HELP AND ADVICE NEEDED

ilovecats12

Hello, i’m 16 and around 9 i started getting relaxers, around 10 i stopped and would just go to a hair dresser for a press and curl twice a month. i always had “long” hair for a black girl as black girls would tell me. it was about shoulder length and healthy. Around 14 i got SEVERE heat damage and 9 months ago i made a spontaneous decision to cut off all the heat damage and go natural, leaving me with really really short hair. I have no idea what i’m doing and i’m really uneducated, i’m still natural but i have really bad breakage because all i know how to do is a slick ponytail, and i have heat damage (not as bad as it was before) in the front because of a sewin. i am SICK of my hair, twist outs, braid outs etc don’t work because of the heat damage so i’ve resulted to braided protective styles which result in me spending lots of money i really don’t have. I’m really sad because i thought going natural would help my hair but i’ve hurt it more than ever. Now i’m considering ditching this “natural” phase and getting a relaxer, cutting off the bad breakage and rocking a short bob or cute pixie cut. Please help me i need advice, as dumb as this sounds natural hair is not for me and for the first time in my life my hair is my biggest insecurity.

BrittanyM

Welcome to Naturally Curly! I am so sorry you are having trouble with your hair. I hope others will chime in to give you advice as well. If you are upset with the heat damage, perhaps you could do perm rod sets instead of braid outs or twist outs. I would hope that would give you a more even curl pattern while you transition. Youtube is a tremendous source as well. I had inspiration for treating my hair right from watching a wide range of Youtubers. RisasRizos just posted a video that may help you, and I know she had a lot of heat damage when she first started. Her channel is rather helpful even if you do not have her hair type. Here is the link to her latest video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmY9O6UtIYw
Naptural85 is another good source. She rarely does wash and go's, so she has a lot of videos on different styles (I am super envious of her amazingly thick hair though).
If you are not protein sensitive, you could try protein treatments. Deep condition at least once a week. Once you get past the damage, you may find that your hair is easier to manage and curl the way you want. In the meantime, research the curly girl method. You may not stick with it during your natural hair journey, but it's a good starting place and you can modify what you need to. Hopefully, the "locals" here will give you more places to start so you can be educated and make informed decisions with your hair. I'm sure your hair is not as bad as you perceive it to be, and we are all here to help and support you and respect your decision if you decide to perm it. Best of luck!