5 Ways to Rock Your Natural Hair Texture
It’s a dilemma as old as time: When your natural hair texture is curly, you want straight hair. When you have thin hair, you want thick hair. When you have thick hair, you want to pull a GI Jane. It doesn’t help that we’re constantly blow-drying and straightening and texturizing and dying and frying our hair, all to force it to do things it just doesn’t want to do. Let’s cut our tresses some slack, shall we?
Doing less with your hair doesn’t mean it’ll look like shit – in fact, it’ll look pretty damn fabulous (you know, just like you). The reason your ‘do never looks right or feels right is because it isn’t. In my case, I’d spent so many years trying to make my thin, fine hair look… well, not, that I had never tried using its natural texture to my advantage. (Accepting my hair as is? Never heard of it.) Not only will your hair look ah-mazing, but you’ll do less damage to it and save oodles of time in front of the mirror.
Here’s how to rock – and fall in love with – your natural hair texture:
1. Step away from the products
Make a pact that from now on you’ll focus on keeping your hair healthy and strong, not on trying to make it look how you wish it would. Ditching unnecessary products and equipment is a wildly liberating experience!
2. Become BFFs with your hair stylist
The most important part of finding the perfect cut for your hair texture is to also make sure it’s a cut that suits your lifestyle. Let your hair dry naturally and let your stylist study your hair “as is.” Tell them, “I like this, but I don’t like that,” and “I want this, but I’d never want that in a million years.” Guaranteed your stylist will be psyched to help you ditch your old styling habits and learn easier ones that are healthier for your hair.
3. Get to know your hair texture
Study your hair like you do the cute barista at Starbucks: Why does your left side do that annoying flippy-outy thing? Why does one side have volume and the other doesn’t? Oh. Em. Gee… is that a thinning spot?! Make a list of all the questions you have about your hair and find answers for them! This is precisely what Google was made for (well okay, not precisely…).
4. Experiment
Take all of the fancy schmancy things you’ve been learning and give them a try! Some will look amazing, some will be a total flop. Give yourself time to get used to your natural hair texture. Over time, you won’t feel the need to resist it so much – and eventually, you’ll love your hair so much you’ll wonder what all the fuss was about.
5. Try going au naturel
Gulp! It sounds terrifying, but there are going to be days when the last thing you want to do is fuss with your hair. Having an easy breezy, blow-dry-not-included hair technique up your sleeve will make all the difference:
- If you have straight hair you’re constantly yearning for fullness and shape. Detangle your strands while they’re damp and give them a spritz with your fave volumizing spray. Put your hair up into a high ponytail and wrap it into a bun. Once it’s dry, let it down. You’ll find that not only do you have volume, but texture too.
- If you have wavy hair your waves just need a little definition. Rake a dollop of hair gel through your damp tresses, divide your hair in half and do two braids. After it’s dry, undo the braids and lightly comb with your fingers.
- If you have curly hair there’s nothing better than frizz-free strands. Right after you step out of the shower, apply a curl-smoothing serum – and don’t towel dry it. Make sure you cover your hair from root to tip – use a wide-toothed comb to fully coat if you have to. Then let your hair do its thing. If you brush it or touch it, it’ll frizz.
How do you rock your natural hair texture?
Related on Organic Authority
4 Incredible Homemade Hair Treatments from Your Kitchen
7 Signs Your Bad Hair Day Means You Need a Haircut
9 Natural Flat Hair Fixes to Add Volume to Your ‘Do
Image: Eve
