On the Couch with Rene Syler

CN: How long have you been natural?
I had been relaxing my hair since I was 16. When I went into TV news, the blow drying and heat several times a day just took its toll. In late ’08, I was hospitalized for asthmatic bronchitis. When I got out, I went right to the hairdresser for a touch up. The next week, my hair was like tissue paper, thin and BROKEN! I transitioned for 3 1/2 months and BC’d on March ’09.

CN: What is your current regimen?
Once a week, I pre-poo with warm Olive oil, usually overnight. The next morning I cleanse with Organic Curl Maintenance Shampoo, a sulfate free shampoo. I follow that with a deep conditioner and then oil my scalp with Jamaican Black Castor Oil. In the evening I moisturize and seal and then place a plastic bag over my head. I baggy probably 5-7 nights a week. In the morning I co wash with VO5 conditioner and use Hair Rules in the shower for curl definition. I sit under the dryer or loosely blow out my hair on the low, cool setting.

CN: How do you maintain length? Moisture?
The baggying at night has done wonders for me in retaining moisture and length. I carry in my little make up kit, a travel size moisturizer that I apply once or twice a day while I’m on the run.

CN: How do you protect your curls at night?
I sleep on a satin pillow case and use a satin scarf over the plastic bag. Whenever I rollover I make a crunching noise. My poor husband..

CN: What would you tell a new natural, or transitioning diva?
BE PATIENT! I was so impatient when I first BC’d, all I thought about was hair, hair growth, hair length, hair everything. When I finally stopped paying so much attention to it (still caring for it but not obsessing) it started to grow. Remember that old adage ” a watched pot never boils?” A watched hair follicle will take it’s sweet time!

CN: What’s the best thing about being naturally glamorous?
I love my hair because I feel like it suits my personality. Wild and unpredictable just like my curls. They are visually interesting and I look unlike anyone else walking down the street. I have not had one bad hair day since going natural because I feel like I am more accepting of it when it decides to do it’s own thing. Oh yeah, and it’s SUPER EASY!

CN: Anything else you want to add?
This is a lifetime journey/commitment. If you are good to your hair, it will return the favor. I never knew my hair could be this long and strong. But after I stopped beating the heck out of it with heat and chemicals, it began to show me real love and shows no signs of slowing down 🙂

**Check out René’s successful book- Good-Enough Mother: The Perfectly Imperfect Book of Parenting

**Check out her blog- http://goodenoughmother2.blogspot.com/