What I Learned After 7 Years with Natural Hair

Here are the top 5 lessons I learned after my 7 year natural hair journey.

What is good, it's your girl Joi here. And today, we are talking about five lessons that I've learned after being on my natural hair journey. I've been natural for seven years, actually my whole life per se, but you know, I was getting my hair straight, and I had heat damage. And finally, in about 2012, I went the natural route. And the last time I got my hair screen was in 2013. So I count that as my natural rebirth, the new start of my hair growth journey. So we're going to talk about all those lessons that I learned along the way.

But before we get into those lessons, make sure that you comment down below one lesson you learned on your natural hair journey. I'm going to give you a couple of seconds to make that comment. And while you're down there, make sure you are subscribing to my channel and putting that notification bell on. And while you're leaving that comment, make sure you check out my free hair growth guide. Yes, or freebie for you just for watching my videos. How nice is that? You can get my free hair growth guide to tell you the seven mistakes you might be making while growing your natural hair.

So the first lesson that I've learned on my natural hair journey is patience. If you are a black woman, you learn patience just by having your hair. But the natural hair care journey was such a big test. I had a goal that I wanted to grow my hair as long as it could grow. It takes years for you to grow out your hair. If you're trying to get from the big chop to shoulder length or shoulder length to bra strap length, know that it's not going to happen overnight. I take that fact into account whenever I'm like, "ooh, I want to cut my hair short."

Okay, let's get into the second lesson that I learned: don't compare your hair to other people's. There are so many different factors that can control your hair, like genetics, type, texture, porosity, products you use, and regimens. So much can control what your hair is doing. I was watching twist out videos, and girls had their twist outs coming out juicy. Mine come out juicy too, but theirs was like perfect ringlets. Before they apply any product, their hair is already curly. All they do is get out of the shower. So don't compare yourself to other people. You have to know that your hair is beautiful in its way. Just embrace yours and the most authentic version of yourself.

The third lesson I learned is that it's imperative to learn what your hair likes and does not like. If you find out early on that coconut oil makes your hair flaky or dries up your hair, then stop using it. Hair products are similar to skincare. Some skin care products aren't going to work on your skin, but some are. You might look at somebody and be like, "we have the same type of hair." You probably don't. It just looks the same. So learn what your hair likes and doesn't like and just 10x what it does like.

The fourth lesson I learned is it's essential to make sure you're getting trims on your ends. Make sure that you have no split, heat damage, or permed ends. Cut it all off! You will be so much better off once you cut off the damage. Once you get a trim, your hair looks so much better, and you see the results immediately.

The last lesson, number five, that I learned of being natural for seven years is to have fun and to do what you want. The natural hair community has this idea that everyone's hair goal is to have long hair. That's not every one's hair goal. Some people want healthy hair, blonde hair, a cute style, or a bald head. Everyone's goal is not the same. So therefore, do what you want. YouTubers are getting so much hate if they decide to cut or dye their hair. We are humans who can do what we want with our hair.

So those are the five lessons I learned after being natural for seven years. I hope you guys enjoyed this video, and you check out my new haircare, brand Joiful Bee.