Tamera’s curls- Summer 2011
If you were a child in the 90’s, you probably watched Sister, Sister, and you probably wanted one of three things: a twin sister, a huge hat with a flower pinned to it, or bouncy curly hair.
About two weeks ago I was excited to see Tamera Mowry’s #naturalhair tweets and pics. I managed to catch up with her and get her to spill the deets! Can I just say… she is absolutely amazing. A genuine person with a beautiful soul. I’m proud to know her!
On her hair then…
I was born with very, very curly hair. And as a kid I didn’t know any different. I was just like, okay, this is my hair. I never noticed that other girls had straight or wavy hair, it was just my hair and I liked it.
My mother did our hair until we hit junior high, and it was always so pretty and smooth. She’d comb it and put it in braids every night, and finally, when at 13, she was like, ‘girls, I’m done, you need to learn how to do your own hair’. So that’s when I realized how difficult naturally curly hair could be… getting that balance right is tricky! You can either put too much product in it and weigh it down, or too little and end up with dry hair, and we all know that curly hair needs moisture. It took me a very long time to figure it all out… I’m still trying to figure it all out! But I basically had a pretty solid routine by the time I got to college.
naturally curly on Sister, Sister
On the Sister, Sister days…
While filming Sister, Sister- which stretched from my high school years through college- we were both completely natural. And then came The Phase. Curly hair was associated with ‘cuteness’, while straight, sleek hair was seen as sexy and chic. We bought into this, and started getting blow outs every two weeks. This damaged my hair. Bad. It’s so weird, when I look back on that time and that transition, all I can think is that I should’ve left my hair alone. In the process of straightening it, coloring it, manipulating it… I damaged my curls so bad and now more than anything, all I want is my healthy hair back. I want to be bohemian chic [laughter]. I think naturally curly hair is different… it’s so unique and beautiful in a world where straight hair is king. I really think it helps us stand out.
blowout on Sister, Sister
natural hair in 2006On her hair now…
So blowouts were the staple until 3 years ago when we decided to start wearing weaves to protect our hair from the demands of work. We were doing a lot of filming and weave just made sense. I recently took the weave out and got color and a Brazilian Blowout. The BKT was the biggest mistake of my life. I know there are some girls who love it and tout it as ‘life changing’, but it did absolutely nothing for me. My hair fell out and I’ve basically had to start all over again. It thinned out really bad. That, plus the color… complete disaster. I’m currently transitioning and in the process of completely growing my hair back out. I’ll rock the occasional clip-on if I want some versatility, but I’m really pushing toward totally healthy, natural curls.
Tamera’s curls 2 weeks ago!
On her staple products…
I love Terax Creama Hair Conditioner and the entire Komenuk Bijin
line. These are all sulfate and paraben free products that are helping me pamper my curls.
On her natural hair routine…
I wash my hair with the Komenuk shampoo, condition with the Terax and then rake through a little Karite Anti Frizz Therma Active as a leave-in. That’s pretty much it. I’m doing my best to baby it so it can grow. My hair was almost down to my butt… it was so long, all natural. No extensions, no nothing. You know we get sucked in to what is sexy, what is hot and in the process, we ruin our hair. I recently found your blog through a twitter post and I must say it is amazing. And with me currently learning about my curls and looking for things to help them grow, this is perfect! So yes, I’ll definitely be lurking.
Follow Tamera on twitter @TameraMowrytwo
@ poetic goddess tara shenea,… webcam pics create a mirrored image.
Great interview! But I'm curious to hear if anyone else had noticed that Tamera's facial mole is on the opposite side of her face on the last pic? What do ya'll think that is about?
I just wanted to say this really speaks to me since my hair type is quite similar to Tamera's & I was getting blowouts on the 2 week basis! Someone tried to give a a Brazilian Blowout last week and I'm so glad I told her I'd think about it cause now I will definitely not be getting one!
AAH! I can't believe it! I grew up with Sister Sister. And wanted to be like them.. Great Interview. It's cool hearing about celebrities on a personal level
The part of the show when the the twins entered high school, I always thought they got relaxers since they didn't wear their hair curly anymore. Good to know it was just a blowout =) Great article Nikki!
forgot to add congratulations on your marriage! Best of luck to you and your husband.
Thanks for the interview Nikki. Tamera looks lovely.
Love Tamera and her sister. Great interview.
Wow! I loved their curly hair in the sister, sister days. It's surreal that her and her sister experienced some the same issues with their hair.
The Brazilian Blowout (BB) also made my hair shed in ridiculous amounts. The one good thing that came of it is that it was the final straw that pushed me forward on my natural hair journey. I am still transitioning, so still have some BB ends on there – can't wait until I get them all off. Kudos to Nikki for selecting these great natural hair celebrities/idols who so humbly share their real experiences with us!
Congrats on the recent wedding. You were beautiful!
Go nikki go nikki go! Loving these celebs! Where is Solange at?!
Great interview! I've always adored her hair! Good luck on the "continuation" of your journey!
http://www.youtube.com/user/KinkycurlyTree03
Great interview! So glad she shared her story and routine. ~KF519
Cute little girls then, and beautiful women now. Loved the interview! BTW, congrats Tamera on your recent nuptials, and congrats Tia on the pregnancy!!!!
I've never heard of those products but now I"m headed to find out. Thanks for the interview!
Excellent interview Nikki! She was very down to earth and seems like a nice person. It was cool of her to share about her hair thinning and breaking from the brazilian. I was thinking about getting one at the suggestion of my stylist. Not anymore!
She does look different. But different good! I'm so happy to see her on here. Where's Tia??!!
so excited for this one!
Yay..they are like the black Olson twins..royalty for folks growing up in the 90s
Yeah, I agree with Annie Gracie. I barely recognize her in the latest pic, but its because she looks even more beautiful! If she did have some work done…it was the good kind.
Oh my goodness, yet ANOTHER wonderful celebrity interview. I loved watcing Sister Sister (well any of their shows/movies). Thanks for keeping them coming.
Great interview. But I barely recognized Tamera in her most recent picture. I hope it's just weight loss and not plastic surgery. She looks so different.
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Remember the episode when one twin wanted straight hair? Oh my that was a hilarious episode. But in hindsight, that episode tackled an important issue, one that we see unfolding everyday…to be natural or to be straight!
They were my first hair idols. Glad to see she's doing good.
AWESOME Interview! I'm a huge fan of Tamera and Tia…since Sister Sister!
Reading about Tamera's hair journey was inspiring and informational. Although I've never heard of the products Tamera uses, I am anxious to test them out to see if they work on my curls.
Thanks Nikki for the awesome job you do for women who are embracing and/or learning to embrace their natural curls. I am forever grateful for the advice, information and love you exhibit on every aspect of your site. 🙂
~Kim
Twitter: @kimazille
Greta interview!! I watched Sister Sister everyday after school! I was so sad when I realized they were older than me…I thought we were on the same age! lol
I'm glad she is nursing her hair back to health, it's gorgeous!
Tamera is so cute. I could always tell them apart because of her mole. I'll definitely watch the reality show!
wonderful interview! I love the Mowry twins!
OMG Nikki, how cool! So excited to see Tamera's face. Thanks for sharing.
Tia and Tamera were always (and still are) such beautiful and positive young ladies. All the best in life to them both.
I Grew up watching this show and i loved their curly hair at the time. i am just so excited that she is taking on her journey to be natural once again. i think what she said about being natural sets us apart from the norm is so true. Everyone wants to be like someone else and is afraid to take the plunge and embrace the hair that we were born with curls no matter what the pattern is. it is all good hair because it is healthy! i wish her well and hope she continues to do great things with her career and her hair.
I absolutely LOVE Tia & Tamera. Ever since I was a little girl. This post made my day. 🙂
I loved their hair when they wore it curly on Sister Sister. I must admit though that her and her sister's hair is SO beautiful, it kept me from wanting to see what my hair looked like because, "it couldn't possibly be as cute as theirs." Now that I'm older, I understand that all hair is beautiful and it's all in how you take care of it.
tiannamae.blogspot.com
Beautiful woman! Thanks for keeping it so real with us. YOu probably saved many a heads from the hellacious BKT!
LOVED SISTER SISTER. And, I luved their hair both ways. I understand what she said about how curly = cute & straight = sexy and chic. I guess they wanted a more mature look. But healthy hair overrides cute or sexy. Gotta do what's best for you.
Yeah, unfortunately if you let it, sometimes society can convince you that the things you like are not appealing. I'm not a fan of the Brazilian blow-out either. Her hair looks so pretty! I'm quite sure that within no time she will get her beautiful, curly hair back to her buttocks :).
Dam Nik! So proud of you for getting this interviews! Loved this one, Tamera is so pretty. Sad to hear about her brazilian keratin troubles.
I just saw her recently on Twitter tweet about her beautiful natural curls. Although a young woman when Sister Sister was out, I always liked her & her sister's curls.
Loved how she spoke of "our" & "we." I guess it is a twin thing.
Love those sisters. They exude such genuine spirits. Now onto the actual article…lol…I definitely appreciate her honesty. It shows that even those we think have it all down pact go through their own phases. There should be a "wear your hair in it's natural state day". Can you imagine a day with no chis or blowouts…
Great interview! Her hair is gorgeous. I agree totally with her about the difficulty in finding that balance. This article was right on time. I was actually on the ledge and thinking about a Brazilian Blowout. I have been transitiong for 9 months (had two mini BC's ). I am still learning about my hair and have had a couple of frustrating days recently. I guess that is my "sign" to stay the course and get off the ledge. 🙂
i love her honesty. great interview.
Sister Sister! That was my all time favorite show from the 90s. I can still hear 'ROGER!!!!!' So glad you got to talk to Tamera. Her hair is gorgeous.
Her hair looks beautiful. Such a warm and real spirit.