This hair journey of mine started in December of 2010 (left, my mom making me take a photoshoot with my “new hair”). That was the first time I got a relaxer. I hated the sunflower treatments my mom would give me and just wanted something different. Relaxers were super popular at that time and my mom and I decided that it was time for me to get a relaxer. From that point, I just found it easier to keep doing relaxers. It was easy for me to do my hair and it was always straight. The one thing I hated about getting relaxers was that I would always get scabs on my head because I would be scratching my hair like crazy the day before, but I would put up with it because of the end results. I liked having my hair straight even when it was wet. It was a hassle having to get it done every 6 weeks though.
I didn’t really think about having my hair naturally curly until I turned 14. That was when I really missed having my curls. At that time, Brazilian Keratin Treatments were beginning to make their way into the hair salons. I decided to get that instead of the super harsh relaxer treatment. I was told that I could keep my natural curls. In 2016, we moved to Portugal, where I found out that there was actually more than one hair treatment that used Keratin. It was also explained to me that, to my dismay, the treatment I was getting was progressively straightening my hair, hence the name “Progresiva” in Portuguese. I wanted to keep all of my curls! So I decided instead to just get a defrizzing treatment. To this day I still get defrizzing treatments every once in a while, but my hair is its beautiful, curly mess.
How do you take care of your hair?
I’m still trying to figure out which products work best for my hair. I’ve tried many, many products. It’s trial and error. I have curly type 3C/4A. I have 3C in the front or my head and 4A in the middle and back of my head.
While in the States, I use products from brands like Aunt Jackie’s, Shea Moisture, Creme of Nature, and Cantu. I’m trying different lines of these products to see which ones I like the most (any recommendations? It them in the comments!). I use this website to order some of my products. They ship all over the US.
While in Europe, I like to use a brand called Novex by Embelleze. They are a Brazilian hair care brand with an extensive amount of products for curly hair (all types of curls). While this brand is available in the US, I find it to be a bit expensive. I can get it cheaper here at the store I go to for my hair supplies. If you wan to try it, I totally recommend the regular My Curls line, the Coconut Oil line, and the Afro Hair line.
Also posted on my family’s blog: http://velozneedgreaters.com/
JustMari's Adventures 