Hi Beauties!!
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| Elle Varner: Source |
Today, I was thinking about how on earth did I manage to go natural while in college????? Between classes, organization meetings and social activities the thought of going natural or maintaining natural hair while in school can be very daunting.
But I have news for you curlies! It’s not as bad as it seems. Like everything else in life, it takes time, patience and consistency but you too can go natural while maintaining a busy school schedule. Here are some tips on how I made it through. Hopefully, if you are in this situation these tips can serve as your survival guide to make it through this critical time in your life!
1. If you are in a dorm on campus be sure to get a handy dandy plastic storage unit from your local Target or Walmart. These storage units are relatively inexpensive and have multiple draws for you to store all your natural hair care products in. This will cut down on clutter and keep all things hair in one spot! (Your roommate will thank you later.)
2. Resist the temptation to use heat every day. When I was in undergrad, I straightened my hair the majority of the time because that’s the look I preferred. However, this caused so much heat damage to my hair! If I could go back and do it all over again, I would definitely decrease the amount of heat I applied on a daily basis. It’s easy to plug up the flat iron and get your hair straight, but it’s also easy to do a protective bun and run to the gym or class!
3. Find a local salon that can trim your hair. Just because your in school doesn’t mean that you can forget about your ends!!! Most girls who go away to school are always scared to find a new stylist to touch their hair. I was one of those girls, but I had to over come my fear. At the end of the day it is a risk your taking but your ends will thank you later. My tip is to go to the mall and walk into one of those salons and just request to get your ends trimmed. This can be the one time that you blow your hair out and straighten it before you go to the salon. I would do this if I was in need of a trim badly and it was getting out of control. Most malls in college towns will offer discounts to students who can show their school ID. So, not only are you getting your ends trimmed by professionals but you’re getting it for a great price!
4. Don’t forget about your regimen. While in school, you will get caught up with spontaneous things that aren’t planned, but it’s critical to always try and maintain a regimen for your hair. If you wash, condition and style on Saturday mornings, try to stick to that regimen. It will make for healthier hair.
5. Just remember that your not alone! More and more people are transitioning from permed to natural hair, and I might be biased in my opinion, but I feel like the transition is beginning to start in college. Find a support system and track your journey together. Host your own natural hair meet up on campus or start a natural hair organization on campus! You never know what kind of support you will find.
Curlies, please be mindful that this might not work for everybody. If you are the type to work two jobs, mentor on campus, take 15 credits all while being the president of an organization and trying to have a social life, then your priorities might be a little different than the average student. But if you are willing to take the time to dedicate to styling your natural hair the above tips should work great. If not, remember there is always protective styling such as sew-ins. I am not the biggest proponent of kinky twist, or braids because I feel as though they put too much stress on your already delicate hair. However, if that’s something you have to do to transition because you don’t have the time to dedicate to a stricter regimen then you have to make that personal choice and way the pro’s and cons.
Just know that this is possible. I was more on the busier end of the spectrum, maintaining a job all four years of college as well as participating in numerous on campus organizations, volunteering, traveling, maintaining a social life and staying in the books.
IT IS POSSIBLE!!
Go natural, while in college. I did.
Are you natural in college? Please share your experience below!
xoxo,
