So, some of us decided to start our natural hair journey with no clue as to how we would maintain the beautiful tresses God gave us. If you decided it was worth a try at least, bravo to you! If you wore your hair relaxed most of your life or chemically treated, getting to know your natural texture can be very intimidating and sometimes draining. Your first thought may be that you can DIY it, that you can reach out to YouTube University, and that you may not need a professional to step in and aid you on your journey. Truth is, the right professional, one that specializes in natural hair care can truly be the gem you need to uncover.

Not all stylists are created equal! In order for a stylist to specialize in anything, it has to be in the majority of what they encounter. What do clients come to them for? In order to find the right stylist for you, research a few on social media and follow them. Let their work speak for them. What do their reviews say? Do they promote hair health or hair styling? What is their client base? Mostly short and relaxed? Mostly wig installs, sew-ins, extensions, with a natural thrown in here and there? Or, is their client base mostly natural hair clients? Those are the stylists you want! Ok, so we have narrowed it down!

The top two issues that my clients encounter are retaining moisture and hair growth. The right professional stylist can help you with necessary hydration treatments and professional trims which are crucial to your hair journey. Trimming your hair at home is not advised for a few reasons. One, you cannot see your complete head as a professional would to see exactly what you are doing. Two, you most likely don’t have professional shears which are required to keep from bending or tearing the hair. A clean, smooth, cut is what you need to keep the split ends from further splitting or breaking. Professional shears can cost as much as $1000 or more so just chew on that for a bit.

Treatments can and should be done at home as well as in the salon. So, what is the difference? A professional stylist should have a wide array of professional treatments for multiple hair types and know exactly what you need. In special circumstances where the stylist cannot help you, he or she should be able to refer you to someone who can. Treating your hair at home should at best consist of a good deep conditioner, shampoo, and leave-in conditioner that are best for your hair porosity and hair type. (I will do another blog post on those topics so stay tuned :-)) These recommendations can also be made by a professional. My advice is that you visit a professional stylist as often as you want but at least 4 times a year with a solid plan for treatments and trims.