Jade’s Naturally Glamorous!

When did you decide to go natural? Why? Did you big chop or transition?
My mom hated my hair when I was a child because it wouldn’t grow. So, at
4 years old, she gave me a relaxer. She thought it’d help my hair
grow…NOT! Lol. In February 2009, my first boyfriend and first love
committed suicide, and I went through a long phase of depression and
guilt. At the time, I was wearing my hair in a short, relaxed pixie cut,
but I hadn’t had a relaxer for about two months. I remember staring at
myself in the mirror and asking myself, “Who is this girl in the
mirror?” I think in that moment, I’d realized that so many people are
confined by what they should do or how they should look. I wanted to be
happy with the person I saw in the mirror.

I walked out of that bathroom–my friend sitting in the living
room– with no hair. The first reaction I got into NaturalHairDom was,
“Uh, so have you ever heard the T.I. album when Mike Epps says his
girlfriend’s hair looks like a dirty tennis ball?”…I cried.  I
also began to collect a lot of kufi caps and beanies to match my
outfits. I wore hats for a year straight until I gained some length. The biggest insecurities came
with friends and family asking why I had cut my hair or telling me how
pretty I was before I’d cut it. Especially my mom. Because she’s
biracial, she had and still has this idea of “good hair” to which my
hair doesn’t fulfill.

I had to learn to accept and embrace my texture–as everyone should.
 

What is your current regimen? 
I’m a law student on a TIGHT budget, so I do everything I can to keep it
in the best condition possible for the LEAST amount of money!

Mostly, I wear my hair in a flexi-rod set with a few clip in
extensions for extra “fro” volume. When my hair isn’t in a protective
style flexi-rod set, I co-wash every
two days with Herbal Essence Hydralicious or Suave Almond &
Shea Butter. I deep condition with Organic Root Stimulator Hair
Mayonnaise because I’m too busy to even attempt to concoct my own
protein powered deep conditioners.

I do pretty intense work outs
everyday, so I try to use products that have a natural scent like shea
butter. I’ve been using Cantu Shea Butter leave-in conditioner since my
BC.

Describe your hair-
My hair is so confused! Haha. The top half of my head is a 4a and a
little 4b, and absolutely refuses to give me as much curl as my 3C hair
in the back. I love living in LA because my biggest enemy isn’t
humidity, but wind — I can deal with that! Since my hair is so resilient
in the top, I love, love, love wearing flexi-rod sets. It’s about the
only style I’m good at, but it’s very time consuming. I use tiny pieces
of hair for each rod so my hair will look more curly and last longer.

What do you love about your natural hair?
I love the
reaction I get from people that are not familiar with natural hair. This
week I interviewed for the Miss California USA pageant and I
went in rocking my fro and curls. Major ‘mess up’ or major ‘luck up’?
The
recruiters loved my look, but the inevitable, “Do you ever
straighten your hair?” followed their ooo’s and ahhh’s. After the interview, I was invited to compete in the Miss California
USA pageant as a contestant. Although it wasn’t blatantly put out
there, I’m more than positive my recruiter and pageant coach will want
my hair fried, dyed, and laid to the side on pageant day. And, I will
acquiesce…MAYBE.

I love the ability to change whenever I get
bored with a style without it having to be drastic. I’m one of those
women that changes her hair with her mood. In the past, I would cut,
color, and style my hair whenever I looked too average. There’s never average
with curly hair. One week I’ll have a head full of flexi curls, the
next I’ll braid in long “Poetic Justice Braids,” and the next I will
straighten it.

What have you learned throughout your journey? Advice for others?
I’ve
definitely learned that people are either going to love your hair or
hate your hair, but what matters most is whether you’re happy with your
hair. I encourage anyone that believes natural hair is the journey for
them.

My advice: It takes a lot of support to get through any journey. In
natural hair specifically, there’s so much love and support in the
natural hair community. You have friends that understand you all over
the web (blogs, websites, YouTube, etc.) Take advantage of it and when
you find your hair niche, pay it forward by educating and supporting the
next Natural Woman.

Where can we find you on the web?
Well, I’m currently competing for the title of Miss California USA 2013 and I am welcoming support of every kind!

My twitter and facebook pages @Jade4MissCAUSA  &  facebook.com/JadeDavisforMissCAUSA2013  are dedicated to my belief/interests (natural hair care is one of them), my platform, and my sponsors.

I can be contacted at my contestant email  JadeDavisforMissCAUSA@gmail.com for any other questions or information.

Anything else you’d like to share??!
Now is a better time than
any for me to become a positive role model for the state of California. I
have an amazing platform for my Miss California USA 2013 campaign built
around advocating and empowering abused and neglected juveniles. Every
41 seconds a child is confirmed as maltreated, and every six hours a
child is killed by abuse or neglect.–Everyone deserves a VOICE!

Currently, I am in the process of gaining sponsorship
for my campaign and partnering with a foundation in California that
provides abused and abandoned children an alternative method of therapy through music and the arts.
I will be donating a portion of my sponsorship to this foundation to
help their Arts Enrichment Program. Please contact me for more
information.