I BOUGHT A BLOWDRYER!!

Picture got from Jesuseun

So, yeeeeeeaaaaah, I bought a blowdryer. It worries me a bit because I heat damaged my hair at the start of my natural hair journey. However, there have been quite a number of reasons for me to purchase this hair tool and that's what I will talk about in this blog post.


REASON 1: I am a uni student and I live a bit far from school
As a uni student, I need more time studying and working and less time doing other things. So, by investing in a dryer, I can quickly dry and stretch my curls and the curls will stay stretched longer and I might even get them more stretched than if I just braided them (and some times, aft,,.er setting your hair in braids, you wake up and your braids are still damp!).
Also, I live 30mins away from school if I use the tube (London Underground) and I need to have my hair dry when I leave where I live especially if I wash/rinse my hair in the morning, which I might do depending on if I go to the gym in the morning or in the evening.


REASON 2: It has been predicted that the UK will experience the coldest winter in 50 years this year
Wet hair and being out in the cold are two things that do not go together well. I don't want ice in my hair neither do I want to be freezing because I walked out the door with wet hair.


REASON 3: I work out on an almost daily basis now
Working out a lot, I might need to rinse my hair out every now and then so it still looks good and yeah, I'll need a blowdryer to speed up the process of rinsing and drying out my hair in the morning/late at night.


REASON 4: It's easier to style stretched hair/styles look better when done on stretched hair
I must say, a braid out on pre-stretched hair looks really good and so does a twist out. If the braid/twist-out is done on a Curlformer set or on hair that wast stretched by pre-braiding, African threading, banding, et cetera it looks better than if it was done on freshly washed and wet hair, in my opinion. Well, this is the case for my hair. With a blowdryer, I can stretch my hair to style it much easier and faster than if I just banded, braided, African threaded it.


So, yeah, I had one or two more reasons, but I can't remember them right now.

Hope this helps you understand why I decided to take this step and invest in a blow dryer.

~SammyWithTheBigHair
(SammyWithThe"Not as big, but will soon be as big"Hair)

Simbi Akanni is Naturally Glamourous

 

Simbi and I first met when we were much younger. However, after she moved, we hadn't contacted each other till this summer. I am glad we're in touch now.

Simbi is an inspiring young lady (I say that like we're not the same age!) and I'm glad that I got the chance to interview her for this blog.

Check out her out online! All her links are at the end of this interview!

I hope you enjoy this reading this interview!

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Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I'm Simbi Akanni, an 18 year-old student and Christian blogger!  I was born in New York, raised in Nigeria and now I'm back here in NY for as long as God desires. In addition to that, I'm a sister to 3 handsome brothers and 1 loving sister. I've been blessed with an amazing family!    

In my spare time, I blog, edit films and videos (yes, I'm a Nikon and Final Cut Pro X girl), I love dancing, singing and frolicking around in pretty dresses with sunflowers in my hair. That's a bit about myself for now!  Thanks for having me on your blog today.

How long have you been natural?

Oh man, I've been natural since 2009. That's 6 years now! Wooh! 

When did you get your first relaxer and why did you get it?

Here's my little relaxer story (according to my mom!) I had just moved to Nigeria and I was about 5 or 6 years old. The hairdressers and my mom constantly complained that my hair was too "hard", it cut their fingers and all the other regular unkept natural hair problems. Therefore, momma put a relaxer in my hair.  She regretted it though, because my natural hair was really long and cute. It was what I had been known for.

What made you decide to go natural?

When I moved back to america, I just decided to stop relaxing my hair. If I remember clearly, my hair had been breaking off and I decided I wanted it to grow. So I transitioned from 2009.

How did your family and friends react to the idea of you going natural?

No one really knew because I always had a protective style in. I would wear braids and weaves back to back (drake reference, did you catch it? no? ok) but leave my hair out for a week or just the weekend.

What's your hair journey been like so far (and how has it changed your perception on some things)?

My hair journey has been awesome. Most girls want long hair and that was my goal for a while.  Now, I focus more on healthy and bouncy curls as opposed to length.  I'm also getting more comfortable with wearing my hair out.  I never knew how to style it so I would always hide it, but thank God for YouTube!  I've grown to love my kinks/curls/fro, whatever you call it.

What is your daily hair regimen (including your night-time routine)?

When my hair isn't in a protective style, my go-to hairstyle is a braid out/high-puff. I spritz some water on my hair, apply some of my shea moisture curl enhancing smoothie and put about 9 single braids in. Then in the morning, I unravel the braids and voila! However, if I have more time, I love doing flat twist outs with perm rods at the end. Those usually come out looking pretty dope!

Do you think you might be changing or incorporating new things to your regimen soon? If so, what do you have in mind?

Not really, my regimen works for me. It also matches my lifestyle. I'm always on-the-go so I need a quick and easy regimen that doesn't take up too much time. Although, if I were to change my regimen, I'd probably be a bit more consistent with my protein treatments and just treating my hair in general. Laziness is an underlying theme lol!

What are your go-to hairstyles, which is your fav. and how do you achieve it?

I think I may have answered this in a previous question but to recap; my go-to is a quick braidout. My fave is my flat twist out with perm rods at the end. I tried a bantu knot out a while back and I was pretty disappointed but i'm actually giving it another shot tonight, so we'll see how that goes. (update: it came out looking great)

What are your must-have hair accessories and tools?

For about a week now, I've been rocking a high puff. So in this case, it's a wide tooth comb, my hands and the stockings I use to tie my hair up.  

How do you deal with hair issues such as: breakage, shrinkage, length retention and moisture?

Shrinkage is beautiful! Let's accept it and not see it as an issue. But to answer the question, I put a few braids, twists, bantu knots (or something) in my hair every night before I sleep. I try to keep my hair stretched as much as possible because that hang time is beautiful too!

As far as breakage, oh gosh, I deal with this so much. Most of my breakage results from super tight braid patterns under my weaves. I literally have patches of broken off hair because of this and it sucks. However, I'm now enforcing less tension in my hair routines and hair styles, keeping my hair soft and making sure I deep condition (or do a protein treatment every now and then). Let's see how it'll work out.

Length retention- I'm not afraid to trim my dead ends, cut off a few inches and allow my hair to grow back healthier. Protective styles are also really good for length retention and growth (braids, weaves etc)

Moisture- This is tough to keep up with when my hair is in a protective style, but when it isn't, I'm usually really good with moisturizing my hair. I love to use the l.o.c. (liquid, oil, then cream) method. For that, I use water, coconut oil and my shea moisture curl enhancing smothie.

What products do you currently use, and how are they working for you?  

Currently, I'm loving my shea moisture curl enhancing smoothie, extra virgin coconut oil, creme of nature moisture & shine argan oil shampoo, shea moisture restorative conditioner and my home-made deep conditioner. 

Hand-In-Hair syndrome. Do you have this issue? Do people ask before touching your hair or do they just randomly reach out and touch (or grab) it? How does this make you feel? What is your reaction to this?

I love hair, so my hands are always in other people's hair (sorry guys).  I also really like when people play with my hair, as long as they aren't messing up my hairstyle, we're good!  No one has ever just reached out to touch my hair without my consent though.

What do you love the most about being naturally curly?

Being naturally curly gives me so much variation.  Because of the way my hair is, I can do so many different styles.  One day it's straight, the next it's an afro, the next it's just huge.  Curls are so beautiful and I would never trade them for anything.  It's not all beautiful because sometime's it's just outright tough, but believe it or not, it's like a relationship.  You don't love bae every day. lol.

Any advice for the natural teens, parents, kids and grandparents?

 Teens - Don't get pressured into thinking your kinks and curls aren't beautiful. You are set apart.  God created you in His image, which is ultimate perfection!  Whatever hair texture you have, what makes it beautiful is that it's yours.  No one can ever take that away from you.

Parents- Tell you daughters how beautiful they are.  Give them the affirmation they need.  Your words mean the world to them.  I walk around with a mantra that goes "Momma said I'm beautiful, so that means, I'm beautiful and I don't have to wait for anyone else to say it." 

Where can we find you online?

You can find me at www.SimSpirituallyInspired.com.  I upload blog posts every Sunday!  It get's really personal on my blog, so please join the ride.

YouTube- SimInspired.  I have a couple of videos on there

Instagram - @Sim_Inspired

And, that's all I have!  <3 

My New Hair Regimen (starting this summer)

Picture got from P.S Love Charli

Hey!

So, my hair regimen is going to be quite different this year. For one, I will be switching up products and caring for my hair much better than I have these past 2 years. I guess it is this weave that is pushing me a whole lot towards making this decision and I guess that is a good thing, but at the same time, I wish I didn't get this weave (the itch is real! but not as bad as it was on Sunday).

Okay! So, here's what my new regimen (or plans for my hair) will look like:

• I will switch products to the Shea Moisture Coconut and Hibiscus line (I pray that works for me) and also invest in some bentonite clay or amla powder. I will co-wash in between the week, wash with a clay/mud once a week and wash with an actual shampoo once a month, every other month or if I feel it is really needed. Also, I will deep condition my hair at least once a month probably using the Midas Naturals Shine Conditioner. If not, I will use the deep conditioner in the Shea Moisture Coconut and Hibiscus line (or I will alternate between these two products)
• I will wear my hair short (shrunken) more often to minimise how much I have to retwist overnight or do whatever to maintain a stretched style (to minimise how often I have to manipulate my hair, in general)
• I will protective style once in a while, but not with crochet braids as often as I have these past 2 years and definitely not with a weave. I probably will invest in a kinky/curly wig as that way, I won't have my hair covered directly with extensions for a prolonged period of time, I can properly moisturise it and keep my scalp thoroughly clean.
• I will seal I moisture using extra virgin olive/coconut oil and if I feel I need a heavier sealant, with some shea butter too.
• As a gel, I will probably use a lighter flaxseed gel than the one I initially made and probably use a spray bottle or bottle with a dispenser head for it.
• I will not wear my hair out and short all the time. If I don't have a wig on, I probably will just put my hair in two cornrows or I will stretch my hair out (I'll probably invest in curlformers for that) and just try to maintain the stretch in a very low manipulation method.

I might invest in a blow dryer (with a diffuser) this summer, but I probably won't use it till autumn/fall. I am just purchasing it to use while at uni in case I need to speed up the rate at which my hair dries (as my hair takes almost a full 24hrs to dry) and to stretch out my curls a little. I will definitely not use the blow dryer on my hair daily as, in case you didn't know this, I heat damaged my hair at the start of my natural hair journey and I don't want to do that again.

Hopefully, this new regimen gets me to my desired/goal hair length within the next 2 years (waist/hip length).

Blog again soon!

~Sammy

p.s I might invest in some Jamaican black castor oil too to help with my edges that have been tortured by this weave.

My Hair Salon Experience (after about 3 years)

Picture got from Keller Williams on KWSA

Hallo!

Wie gehts?
Been working on my German lately. I love that language :)

Anyways! So, I went to a hair salon! O.M.Geeez!
I also got a weave for the first time in years! O.M.MAJOR. GEEEEZ!

Here's my experience:

Once upon a time (yesterday, actually), in a city known as 'Southampton' lived a girl named, 'Samantha.' Due to it being difficult for her aunt to help her reinstall her crochet braids this time, she went in search of a hair salon that could help her get her hair done before returning to her school in Somerset. Samantha was being very brave by doing this as she had not been to a hair salon in years.
She searched for and wide, in and near the city centre (mostly on foot) looking for a particular salon her mum had found online, but had changed address without updating their website. Eventually, she found the place, but only one person worked there and that person had a client who was possibly on their way and therefore referred her to another salon which was about 5 minutes away, but gave her the wrong street name. So, Samantha, walked over to the wrong street and walked down it and thought to herself, "this street is starting to look pretty dodgy," so she turned around and headed back up the street and to a store known as 'Afro City' where she asked where the salon was and was pointed in the right direction. Sam quickly found the salon walked in and....

Okay! So, extension were picked out and I was placed in a chair with a giant bib-like thing placed round my neck (you know those things put over guys when they get their hair cut?). My scarf was taken off my hair and the stylist/owner of the salon was like, "WOW! Your hair is big and long!" and went on to say, "I've been trying to grow out my hair. How did you do it?" That should have been a red flag for me. It made me feel a little iffy.

Soooo the lady used a product on my hair that contained petrolatum and all sorts of other chemicals that I do not use on my hair and are definitely not CG friendly and I was like, "Sam, it's just once, your hair will be fine." Next I knew, the blow drier was out with a comb attachment on it and she went through my hair, but only made one or so passes of the the hair drier on it (unless she felt she had to comb from the ends up) and I said to myself, "Sam, you haven't used heat on your hair in 4 years, but this is just once. Your hair will be fine." I kinda liked seeing my hair stretched out like that, but mainly because it hanged longer and I could be like, "giiirrrrrrl, APL hair! You did it!"

A lady walked into the salon and the first thing she said was, "look at all that hair! Your hair is huge! It's long too!" and once again, I was asked what the secret was. In case you are wondering, I just told them that I use all-natural products on my hair  and mentioned a few brands before they went on to talk about the products that were in the store (not CG friendly) and other stuff, partially in a different language.

So, the stylist started cornrowing my hair in preparation for the weave and the cornrowing was fine, didn't hurt and I was like, "okay, this is good. Not so bad, not so bad," but then....BUT THEN....OH! HONEY BOO-BOO CHILD! BUT THEN! She started sewing in the weave and I was like, "OUCH!" Why the heck did no one tell me that weaves hurt like crazy?! I don't know if it's that the weave is pulling two cornrows closer together or whatever, but it hurts and when she got to the front, it was like the weave started pulling at my edges and stuff and like pretty much, I am praying that my hairline doesn't recede. This girl does not want to lose her edges after growing them out.

Okay! So, the weave was done and honey, it was not big. My hair is naturally big, as you must have been able to tell from the name of this blog and from the comment made about my hair that I mentioned above. My crochet braids have always been big. Honey, this thing was not big. It looked okay and better from the back, but I didn't like how thin it looked because I am not used to thin-looking hair. The stylist said that I could separate the curls in order to achieve a bigger look and I have done a bit of this, but it's still not as big as I want it to be. I am not used to this.

Final verdict:
This salon experience was not a total disaster. The people who worked in the salon (both black African) were really nice and friendly people. They offered me a cup of tea, gave me advice on life as they found out that I am just finishing college and we had nice conversations. You will have a nice salon experience if you go there (as long as you do not get a weave). People have been commenting since yesterday on how they love my hair even though I am not really feeling it 'cause of how thin it looks (and my brain may just be over-reacting, I don't know).


ANYWAYS, if you would like me to upload a list of natural hair salons in Southampton and in London, let me know. Also, if you would like me to do some research to find some natural hair salons in your area or country, let me know too and I would love to help you find them.

My Hair :)

Hello people!

So, I have taken down my 5 month long protective style. Oh me, oh my! I have never kept a protective style in for that long before!

The shed hair has been pretty crazy. I'm surprised I still have hair on my head! Actually, it's not been that bad for 5 months. I used to get more shed hair than this in a week back when my natural hair journey started.

Anyways, I am blogging from the comfort of my bathroom. I just finished washing my hair and decided to just not leave here while my hair is deep conditioning  because I feel too lazy to. I mean, to leave, I have to open the door, make myself busy in my room, walk back in here.... too much work. Haha! Jokes.

So, what products have I used on my hair this fine day? What are my plans for my hair?
Okay! So, after taking down my crochet braids, I went heavy with the coconut oil and detangled my hair a bit, putting it up in bantu knots as I worked section by section then I donned on two plastic bags and an old T-shirt tied over as a turban as I went down to the kitchen to make my first batch of flaxseed gel EVER and to stuff my face with some fruits too :)

About 2 or so hours later, I went back up to wash my hair. I started off by taking down each bantu knot and giving my hair a really good rinse (by the way, I wash my hair every now and then while protective styling especially because I work out often and sweat when I do). Next, I used some of my BeeMine Botanicals Shampoo on my hair (I divided my hair into 4 sections while doing this) and after rinsing it all out. I possibly would have needed to go over one more time, but instead of using the BeeMine Shampoo, this time, I used the Terressential Mud Wash in the Cool Mint version on my scalp and the Lavender version on my hair itself and let it sit for a few minutes while I took a nice shower and body brushed. After rinding out all this wonderful smelling mud, I worked some of my Shea Moisture Restorative Conditioner into each of the 4 sections, but didn't go heavy with it as I wanted to use some of the Shine Conditioner I got from Midas Natural. So, I used the Restorative Conditioner and then over it, the Shine Conditioner and then donned on a silver Conditioner Cap my mum got for me about a year ago (but I never used till today). And well, here am I, blogging with a silver cap on my head.

Anyways, I'm going to rinse this out any time soon and after that, I will seal in the moisture with some extra virgin coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil or both and maybe some shea butter too and then working in small sections and using my flaxseed gel (ohmigosh! I made flaxseed gel!), I will try to define my curls and I'll totally work some short hair today as it seems like although my hair is past armpit length, my shrinkage is still SO REAL that my shrunken hair is around neck level (yeeeeaah).

So, today will be short hair day and because my friend's wedding is on Saturday, I am probably going to thread my hair to stretch it out and I may or may not rock a twist out or a bantu knot out to the wedding.....or I could rock a braid out. I haven't done that in years.

Anyways, those are my immediate plans for my hair and what I've done with it so far. I am going to get a protective style done again soon (next month), but I will be taking it out in July as I have protective styled A WHOLE LOT for the past two years and I just want to spend more time to my hair and take this glorious birds nest of mine to uni :)

So, that's it for now! Expect more blog posts from me soon. I'll start blogging more frequently.

~Sammy

p.s My tools are my fingers. That's what I've been using to detangle my hair so far. :)

Aaron Harris is Naturally Debonair

Hey people!

Guess who's finally done with her exams - Me! and guess who finally got to interview a curly guy - Me! :)

Okay! So this is Aaron. I stumbled onto one of his YouTube videos a few weeks ago and had to interview him for this blog. I was glad that he agreed to do the interview. So, without further ado, here i is:

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Tell us a little about yourself.

Hey everyone so, my name is Aaron Harris and I'm 20 years old I am originally from Detroit but I've been in Atlanta since I was about 10. I grew up wanting to be a professional tennis player, but over the last two years I've found a newfound passion for acting and music. I am a senior in college majoring in software development and I want to move to L.A. probably in 2017 or so. My free time consists of acting classes, writing music, staying in shape, hanging out with people with good energy (very important) among many various other things.

When did you start your hair journey?

I started my junior year of high school in 2011, but I recently got 90% of my hair cut off last year for a acting gig. I regret doing it to be honest. I've been growing my hair out 4 years total but my hair length now is about 15 months of growth

What motivated you to want to take better care of your hair and to grow it out?

Not sure what totally sparked me growing out my hair, but I remember I was in high school and I had two brothers so it was expensive for us to get haircuts every week like most guys do, so we would often get ours cut once every 1-2 months and i remember this girl I liked said she liked my mini fro and I really liked it too so I just kept it. It's weird cause now I can't even see myself getting another haircut again

How did your family and friends react to the idea of you wanting to do this with your hair?

My mom and dad didn't like me growing out my hair at all for the fear of me looking unkempt and thuggish. I remember at one point my mom threatened to ground me if i didn't cut my hair. I don't think my Dad liked it either because he would always ask me if I wanted to go to the barbershop with him LOL. My friends loved my hair and thought it fit my personality well and so did I. Of course I got teased by a couple of people in high school but I think deep down they were jealous they didn't have the courage to grow their hair out

What has your hair journey been like so far?

Really good, I feel like a different person since I started growing out my hair. I don't think the hair is the reason I changed, but I believe it was the start of me doing what I want to do regardless of what my parents, and friends thought. So it's kind of empowering in a way

What is your daily hair regimen (including your night-time routine)?

My daily hair regimen is a wash and go. I was doing the max hydration method for a while, but I've modified it to fit my needs. I wash my hair every 2-3 days with bentonite clay/ACV then finger detangle with conditioner and then put gel on my hair in sections. I don't really have a night time routine, I just sleep on a satin pillowcase. In between the days I wash my hair I use a spray bottle with water to spray my hair every morning.

What are your go-to hairstyles, which is your fav. and how do you achieve it? 

Like I said earlier, wash and goes all day. I tried twist outs 2-3 years ago and hated how they looked and they took forever. Sometimes I'll put my hair in a ponytail if I'm playing sports but I try not to do that often because wearing ponytails all the time I heard can cause breakage.

What are your must-have hair tools?

Hair bands for sectioning hair. I dont use a lot of tools

How do you deal with hair issues such as: breakage, length retention and moisture?

I think properly moisturizing your hair will give you length retention and stop breakage. So I make sure to wet my hair 3-4x a week in the shower and the days I don't wet my hair in the shower I spray it with water from my spray bottle. I know a lot of naturals can be obsessed over length retention and stuff, but I think its also important to have a simple regimen that you doesn't feel like a lot of "work". 

What products do you currently use, and how are they working for you?  

I use bentonite clay and ACV for cleansing, Tresemmé Perfectly UnDone Conditioner for detangling/conditioning and I'm currently experimenting with a bunch of gels (sweet soul magic curl stimulator, AS I am curling jelly, my own homemade gel, etc) I don't like to use a lot of products.

Hand-In-Hair syndrome -  an issue I have had for some years now, only that....it's not my hand. Do you have this issue? Do people ask before touching your hair or do they just randomly reach out and touch (or grab) it? How does this make you feel? What is your reaction to this?

Yeah I've had some people do this to me. Mostly some of my friends. I've never had a stranger touch my hair without asking. My friends will touch my hair without asking and then realize I have product in my hair and try to rub it off on my clothes. I get really irritated by this because for one you didn't ask to touch my hair and two you are staining my clothes. Once I have a conversation with them they understand and normally don't do it again. 

What do you love the most about being naturally curly?

I love how curly hair is so unique and everyone's curls are different.

Any advice for the natural teens, parents, kids and grandparents?

My advice for naturals would be to keep it simple and let your hair do its thing. Find people with similar hair characteristics (porosity, length, texture) and do what they do

What resources (tailored to men) did you use when you started your hair journey? I know there aren't that many out there so, let's support the few that are.

Oh this is a really good question, to be honest there weren't many male Youtubers doing natural hair videos when I first started in 2011 so most of the stuff I learned was from female Youtubers. I remember searching for male natural hair videos and all I could find was like texturizer videos and how to get 360 waves and stuff which wasn't really what I was looking for. At the end of the day natural hair is natural hair regardless if its on a female or male so I think men can learn from both sexes regarding natural hair. Some good Youtubers I like are MahoganyCurls, ThaKidPuma, Quest for the Perfect Curl, DanabNatural, theres a long list of Youtubers that I've watched over the past 4 years and they all have good hair practices. I take certain things from each Youtuber that works for my hair type and toss the things that I don't. Theres a lot of experimentation I do and still am doing. 

<><

You can find Aaron on YouTube, Instagram and Twitter. Just click on the following links:

YouTube

Twitter

Instagram

Update on My Hair and Crochet Braids and Plans for my hair

Hi! Privet! Pryvit! Salut! Hallo! Vahām̐! Hola!

In case you didn't know, I love languages! Whether spoken or signed (I sign in ASL).

Anyways, here's just an update on my hair:

So....I cut my hair. I just trimmed off about an inch of my hair, don't worry :) and I believe I've grown all that I cut off back. I haven't taken down my latest crochet braids yet because I have a ball to attend in early July and I plan on reinstalling my crochet braids so....since I'm going to be back home in May, I decided to wait till then so my crochet braids are at their neatest during the ball and so it's easier to manipulate it if I need to. I miss my hair, I should add.

When it comes to washing my hair, I water-only wash most of the time, and usually just my edges (which have been growing pretty well and becoming thicker). When I use shampoo (sulphate-free), I prefer to dilute it a bit and I keep washing until the water runs really really clear and my scalp feels awesome. I don't wash my hair as often as I should because of the drying time and because the weather just mere weeks ago was still on the cold-side. Also, I just didn't have the time to wash my hair often. Anyways, I condition my hair afterwards, but I don't care that much about rinsing out all the conditioner.

To keep my crochet braids looking good, I cut out the tangles daily (not daily when I'm at home and not leaving the house, though). Cutting out the tangles retains that fresh/near-fresh look and it lets you wear your crochet braids for as long as you wish to.

My plans when I take this protective style down is to give my hair a lovely treatment/treatment. Wash it out thoroughly, detangle and wear a wash and go if my hair hangs long enough (and my curls are defined without the need of a gel) for about a day and then stretch out my hair using African threading for a few days before letting it out and just retaining a stretched look (I will wear a puff or bantu knot out/twist out/braid out at times, though). I probably will condition my hair more often or just leave in some conditioner whenever I'm refreshing my hair, but that's pretty much going to be it. I AM GOING TO DO A LENGTH CHECK TOO!!!! :)

I hope that this year, I am as close to waist length as possible. Like, I want to be below bra-strap length before the end of this year! :)

~Sammy

p.s I'm looking into new DIY protein treatments as I'm not keen on putting eggs in my hair anymore and in case you didn't know, mayonnaise contains 0% protein (check the back of your jar/bottle).

My hair since my last post

This is my actual curl pattern :)

Heyo!

So, yeah, I have done quite a bit with my hair since my last blog post.

By the way, from the picture above, do you think my hair's a type 4a or 4b? I have a few actual spirals, but not as big as someone who has type 3 hair.

• Okay! So, I've pretty much had my hair stretching since my last post. However, on New Year's eve at around 4pm, I took my hair out of it's stretching state in African threading and bantu knotted it because I had a party starting at 9pm and I pretty much didn't want to be at it with my hair in African threads.
• At around 9pm, I took out the bantu knots and lifted my roots a bit with a comb. I didn't fully comb out my hair neither did I separate it. I decided to wear a bantu knot out because my hair was pretty much straight from the African threading and I love big, curly hair and I prefer to wear my hair curly than straight.
• So, after the party (at like 3am on New Year's day), I finger combed and braided my hair in for sections and went to bed like that.
• Later on New Year's day, I African threaded my hair again 'cause I wanted to ensure it was stretched for my cousin's birthday party the next day as my roots had reverted a bit from working out. However, I African threaded my braided hair as I couldn't be bothered to rethread my hair in smaller sections or loose like I had done before.
• The next day, honestly, I couldn't really be bothered to take out my hair so and my cousin is family isn't he? Also, I'm cool with everyone who was going to be at his house so....yes, you guessed it, I went to his house with my hair in African threaded braids and people actually like it :) Haha :)
• The next day, after working out, I prepooed (with extra virgin olive oil), washed, conditioned and deep conditioned my hair with it still being in braids because I knew my scalp was what mainly needed the cleaning and I knew my hair would be fine washing it and conditioning it that way.
• After I got out of the shower, I took down each section and worked on them one after each other.
• First, I worked some aloe very gel into it (fresh out of the leaf). Unfortunately, my hair felt horrifyingly dry after this so I got out my spray bottle, spritz my hair, worked some of my BeeMine BeeLovely Daily Moisturising Conditioner into it followed by some extra virgin olive oil, spritzed my hair again and followed with some shea butter.
• Next, I African threaded my hair. I didn't take down and redo the African threading like I did in my last post because I didn't really care if my hair was straight-ish.
• The next morning, I combed my hair out just to ensure it was still fully detangled (which it was) and held it up in a puff with some bangs on the side and I went to church like that.
• After church, I went to my aunt's house where I.....wait for it......wait for iiiiit.....CUT MY HAIR! Yes! I cut about an inch of my hair off! (So, it's back at APL). Why? Well, I did want to trim or cut my hair during the summer however I was too nervous to and went back in a protective style, but this time, I felt like I just had to do it because my ends were starting to look weirdish, my hair was already past a good landmark, I had a few single strand knots and although I didn't really notice any this time, during the summer, I noticed a few split ends. Also, I thought losing my ends will make my hair look better. So, yeah, I did it!
• Still at my aunt's house, I got my hair braided and went along to reinstall my crochet braids, but with a different type of extensions as my signature ones (my usuals) were unfortunately, out of stock. My new extensions look almost dreadlock-y and will take some time to get used to as they're very very different, but I'm sure I can keep these in for as long as I keep in my....usuals ;)

And that's pretty much it! I've just had my crochet braids held up in a gigantic messy bun all day and I sleep with them in a pineapple.

See y'all later!

~Samantha

p.s I'm heading back to school on Wednesday so, new posts are going to be pretty much going to be inexistent till around mid-February when you should expect one or two new posts (I doubt you'll get more than that as I'll be really busy).

Update on my hair

Picture from De Piramide

Heyo!

Sorry for totally being M.I.A on this blog. I'm here now, so.....UPDATE TIME!

Yeah, so, my hair is actually past APL (ArmPit Length) now. It's not quite ate BSL (Bra-Strap Length) yet. I'm so excited by it's length, though! Eeep!

I am currently stretching out my hair with some African threading which is awesome. I started stretching out after washing out my deep conditioner and showering and then before going to bed, I undid some of the threaded hair, separated it and rethreaded it for that 'super stretched' effect. My hair looks practically straight and like, y'all know I love big curly hair to bits so, I guess I probably will add a bit more texture to it before the New Year's party tomorrow (it's now the 30th in England) by bantu knotting it or something. Maybe I might even try out a new hairstyle.

So, yeah, here's what I've done with my hair post-take down (in case you forgot, I had crochet braids in and I normally would keep them in for about 4 months before I redo them):

• I took down my hair yesterday (day before yesterday) and it like took less than an hour to get all the extensions out and my hair down which was awesome. If you need tips on this, let me know 'cause like it took 30mins, if not less to take down my hair and it usually would take me over an hour to do that.
• I worked some Extra Virgin Olive Oil into my hair as I detangled it using a wide toothed comb straight after taking down my extensions. I still had my spray bottle of coconut oil and water nearby, but I didn't use that because, I experience A LOT of shrinkage when my hair gets wet (like my hair can shrink up to my ears) and, well, it's easier to detangle my hair when it's stretched out although I could easily hand-stretch it while combing or melt the tangles away with the water as my tangles melt away easily. However, I had a little it of dirt in parts of my hair from not washing it out as often as I should've with the extensions in (got way too busy with school and work and stuff) and I didn't want dirty water dripping everywhere.
• I put my hair in random twists, donned on a plastic bag covered by my satin scarf and went to bed. So, basically, I prepooed. I did this for three reasons. 1) I was lazy and didn't want to bother with my hair anymore that night so I decided not to wash it then, 2) My hair takes almost a full 24hrs to dry especially if I decide to wear it in a wash and go (which is rare for me, but....) and 3) I felt that prepooing will help melt away any tangles that might still be in there and make the washing process easier.
• This morning (yesterday morning), I woke up and went straight to my bathroom where I washed my hair with my BeeMine Botanical Shampoo (sulfate-free, 100% natural and organic ingredients) twist section by twist section. This made washing my hair much easier, faster and ensure that every inch of my scalp and hair was clean 'cause as y'all know, some times, people wash their hair and don't wash it properly so there are like a few random parts that have lint in them or something or parts that can make your finger feel sticky or your nail get dirty ("I ain't about that life").
• Next, I conditioned my hair with three different conditioners. Yup! I did. I first used my BeeMine BeeLovely Conditioner followed by some of the VitaNourish conditioner that was sent to me (to review) by Midas Naturals. I worked this in my entire hair and then rinsed it out. Why did I do this? No reason, really. I like MidasNaturals' products and I liked the results I got from them when I initially used them (for the review) so I wanted to use that HOWEVER, I was sent a small bottle of the product and I have a lot of hair so....yeah. With the BeeMine conditioner, I brought a practically empty bottle home with me and I hadn't used that product in a while so I decided to just use it too combined with the MidasNaturals conditioner. Moving on....
• After rinsing out the conditioner combo going on in my hair, I used some of my SheaMoisture Restorative Conditioner to finger detangle, further soften and condition my hair (I just felt that my hair needed some tender loving care). I worked in the conditioner and finger detangled twist section by twist section and then I rinsed it out without taking out the twists to rinse then retwisting. Why? 1) Too much work and 2) I'm not so big on thoroughly rinsing out conditioners from my hair especially when the conditioner contains just natural ingredients.
• After the whole process my hair had undergone so far, I decided to treat it to one of my favourite products and the only deep conditioner I have ever used on my entire head of hair since I went natural (y'all know my and my 100% natural ingredients thing so, yeah, I always made my own deep conditioners prior to trying this one (for the review) and I only used this on my entire head of hair back then because I liked its ingredients list (normally, I'll use <1x1cm section of my hair to try out DCs or products I'm sceptical about)). I used the MidasNaturals Shine Conditioner. I absolutely love this product! Its consistency is on point, its smell is on point and its results are ON POINT. A little goes a long way with this product. I don't have a lot of it left as I got a small jar sent to me (looking forward to purchasing a larger jar of it) and like I've said before, I have a lot of hair so, yeah, I was glad that I could still get awesome results from just using a little of it.
• I left the conditioner in for a little over an hour before rinsing it out. This was because I wasn't in the mood to get back to the bathroom to rinse it out as my head had been feeling weird and I had woken up feeling terrible (I think I had my scarf on a little too tight when I slept or the heat going on up in the plastic bag combined by temperatures rising here while I was asleep and under a thick quilt (aka continental quilt, duvet, doona or comforter) messed up with my body). So, yeah, I got some breakfast (at around 3:11pm), chilled on a teddy bear that's almost my height (and I am much taller than the average height for women here in England), listened to a friend and my cousin play the drums (at first, I couldn't stand it because of how I was feeling and then when I started feeling better, it became more appealing to me), texted a friend and then I went to rinse out the DC and have a proper shower (and change out of the weird clothes I had been in (disappointing combination)).
• After rinsing out the DC, showering and changing into sweatpants and a comfortable top, I began to take down the twist (I forgot to mention, I rinsed out the DC with my hair still being in twists (I applied the DC taking down the twists first, though)) and African thread my hair to stretch it out because like I said before, my hair shrinks A LOT and up to my ears. I'm not a fan of horridly shrunken hair on me, neither was I up for wearing a wash and go or having to detangle my hair again any time soon. So, yeah, I threaded my hair.
• Before heading to bed, I took down the threads individually and separated my hair using just my fingers before rethreading to get my hair from collarbone length to almost APL without being 100% straight.

So, yeah, that's it.

I probably will leave my hair in the threads all tomorrow and in the morning of the day after to avoid manipulating my hair often and to retain this stretch for as long as possible (also, I need to be able to study and not worry about my hair).

I will be reinstalling my crochet braids (with new extensions identical to the old ones) before I head back to the west country (basically, back to college) and my aunt will be reinstalling them for me which is a process that makes me rather nervous haha (the pain!). I probably will go over to her place with my hair threaded to minimise the pain when she combs with a fine toothed comb (don't know why she does that) and does whatever she needs to do to install the extensions.

Anyways, it's really late now.

Gotta sleep.

Adios!

~Sammy

Beauty Vlogger Donates Her Hair To ‘Locks Of Love’ Before Cancer Treatment [VIDEO]

Written by Ty Alexander of HelloBeautiful

I’ve always admired beauty vlogger, Meechy Monroe. She started blogging in 2010 and has managed to turn what most call a hobby into a lucrative business that has her traveling the world to talk about her natural hair story. But recently, that story took a drastic change that she could have never expected.

I sat and admired Meechy’s pictures for hours this morning. I read her blog post over and over again. Then I watched a tearful yet fearless video that she posted on her Youtube channel. The flood gates opened, I cried uncontrollably. Instagram is literally going bonkers, and rightfully so, surrounding the hashtag#GetWellMeechy. After being absent from her blog and social media for months, Meechy announced that she had been diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer.

It all started with a mysterious life-changing stroke which led to two brain surgeries, radiation and chemo therapy. This also left Meechy with Aphasia, a disturbance of the delivery of language not linked to a loss of intelligence.

But what happens next is selfless, courageous and speaks volumes to the meaning of humanity.

Putting aside her own needs and feelings, she managed to think about the millions of other individuals plagued with cancer. Meechy carefully shaved her gorgeous tresses, which made her a popular Youtube sensation, and donated them to “Locks Of Love.”

Most of us never think we could ever survive an unthinkable experience like Meechy’s. We assume that we’re never strong enough to go through something like this. But if you’re like me and you believe in the power of human connection than you know we are all capable of the unthinkable with the helping hands of our friends, family, and even strangers. Even from afar we can all support Meechy and let her and her family know that she is not alone.

SO, HOW CAN YOU HELP MEECHY:

• You can help support by donating here  http://bit.ly/donate-meechy-monroe
• You can also send her encouraging notes and letters using this email address:GetWellMeechy@gmail.com
• You may send tokens of sympathy or written letters to: P.O. Box 286621, Chicago IL 60628.

#TeamBeautiful sends our well wishes to the Monroe family.

Meechy's Medical Expense Fund

Hey naturals,

So, incase you don't know Meechy, she's a natural hair and beauty YouTuber and so happens to be MsVaughnTV's sister.

Meechy has been sick for some time now and a couple of months ago, it was discovered that she has a rare form of brain cancer.

So, readers, please, please keep Meechy in your prayers.

Also, if you can make a donation on her GiveForward page, please do and if you can't please pass the link on to others.

Thank you.

~Sammy

Lupita Nyong'o is Braidin'!!

Written by Vogue's very own Mackenzie Wagoner

Watch Nyong’o demonstrate her braiding skills in the video above.

On a recent Monday afternoon in June, Lupita Nyong’o is hovering above six of her closest friends, who are swiveling atop the black leather barber style chairs inside New York City’s sunlit Ludlow Blunt salon. They have come from all over the Eastern seaboard for the day to have Nyong’o braid their hair. “Lu’s ‘Do’s,’” they call out, referencing the Oscar-winning actress’s hidden talent for professional-level plaiting, before breaking into peels of laughter. “Four and a half stars on Yelp!”

As Nyong’o sets to twisting Bantu knots, sculpting dookie braids, and meticulously sectioning hair into cornrows, her friends close their eyes and lean to her will. It’s a ritual they’ve been taking part of together for over a decade, since the Kenya-bred actress made a vow to master the skill while attending Amherst’s Hampshire College after finding herself “morbidly disappointed” with braiding salons stateside. She vowed to learn how to style her own and held hopes of turning it into a money-making “side hustle” at drama school. It turned out to be neither; holding her arms above her own head for such a long time felt like “an act of madness,” she laughingly admits, and she didn’t have the heart to charge her friends.

What braiding did become was an unlikely asset for acting training—she credits the skill with keeping her awake during hours long classes at Hampshire and, later the Yale School of Drama, and for forging lasting, intimate relationships with the “genuine,” “honest,” “creative” friends who continue to “challenge me and require me to grow as a human being.”

The women in question are Jennifer Odera, a graduate student and childhood friend who, like Nyong’o, started having her hair braided when she was “itsy bitsy” in Kenya (where there were hairdressers “on every street corner”) in order to adhere to their primary school uniform dress code; Tashal Brown, an educator and Nyong’o’s roommate from Hampshire College; Yale classmates Miriam Hyman and Hallie Cooper-Novack,  as well as Stacey Sargeant, an actress whom she met while at the university; and Nontsikelelo Mutiti, a professor and artist who is currently hosting an art show revolving around the culture of braiding at New York City’s Recess gallery.

Upon seeing each other reunited for the occasion, their voices jump an octave and Nyong’o exclaims in excitement, “I’m going to cry!” They hug, they sing, they dance across the salon’s white tiled floor, but now that the braiding has commenced, they move into more meditative catch-ups, occasionally breaking for laughter when topics turn to Da Brat and Kris Kross—“I definitely wore my jeans backwards,” admits Nyong’o. When she finishes a friend’s twists, she brushes off her shoulders in jest.

Joking aside, it’s a painstaking process that Nyong’o takes seriously. “Your hair is your frame—it’s so important,” she says. And, she emphasizes, “braiding tells a story,” marking the body with a symbol of communal affection. As Mutiti says simply, “braiding connects.”

These days, as the growing responsibilities of life, family, and career take hold, the ritual remains precious between friends. “I’m really hoping the acting thing does work out,” says Nyong’o with a smile. “Then this can remain a hobby for those lucky few."

Hair Crush: Donedo

Is that hair beautiful or what? Okay! So, how do we get this gorgeous hair style?

• Wash, condition, detangle, moisturise and stretch out your hair (doesn't have to be 100% stretched)
• (On slightly damp to dry hair using product, if you wish) Put your hair in medium to large twists and either roll the ends up in perm rods or make cocoons at the ends by pulling down the twist gently, placing your index or index and middle finger about an inch above the hand being used to stretch the hair, folding your hair over your finger(s) once and rolling it round above your fingers, taking your fingers out, passing the excess hair through the hole and pushing downy he top of what you've created to temporarily hold it in place.
• Take down the perm rods, cocoons and twists and separate them then fluff them out (you could using an afro pick to pick them out).
• Get a head band or scarf around your head and move it up till all your hair is at the crown of your head. Fluff out your hair a bit more if you wish for it to look fuller.
• Lay down your edges with some product and/or brushing them down. And, voila!

You've got the look! You've got the look!

I love this undo! :)

Exercise and Hair

Hey y'all,

So, if you follow me on Twitter, you'll know that I've been doing the Insanity workout. Stuff is intense! Lord, help me! I did day 25 today so I just have 35 days to go! Yay! But it gets harder :/

Anyways, I started to think today about how exercise helps the hair? I've known the answer to this for a while now, but I don't think I've ever blogged about it:

So, here's what it does. Exercise decreases stress and we all know that stress leads to hair loss and can lead to your hair line being damaged (ain't nobody got time for that). So, by exercising, we are keeping our scalp strong and helping our hair grow out healthy. Here's another fact. Exercise promotes blood circulation and if y'all know about scalp massaging, y'all know that blood circulation in the scalp aids in hair growth. So, by exercising, we are getting our scalp healthy, promoting circulation and.... Oh! and sweating helps take out toxins from your body!

So, I'm not saying that y'all need to do the Insanity workout. Do what you can. Be it running, cardio, zumba or pilates.

I'll leave you with my most recent workout routine and my workout routine when I get back to college next month:

Most Recent:
Monday - Insanity
Tuesday - Insanity
Wednesday - Insanity
Thursday - Running, Cycling, and going on a Full Body Worker for about an hour (going at least 5km) and maybe a lil ten minutes tummy workout or pilates then Insanity
Friday - Insanity
Saturday - NOTHING! I'M FREE!! (or running after kids (not mine) like I did yesterday :/)
Sunday - Insanity

When I get back to college:
Monday - Insanity
Tuesday - Insanity
Wednesday - Insanity
Thursday - Zumba for at least an hour then Insanity
Friday - Insanity
Saturday - NOTHING! I'M FREE!! (or running after kids (not mine) like I did yesterday :/ or walking down to town for some grocery shopping or to eat out with the girls)
Sunday - Insanity

I haven't missed a day of working out since I started the Insanity workout. Try your best not to miss whatever you plan to do on whatever day to workout. Consistency is good.

Have fun and exercise!

My Protective Styling Update

Hey y'all,

So, sometime during the third week of December, I took my crotchet braids down and used all the products I reviewed between December and January. Some, I might use again. Others, never again. I liked my hair, but I seemed to miss the longer hair. Also, I didn't reach my goal of BSL, but I believe I'll get it this year.
I kinda wasn't used to having to stretch my hair overnight and prep it for bed so that was a bit of a nuisance, but it wasn't so bad.
My family (not my parents, though) saw my hair once again and said they preferred it to my extensions, loved it and thought I didn't need extensions. One my first weekend extension-free, I rocked a bantu-knot out to church and that was what I call 'my short style' because it looked like I had rather short hair, but the curls looked cute. That night or the morning after, I faked a blow-out and it looked pretty good.
On the 29th of December, I went over to my Aunt's house and reinstalled my crotchet braids (new extensions, by the way). I happened to have a scalp issue then, but it's pretty much gone now.
With my crotchet braids now, I have been more versatile than before. I recently combed out all the curls and I'm rocking a fake blow-out and the hair looks HUGE! Unfortunately, if you've been reading the paper or watching the news, you'll know that there have been storms in Somerset (where my school is) and school's still in session so, I end up looking like a freak with hair in my face, struggling to move in one direction when the wind is pushing me and my hair in a different direction and having parts of my hair revert to being curly while others are relatively straight in the process of walking (or running) to my next class.
The weather here, at home, is much better than in Somerset so all's good. Lovin' my big hair!
I wonder how long I'll protective style this time....

Talk to y'all later!
~SammyWithTheBigHair

Protective Styling

Hello, Lovelies,

So....you all know that I've been protectives styling since August. I started off with the mini twists for about 2 weeks then I got crochet braids done and I've had those since late August (I'm taking them down soon, though, but after a week or so, I'm reinstalling them).

I believe that protective styling is key in achieving our desired hair length and it helps with out hair's health.

Protective styles give your hair a break from being tugged and pulled, combed and blown around, et cetera. Therefore, it aids in minimising breakage. Breakage plays a huge part in us not achieving our desired length because as our hair grows and breaks off, we don't see the growth, that's why many of us think that our hair length is at a standstill.

Between when I got my crochet braids installed and now, I have grown over an inch of hair and I see that under the crochet braids. So, I'm closer to my goal of BSL.

As you might've guessed, my favourite protective style is the crochet braids. Why?

1. My hair is fully protected from the elements
2. My hair can rest
3. They look super good
4. They can be done at home
5. They can last for a really long time
6. I can still have curly hair everywhere even though it's not my hair
7. I want BSL or below BSL hair, with these things installed it's like voila! longer hair! (then they're taken down and it's like umm.....you're getting their hun')
8. They're easy to take care of

    Et cetera

There are other protective styles like the mini twists, box braids, cornrows, roll, tuck 'n' pins, weaves and wigs. They all are good (not my favs, though).

Anyways, moving on....

Protective styles can cause damage if not done properly or you forget about your hair when you're protective styling. This damage could be

• The breakage you are trying to prevent
• Dandruff
• Traction alopecia....

     Et cetera

So, in order to prevent the possible cons when protective styling, ensure you:

1. Do not make your protective style tight
2. Do wash and condition your hair while protective styling even if not as often
3. Don't tug and pull at your hair in the protective style
4. Moisturise your hair as needed
5. Do not make your protective style too thin (like mini mini-twists or mini box braids)
6. Do not leave your hair in protective styles like mini twists and box braids for too long (unless you want dreadlocks, that is)
7. Do not neglect your hair

Remember, when you take down your protective style, give your hair a break from being in a protective style for a long time. This could be done by wearing your hair out for a few days before protective styling again.

I miss my hair often, but I love this protective styling journey. I'm going to continue with my crochet braids when I can, but someday, I hope to try marley/havana twists (they look so good!) and maybe a weave for the first time since I've been natural (scared of taking down weaves, though x_X).

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What are your favourite protective styles and which ones would you like to try some day?

How do you care for your hair while protective styling?

Update / Letter to Readers

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Hey Readers,

I know I've been away for quite a long time. Sorry 'bout that. There are so many restrictions on the internet where I am now. Even Google is blocked! So, I'm going to post a couple of things between now and the 3rd of November (while I'm at home) and then I'll post some more in December (when I' back at home).

For about 2 or 3 weeks in August, I had mini twists in. Since then, I've had crochet braids (I've had them in for almost 2 months now) and I'm loving them. I can see loads of new growth under my cornrows. My cornrows aren't even as close to my scalp as they were on the first few weeks anymore. I'm sure there's a little over an inch of new growth under there.

I've washed my scalp once and rinsed it out once since I installed the crochet braids. The rinse was because of a workout that got me all so sweaty that I was bothered about the state of my scalp and the wash was because I hadn't washed my hair in almost a month.

Right now, the weather where I am is pretty unstable. The other day, it was 14 degrees (Celcius) then 12 degrees then 3 degrees then at night it was so warm I was sweating then it got cooler at day and got hotter at night again and now, it's about 13 degrees and expected to get to 18 degrees later today (the humidity is about 94% at the moment, too!). I noticed my scalp and parts of my hair were pretty dry last night so I added some conditioners and rosemary oil to the water in my spray bottle, shook it up a bit, spritzed my scalp and massaged in the mixture. My scalp doesn't feel so bad this morning. I'm due for a serious DC, but I'm not sure about that with the crochet braids still on, but I might give it a try during my time at home.

By the way, I'm not typing this from home. It's going to be posted when I'm at home, though. Today is the 17th of October (a new episode of Vampire Diaries S5 is out today! yay!) and i'm pretty sure this will be uploaded on the 23rd.

Anyways, so, crochet braids is my fav. protective style. If you've been following my Twitter page, you'll know that many people have thought the crochet braids are actually my real hair, people love it, I love it and it's just so……big and wonderful!

I miss my hair, though, but it drizzles and rains practically everyday and I can't be bothered to stretch my hair out more than once a day or every single day. I also haven't really mastered the wash 'n' go yet. Maybe when I do, I'll stretch out over night and if it drizzles or rains, wear a wash and go for the rest of the day, dunno.

Anyways, who's enjoying the autumn/fall?

I am!

Lemme know how your autumn's been so far.

~Sam

Danièle Watts is Naturally Glamorous

I sooooooo couldn't wait to upload this. OHMIGOSH! OHMIGOSH! IT'S DANIÈLE! I GOT TO INTERVIEW HER! Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay! :) When she agreed to do the interview, I literally squealed. Oh....my.....gosh! I was so happy and excited. Anyways, Sammy, Sammy, calm down, it's just Danièle Watts. OHMIGOSH! IT'S DANIÈLE WATTS!!!!

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How long have you been natural?

I started growing my relaxed hair out by getting braids 4 years ago..

When did you get your first relaxer and why'd you get it?

When I was around 4 or 5 my parents got a divorce and my mom relaxed my hair so it would be easier to take care of.

What made you decide to go natural?

I was tired of feeling like I needed someone else to make me feel beautiful. I was tired of having to pay someone else to make my hair socially acceptable.

How did your family and friends react to the idea of you going natural?

Overall my black friends thought I moved to California and got all crazy hippie on them, and those who weren’t black just thought it was cool that they got to see my natural hair. My mom actually told me she didn't think I had curly hair "like the mixed girls in the magazines"... I almost believed her until I realized that all I needed was the right products to help define my curls.

What's your hair journey been like so far?

The biggest thing that I’ve learned is that all the external transformation was actually more reflecting an internal strength and a deep internal growth. The days that I felt insecure and ugly because my hair wasn’t “done” were the days that I also wasn’t remembering to breathe and allow my thoughts to flow freely. The braids were incredibly helpful during my transition because wasn’t worried about keeping my hair straight. I began doing more yoga and sweating my hair up regularly in a way I had never felt free to do before, but also putting my attention on balancing my body mind and spirit when before it had been more obsessed with the external. As I broke out of trying to please people externally, my whole self-concept opened up. I stopped being just a “black girl” and began to feel more like a free being—unbound by other’s expectations of how my hair “should” be. I went through a phase where I refused to comb it at all because I didn’t want to give myself a panic attack and start obsessing again. I found myself attracting new interesting friends who didn’t expect me to, or care whether or not I combed my hair. Finally I’m at a point where I can enjoy presenting myself however I want from moment to moment. If I work an acting job where the character wears her hair straight, I wear my hair straight and I don’t judge it. Its much more manageable considering that I’d much rather be creating fun experiences than worrying about my hair… The people who really love me, and not some idea of me with my hair looking a certain way are those who I continue to collaborate with… So I don’t have to worry about living up the expectations of fake friends. 

What has your hair journey taught you? 

The big surprise initially that it was the non-black folk who seemed to accept my hair the most. And then I realized that they weren’t bogged down with all those oppressive thoughts that many black folk have had to deal with their entire lives… Ie. Making our hair look more presentable.. Ie more mainstream so we can more easily assimilate into mainstream society. I did a lot a research and learned about the backlash to the black power movement in the 70s … people didn’t want to be thought of as revolutionary because the US government was cracking down on groups like the black panther party who carried guns, supported equal rights and wore big afros… because of this, the stigma of “revolutionary” became a threat and a fro could keep a woman from getting a job, so black women got perms... After I had braids for a while, I still didn’t feel quite confident wearing my hair natural and I had a motto: I’d rather get a weave than a “day job” … because I was frustrated that I wasn’t working and I thought it was because of my hair and sure enough.. I got the weave and booked like 5 jobs the following month… Even now I consider going back to a weave so I can work more but then I am reminded that the jobs that I really want are the one's where I'm working with a team of artists that trust that I am a powerful versatile actor and don't just judge me by my hair (which can change!) That's one of the greatest things my hair journey has taught me is that my hair is powerful, versatile, and can change whenever I want! I'm not desperate to fit in. I'm no longer afraid of missing out. That's the biggest relief: NO MORE FOMO.

People believe that dark skinned ladies should have their hair relaxed straight. My own brother has told me to get a relaxer one too many times. What are your thought about the idea that it's a must for dark skinned ladies to get relaxers?

My thought is that it’s just an idea... Ideas can be very powerful. They can feel like they have power over us. For me, this realization is a huge key to my freedom and my ability to excel creatively: ideas only have power over me if I agree to them. My feeling of freedom comes from knowing that I am the one who decides to agree to someone else’s ideas or not. I know when an idea is for me because it brings me joy. ..

 …Some people feel good about themselves when they tell others what to do...its like a surge that the ego gets when it feels like "i'm right and you're wrong" ....often times it comes from an impulse to help. Its the same kind of thinking that led European churches to colonize brown people all over the world.... This idea that they were helping to save them from their "kinky" existence.... My mom says she relaxed my hair because I would cry every time she tried to comb it, but on a deeper level it think because she didn't want me to have to suffer the embarrassment of being different.  I don’t think my mom was wrong to do that, but now that I’ve had enough experience in making my own choices, I have the wisdom to know that the ideas I agree to are my own decision.

When acting, I know there's the whole hair and make-up thing before you get on set. During the hair process, what do you usually do?

All of the above. It changes with every set, every character is different. I’ve worn weaves before and if it comes down to it, I don’t mind doing my own hair.  I like the idea that every choice I make with my physical appearance is done in the spirit of play. So I don’t take it too seriously and usually trust the hair dressers to share with me their vision of what they’re excited about doing with the role. On really big sets, like Django Unchained there are so many energies to dance with… I enjoyed surrendering to the process and allowing the hair stylist to choose. Other times, if people don’t have specific ideas, or aren’t comfortable doing natural hair I like to come in with my own ideas that protect my natural curl.

How do you avoid hair damage (breakage, heat damage....)? 

When I was straightening my hair I used to be really obsessed and disappointed when I would get split ends and breakage. Now, I enjoy my curly hair whether it gets a little damaged or not…. And when I notice its damaged, I like to treat it with something simple like washing it really good with a nice sulfate free conditioning cleanser and twisting it up overnight with olive oil like an overnight hot oil treatment…Sometimes a little damage is a great catalyst to get creative and try out a new hairstyle that doesn’t put so much strain on the hair….

What products do you use on your hair?

When I first started wearing my hair natural I swore by mixed chicks leave in conditioner and diva curl no poo conditioning cleanser. Those two together got my curls really defined and nice. Now, I’m experimenting with more natural products like pure olive oil and shea butter.

What's your hair regimen like 

I started growing my hair natural so I didn’t have to abide by a regime.. The regime was keeping me down. Now, I do what I want with my hair… when I want. It changes every day. 

What's your go-to hairstyle on days you're not acting?

When I was a little girl I dreamed about being as free as the white girls who didn’t have to have a set “hairstyle” and were allowed to go swimming everyday without getting in trouble for getting their hair wet… That being said, when I go to auditions, I usually just pull it up to the top of my head with a scarf, and when I’m just hanging out I usually just set it free. I sometimes still feel the pressure that I’m expected to create a hairstyle, or that I would be prettier if I “did something with it”….but when I’m brave enough to just let it be as it is I usually feel most free and happy about it… and I don’t give myself a headache from tying the scarf too tight lol J

There are times when people just reach out and grab my hair or suddenly gasp and are like, "is that your real hair?" or "is that hair all yours?" You're famous, like loads of people know you so I'm sure many people want to meet you someday (I know I do) and on top of all that, you have really beautiful hair, do people approach you and just grab your hair or do they like stare at your hair while talking to you?

Haha you have great hair I’m not surprised! Thank you for liking my hair! Yes people do, and its usually on the days I haven’t combed it in a couple of days and I’m feeling a little insecure about whether it looks good. After years of feeling insecure about my hair or trying really hard to have “good hair” I’m continually surprised and delighted that people of all colors seem to appreciate what my hair does naturally… even when I don’t comb it.(lol)

Do you have anything you'll like to say to the little kids with a head full of curly hair and to preteens, teens, and adults who are considering going natural, are transitioning or are already natural?

One of the hardest things about growing at any age is trusting oneself … learning to listen to our own inner voice... and ultimately trusting that the inner beauty will translate into looking and feeling beautiful.  If my journey to loving my natural hair can be any inspiration hopefully it comes from the idea that  my hair is just a reflection of an inner journey…  my inner beauty is enough for me to be happy and achieve my dreams in the world. Before I had a regular part on a TV show (WEEDS) wearing my hair natural, I was still unsure of my own natural beauty. It took someone validating me from the outside for me to realize that all that inner work I was doing (yoga, meditation etc) was translating to outer beauty and the achievement of my dreams. I’m still on that journey of trusting myself, but for me the first step was simply embracing my own vision about how I wanted my hair to be and following through with that idea… which made me appreciate myself as my own creation….ever in-process… Loving the journey, not just the destination ;)

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You can find Danièle on:

1. YOUR TV (turn it on and go watch her! :) )

2. Her Twitter page