I recently took braids out of my hair and decided to rock my natural hair in all its glory. Unfortunately, maintaining it has proven to be more work than I anticipated. Several of my friends and I have decided to go back to basics by growing out our relaxed hair and cutting off the relaxed bits in order to remain with the new growth, each of us made this decision as individuals. If you proceed to braid this hair then maintaining it is a breeze. The difficulty comes in the day-to-day management and styling.
Heather R
Natural hair is tricky, depending on its length. The longer the better, because the styling options increase but in its initial stages of growth is when it is most difficult. You can rub your hair with a wet towel to produce the “dreadlocks” look but it may not look too professional, especially in conservative Zimbabwe.
I waited until my hair had grown beyond this stage because I felt the locks were too common. At that stage you will need to comb it out, but be careful with this because you could easily look as though you are sporting mufushwa [short unkempt hair that resembles dried vegetables] hairstyle instead of an afro. The difference being, mufushwa has no style and will make you to look primitive while the afro is stylish. It is beautiful especially in its longer stages when you can blow it out, twist it or tie it.
My hair is not ponytail length yet, but it is now long enough for me to do wet twists. These are twists that are done while the hair is still wet then undone once it has dried. Wait a couple of days before undoing the twists, for the best results. I can now blow it dry on low heat. I do not want to straighten it so a low heat will lengthen it slightly and give it more body and prevent drying it out.
I implemented Phrophro’s hair tips and I am impressed because my hair is increasing in length and it is fuller, thanks to the castor oil and glycerine mixture I have been applying on my scalp. It is less dry and overall, it is healthier than when I used to process it. Then, it used to break and it was thin and frail.
Sporting natural hair is a great way to celebrate being African but you need to make sure it does not look like mufushwa hair and when it is longer, you want to avoid, looking like a hobo [vagrant]. You need to accessorise your afro in order to achieve the afro-chic look. Firstly, you can start by adding an accessory to the hair like a butterfly or flower pin or comb, a headband or a scarf.
