My mission here at Swoope Hair natural hair salon is to help women enjoy healthy, natural hair. But if you’ve been relaxing your hair your whole life, the shift to natural hair can be overwhelming! That’s one of the reasons why I started my Natural Hair Mastery for Beginners four-week course and free Facebook group. Every natural hair journey is unique, and it’s important to have someone to troubleshoot with as you find the style that works for you.
In today’s blog post, I’ll be providing some very general natural hair care information. If you’d like to schedule a free consultation to talk about your hair and your hair goals, please contact my Birmingham hair salon.
What Is Natural Hair?
It’s natural hair 101, so let’s start at the very beginning: what is natural hair? By definition, natural hair is hair that hasn’t been altered by chemical straighteners, including relaxers and texturizers. Pressed hair, like my Signature Swoope Press, is still considered natural because it’s a temporary heat treatment and your texture will return to its unaltered state after it’s washed. With a professional silk press, there will be little to no heat damage, which is also part of what keeps your hair healthy and natural.
Transitioning to Natural Hair
Going natural isn’t easy, and it’s often a journey of learning to love and care for your curls. It’s a long process and will be longer depending on the amount of damage your hair has sustained. Transition time will also depend on how much heat you put on your hair using a flat iron or blow dryer as you’re going natural.
When you’re deciding to go natural, decide ahead of time if you want to grow your hair out and trim away the dead hair gradually or if you want to go with the more dramatic big chop. There’s no right or wrong answer, and our natural hair salon can help you choose. For some, it’s easier to cut it all off and start fresh, but for others growing it out better fits their style goals.
Suggested Natural Hairstyles
When you’re transitioning to natural hair, wearing your hair down is the best way to help it grow. If you’re always putting it up in poofs or ponytails, you’ll increase shedding. Try a protective style such as braids or twist outs. I’d love to recommend other natural styles, and as it’s growing out, you can also try a silk press every so often.
Finding A Natural Hair Stylist – Birmingham
Finding a hair stylist that specializes in natural hair can be one of the hardest parts of the natural hair process. Make sure you do your research, which includes everything from looking at their work to scheduling a consultation and seeing whether you like their personality. Above all else, your stylist should be passionate about natural hair. What you want is a long-term relationship with your hairstylist, because the journey to natural hair and maintaining your natural hair will take a lot of maintenance.
Whether you choose to relax your hair, let your curls bounce, rock braids, or more, we can help you discover the style you’ve been dreaming of! Check our hair styles page and book with Brittany Swoope and Swoope Hair today!
