Natural in the City With Kasalina

On her hair regimen…
My hair routine is pretty straightforward– I use 2 products everyday. I apply Olive Oil Organics Smooth-and-Hold Pudding to my roots after showering, and then Miss Jessie’s Curly Pudding (which is a bit stickier) on the ends. I always air dry; I’m kind of a tomboy, I wouldn’t know
how to use a blow dryer if I tried! I shampoo and condition every 3 days or so, using Olive Oil Organic’s shampoo and conditioner. Trust me, the conditioner is AMAZING!

On the best thing about being natural…
The best thing about going natural is that it’s really easy, and that suits my lifestyle. There’s a certain amount of politics there, too. I think it’s a great accomplishment that Black women can
comfortably wear their hair the way it grows out of their head, and still be stylish, professional-looking, and chic. As my mother and older women in my family tell me, I couldn’t walk into a job interview or a meeting looking like I do 10 years ago! So it makes me very happy and proud that attitudes have changed (not only in the eyes of corporate America, but in our own eyes as well).

On Salons…
There are 2 salons that I’ve gone to pretty religiously that are excellent with natural hair. The first is Hair Fashions East, on 26th and Park Avenue South in Manhattan. They’re a bit on the expensive side, but they really know how to cut and style curly hair with a lot of volume. The other salon, which I go to when I’m just getting a trim or a deep conditioner, is called Mo’hair on 13th st. between 1st and 2nd ave. They’re very affordable, and their stylists are really, really kind and knowledgeable.