On the Therapist’s Couch with Nicole

Hello new friends!

My name is Nicole but my friends and family call me Nikki 🙂

I was born and raised in Chicago,Illinois where I grew up watching my mom make a living as a master cosmologist. I mean… I lived in the beauty shop, and oh what FUN it WAS!!!!!! I was born in the 70’s so just imagine all the different styles I saw come and go! LOL!! Watching my mom do what she loved and seeing her do it very well, provoked a love for hair in me. One of the things that I loved about my mom and her gift in doing hair was her LOVE for making sure her clients hair was healthy. I mean, she would analyze their hair to the fullest.

I moved to Alabama in 97( CAN WE SAY CULTURE SHOCK!!!!! – no offense my alabamiam sisters 🙂 and of course growing up around hair, the first thing I noticed was how different the salons were here (and there philosophy on healthy hair). I live in central Alabama and the freeze curling, Pump it Up spritz, different color hair weave,etc. etc., were all the norm. Anyway, I finally found a stylist, who I love, but I noticed that my hair was not in the best of health. Too much color, too much heat, too many nasty products. By no way am I saying that my stylist did not know what she was doing…( well, I guess I am a little bit) its just that here, the focus is on the hair style and not the health of the hair. As you can see from the pic below, my hair was beautiful!!! ahahahaa

So after years of trying to figure out what to do about the health of my hair, a friend of mine suggested going natural. At first I was like, “no way!!” But then it dawned on me.. I would go 6 months or so without a relaxer and I’ll tell you what..my new growth was strong, and very pretty. So it didn’t take very long before I took that big step! I am soo glad I did. I didn’t do the whole big chop thing, but I did let my hair grow out for a while and then decided to cut the relaxer off.. I wore kinky twists and micros FOR A WHILE!! ( my hubbbie grew soo tired of seeing them) hahahha

I loved my twists and braids but I was ready to learn how to style my own hair and take care of it. After spending so many years watching my mom, I wanted to put into practice all that I learned from her. To add, I also enrolled in cosmetology school for a while. Natural hair care is another story, I was told about CurlyNikki.com by a friend who had a link to the blog on her site. I was very encouraged to meet other women who were doing the whole natural thing and was VERY knowledgeable about it! Thank you Nikki..this blog and other member’s posts have helped me to become very comfortable with wearing my fro. 🙂 In the culture we live in today, natural hair is not the way to roll..if you are not a girl with a relaxer then you are looked at as having “nappy” hair..What in the world?! I am so thankful for my husband, he has been very supportive in this. Though at times, when I have been discouraged he has questioned if I should continue, but in it all, he tells me I still look good…

**this is my BIG chop picture..remember I allowed much of my natural hair to grow out first before I cut

My hair has never really effected my self-esteem, BUT I must say, it IS a radical thing to go natural in a culture that says “heck no!” That just means you have to be comfortable and confident in who you are as a woman, and not pay any attention to what others think. At the end of the day, one of the most important things I have learned is, “just do you” I have to do me. I have to do what’s best for my hair. You have to do what’s best for your hair and not try to achieve something that GOD did not give you. My natural hair is so different from my other natural sisters.. I have to be thankful for the lovely locks the good Lord has blessed me with and be comfortable in that. 🙂 I am most thankful for all the healthy hair care knowledge that I am learning or have learned for blogs such as Nikki’s and places such as Nappturality. I just want to encourage you ladies not to compare yourself to others. PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM THIS BONDAGE! Rejoice with those who rejoice over their hair but never compare. Give yourself room to make mistakes with your hair..you and your hair will recover 🙂 Never be ashamed to ask for help…try new things, if it doesn’t give you the same results as others, then just move on with the info you have. I am sure this road of healthier, happier hair is a road we all will travel for a lifetime! Mo hair ladies, Mo hair!!!!!

**Below, my hair is washed with Giovanni Smooth As Silk Deep Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner. I used Jamaican Loc and Twist gel to twist ( which I will never use again, gives great hold for twist but too much petroleum and I personally, like how the unrefined Shea butter works better in hair, plus its healthier! 🙂 )