Who am I?

Before we get started, let me give you a brief introduction about myself. My name is Aurane and I am a 23-year-old student living in Belgium. Before, I never thought of letting my natural hair out as I didn’t think that was a possibility. There wasn’t much representation at the time let alone products that were geared towards type 4 hair. Often times I wished that I didn’t always have to put my hair in a protective and I could just have long hair however that wasn’t the reality.

The only time my hair was worn out, was in order to wash my hair and then I was on to the next hair style. Other times it would be to relax my hair. I never thought it was even a possibility for natural hair to be worn in its natural state. I always thought our hair simply wasn’t meant for that. Looking back that was quite ignorant of me. Not only that but, my hair never grew past shoulder length and I assumed that was it for us black ladies with type 4 hair. You can only imagine my surprise when stumbling on beautiful young ladies with long and beautiful natural hair. That was the beginning to my natural hair journey and where it all started for me.

My natural hair journey

When it comes to my hair journey, I must be honest, unlike most people I do not remember when exactly I went natural. I won’t be able to tell you a specific date like the 4th of march 2011 for example, however If I had to take a guess, I believe I started my natural hair journey back in 2014 around February. I became obsessed with natural hair when I saw many hair guru’s with long hair and that was honestly one of the main reasons I got into “the natural hair movement.” I know right, how shallow of me.

I would watch videos on a daily basis, and would look up all the products that they used. It did not take me long to decide to cut of my relaxed hair and to embrace my natural hair. I wish I had more pictures to share of my short hair and I also wish I owned a better phone back then,my apologies in advance for the back to 2014 android low quality picture. Anyways, I loved the short hair. It was so easy to manage when it was not in a protective hairstyle, and it looked cute.

Fast forward to 2021 and believe it or not, my hair has not reached floor length, no not even bra strap length. I feel like I have been stuck at the same length for over 4 years now and was ready to give up. My hair never looked as shiny, full, bouncy or long as the online influencers and on top of that my hair never felt properly moisturized despite the different products I tried… sigh.

A fresh start

In October 2021 I was ready to cut it all off and decided to get my hair professionally cut. As tired as I was about my natural hair being stuck at shoulder length and the amount of time that goes into it, I was not fully done yet. As much as I hated to admit it to myself and much as I kept telling myself that I am so done with my hair, I knew that deep down I did not mean it.

That is why I decided to take up a new hair journey where I experiment with new hair products and tools. I know I am not the only person that may be going through a dip when it comes to their hair. I felt that me sharing my journey, experiences, challenges, reviews, and suggestions would be of value to other women who  are going through the same thing. Not only for those who may be struggling with their hair journey but also for those who may just enjoy the process and discover new things.

Why I started It’s Coily?

The representation of my hair

Before even starting my natural hair journey, many of the women that I saw had a looser hair texture. They had defined, loose and long curls and as a result I became obsessed with having that type of hair. Whether I want to admit it or not, I can be honest and say that back then I wanted nothing more than that their hair. I began to think that if I transitioned to my natural hair, a loose texture would be waiting for me. The issue with this is, that it will create disappointment when someone ends up not having the hair texture they wanted. I’ve learned the importance of embracing and accepting yourself in every aspect of life, including hair.

Being so young and ignorant I didn’t know any better and I didn’t bother to learn more about type 4 hair. All I saw was that one type of hair texture was being more praised and shown than other hair types. Tighter hair textures were not represented as much back then. Even though representation of natural hair has improved a lot over the past years, I wanted to contribute. I wanted to create an inclusive space where type 4 hair is put on the forefront.

Struggling with my natural hair

Another reason I created this platform is because I wanted to educate and help fellow ladies who are struggling with their hair. I would like to explain that by educating, I mean to share my own experiences along with relevant topic that could benefit anyone who needs it. This is something that I personally haven’t found for myself. I often times feel alone on that matter of struggling to grow and take care of natural hair.

This is because the people that I look up to may also have struggles with their hair but, they may not always express that to their audience. I’m not talking about a hiccup along the way, I’m talking about a state where things are not moving as they should or as you would like things to go. Those that I do encounter, often times just touch on it for a little bit or have already moved past that stage.

Of course, that is not the case for everybody but for majority of the influencers/personalities that I have followed, everything seemed to always be a  smooth ride and they had everything going well. In my case things seemed to go well for a while until I got stuck and in all honestly a little lazy. I was so discouraged because I was doing all the “right” things but got no results.

If you look at the blue print for girls that are at my stage of their hair journey, I’m not there. I’m aware that there’s no such thing as a blue print because everyone is different but if there was, I’m not there.

Not everyone may have the same goal in mind but somehow I feel that, the length of my hair doesn’t reflect the years that I’ve been natural . The health of your natural hair is important and as a result the length should follow, right? After all, no one would like to have long but unhealthy hair.

What can you expect from It’s Coily?

You can expect an authentic natural hair journey where every success and fail is documented and shared. I’m looking forward to sharing products reviews for natural hair as well as tools, new hairstyles and techniques. Another thing that you will be able to find here is product recommendations and interesting topics related to natural hair.

I am excited for this journey to healthier type 4 hair and I would be lying if I left out longer hair. I hope you are ready to join and share your journey with me as well. I also hope to read your stories and advice that we can all learn from. So tell me, what are some of the hair struggles you are dealing with and what do you want to do about it?

“I’ve learned to embrace the good and bad of my natural hair journey.”