Were you a slow transitioner or a Big Chopper & why?
Funny thing is that I was actually kind of talked into transitioning by my father. He would always ask “Why you do put those chemicals in your hair”? This got me thinking why do I get relaxers? This sparked my interest in what relaxers have in them. After doing research I began my natural hair journey in 2008. When I first started to transition I flat ironed my hair to try to blend the two textures. The flat ironing took a toll on my hair, thus generating heat damage. The heat damage set me back about 4 inches. In all, I have been natural for 3 years now.
Had you always embraced your texture?
Unfortunately, no I haven’t always embraced my texture. Before wearing my hair in its natural state, I had this preconceived notion that my hair was going to curl up like other curly heads that I had admired over my transition. It took time for me to learn what my hair needed and what worked for others may or may not work for me. I even tried wearing my hair straight on the first day of school on a hot day, trying to look cute. I later found out that same day that my hair didn’t have time for that and sweated out in seconds. When I got twist outs down pat I knew I was in the money.
How did family and friends react to your decision to go natural? How did they react to the new you? What was your response to them?
My family has always been on board with my decision to go natural. My friends at the time were like “oh that’s nice”. At the time I was the only girl on campus with natural hair. Yes, I did get some negative comments and awkward stares from some random people. My response to them was “I’m just being myself, you should try it”. Now those same people ask me for advice on what products to use.
Describe your hair.
Every time I would get my hair done professionally, I would be told “your hair is so thick”, but later on I realized that my hair is fine with medium porosity. My hair has three different textures in it, so they all have a different reaction to certain products. The nape of my hair is loose curls and hand lower when wet than the rest of my hair. The sides and the crown area of my head has more of a kinky/wavy sort of texture. When I wear wash and gos I would find myself pinning the back of my hair up so that I wouldn’t end up having a mullet.
What’s your current hair routine? How often do you wash, condition, and style? favorite products! Deets!
I wash my hair once a week with Herbal Essence’s Hello Hydration shampoo and deep condition with ORS replenishing pak. I cowash my hair in the middle of the week to bring my hair back to life. I twist my hair with Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie or with Cantu Shea Butter Leave-In Conditioner. To intensify the deep conditioner I may add olive oil, coconut oil, or jojoba oil. To lay my edges down I use Ampro Pro Styl olive oil gel.
How do you maintain your hair at night?
At night I wear a silk bonnet to keep the style looking fresh until morning. To maintain a twistout I retwist my hair with shea butter. My hair isn’t long enough to do a pineapple so, I improvise. When I’m wearing a puff I wrap my hair with a silk scarf to keep my edges down. If I’m wearing it straight I pin curl it so that I don’t have to use a curling iron.
How do you maintain healthy length?
At least four days out of the week I wear my hair in a low manipulation style such as a bun, so I can keep my hands out of my hair. I make sure that I’m not putting too much tension on my edges by limiting tight hairstyles. I trim my hair every 4-6 weeks depending on how my ends look. I try my best to keep my hair moisturized with water-based products so that I keep the breakage away.
What’s the best thing about being curly?
I know this has been said so many times but the best thing about being curly is the versatility. With natural hair you can wear it curly, straight, wavy, loc’d, or even in a fro. The possibilities are endless with natural hair. Since 2008 I haven’t looked back to the relaxer days. My hair is in a much healthier state than it was when I was relaxed.
Where can folks find you on the web?
To see more of my hairstyles you can find me on Instagram–> Hercurlzrbadd
and on YouTube–> Hercurlzrbadd
