Keshia Knight Pulliam, aka Rudy Huxtable of the groundbreaking sitcom ‘The Cosby Show’, is On The Couch! Save for the poofy twists and braids she rocked in the ‘80s, I’ve only seen her in straight styles, and naturally assumed she was relaxed. She dished on her favorite products, her straightening routine, and how she came to embrace her curls.
CN: Word on the street is that you’re natural. Is this true?
KNP: I am natural and have been my entire life, except for a short time in college, when I experimented with a perm. I have always had lots of long, thick hair. Everyone remembers me from ‘The Cosby Show’, with my big, puffy braids. Sometimes I look back and think, “y’all did me so dirty…you didn’t even blow dry my hair right… just slapped it back!” [Laughter] It was funny because I had never embraced the fact that my hair was very, very curly. Whenever they’d style it on set, they’d brush through it and pull it back. And every one knows if your goal is to keep your curls, you never ever brush or comb through them! Frizz city. That’s why my hair was always so big.
It was like a whole new world for me the first time I got my hair really straight. I think I was 13 years old and had never been introduced to the pressing comb. I loved it. At that time, I didn’t like wearing my hair curly. I grew up in the ‘80s when the Jheri Curl was king. So I would get teased a lot because my hair was ringlety curly and really dark, jet black. Even now, on ‘The House of Payne’, Lance will tease me when I’m washing my hair, saying, ‘uh oh, Jheri Curl in full effect!’ So I had this whole complex around that, and never wanted to wear my naturally curly texture.
But as I got older and went to college, things changed. There is nothing like that Atlanta heat! My freshmen year at Spelman, I lived in Apex and we didn’t have any AC. I would straighten my hair and wake up the next morning to a sweated out mess.
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I can totally relate. It was the NC heat and humidity that helped me put down the flat iron. It’ll force you to embrace your curls!
Yes! It’ll make you love your natural look. I had no choice! So, I started wearing my curls because I was just tired of fighting. So even now, when I’m not working, and I’m at home, my hair is curly 90% of the time. And there has definitely been a learning curve. I’ve had to take the time to try different products and styles. Every girl who wears her hair natural knows that it is truly trial and error. Trying different things, different products… Should I blot dry now? Should I comb through the conditioner in the shower?… Should I style it dry?… You have to figure out what works best for your hair and stick with it.
What are your curly hairstyle staples?
My curly hairstyles. It’s funny though because I usually don’t wear it out and curly- my favorite style is a free-formed bun. I wear it like that a lot. Or, I’ll put a headband scarf on to hold back my edges and wear it out from there. I don’t like to wash it everyday and maintaining moisture is very important, so I’ll usually wear it out the first day, and then pull it up into a funny little bun the next few days. Then I’ll wash it again. I usually find that when I deep condition (and put on a cap), the curls have more elasticity and remain defined longer.
Do you ever wear twist or braid-outs?
No I don’t, because that’s more work. Isn’t that horrible?! Plus, my curl is defined without having to twist. I’m fine with it. I just wash, towel dry, apply some leave-in, and keep it moving.
What products are you using?
Pantene makes my favorite shampoo and conditioner. They work really well with my hair- I just pick up whatever bottles of Pantene are on sale at Tarjay. No real preference. I also like Kim Kimble’s products. She has a Deep Conditioning Honey Oatmeal Shampoo and Conditioner. Love, love that line. I’ll leave a little Pantene conditioner on and I’ll put the Honey Oatmeal Conditioner on top of that, and sit under my heat cap for like 30 minutes while I watch TV or get on the computer. Then I’ll rinse it out and apply a little bit of KMS’ Bounce Back… it works really well. I have sensitive skin and have to avoid greasy, heavy products, or my face will break out. I like Bounce Back because it’s light and it holds the curl without making it hard or crunchy. Sometimes I’ll add a little bit of JAM to smooth my edges… that’s old school.
You frequently wear your hair straight. Do you style it yourself? How do you protect your curls?I do my own hair most of the time, unless I’m working. What I do is wash and condition it, detangling my hair in the shower while the conditioner is still in, and then rinse it out completely. I think a lot of the problems people have is that they don’t rinse their hair good enough… but if you can run your hair across it and it squeaks… literally… then it’s clean. I then blot dry with a towel until the majority of the moisture is gone. Next, I divide my hair in sections and lightly blow dry with an air concentrator attachment and a brush. Finally, I apply a little Aveda Brilliant Emollient Gloss as I flat iron it. That’s all I do. I’ve learned that less is more- – it keeps my skin clear and the overall result is much sleeker.
Another thing to be mindful of is how often you’re heat styling. I don’t put a lot of heat on my hair. Once I wash it and flat iron it, I rarely touch up. I don’t flat iron it again until I wash it again. As I’ve gotten older, I believe the heat has tamed my curl a little.
What is your nighttime routine? How do you preserve your curly or straight styles?
I usually wrap my hair at night when it’s straight, to keep it smooth. The next morning, all I have to do is brush it down and keep it moving. My hair gets greasy fast, so by day 4, it’s ponytail time! I usually have to wash every 5-7 days because my hair is very oily.
When I’m wearing it curly, I’ll throw a scarf around it to help my edges lay down, so I don’t wake up with my hair all over the place.
What is the best thing about being curly?
I think the best thing about being natural is the versatility. You can achieve so many beautiful and different styles. Although not every natural has healthy hair, I do feel that avoiding harsh chemicals promotes healthier hair. You can do more with it because it’s less fragile.
Tell us about your current or upcoming projects!
‘Tyler Perry’s House of Pain’! They picked us up again and we’re in the process of shooting 41 episodes. The first one should premier very soon, they’re playing reruns right now, gearing up. Check us out at 9pm on TBS.
Is there anything you’d like to say to the CN.com community?
I’d like to say that I’m really happy that CurlyNikki.com exists because so many little girls only know what they see on TV. They don’t realize how beautiful their hair is. I think by showing and being role models to young girls, it will allow them to embrace their curls, and embrace themselves, much, much sooner than women like you and me. They need to realize that we’re all different, but it’s all beautiful. There is no one way or one thing that is more beautiful than the other.
damn ur hot u look like a white woman! super hot girl u go girl heyyyyyyyyyy u girl go wit ur da bad self holla at a thug here!
Great interview! Her hair is healthy and beautiful! What a lovely woman she has grown into.
Here in lies the problem with the natural community… every head of hair is different. What works for you will not work for everyone. Find what works for you and go with it. I do not understand why everyone who is natural has to "define" the curl type & pattern. When people ask what my hair type is I tell them "the healthy type" and keep it moving. it's not that serious, stop being the hair police!
Love her hair period! and these kind of weird bringing someone down with very little facts is why I had to start my own hair group and can't stand my local large one, natural nazis thinking they know whats best for EVERYONES hair was killing me, folks hair can "look" the same but it doesn't mean it will actually respond the same, even when you use the same things. Folks need to focus on how they want "THEIR" hair to look, everyone who is natural may not want the curly fro or ringlets or anything like that, maybe they just wanted that perm chemical to stop seeping into their brains and making us stupid and crazy LOL that is my only goal with no perm the rest I want my hair to look how (I) think looks best on me, what I like and as long as it's not a chemical that can get into my brain or body I'll use any methods to make my hair look how (I) want it.
note to everyone. Everyone does not want long hair. why does the length matter??? everyone does not look good with long hair
I had puffy hair when I was a kid and when I started soing my own hair realized it was curly. FYI go and look at pics of Mariah Carey and Alicia keys when they were young and you will see the same puffy hair. When combed curls turn into a huge cloud! Do your research before you run your mouth because not knowing what your talking about makes you sound stupid.
she says her curl pattern has loosened as she got older and most likely it was a result of the heat. it doesn't mean she has a texturizer.
I am so happy that I don't hate myself like so many of the females on this blog. This is disgraceful. The same women posting and answering themselves to make a point that KKP does NOT have Type 3 hair. What can be done to make you all feel better about yourselves? Stop asking those of us who are comfy in our own hair/skin to downplay ourselves because you are dealing with self-hate issues. Find some love or please stay the h311 off the Internet. There are too many pretty/happy people on there for you to obsess over.
We don't believe you. You need more people.
That was awsome!! I enjoyed hearing her natural hair story. Each of our journey's is different and how we handle them is unique. Her hair is beautiful and she is too. Excellent blog!!
I was about to say that Keisha is lying about her texture in that picture, when I realized that we black people have a full range of hair textures.
Some very dark skinned folks have a looser curl or wavy curl pattern, and some lighter skinned folks have a tight curly spiral pattern.
We are just so uninformed about our different patterns, and still we identify straighter with whiteness. Dont we know that there are some nappy kinky haired white girls walking around here?
Dont we remember that wavy haired dark skin girl from grade school that we knew? We need to know more about ourselves because we are self ignorant.
Im just sayin', don't kill me.
This is a sadinterview. I feel sorry for her nt being able to accept her natural self. If you want to alter your natural texute,that's fine but feeling the need to be dishonest about it is pathetic. I guess we haven't as far as some of us would like to believe in the so called "natural'" community. CN should not have posted this interview with this un-natural woman.
I am NOT hating just stating my opinion. My hair is 3c/4a and it is 16 inches long. I have no reason to hate on any sister b/c we are all beautiful including Keisha…she just aint natural. She has beautiful processed hair.
These posts are so crazy and a turnoff for me even visiting this site. Some things never change. Some black women insist on scrutinizing black women with long/curly hair. My hair texture was EXACTLY like Rudy's as a child. Now, at 35, it looks EXACTLY like Rudy's curly picture. I have NO chemicals. When you brush curls out and don't moisturize them… it is easy for them to look like Rudy's childhood hair. Didn't even know my hair was curly until I was an adult and started using different products & styling techniques. Now my hair is about 6 inches past my bra strap- very long.
Some people can't seem to understand/believe our texture hair (particularly on a dark skinned woman like Rudy or myself). I am not mixed, nor am I Indian. I do not have a texturizer. I don't obsess about my hair, use special products, twists, or anything of the sort. In fact, I barely do anything to it- I just live life… my hair does not define me.
Some of the rest of you who are on here obsessing about others' hair may want to do the same. This just the same old-school, hair-obsessed baggage playing out in a different way.
"@Anon 6:33."Mind your own damn business." What exactly is the Comment section, for, if we aren't supposed to concern ourselves w/ what KKP says?
Are we supposed to talk about random unrelated topics? lol.
Ok, I'll start. I went to school today. I took a nap too."
Had to comment after that. THAT was hilarious.
There's three totally separate issues here:
One is the specific (and apparently MUCH debated) issue as to what qualifies as natural hair.
Another is what exactly Curly Nikki is "supposed" to be promoting on this site.
A third is, as I quoted above, people's overreaction to disagreement. Don't think so? Just take a look up there at All-Caps-Anonymous, "bitter black women". LOL (Guess it never occurred to that person that not every person with curly hair or frequenting CN is actually Black.)
As the person I quoted pointed out, what exactly is the site for if not to discuss what's put up on it. Or, are people only allowed to comment on things if they're "being positive"?? Cheerleaders only then? Hmm.
I agree that positivity is essential for collective esteem, but blind devotion on every little thing is phony.
I dislike trolling as much as the next person, but disagreeing isn't trolling or hating. If people really want to promote solidarity and support in the Natural Hair Club, you can start by not immediately labeling every person who points out something they consider inconsistent as spiteful villain.
Granted, it's not always what you say, but how you say it. Some people just are ugly. LOL All day long.
As far as hair in GENERAL goes, I can't give a rat's @ss if KKP used heat, texturized, or poured a bucket of magic poo poo over her head and rinsed with holy water, her hair is f-ing gorgeous and I love it.
On the issue of hair on Curly Nikki, SPECIFICALLY…Personally I thought it was a forum for acknowledging and supporting the beauty of natural hair. Mainly. So I can understand if people get annoyed if those who aren't natural are given a spotlight. (Or suspected to not be natural) That's not cool.
Rudy is lying. She may have had "natural hair", but it's so obvious she has a perm now. Her hair straightened looks chemically processed, not straightened by a hot comb, or blow dryer, and even her natural photo looks like a person with curly hair, who has a perm, and the hair curled up when it got wet. Not like "natural" curly hair.
Thanks CN and Keisha for taking time out to do an interview for the sole purpose of educating those that don't know or lack knowledge; which is evident by all the comments posted regardless if they were negative or positive. Voicing your opinion is one thing but deliberatly calling someone a liar is another. No two people are alike which entails hair as well as several other factors. One thing that sticks out is how people are so quick to become offensive and or argumentitive when someone is willing to provide insight about themselves to educate or enlighten. Prejudice and the unwillingness to accept differences is tangible because of individuals whom deliberately assume they know everything. It would be different if she hadn't did an interview and one just assumed that her hair was this and or that. However, she did provide her regimen and the accusitions about her falsifying her true "hair type" is what makes it appear to be hate, or negativity or down right jealousy. I agree with those that said "bitter black women" just because someone is different from you and you can't see how it was this way when it was that way years ago…blah blah blah doesn't mean it's not so. Educate yourselves prior to assuming and try being opinionated without belittling others!
Did anyone see the Wendy William's interview yesterday? What's with the, "Thanks God for good flat-irons" comment? I hate to see other "naturals" bashing unstraightened hair.
Gorgeous Dawwlling….just divine 😉
Have always loved her and her hair! She is gorgeous and very down to earth too. My neighbor and both of her daughters have similar long thick hair that "bushes" when dry brushed but is more wavy than curly when washed and go'ed. They also happen to be brown skinned as well. That is just to say that its probably not safe to assume you know what a person's hair is like just because you have seen it styled a certain way…
If you look at the website www.tightlycurly.com your questions would be answered on how a person can appear to have big, fluffy hair when it's comb out (even if it's a 3c) and when not manipalated, have tightly coil or loose curls. Keysha said just that: When she was growing up before us on the cosby show, they combed her hair out. But now she does not touch it after she puts her leave in, and behold curls and waves. It's not a secret, ask any curly who is honest. Many can wake up in the morning with matted, tangled and fluffy hair if not protected but after it's washed and conditioned curls,curls and more curls…
Also, i know many naturals who are dark who has waves, curls, and lots of hair as well as naturals who are light and have beautiful (4) fro's.
Jarvis- I accept everyone who is true to themselves. I do not embrace untruths when it comes to self-acceptance!! IS it truly acceptance when it isn't true? She didn't say her hair was heat trained. She said it was always this way but not cared for properly on the Cosby show. That is clearly NOT true. My daughter has knee-length silky hair and I love my coils as much as her waves. Peace.
Whaaaaaa….!!! She heat trains her hair!!! Waaaaaaaa…!!!…seriously people? Do we really care?
@Anonymous If you've ever used a Farouk CHI flat iron it wouldnt be so unbelievable to you. kinky CAN look silky straight after you've applied heat, but again everyone is different, not everyone has kinky hair. LOVE the hair on YOUR head truly so that it will not inhibit you from embracing others' true self.
Jarvis- You are right!! It is unbelievable! Why did she think we would believe she went front kinky to nearly silky straight naturally? We need to learn to embrace our true selves. Kinky is BEAUTIFUL!!! We don't think any higher of you if your curls are looser.
Wow, this is unbelieveable. why does one have to be so overly skeptical about what one says about their hair. we are all different and we cannot limit ourselves to hair "types" they can and do change. like KKP I have been natural since DAY ONE. I never had relaxer, perm or any texturizer applied to my hair. over the years my hair has become much more manageable, and my curls have become much more defined and sleeker. Now whether that was due to my occasional blow drying it, pressing or flat ironing, or just the natural "evolution" of my hair the fact is i am as natural today at 25 as i was at 10 or 4. This natural hair snobbery is ridiculous, once you put a chemical on your head consistantly it does not just alter your hair it alters your scalp and the cells in the skin beneath your scalp even if you chop off your hair your hair will NOT grow back the same texture it grew before it was chemically altered and SO WHAT?!?! IT'S YOUR HAIR. We all can agree on the basics of what natural means no weave, perm, relaxer or texturizer point blank period. If you want to delve deeper into "heat tamed/damage" then dig deeper into using product in your hair to define kinks into coils. we need to just be easy and live, do whats best for your hair that makes YOU happy which includes not making you feel like you have to invalidate someone elses naturalness;) #THATISALL
She must think we were born yesterday if she believes we think this is the same head of hair she had on the Cosby show. Y'all can see this silky texture would not poof up like her hair was back then. If she wasn't a celeb, y'all would be calling her out too. It's sad that still so many of us still can't embrace what God gave us. Her "real" texture is so beautiful too!
SHE HAS ALWAYS HAD BEAUTIFUL HAIR. DO YOU ALL REMEMBER THE COSBY SHOW. HER HAIR WAS ALL THE WAY DOWN HER BACK WHEN SHE WAS A LITTLE GIRL. SHE HAD A LOT OF NATURAL HAIR THEN, SO WHY DONT YOU BELIEVE HER NOW!
In complete agreement with Kimmie0810 and Sky!! Couldn't of been said any better.
What's the difference between heat "trained" hair and "training" with braid outs, twist outs, etc? Over time, both can change the natural curl pattern.
Does it really make a difference?
I doubt anyone here is trying to "tear her down" per se, she is a gorgeous and talented lady, but:
Type 3???
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://images22.fotki.com/v811/photos/3/31573/211946/RudyHuxtable-vi.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.longhaircareforum.com/hair-care-tips-product-review-discussion/464028-what-difference-between-3c-4a-hair-3.html&usg=__ESu7QmmKIHXkiGHDvbSEGOm0Ado=&h=500&w=408&sz=56&hl=en&start=87&sig2=wmYVfFx4L0c4Bd47YMwKSQ&zoom=1&tbnid=24Gtr4ui-WAF7M:&tbnh=146&tbnw=119&ei=p0VUTYfOFIHGgAfJ68nKCQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Drudy%2Bhuxtable%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1259%26bih%3D602%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=948&vpy=258&dur=530&hovh=249&hovw=203&tx=101&ty=152&oei=iEVUTZ3GOcPSgQePoej8CA&esq=5&page=5&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:13,s:87
again.. Type 3???
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://wandaphullworld.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/keshia-knight.jpg&imgrefurl=http://wandaphullworld.com/page/219/%3Farchives-list%26archives-type%3Dmonths&usg=__25eVgn5mT5ZWYRG45SJAytWmdmI=&h=1378&w=2130&sz=268&hl=en&start=129&sig2=xsjhofPBH3sODRtKX2ppmw&zoom=1&tbnid=zfGVatB0UozbYM:&tbnh=135&tbnw=174&ei=vEVUTZieBcrKgQelyeT4CA&prev=/images%3Fq%3Drudy%2Bhuxtable%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1259%26bih%3D602%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=125&oei=iEVUTZ3GOcPSgQePoej8CA&esq=7&page=7&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:129&tx=94&ty=76
or check out the kitchens (yes i said "kitchens") in the back –
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://smartsexyrichcrazy.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/keshia-knight-as-lil-rudy.jpg&imgrefurl=http://smartsexyrichcrazy.com/category/keisha-knight-pulliam/&usg=__uG5Xn9PeMtnAjmtTsi7Ur2AObjw=&h=120&w=160&sz=9&hl=en&start=25&sig2=Vef_yIZA1EfZW69YAb2eag&zoom=1&tbnid=9FAswBywCd_M_M:&tbnh=96&tbnw=128&ei=lkVUTdfLH8augQeoudC6CQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Drudy%2Bhuxtable%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1259%26bih%3D602%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=0&oei=iEVUTZ3GOcPSgQePoej8CA&esq=2&page=2&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:25&tx=97&ty=45
Keisha is a beautiful woman with beautiful hair. Its sad that some people can't celebrate the beauty of another black woman without trying to tear her down.
Has anyone tried any of the hair products she mentioned in the interview (Kim Kimble)??
Excellent post Nikki!!!
Keshia has to have the easiest, best regime out there. That's my motto! I can't deal with products on top of products. I wouldn't have guessed that she had a perm for a while. Great interview!
@ Jas- "Is it a bit misleading though to people looking to her hair and her hair story for insight? Potentially."
Exactly, I think this is what the commotion is all about. Unlike Teri from tightlycurly/biracialcurls.com, KKP's hair was natural then AND natural now. People are responding to the stark change in appearance (from type 4 to 3a/b) and feel as though an important part of the story was either minimized or excluded entirely. I think she's had quite a bit of heat training, personally (which she briefly mentions). But, her hair still looks FAB…just as it did when she was Rudy!
Great interview! Her hair is so beautiful and I love her simple regimen.
STOP HATING, HATERSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
all Im gonna say is how would all of you nay sayers who keep saying "her hair does not look the same as it did when she was litte" I do not ever remember not once on the cosby show was her hair wet and in its natural curly state. it was ALWAYS blowed out or combed out and stretched so how would you guys know what her natural curly hair texture ever was? my hair look totally different when its stretched or combed out vs when its wet. i have 3c hair and when its stretched or banded or in an afro it looks totally different. So just stop it!
Ok,yes hair texture can "change" as we get older, but what is really this "change"? I think this change comes chiefly from newer, better products, gentler, curl-defining techniques, and better hair care in general. Lets be honest with ourselves here, if any of us were to guess what Rudy Huxtable's hair type was 97% of us would have said 4a/4b. The picture she has above shows the texture that of a 2B/3A!!! C'mon people!Do those limp curls look like they have the potential to be the full, fluffy-coarse bush she used to rock back in the day?! No they dont. Now Im not for sure saying she blatantly LIED about having a texturizer but its one of two things.
1. She has a texturizer and left that part out or..
2. He has EXTENSIVE heat trained/damage to the point that her hair has considerably change
I mean c'mon her hair is like straight in the front.
"Heat training/damage can have the appearance of a texturizer if you do it long enough."
^^
Yeah, I've been there…currently recovering.
Does that reflect on Keisha as a person? No, not really. I've heard from acquaintances that she's a lovely person.
Is it a bit misleading though to people looking to her hair and her hair story for insight? Potentially.
I can really relate to the bit about the Southern heat and humidity making you embrace your curls though. Coming from Chicago I was NOT ready.
@mizzsandra at Feb. 8,2011 11:54pm
Hum someone needs to learn proper english, ebonics is not going to cut it sweety. No one is stating anything about good or bad hair, we love her hair "KKP" and the interview that CN has done. That site "BHM" is good but will put folks on blast, sometimes you have to keep it real but don't hurt folks to the extreme.
Shaking my head. Crabs in a barrell. Anyway, Keisha and her hair look beautiful.
Go figure! I didn't know she was still natural! Her curls are pretty.
FIRST OF ALL CANDICENICOLE DONT BE TALMBOUT BHM WITCHO BOUGIE AZZ!!!!! U BRAWDS JUST MAD CUZ SHE GOT GOOD HAIR
this is why we can't have nice things…
I dont get the big deal either way…shrug. I think heat trained but I'm not ringing an alarm or anything. I always thought she was a cutie pie.
I CONCUR anonymous 2:38! Nikki & Keisha thanks for not responsing to this nonsense! You two are too Classy and have too many Important things to do then to participate in less worthy causes!
This was meant to be something Beautiful and some of you ladies have managed to turn it into something Ugly! Personally, I'm dissappointed in this thread.
Keisha all this is saying is that you got it going on!!!and some of these women can't seem to handle that! The proof is in the numbers, including my post! I think your FAB!;)
I just want to say that I think Keisha is one of the most beautiful Actresses around. Love her face, her smile, her hair and her personality. I was so happy to see the interview and thank Nikki for doing it. Thanks Keisha for sharing your story and thanks to Nikki & Keisha both for not responding to the nonsense…….so not worth it!
Wow this is really blowing everything out of order with the interview of KKP. It's like everyone needs to get in the matching ring and fight it out. Come on people its just hair and how you treat it does affect how it will grow out. I think Keisha has done alot of good things to her hair and it has not stopped her hair from growing. What does it matter if she straightens,flat-irons, or blow-dries her hair. It's not as though alot of us ladies don't do the same thing to our hair. Sometimes doing these will help in the stretching of the hair and also to keep the SSK at bay. So it doesn't matter what she does to her because it's her hair and that's her money that's taking care of it. So people can gripe about this and that of whether she is natural or her hair type is blah this and that. But at the end of the day it's about her and she is happy and enjoying her life and making that money.
Thanks Curly Nikki!!
I was pleasantly surprised to see this interview from Keisha. I always loved her hair.
I must say despite this being a forum where everyone is allowed to express their opinions (positive and negative) I agree with the commenters on how sad it is to read these negative comments. Its just hair and more importantly it's Keisha's hair. Her hair doesn't affect anyone other than her and what she does with it is her business.
Live and let live!
Jas
Hi SKY, this dosen't surprise me at all that people aren't aware of beautiful curls that are hidden under dried puffed out hair. Most people assume because they see a Fro, Puff, or no immediate shine that these textures couldn't exist.
What they don't understand is that just like a lot of us who needed to find out what worked and didn't to bring out the full potential of our hair, they had to learn too! It all boils down to the fact that people are misinformed or just don't know any better and resort to assumtions or sterotypes, it's typical. I have ten malatto cousins in my family and while most of them have curl patterns in the C family; their hair, if combed out or dried out looks like Huge Afro's, Puffs,etc,like most people of hispanic origin. there are lots of other races that experience the same thing with their hair (i.e. Hispanics, Jews,Cape Verdians,Brazilians,Dominicans,Panamanians,Hunduranians,the list goes on!) I know, I grew up with them!
love that my soror is embracing her natural hair. she is truly a beautiful icon!
missdeeplyrooted.blogspot.com
To me natural = without chemicals including heat trained. Whatever she is doing her hair looks great. I see this fitting in much more than the Regina King interview since Regina is using chemicals (I still love you Regina your body is HAWT!).
However, I have to agree with another anonymous that pointed out that people can't disagree anymore without being called a hater, being a crab, being insecure, and a whole host of other projections. Come on folks, they are called opinions. Everybody has them. Stop piling on with all these accusations. I read someone actually attributes natural hair division to type 4's ???? – that in itself was a divisive statement.
Please stop.
It's sheer craziness.
Smh at these comments. Some people on these nets are sooo brutal.
@Kimmie0810
Kimmie0810 said..
I really don't care about anyone's hair but my own. I disagree with people who say hair texture doesn't/can't change over time. My hair is fine, think 3c hair. I envy people with thick hair. Then the other day, my cousin posted a pic of me at 7yrs old on FB. I was shocked at how thick my (twisted) ponytails were. My hair looked thick and fluffy–almost like "Rudy" but not nearly as big. I had no curl (I have a head full of corkscrews and spirals now) and barely a wave and it's because my mother brushed the hell out of my DRY hair to get it into those 2 ponytails. My hair in that pic looks NOTHING like it does now.
So really nobody can say for certain that this woman is a liar; or determine how or why her hair looks diffent than it did as a child.
Everyone can voice their opinion, but to try and state facts when talking about someone you don't even know is presumptuous.
——————————————————-
Very well said kimmie08010 I couldn't have said it better.
For many of us, you can have the most tiniest ringlets, bouncy curly spirals, spinning waves etc etc and the moment you comb or brush it out completely you will see nothing else but a big, frizz, puff ball. Try shampooing your hair and after detangling and conditioning rinse out all the conditioner completely, then leave it to air dry with little to no leave-in conditioner. Then on top of that after it has dried, try combing it out or fluff it up, it will have that huge, puffy blow dried look like keshia(rudy) did as a child. That is exactly how my mother use to comb my hair. She combed it only in its driest state. Looking at couple of my childhood photos compared to others you would not think I had any type of curl pattern.
Another example is Teri from tightlycurly.com. She explained how her mother did not understand how to care for her hair and so all they did was unknowingly abuse it. Her before photos and her hair today, you wont believe it. I was amazed to say the least. And to prove that her hair was not chemically treated in anyway she combed out one of her spiral curls and voila!!! Frizzy, puffy hair. That is beauty of natural hair! It's versatility. So don't be so quick to judge, you just never know….
Here is the link to teri's before and after photos http://www.tightlycurly.com/photos/photohistory/
even kisha says she thinks heat has "tamed her curl a little"
The front of her hair is basically straight.
People compared her hair to terri's. Terri's hair is tigheter curls, nos traight areas, and is only elongated by length. If she combed her hair out today, it would be just as puffy as her childhood pictures.
However, I don't see the big deal. She probably did not do this purposely. We don't look at nikki like she's crazy for praising the benifits of henna stretching her curl on purpose, so why bash kisha for accidently getting heat damage when she didn't know any better?
I have to say that I am in disappointed by all of the negative comments that I've read. We have to do better than this ladies. Who cares what Ms. Pulliam has or has not done with her hair. She is gorgeous! I am thrilled to read that she is doing so well. Too many young actors and actresses have grown up and ended up on drugs or in porn. This is a young, beautiful, educated woman and all we can do is talk about whether or not her hair has changed texture! Come on now…
Heat trained or not, KKP's hair has always been "fiyah."
And who says heat trained hair is not "natural"? For most folks who aren't natural nazis, natural means no chemicals. Now if someone said "natural textured" then there could be a debate.
To love others we have to love ourself! How can we rejoice with our sister of their victories and successes if we aren't happy with we our lot in life?
We need to be more secure about who we are then the hating will not rear up its ugly head!!!
We don't know KNP so we can't just accuse her of lying etc…. *sigh*
Great interview,i guess this really is the therapist couch as deep issued are being unveiled by people's comments.This should be an opprtunity to check yourself if your hating or suspicious why? Dig until you know why then you will have nice things to say afterwards.
I really don't care about anyone's hair but my own. I disagree with people who say hair texture doesn't/can't change over time. My hair is fine, think 3c hair. I envy people with thick hair. Then the other day, my cousin posted a pic of me at 7yrs old on FB. I was shocked at how thick my (twisted) ponytails were. My hair looked thick and fluffy–almost like "Rudy" but not nearly as big. I had no curl (I have a head full of corkscrews and spirals now) and barely a wave and it's because my mother brushed the hell out of my DRY hair to get it into those 2 ponytails. My hair in that pic looks NOTHING like it does now.
So really nobody can say for certain that this woman is a liar; or determine how or why her hair looks diffent than it did as a child.
Everyone can voice their opinion, but to try and state facts when talking about someone you don't even know is presumptuous.
As someone who is constantly questioned about whether or not I have a texturizer, all I can say is yes, it is completely possible that her childhood hair texture changed as she got older. Along with constant heat usage, her curls could have definitely loosened up over time. Plus she said so herself "As I’ve gotten older, I believe the heat has tamed my curl a little."
My hair was straight 4b with some 4a growing up. And it's not just because they used fine toothed combs and hair grease, even when my hair was washed there would be minimal curl definition when it was wet.
Now even my own mom asks if I texturized my hair, or what product am I using to make my hair so curly. Added to the fact that I have only used heat twice since I've been natural (6 months between each time), I can totally see how KNP hair is not texturized.
Plus what does she gain by lying? And what do we gain by arguing over it? At the end of the day she has her hair and we have our own. There are more important things that need our attention.
Unbelievable!!! I bet the only ones doubting Keisha's hair texture are the 4's. I doubt there are any 3's doubting her because many of us had hair just like that growing up…
It's the negative comments that kept us "thinking" we had "bad" hair.
4's: why do you always find a way to divide us and then blame it on everyone else? Your hair is beautiful!
Thanks Nikki for a wonderful, wonderful interview. I always knew Keisha's hair was so beautiful way back then and down to today 🙂
wow! I love these comments!
thought-provoking at it's best!
i saw this post yesterday and thought "that's nice KNP is natural".
well, today i am thinking and looking at her hair thinking "i am leaning more with whoever says there is some type of somethin' in her hair…not buying the natural story"
and guess what…neither opinion has changed my life in any way.
with that said, an opinion is just that…an opinion…and i am lovin' all the ones shared.
another new thought…"why i got to be a hater because i don't agree with you!"
love it ladies!
keep commenting!!!
And everyone talking about crabs in a barrel. CN has spotlighted a ton of "Naturally Glam Hair Idols" who have been dark skinned with long beautiful hair, and no one was questioning their interviews. And really, we heard nothing but praise.
Chime comes to mind:
http://www.curlynikki.com/2009/10/chime-naturally-glam-hair-idol.html
or
NaturallyCurlyEnnovy:
http://www.curlynikki.com/2009/06/naturallycurlyennovy-naturally-glam.html
(or simply just click the Natural Glam Hair Idol tag)
This is how people try and indoctrinate other people into believing something. If you question anything, something is wrong with you. You back up your ideas w/ support. People want to ignore that and call you a crab in a barrel.
Disagreeing w/ what you consider the "truth" doesn't make one a crab in a barrel or bitter.
Do you know how many chemicals we inhale on a daily basis. When we clean alone, we inhale a heap of chemicals (bleach, ammonia, etc). Is anyone getting rid of those things? (Well,actually some of us are, but for the most part people keep cleaning w/ the stuff)
And if there's no research that says otherwise (not to say that I know for a fact this is true),why are we to assume it's bad for us? I mean, do we do that with anything else? Do we assume the radiation our television gives off is bad for us? Why aren't we assuming the lotion we use on our skin and the hair products we use are all bad for us, and stop using them?
crabs . . . barrel
Great score Nikki! I don't know what the fuss is with Keisha's hair. Heat trained or not, it's on her head not yours or mine!
Great interview Nikki, keep them coming!
wow the comment section is full of negative energy…when i was younger, every1 compared my hair to rudy huxtable's because it was thick and poofy and long…my mom always blew out or brushed my hair out and occasionally pressed it, and most of the time put it in braids, so i never knew my hair was curly(probably because it was damaged/not properly moisturized)…ffwd to present day i'm natural with a much looser curl 3c-3b-4a, and i never use heat or color my hair. i'm not mixed, and i'm dark skinned like keshia. curl patterns can also change with age, and the heat has probably loosened her hair a little, but i believe her hair was still in the 3 range to begin with. why would she lie about a texturizer? its not like she contacted nikki like "omg i have good hair, look at my loose curls and i dont even have a relaxer, feature me on your blog!" nikki contacted her, and if KKP wasn't natural, i'm sure she would have just declined or informed nik that she was relaxed…i've always loved her hair from the cosby show up until now…
I loved the interview. And it's great to find out that KKP is a natural.
On another note I think it's ludacris that people thinks that she is lying about her hair (i.e., that she has a texturizer). It's hypocritical to call her dishonest when you yourself do not KNOW unless of course you're friends with KKP and KNOW WITH CERTAINTY what exactly she doesn with her hair. It's all speculation.
It may hard for some to believe but there are African-Americans who naturally have looser curls. (All you have to do is look at most of our ancestry when Mista slept with slave women as one source.) And because KKP states that she straightens her hair it VERY reasonable to conclude that her looser curls are due to heat styling NOT a texturzier.
Someone please explain to me when giving your opinion became hating. It seems like that is the general "go to" answer when you say something that someone else doesn't agree with. The fact is, Keisha's hair is beautiful, but it's also heat trained/damaged. Keisha herself admitted that it doesn't curl up as it did when she was younger. Mine didn't either when my hair was damamged/trained. I too was a natural that straightened and my hair use to look similar to the one pictured. Game recognizes game.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't rememeber reading one comment where someone said she wasn't a beautiful girl OR that her hair was ugly.Therefore, I don't get why people are getting upset like someone just said something about their mother. Trust me, talking about KNP's hair is not going to destroy the black community. LOL
@NikNak
Heat may be viewed as unhealthy for the hair, fine, but relaxers are chemicals that can be not only unhealthy for your hair but also for your overall health. You are inhaling the chemicals as it is being applied. Just because there haven't been any recalls or research done on what effects inhaling relaxers can cause doesn't mean you should turn a blind eye to it. So trying to compare relaxing to straightening using heat is like comparing an apple to a grain of rice.
This interview was great and I love Keisha's personality and aura not to mention her hair.
Why is it important to call someone out for their dishonesty?
I don’t know about you, but when I read an interview, I’m hoping for honesty. If Keshia said in the interview “I only use juices and berries to straighten my hair” you’d be like “WTF?!?!” You are right in that I wouldn't dare call out anyone as a liar if I was having a normal face-to-face conversation with them and heard some untruth. But a conversation and an interview are very different. I'm a 1000% sure that if you went into a job interview and told some obvious untruth, that interviewer would be discussing it with his/her colleagues afterwards, outside of your presence. If someone posts an interview, isn't it expected that discussion about the interview would ensue, which includes how believable the responses are?
And to the person who said maybe her hair texture has changed over the years. While some people’s hair texture will change well after their infant stages, for the most part I think we can safely assume that at 11/12 years old your hair texture is about where it’s going to be at. Not to say that while it is the same texture, it can’t achieve different looks, e.g., the “puffy” look you spoke of having as a child, I’m sure you could easily achieve today if you put a fine-toothed comb or brush to your head and only used that hair grease that our parents always used.
And aside from all that, doesn't KKP's curls in the second picture just look unnatural? I've seen all types/textures of and that hair simply looks like the result of chemical/heat treatment. I never doubted she had some type of curls, and probably looser than 4a, but those cirls don't seem to be them.Whatever, though.
Now the more difficult question someone else posed is how is heat training/treating/damaging one’s hair any different than using henna to loosen the curl. To put it simply, I don’t know. But then that brings me to my point which is “What is natural hair, anyway?”
If the only limitation is using a hair relaxer, then when they start marketing a pill that will change the way our hair grows (which is in the works), can we still consider that hair “natural?”
What is the principle behind the concept of “being natural?” If people are heat straightening their hair, or any form of curl loosening, and they do it as religiously as relaxing their hair every 6-8 weeks, why is that somehow better than using a relaxer, especially when those methods often lead to permanently straightened/loosened hair? In those scenarios, it kind of makes it all seem like semantics. Honestly, for many people a relaxer does less damage than heat straightening their hair everyday, so why the bias against hair relaxers?
If I assume the principle behind the concept of “being natural” is to embrace the way our hair grows without trying to make it something that it isn’t, then all of this seems counterproductive. But again, I say I don’t know what being natural means to everyone.
I’m only sharing my thoughts, and would love to hear other people's ideas on this "natural" concept.
Her curles where combed out on the Cosby Show, therefore, one could'nt determine her curl type.
Her hair is obviously heat damaged (strecthed curls with very little shrinkage) Her curl length is almost identical to her straighted length. Image what her length looked like thermally straighten during her Rudy days. It is a lot shorter now. Maybe due to the "heat training."
I can identify heat damage on African American natural hair when I see it. I transitioned for two years. The first year, I flat ironed every two weeks; the second year no heat (once I heard about possible heat damage). 2 1/2 years later, I have beautiful curls. I just couldn't understand why some areas would wave up instead of curl up. I was sure that I got rod of all the relaxed ends. May I have several textures, I though to my self. My hair is approx. 14 inches long stretched. Why is it that from 3-6 inches of my ends are less curly than the part growing from my scalp. HEAT DAMAGE! That from flat ironing 26 times 365 days! I never got it bone straight. Imagine KNP flat ironing every week!
Yes her hair is beautiful and natural, but it is not her natural grown texture. Her curls has been stretched from heat. When I first saw her on House of Payne, I was shocked by the length she lost. Ladies the is what "heat trained" hair does in the long-run.
Great interview Nikki! Keshia you are stunning, forget the haters.
First, thanks CN for the interview! I enjoyed reading it.
Second, I think it is so very unproductive to even question this lady's hair. If she says it's her natural hair- so be it.
How much more disrespectful can we be to each other? CN has created a forum for us to share information, tips, trials and tribulations as we go on this natural hair journed together, and in my opinion, it is so very disrespectful to take her blog and use it to spew the foulness I have read here. There is no right or wrong way to be natural. To each her own–RESPECT THAT and stop the negativity, please.
Thanks CN for the wonderful interview with Keisha, and thanks for all the hard work you put into this blog! Please keep the great interviews coming.
Great Interview Nikki! I love KNP and her hair was and is still beautiful.
Well I for one don't mind sharing my opinion. [Some of] y'all can hide behind anonymity if you want to, but you know that a lot of the featured celebs read these comments right? Well, how would you feel if some of these accusations of falsehood were directed toward you? If you want to ask Keshia if her hair is really natural, why don't you just ask instead of speculating and arguing as though she will never read this? Just curious…
Really!? Come on people. Stop! Dang.
Thank you CurlyNikki and KKP for taking the time to give us this interview.
i don't mean to sound crass when i say this… but some of you need to stfu w/ telling grown women how to feel about her hair… if you disagree that it looks texturized or heat trained or whatever, then you disagree. why are trying to stop others from voicing their opinion?
i like her hair btw… heat trained/texturized or not.
It's not about who is celebrity or who is not. It's just about common courtesy to *anyone* being interviewed here. Again, do you feel the need to call out EVERYONE you meet face to face when you *suspect* he or she is not telling the truth? And it is just your hunch or guess. Nobody can say for 100 percent sure what someone else does to his/her hair.
I guess some expect the readers to all just smile and act oblivious to certain things because a post is about a celebrity.
Perhaps then, the comments should be closed for celebrity interviews if folks think a celebrity is above reproach/discussion.
Why is it so important to "call somebody out" or call him/her a liar or dishonest? I doubt any of the folks so intent on calling someone a liar would do so to the interview subject's face or in front of an audience or crowd of people. But it's way too easy to do here on a blog.
I find it interesting that the rudeness comes from people telling others to stop "hating".
Wow! Whatever happened to positivity? It just annoys me- all this debate over who can call themselves natural and who can't.
And to the individual who made the comment about how she can't have the texture she has now because her hair was puffy as a child, I think you're mistaken. Could her hair be heat trained? Sure. But that could also be her natural texture. Look at Terri's childhood hair pics from biracialhair.org (I think she renamed the website). Her hair was super puffy!
My hair was super puffy as a child and my mom was super shocked to discover that I had a head full of curls and ringlets when I went natural. Shoot, I was surprised myself- always had my hair combed out and brushed as a child and then of course permed.
The point of this being- don't make random assumptions about other people, and certainly don't presume to be all knowing (sabi sabi). It just doesn't come across well at all…. quite frankly it reeks of ignorance.
LOL @ NikNak (6:51)
But, I definitely agree. Her hair is either heat-trained (inadvertently or not) or texturized… period. Let's not act as though her glorious, natural blowouts from the '80s/'90s were identical to Tatyana Ali's from Fresh Prince (who also had beautiful hair). I am in no way taking away from her hair now. It looks great! But, that is clearly not her unadulterated texture. And given that we ALL saw her every Thursday night at 8pm (for 8 yrs), I'm a little surprised that she wouldn't mention that as a footnote.
Wow. Some people really have issues. The rudeness displayed here is really a trip. SMH
Keishia is a lovely woman. Her hair looks healthy and beautiful. Thank you Nikki and Keishia for the great interview.
@Anon 6:33."Mind your own damn business." What exactly is the Comment section, for, if we aren't supposed to concern ourselves w/ what KKP says?
Are we supposed to talk about random unrelated topics? lol.
Ok, I'll start. I went to school today. I took a nap too.
Very true…I think it's funny that people want to equate calling someone out with "hating."
So if Pamela Anderson says that she's never had plastic surgery and we call BS, are we hating? Many people alter their bodies and hair and lie about it.
Look, I've known women who had weaves who would fight you that they were their real hair, and I've also known people who used texturizers secretly and would crow loudly about having "good" hair.
As much as black women whine about not being accepted for having a certain kind of hair, it's funny that they find it beyond belief that some people feel the need to pretend that their hair is something that it is not.
People who have issues sometimes do lie.
I don't know if KKP is lying or not, but the hair in the 2nd picture does not look like the hair she had growing up. Sorry, but it doesn't.
She might have heat damaged hair from years of straightening, but it's funny how everyone wants to claim all of these people as having natural hair even though I'm sure that there are others who are exaggerating as well.
Celebrities lie all the time about plastic surgery for example, so why is it so implausible that someone might lie about hair?
And why is it so important to you all that you can "claim" a celebrity or former celebrity as one of your own?
I don't need to feel validated with my choice by pretending that any famous women have made the same one.
I don't need to believe everyone who wants to claim to have never had a relaxer or a weave.
Why do you?
Hair can change through damage, through chemicals, and in older women, it can change a bit from hormonal changes.
And why is everyone's hair called "curls" now? Not everyone has curls. My hair looked like Rudy's (then NOT now), and I would be loathe to say that I have "curly" hair. I wouldn't say that what she had back then was curly either. YMMV, but to me, curly hair is more curly than frizzy when it dries with little effort, and not from texturizers or heat training.
lol… what is the difference with her "heat training" and others who use henna to "loosen" their hair texture? ummhh… people you do you and mind your damn business.
O-M-G, how does one trying to put two and two together, make her bitter?
If you've ever watched The Cosby Show, you'd know what type of hair texture you were accustomed to seeing. Even if the curls were combed out to make it look like a frizzy blow out.
I'm not saying Ms. Pulliam is pulling a "publicity stunt" as I believe CN approached her for the interview. But it is definitely plausible, given our history and issues w/ Black hair and the concept of "good hair," that a Black woman would lie about her hair texture. Especially, since she wasn't approached.
Again, there are plenty of ways to be natural you can rock your hair curly, be a straight natural, etc. not everybody take the same journey and to me heat gets a bad rap. KKP is beautiful and so is her hair, I always had a feeling she was natural just wasn't sure of her texture
And honestly, it is very plausible that she uses a texturizer and lies about it. I know plenty of people who lie about not texturizing their hair to give the impression they have "good" hair. I don't see why Keyshia would be above that.
Although, it is also very plausible that her hair maintains that texture b/c she has applied so much heat to it over the years that it has permanent heat damage.
Either way, not sure why CN would choose someone who isn't EVER embracing her "curls" (former Rudy curls).
THE PROBLEM IS THAT HERE WE HAVE A BEAUTIFUL DARK SKIN BLACK WOMAN WHO OBVIOUSLY HAS AND ALWAYS HAD GORGEOUS HAIR, AND YALL IGNORANT BLACK WOMEN DONT WANT TO BELIEVE IT! YES DARK SKIN WOMEN CAN HAVE SOFT LONG NATURAL CURLY HAIR. HER HAIR HAS ALWAYS BEEN EXTREMELY GORGEOUS. SHE IS BEAUTIFUL SO STOP HATING, BITTER BLACK WOMEN!
Still confused about how her hair is "natural" if it doesn't even go back to its original curl, and thus she can never wear her natural curl, until she cuts it off.
Beautiful woman! Beautiful hair! Wonderful actress!
Love it!
Good luck & keep it up Keshia!
Anon 4:34
Amen to your words! Thank you and all the others who are calling out on the hate.
Be careful, I got ripped for referring to "us" and " we, as a people". Some misguided person blamed me for trying to speak for others. Some of us are so dysfunctional in our own lives that we thrive on negativity. It is truly sad.
I think her hair looks great! I think the looser texture of her curls looks nice on her. I keep going back and forth about heat training my hair. I'm thinking I will go for it, but probably after I see what my unaltered texture is truly like when I big chop.
Keshia you are GORGEOUS! I was always so jealous of your beautiful hair when you were young, and I was was young watching. Thank you for sharing your routine! Beautiful hair!
Anonymous 3:40 That's what I'm talking about!To all the Hater's please "Keep it Movin" with the negetive comments! I guarantee you, Keisha doesn't need any approval from any of you,trust!like one of the above comments stated, we as black females need to get our shizz together and stop tearing each other down all the Darn time! What's wrong with us? Do we really hate one another that bad? If we can't love ourselves, how in the world can we exspect anyone else too??? IT'S HIGH TIME WE WAKE UP LADIES!
Uhm I though natural hair referred to not having a relaxer….why does all the other stuff matter. You people tickle me thinking you know it all. Why can't we just say the girl has beautiful hair and keep it pushing?
All my life i've been compared to KKP lol! Its nice to hear that she rocks curls too! Good Interview CN!
I agree with anonymous above. my hair has changed over the years too, from heat, color, and probably hormones.
I have to disagree with all of these negative comments that Keisha is BS'ing. I also had big puffy hair and wore it in the same styles as 'Rudy' when I was young. Now at 27, after years of blow-drying/flat-ironing my hair straight religiously every two weeks, my curls also look like Keisha's- no texturizer/relaxer! I personally think it's a combination of the years of heat and just age. My hair looks more like my mother's the older I get, and she also had thick puffy hair as a child. Let's stay positive people!
is Erika Alexander next, Nik?
I had no idea that Keyshia was wearing her natural hair. I remember her from the Coby show and her hair was beautiful then and it is beautiful now. I love watching her on The House of Payne. I watch it all the time to see what hairstyles and clothing she is rocking and Nikki I am soo glad that you got a chance to interview her because she has inspired me more to continue my natural hair journey and I am sure that she will inspire soo many others. Pretty soon we will have a lot of new natural hair little girls and women and we will owe it all to you Nikki because you put in a lot of time and are so informative on this website and to get all these big celebrity naturals involved; way to go Nikki! as for any negative comments about Keyshia, you all need to stop hating on a beautiful, successful, role model who cared enough to share her hair experiences to inform other naturals. I am sure like many
of you during the time of the cosby show there was hardly if any information out there about the upkeep on natural hair and that is why there is probably a difference in Keyshia's hair texture. There is henna as well as other product knowledge today. Black women need to stop hating on each other and show love for one another and try to see the good in each other instead of downing each other because that is why there is soo much hate in our race for other sisters. What someone needs to do is start a blog that helps black women develop more love for other sisters, by saying positive things to them, teaching them how to develop a love for our culture etc. because we will never be able to get along with each other until we stop all this negativity.
We have to remember that each person's hair journey is a personal experience. We are in the fortunate position that people (famous or not) have chosen to share their stories with us. It would be wise to take from the stories what we want/need and make an effort not to shoot the person down in any way because they didn't even have to tell us anything. I definitely don't feel that her hair care choices are for me (just as I don't agree with plenty of other hair care choices that I read about) but I am grateful that she has chosen to share her story with us.
The second photo is clearly damp heat straightened hair.
Awesome interview, once again. 🙂 Miss Keshia is gorgeous, inside and out.
Regarding the metaphor thing i understand its a figure of speech although it is still.People have the freedom to say it if its offensive. Just my two pence. I live in the Uk so i guess that metaphor hasn't crossed the channel.
I think Keshias hair is beautiful and should be celebrated.
Heat training/damage can have the appearance of a texturizer if you do it long enough.
Keep it positive guys! Ms. Rudy Huxtable is a role model and her hair looks great! Do you girl!
I havent yet read all of the other comments, but is it me or does she look like a 3b/3b?? Either way, great interview!
Excellent interview as always. If the girl says she's natural, she's natural. dang!
That second pic. is suspect though. Just sayin. Still pretty though.
I remember seeing her and Ravon (however you spell it) on the BET awards together and thinking how wonderful they grew up. She certainly has a presence and I wish her all the best. Little Rudy looks cute. And I know that's not her name. And I know she is grown now. But as far as child stars go, slam dunk Lil Rudy Huxtable. (lol) At the very least the image she is portraying is a healthy head of “hurr” (lol..Anonymous 2/7/11 1:04 PM) And I can appreciate that way more than whatever is hiding under Nikki Manaj’s wig. (Yes, that was my hater moment)
@ Anonymous 1:27, I understand your point, though respectfully disagree. To me forums and boards are a venue where many viewpoints should be encouraged, aired and debated. I feel this is a space where we can do so openly while checking one another to preserve the atmosphere of this site without too much censorship.
Let's not turn this into a BHM forum where it gets "To Real" at times. If there is a troll in here, then we need to definitely put that person on blast. Because this is a good interview, and I don't think that she has a texturizer in her hair at all. But then again one can never know what one does to their hair, but as long as it looks good do you and keep it moving.
Some of you guys are just way too negative the point of this is not to criticize someones hair or debate whether she has a texturizer or not. If you don't have anything positive to say then keep it to yourself.
I always assumed that ever since the Cosby Show she's been relaxed. Never in a million years did I guess that she was natural. Great interview Nikki!
RUDY!!! Loves ya, what a great interview. Hard to believe we've all grown up with her in a way, lol! I always loved seeing a darker young girl on tv with long hair, it was inspirational for me during a time when stereotypes about Black girls' hair were (still are) so negative.
@Anonymous 12.13, that sounds like a troll remark. If not, Google is your friend, hair porn or porn is a figure of speech indicating photos of non-sexual acts for hair, makeup, clothes, etc.
Is it just me or does she looks like Rozonda Chilli Thomas from TLC in the second picture? Minus the baby hurr, of course.
And if she IS a natural hair "fraud" what should we do?
If she HAD stated that she had a texturizer, some people would be hating on CN for putting someone with a chemical on her hair in an article, much like they did with the Regina King interview. DAYUM, people!
I second that anon 12:40! Publicity stunt?????? Where did that come from?haha people are soooo funny! What eva anyone say's you can't deny that she and her hair is GORGEOUS!!! Natural, text, or whateva! Sorry but like Ice Cube say's: Looks like you got a little haterade in your game!lol
I'm sorry, I agree with Anonymous who said that her post is BS. There's no way that she naturally has that curl pattern in the photo she provided and still have that Rudy Huxtable hair that we remember from the Cosby Show. I definitely detect a texturizer also. To Anonymous 12:46, everyone has the freedom to think what they want about her hair, and maybe I'm one of the only people who might agree with the person who brought it up, but I'm not believing it either.
Are you kidding me Anonymous 12:13? Leave the poor girl alone. WHATEVER she is doing is working for her, and her hair is gorgeous! Why would she need to lie about her hair for publicity? She is already famous and doing WELL, and doesn't need to lie about having a texturizer as a publicity stunt. Let's everyone just calm down and breeeeathe. LOL
I really like Keisha, loved her since the Cosby Show, especially her scenes with "Bud". Her hair has always looked so lusicious and thick. I tell you if I was a bird I would gladly make a nest in her hair esp. when she was little lol…. She definitely knows what works for her hair, and it shows. Keep up the good work on your hair and on the Tyler Perry show as well. Congrats on yet another woderful interview CN.
Loved this interview! I'm a straight haired natural too, I press every 3-4 weeks. I love the versatility and like this site because yall aren't militant.
Hair porn . . . a M-E-T-A-P-H-O-R
Any addiction can be destructive and no one is making light of it.
Lighten up !It's a figure of speech.
Nice interview. Keshia looks great! 🙂
Love, love, love this article! I forward the link to all my natural friends!
I think I am smelling bs with this post. She clearly looks like she has a texturizer, my hair was exactly the same with one. There was no fullness, juss merely a curl, with the front mostly straight.
If KNP had "type 3" hair throughout life, then why didn't it appear shinier, straighter and longer on the Cosby Show?
And are you kidding me with the "I condition my hair then wash it out until it feels squeaky clean and then hit the heat"!!!! Really???
I'm sorry but I am really smelling too much BS with her post.
It realy saddens me because some people will do anything for a little extra publicity. And I honestly feel bad for her for not being able to accept her natural self.
Very disappointed Rudy!
can people stop with the hair porn comments its really not a thim
ng to joke about.Many people are bound by this destructive addcition and it destroys people's lives.
I knew she was natural. It's great to hear of celebrities who have never relaxed and how they care for their hair. Her hair is gorgeous, always has been!
Who knew?! Beautiful curls Keshia. Thanks for sharing!
Great interview. Love her curls. 🙂 ~KF519
I am so loving these interviews. I love KNP and her hair is beautiful!!! I wonder what type of flat iron she uses… It is wonderful that she embraces the VERSATILITY of our hair 🙂
I don't believe people are harping on the fact that her hair is altered by heat. Everyone on here seems to agree that she has a nice head of hair, but the fact is that is not her unaltered texture even though it looks good, she even said this herself. Also to the person who said that type 4 hair cannot look like that with heat damage I beg to differ, my friend has type 4 hair that she gets pressed with a hot comb regulary and her hair now looks just like Keshia's.
KNP thank you for being my idol. Congratulations on your success!
I knew my Soror was natural. I see her at my mall all the time and throughout Atlanta. She is beautiful and so is her hair, however she wears it. Great interview Nikki…. And Oo-Oop KNP!!!
I loved the interview! I have loved her hair since I was a little kid. And I agree with the above comments. We really need to stop being divisive about how people do their OWN hair. We all have free will to choose to dow ou own hair. What may not work for you and your lifestyle, may work for someone else.
But back to the hair porn. Love it! Keep the celebrity interviews and great posts coming…
Great interview and I love, love, love her hair!!!
great interview Nikki!
Great interview with a wonderfully talented and intelligent woman. I love the fact the she graduated from college. I'm part of the science club. Lol
I love it when black celebrities, through their actions, indicate that education is important to them. My hope is that we stop being divisive about how naturals decide to style- whether they use heat, henna, organic product, etc. She is lovely!
loved the interview…
wished there was more hair porn lol
I agree with you anon @10:30AM why is it so important to point out that her hair has heat damage or aluding to the fact that her beautiful texture couldn't possible be as nice without the heat that she uses??? Either way heat damaged/trained what eva you want to call it, you could still see that she has a lovely head of hair! Geesh! let's give credit where it's do!
Great interview Nikki! I luv Rudy, she had turned into a very beautiful women. her hair, wheter heat damaged or trained is still in the C family you can tell by her curls. I've seen women in the 4 family who have had their curls altered a bit by heat or hennas, like myself and my curl are still not as defined as her's. she's not in the 4 family, but there's nothing wrong with that "IT'S ALL GOOD"! There are beautiful heads of hair in all texture's!!! It's all about keeping it healthy. Good Hair is hair in its healthiest state! 🙂
Why are people harping on the fact that her hair seems to be "heat trained"? Not everybody who straightens their hair suffers from any more damage than those who manipulate their hair without heat.
Either way her hair is beautiful straight or curly.
She really has grown up to be a lovely young woman. Glad to hear Hollywood hasn't messed up her head like it has with other child stars.
While her hair is lovely, I'm sorry to hear that it's heat-trained. But I guess the final look is all that counts, right? So long as nobody looks at me askance because I don't use heat on my type 4 hair, it's all good…
Another great celebrity interview of an unexpected natural. Good job, Nikki!
And thanks for sharing, Keshia =)
I love her! I didn't know she was natural!
Keshia girl you and your hair are lovely. Happy to hear you're team natural! Rep!
I love her hair, I always thought it looked so healthy when it was straight and now I see why. It's obvious that her hair has been heat trained though but it still looks beautiful.
Thank you nikki! I love her! 🙂 i believe she straigtens it enough were its not her actual texture but it doesn't look damaged which is great. I hope she embraces different hairstyles they'll look so good on her.
I always knew she was natural. Her curls have been straighten out some by her flat ironing but her hair still looks good. Some would call it heat trained like she did or some will call it heat damaged. What matters is that she's happy. Her hair is still lovely.
Hi Nikki…congrats on this interview…Please tell me…when you interview this celebs, do you speak to them on the phone or in real life or like on Skype or what?!? Please dish, I'm dying to know!!!
I did hear that she was natural. I would love to see more pics of her hair.
I thought Keshia was also a type 4. I guess straightening your hair doesn't always reveal the original texture but i am glad she has come to place where she has embraced her curls.
Great interview and inspiring.
Is there anyway Keshia can post more hair pics?
She has beautiful hair – I wonder how she avoids heat damage on her curls.
First, I love House of Payne! Keeps me cracking up every Wednesday.
I always had an inkling that KKP was natural but never saw it mentioned anywhere. I think the sheen and fullness of her hair gave it away. I used to think me and "Rudy" could be friends because we had the same hair growing up, LOL.
Great interview Nikki! Keep 'em coming!
WOW. And here I thought she was a type 4.