Be rest assured, this happened to my junior sister too, she kept afro at the cost of tears each time she combs. Her hair was always looking bushy, she decided to apply all those yeye mixture she saw online, the hair went from bad to worse, it was growing fast and was very coarse in fact you could mistake it for a black iron sponge...... Today she's peaceful with here hair relaxed.

And like you said not everything we see people do is meant for us. This doesn't just apply to hairs but to life in general. Everyone is unique and has his own style. I'm glad you didn't continue in that mistake, but choose to cherish your own unique nature. And now you're looking peaceful and still very beautiful.