One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned during my hair journey was to NOT compare my hair to other naturals and that was really hard for me to do (even now at times). Certain products or styles that work for me, may not work for you (and vice versa). This is part of what makes black hair so beautiful. Your hair is unique to you.  You may need to use different products to achieve the same style you’ve seen created by another natural or if the style doesn’t working for your hair, recreate it and make it your own!

Let’s flashback briefly… I was watching one of my favorite YouTube vloggers, Mahogany Curls, she was demonstrating how she achieved her gorgeous wash-n-go style. I’m looking at her hair texture and I’m thinking, “We have the same hair texture!!!” (or so I thought). So, I’m feeling very inspired to try a wash-n-go. It seemed simple enough. I even went to the store and I bought the exact same product (TRESemmé Naturals Conditioner) she was using in her video. Here’s what happened: I followed her steps down to a “T” and when my hair dried completely, it was an absolute hot mess!!!

So, why did it not work?
For starters, you will discover that your hair is different from other naturals in some kind of way. When it comes to properly caring for your hair and knowing what products to use for styling, you must also consider these components; your hair’s density, texture, elasticity and porosity (discussed here)…No two people have the exact same components and I will be discussing each in depth in upcoming posts, so stay tuned! In the case of Mahogany and I, not only did we NOT have the exact same components, we lived in two completely different climates. Environmental factors play a big role in the outcome of how our hair responds to products and styling. I’d never took into consideration that she lived in Colorado and I lived in Arkansas.

Nonetheless, I continue to watch my favorite YouTube channels and search Pinterest to find hair styles and hair care tips from my favorite vlogger/blogger friends (yes, in my heart, we are friends!). The difference now is I know what products work for my hair and if a style doesn’t work; I either recreate it or I just accept the fact that it just doesn’t work well for my hair. So don’t get discouraged, just find what works best for your hair and stick to it!!!

Here are a few of my hairspiration vloggers that I’ve tried styles from:

I want to hear from you!!! Have you ever compared your texture to another natural’s texture? What was your experience like?

XOXO

Tamara