Tell me about yourself!
What’s up Curlfriends! I’m Moe Diva, an up and coming natural hair blogger/vlogger/brand influencer and ambassador. I am a Carolina girl and I LIVE for amazingly textured ethnic hair! Lucky for me I have plenty of it, huh? My son hangs the moon and stars in my world, and is THE purpose for every progressive move that I make. He is autistic and I must say that advocacy for him and the autism community is a very important aspect of my life. You should know that there aren’t many other things that excite me more than hair except for food…I drool for curls and yummy meals!
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Were you a transitioner or a Big Chopper? What was your journey like?
I transitioned from shoulder length natural hair. I wore a weave consistently for almost 5 years as I transitioned. As you can imagine there were ups and downs and several setbacks. For the first couple of years I relaxed and texturized the leave out to blend with textures that didn’t mimic mine at all, I wore the extensions back to back with no break, and I pretty much neglected my hair under the weave for the first 2-3 years. Last year (2014) I began wearing a u-part wig so that I could care for my hair more. I sustained some pretty significant heat damage wearing that wig and decided no heat until that recovered. I actually just chopped the last bit of it off today LIVE on my periscope channel with the support of several of my curlfriends there!
Had you always embraced your texture?
I actually can’t even remember ever acknowledging my natural texture until one wash day in between weaves and I was like “Hey, I love the waves of this new growth! Let me see if I can grow my entire head of hair out like THIS!” The only other memories I have before that of my natural texture was begging for a relaxer to get rid of it when I was younger and feeling the new growth in between relaxers and rushing to get that touch up…sad, right? Obviously and unfortunately, I haven’t always embraced my texture. Please know that now you would have to sedate me to straighten my hair outside of a light blow dry! LOL. LOVE my curls and coils now.
How did family and friends react to your decision to go natural? What was your response to them?
My family didn’t really believe that I was going natural because I wore weave ALL the time and they never saw my hair. The few times that they would see it they would just ask me when I was getting my hair done. I never really gave a response because no matter their taunting or inability to understand what was going on with my hair, they were always asking me for hair advice and to style them. When I removed my extensions and began to wear my natural hair out they were shocked and wanted to know how even though they saw how and I suggested how they could go natural as well the entire time I was transitioning. My friends, 85% of my friends, are natural and the other 15% are on board with whatever I choose to do with my hair. They are and always have been supportive. That’s been a blessing.
Describe your hair (fine or coarse, thin or thick, highly porous, low, etc.)
My hair is typical 4 type hair. It is thick and coarse. My hair is uber thirsty and has low natural luster so keeping it moisturized is a constant task. I am mindful to maintain my hairs moisture/protein balance by using a combination of moisturizing cons and lite protein cons in my product rotation. I’m a junkie, so this creates yet another “reason” to buy more products **rubs hands like Birdman**
What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done to your hair?
Some of the more experimental things that I have done to my hair only seem “CRAZY” in hindsight because now I know that bleaching your hair twice in one day could actually cause baldness. No, for real, I did that. I’ve also relaxed my hair twice in a 48 hour period to get it bone straight, I’ve shaved it close to bald on a dare, cut my edges back to accommodate lace wigs, and gelled ridiculous fake baby hairs to my forehead. ABUSE!
What’s your biggest hair related regret?
My biggest hair regret is that I ever begged for a relaxer, and that my mom gave in to the begging.
What’s your current hair routine? How often do you wash, condition, and style? Favorite products! Deets!
I currently wash /DC on a weekly basis. I have slight dermatitis and eczema which along with product use causes build up to occur quickly on my scalp so unless I am in a protective style like braids or weave then I don’t go beyond the 7-10 day mark. My routine along with some of my current fav products is this:
•Finger detangle and apply a pre-shampoo treatment (right now I am using Dr. Miracles detoxifying mist) to my scalp
•I wash my hair in four sections with a moisturizing shampoo. I tend to use low to no sulfate shampoos in lieu of co-washing. Again, my scalp and hair retain build up and flakes quite easily so I HAVE to cleanse with suds. My go-to poos right now are Dark and Lovely Beyond Gentle Sulfate-Free Wash or CON (Crème of Nature) Kiwi & Citrus Moisturizing Shampoo.
•I then use Braggs ACV to fortify my hair and make sure that my scalp is extra clean.
•I apply my deep conditioner and let sit for at least 30 mins with plastic cap. I’m currently rotating between Dr. Miracles Double Deep Moisturizing Masque (moisture), Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Moist (moisture…..and very economical at about $3), Vitale Olive Oil Hair Mayonnaise (protein), and Palmers Coconut Oil Protein Pak (protein). For a great go between when I have good balance of both I use the ever faithful ORS (Organic Root Stimulator) Replenishing Pak. It has lite protein and moisture in the mix, it’s a great all around DC.
•After I have rinsed my conditioner I proceed with the LCO method (it works best for my hair) by first spritzing with a water/aloe vera juice mixture. I then apply a great leave in like Lacio Lacio leave-in (a great Dominican product) especially if I’m doing a roller set because it adds AMAZING bounce and fluffiness to the hair. I follow up with a cream moisturizer like Lotta Body Curl & Style Milk and seal all that moisture in with the ever faithful coconut oil.
If I’m styling in a stretched style I dry my hair on cool/med with a comb attachment and a heat protectant and do the LCO method AFTER the dry. For wet set styles such as twist/braid outs, wet rod sets, or coiled styles I do this moisture locking technique (LCO) before styling.
What’s your favorite hairstyle? Where do you get hairstyle inspiration?
I love curly sets whether it’s with perm rods or flexi-rods, I just love BIG voluminous hair! The bigger the better, second day hair and beyond is absolute LOVE. Another favorite type of style is a bun actually. They are simple yet elegant and give you an INSTANT facelift! Who doesn’t want that?! I get inspiration from some of my favorite content creators like Romance Cox (@heycurlie, Jasmine Winters (@jd_winters), Janae Mason (@nae2curly), and Yolanda Renee (@etcblogmag) to name just a few. I’m a consumer of social media and love most of the same curly girls that you do!
In addition to those lovely ladies, family and friends have accused me of being a hippie and my hairstyle inspirations are reflective of that, however I like to call it hippie glam. I love musing over black hair from the 60’s and 70’s. The likes of Diana Ross, Diahann Carroll, and Chaka Khan are some of my favorite hairstyle muses.
Who is your curl crush?
I am an admirer of ALL kinds of curls but I got to say that my curl crush is FROSTOPPA who used to be active on YouTube some years ago. I recently re-discovered her on Instagram under the same name. Her 4 type hair is healthy, and her curly styles are super defined and moist. LOVES her!
How do you maintain your hair at night?
If I am rocking a curly style I tend to pineapple the curls with a satin scarf ONLY if I intend to wear the style up the next day. Now what I do if I am keeping the curls from a style is this:
•Tie my roller net (an extra large triangle shaped net typically used to hold rollers in place when drying. Very popular at Dominican hair salons) around the curls. This step protects the integrity and shape of the curls WITHOUT smushing them
•Throw on a satin bonnet and sleep like a 1st grader after field day! I snore and wake up with kept, uncrushed curls thanks to the added security of the net.
How do you maintain healthy length?
This year I’ve finally been able to begin concentrating on length and the way that I am maintaining it is by not being afraid to trim. We all know that trimming/dusting dead ends promotes healthy strands, so if it’s dead…it’s gone. In addition to this I also keep manipulation to a minimum. I try to style on wash day and let set for a day or two then release the style. Once I’ve done that I let it go and do its own thing throughout the life of the style. Low manipulation and a healthy hair regimen are key. I also keep in mind that hair grows from the inside out and I am constantly on a water challenge. I take biotin, MSM, and silicon drops, and try to maintain a healthy diet to help with length retention.
What’s the best thing about being natural?
Natural hair is full of life! I always felt that my hair was limp and lifeless and that I could never achieve the volume or health that I was looking for in my hair when it was relaxed. The best thing about my natural hair is its health and versatility! I can do anything with my hair and I’m never in fear of “messing it up” or ruining my style.
Where can folks find you on the web?
My digital footprint is strong guys, so come hang with me because this whole social media thing is kinda boring without interaction.
Find me on the following platforms:
My blog: www.alteregobymoediva.com
Instagram: @moe_dadiva https://instagram.com/moe_dadiva
Twitter: @moe_dadiva https://twitter.com/moe_dadiva
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moedadiva?ref=hl
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AlterEgobyMoeDiva
Periscope channel : Moe D. Diva (@moe_dadiva)
