really wanted to know what my natural looked like, so I big chopped.

How did family and friends react? My husband and my parents were supportive, so that’s all that mattered to me. I got a lot of compliments, but also a lot of side eyes from people who couldn't understand why I would cut all of my hair off to go natural.

Your Natural Regimen: I don’t have a set in stone regimen, I simply give my hair what I think it needs at the time. I do moisturize and seal on a daily though. And I try to co wash every other day.

Any advice to ladies thinking of going natural? My advice is, don’t expect your hair to look like your curl crush once you’re finally natural, that’ll set you up for disappointment. The idea of going natural is to love what is naturally YOU, not anyone else. So make sure you’re at a point where you’ll still love your hair even if it’s not the “good hair” you wanted it to be.

Where can we find you? Instagram: @Jolieluvlee & Twitter: @Ma_Belle_Ame