5 Things to Know About Styling Natural Hair

Learning to love your natural hair after deciding to give up relaxers can be an emotional journey. Here are five things you need to know about natural hair.

One, be gentle with your trusses. They're delicate. When you're detangling them, guide a wide tooth comb from your ends to the roots. To be even more gentle, loosen tangles or knots with your fingers.

Two, strike that balance between moisture and protein. Moisturizing conditioners and oils keep your hair from getting too dry. And the occasional protein treatment makes a brittle or damaged strand stronger.

Three, use shampoo once a week or every other week. Most days, you can rinse or co-wash instead.

Four, there are two ways to go natural. First, the big chop. You'll be saying see ya to all your relaxed hair, like right now. If you'd rather take things slow, transition to your natural do. Your stylist can trim your treated ends while your curls grow out.

Five, when you decide to go natural, support from your friends and loved ones is huge. For some women, it's more than adjusting to the new look and the tricky hair care rules. It's about powering through a lifetime of messages about how nice hair ought to look. But there's only one person you need to please, yourself. And that's the long and short of it.