The Struggles of Having Natural Hair in College

Caring for natural already isn’t easy. Now try caring for natural hair as a full time college student. It is almost impossible.

Struggle #1: There is no Time

Between work, school, and my social life, there is just no time for me to take care of my natural hair. Back at home, I am able to dedicate a whole day to washing my hair. That entails prepooing (pre shampooing), the detangling process, the washing process, the conditioning process, the deep conditioning process, the hair treatment process, the moisturizing process, and finally the styling process. I can’t leave my room during any of these processes. And that just won’t cut it at Penn State. There’s so many other things I can accomplish within a whole day. Like homework for example, which takes up most of my time nowadays.

Struggle #2: Lack of Natural Hair Products

I for one am thankful that I do not have to deal with this issue because one, I brought a ton of hair products from home, and two, my wonderful school, Penn State University, to my surprise, actually sells natural hair products in the commons. And even better, I can purchase them with my meal points. Other students however are not so lucky. A lot of schools fail to have natural hair products anywhere on campus. Instead the hair shelves are filled with products containing the dreadful ingredients of sulfates and silicones, which would lead curly strands to the natural hair grave.

Struggle #3 : Parties

I absolute cannot straighten my hair knowing I’m going to a party that weekend. Straightened natural hair in a hot crowd place? It won’t last even a minute before it’s frizzed up and curly again. And no I won’t just straighten it again after the party because then I’d be risking getting heat damage, which is a natural hair no no.

Solution: Protective Styling

Although we may face these struggles, don’t you worry curly girl, protective styling is to the rescue. Defeating the natural hair enemy, which is college, is one of the many reasons I protective style. My hair is actually in braids at this very moment. Along with maintaining healthy hair without doing much to it, protective styling has so many other benefits. I actually wrote another article about protective styling here if you want to check it out –> https://sites.psu.edu/napturally/2018/10/25/protective-styling/

Separator image .

1 Comment

Add Yours
  1. 1
    Bianca Eve Cannata

    Hey Deb,

    I really liked the authenticity of this post. I cannot imagine the stress that comes with an entire day of hair care. I think many people overlook how easy some of us have it. All I have to do is wash my hair and let it air dry and I’m good to go. In terms of protective hair care I really don’t have to do much. I definitely commend your efforts as I could definitely not maintain my hair that frequently. I practically roll out of bed without brushing my hair.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *