We love to throw around the hashtag #naturalhairproblems when our hair just won’t do what we want it to do. Honestly, in some cases, we could probably prevent a lot of our natural hair problems if we just did a few simple things.
Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
A lot of the time, we think we’re having natural hair problems because our hair doesn’t look like what we think it should. What we think it should look like is often based on what someone else’s hair looks like. But, guess what? You’re not them!
You don’t know what that person went through to get their hair to do what it’s doing. They likely went through hours of trial and error to get the result you end up seeing on social media. Speaking of which… as the saying goes, “out of sight, out of mind”. Maybe it’d be a good idea to not scroll endlessly through your Instagram feed or binge on YouTube tutorials if it’ll only make you wish your hair looked like what you see.
Change Your Point of View
While you may have every intention of looking at your favorite curly girls JUST for inspiration, it’s hard not to compare. I know, I’ve been there. But, if you do find that you’re not getting the results you want, think about some reasons why that may be the case. Realistically ask yourself, “is there something I could be doing better to have healthy, thriving hair?”
As I said before, you are not that other person and there are so many factors that go into hair growth and hair health overall. Try to keep in mind that everyone is different. For example: if length is one of your natural hair problems, it could just be that your hair is only going to grow to a certain length, thanks to genetics.
Read 7 Reasons Why Your Hair Doesn’t Look Like It’s Growing
Make Necessary Adjustments
These girls who are successful at growing and maintaining healthy natural hair will usually share their regimen. You (speaking generally, of course) will often ask, “OMG. Your hair is gorgeous! What products do you use?!” They will have no problem telling you but, if they’re really being helpful, they’ll also let you know that products aren’t everything.
Are you drinking water? Do you have a balanced diet? What about your hair care practices and maintenance in general? When people inbox me with hair complaints, I ask those questions. I usually find the issue is that something’s lacking in one or all of those categories. But whatever you find to be the case after an honest look at how you might be able to do better with your hair… go ahead and DO BETTER! You can’t wish for better looking, healthier natural hair if you don’t make the changes to get where you want to be.
Love YOUR Hair
Admiration is fine but, at the end of the day, it really just boils down to accepting and loving your hair.
Play around with it. Inspect it. Learn it. The more you understand all the wonderful things your hair can do (as well as accepting what it can’t do!), you’ll grow to love it. And when you love it, you’ll more likely do what you need to do to keep it healthy and make a success out of your natural hair journey. You’ll find that you’re much better at dealing with any so-called natural hair problems ahead!
Please note that I’m not saying everyone claiming to have problems with their hair just needs to love it and stop complaining. There may be many who have actual problems that need the hands of a hair care professional. But I can speak as someone who has been through it that, sometimes, we just need to honestly examine our situation and do the work. 😉
Stop comparing yourself to others is spot on. When we stop looking at other people and start loving ourselves more, natural hair problems would be eliminated.
What do you recommend for a young person that is going bald (Male); Is there a way to reverse the process?
Sorry to hear about your loss. Maybe this will help?
https://www.clishea.co/blogs/news/stop-hair-loss-now-understanding-the-causes-of-hair-loss-reversing-the-process