2020 Natural Hair Challenge. I Hope You Can Breathe Under Water.

Ladies, it is time to show the unbiased ones how long, beautiful and yes MAGICAL our hair really is. 

If you have been scrolling through Instagram this past week then you have seen the posts of black women leaning their heads back and fully immersing their hair in water to show the length of their hair. One guy even said that “Black Women Are Magical”. I totally agree. Now as Black women (or men who have long and curly hair) you know that our hair length is very much deceiving. When someone who doesn’t have curly hair like ours goes to style it before wetting or straightening it they automatically think that it is much shorter than it really is. Even I surprise myself when I do a monthly length check. For those that don’t know why this happens, allow me to explain. 

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7,701 Likes, 65 Comments - TRISH EMPIRE (@trish_ua) on Instagram: "Hey Queens, I heard black mermaids are beautiful 😍... follow @trish_ua . . . . . . . #teamnatural..."

The hair of a lot of Black women specifically those who are of an Afro descent have hair that contains a very tight curl pattern. The curls can come in different types of shapes and patterns. The most common patterns that I see and have styled before are either “Z, S or infinity shaped” and resemble tight coils aka springs that extend outward or loose spirals that hang vertically. A lot of brands specifically Shea Moisture does a great job at providing a chart for individuals who want to identify their curl pattern and of course use their products to complement that very same pattern. Take a quick glance. 

Photo Credit: Shea Moisture

Now as you can see, the tighter the curl, the more moisture is needed. The looser the curl the less moisture is needed. Tight curls patterns happen to be the hair type that needs a lot of moisture in order to penetrate the innermost layer of the hair strand aka the cuticle. Take a mental note of this and also remember that the goal is not to only coat the outer layer of the hair strand (like making it shine) but to really moisturize it inside and outside. Let’s not forget that these types of curl patterns also lack hydration. Water helps with hydration to keep hair from being brittle and not soft to the touch. Moisture from oils and creams will keep the hair from breaking all the while allowing it to grow longer and stronger. Therefore both water and moisture are needed to keep our kinkiest of curls to more loose curl types healthy, long, and strong.
Here’s another inspo for you too!

✨💫Black woman embrace your blackness. You are magical 🤩✨ . . Follow @islandblackgirl . . Credit:@arlene_fuerte #kinkyhair #braidout #naturalhairsistas #amazingnaturalhair #naturalhairdaily_ #naturalhairstyling #braids #twistout #protectivestylesfornaturalhair #4chairstyles #discoverafrica #blackbabies #blackman #blackwomen .⁣ .⁣ #blackpeople #melanin #blackdads #blackhistory #blacklove #blackwomen #blackculture #africanamerican #blackisbeautiful #blackpride #blackwoman #blackunity #blackweddings #blackfamilygoals #blackmoms #blackfamily

1,847 Likes, 21 Comments - 🇯🇲 Natural Hair Page 🇯🇲 (@islandblackgirl) on Instagram: "✨💫Black woman embrace your blackness. You are magical 🤩✨ . . Follow @islandblackgirl . ...."

Are you down for a new 2020 Natural Hair Challenge? Go ahead and immerse your head in the water and show how MAGICAL your natural hair really is. Don’t forget to tag us when you do!