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

Why are people so against naturally curly and kinky hair?

So, I've been wondering, why are people so bothered by naturally curly hair and why do they want people to like basically stop embracing their God given hair?

Today, I stepped into the nurse's office at school and one of my teachers (well, she doesn't teach me anymore) was on the hospital bed thingy their and the nurse for like the elementary school was beside her. I was with the nurse whose office that was (the secondary nurse). So, my "ex"-teacher was like, "why's your hair like this? It's pretty messy. You're graduating soon that may be why 'cause you don't normally wear your hair like this." So, yeah, my hair was a lil bit messy 'cause i didn't really bother with it yesterday and today (cramps yesterday, headache all day today). I wasn't upset about the teacher's remark, but what came next from the elementary nurse. She was like, "and her hair is natural. I don't know why she doesn't want to relax it." I was then asked by the other nurse, "when are you going to relax your hair," and I was like, "never," she was like, "so, how long are you planning on staying natural," I was like, "till I die." The other nurse was like, "you should put some relaxer on your hair."

I happened to have an old picture of me with me and the teacher was looking at it, she gave it to the elementary nurse and she was like, "your hair's different here. It looks different," and I was like, "'cause it was relaxed in that picture," and she was like, "why don't you just put a little relaxer in your hair now," and I was like, "I'm not going to." I was getting rather pissed at this point, but I didn't let it show. I'm like, "what's the fuss?"

A girl in my set (last year of high school) was sitting at the nurse's table and was like, "there's something you can use instead of a relaxer to get your hair straight. It's called a Brazilian keratin treatment." My reply was straight on, "I'm not going to get a keratin treatment."

The teacher then asked me what I was planning to do with my hair for my graduation. What I like about her was that she was ready to accept my choice here. I told her that i was planning on threading my hair to stretch it out then I'll figure out some way to style it. She was cool with that. Thought it was a good idea. Then out of curiousity, she asked why I was so against changing my texture and I told her that my hair was really long when I was younger, I got it relaxed and then it broke to nape length and remained that short. She noticed that my hair was longer than that now so she had this, "'hen it's a good idea you stopped getting relaxers' attitude (God, bless that woman).

I'm sick and tired of having people make a fuss about my natural texture and getting it straight. Some people if dare to right out assume and say, "YOU CAN'T COMB YOUR HAIR!" and I'm like, "what the heck, I can't get a comb through my hair, why would you just say that I can't?" (actually, I don't say heck when I'm usually talking because I don't know how people take it around here). People would be like, "I don't want hair like yours, it's too thick and curly," and I'm like, "I never asked you if you wanted hair like mine."

Back here, people seem to hate their natural textures. Ever since the introduction of relaxers. People watch those ads. with long flowy hair or they want as some BLACK woman stupidly put it, "the WHITE girl flow." Many people want to be who they're not. Okay! So, people may say it's easier for me - I'm mixed race. I have the tightest curls in my family (well, apart from my dad (black)) and if you've been following my blog, you'll know that my curls have been getting tighter and tighter over the past few months (about a year or more now). People would go, "but your hair's soft so you can  afford to be natural," and I'm like, "my hair isn't normally like this. Proper care is what got it to this state." my mum says that the main thing that pushed her to go natural was that many people hated and were against naturally curly and kinky hair here and she wondered why. Okay! so, my mum hated her curls and that's why she started relaxing her hair years ago, but hey God gave us this hair so why should we hate it? I am so proud of my mum right now she's growing out her hair and yes, she's tempted to get a relaxer, but she's more of in a "cut off all the straight parts or relax" position. However, she can't stand to have what she'll call short hair, but others might call medium length (she gets some pretty powerful shrinkage like I do, by the way). She's at BSL (or below it now, haven't done a new length check for her *we add in her relaxed ends when checking the length of her hair, by the way). Some people have been like, "we see you're going natural," and then they go on about how they can't dare do it and my mum starts to tell them that they can and encourage them heck, she refers to my blog and she's gotten me a queue of people waiting for hair care tips and advice (that reminds me, I've got to get to that).

If people get tattoos or piercings, some people'll be like, "why are you destroying the body God gave you?" People quote, "you are wonderfully and beautifully made," they say, "God made us perfect" et cetera, so why can't many of those people accept their natural textures? They go, "it's too nappy, too kinky, I can't comb it, it doesn't look good," UMMM......weren't you made perfect and beautiful, why d'you want to change something God made perfect?

You get my drift here right?
(Oh my days, I used the word 'drift' in this context! Like, I never do that!)


What are your views on this topic?


p.s My brother flew down here (got here today) and I was like staring at his hair. I L.O.V.E his curls. Oh! and guess what? He finally decided to use a sulfate-free shampoo (one of mine) he still doesn't use a conditioner and his excuse is (and he said it today), "i'm not a girl, I'm a guy, I don't need conditioner." He'll eventually get around to using conditioners (I am rather convincing in a subtle way) :)

Ashley is Naturally Glamorous!

Ashley of SoSaidAshley

When did you decide to go natural? Why? 

I decided to go natural April 1st (I know, I know. Yes, they did think it was an April Fools joke when I announced it to everyone). I did it for personal and medical reasons. The personal being the fact that I had seen that whole "soda-can-in-relaxer" portion of "Good Hair" and I was just tired of sitting hours with a relaxer on my head, just so it would "lay down for once".

Then, the medical being that I have chronic migraines and I would always stress myself out before getting a relaxer (because, as I mentioned, I often sat with it on for several hours at a time), so, my stressing would give me migraines, and, afterwards, for a few weeks, the chemicals would react badly with my body and cause even worse migraines.

I just finally decided I had enough.

Did you big chop or transition? How did you manage your hair while going natural? 

I transitioned. Well, I'm still transitioning. There was just something about me with short hair that I didn't like; my mother, grandmother and great-grandmother have always looked great with short hair, but, it was short because they kept it that way. 

As for me? I just wasn't comfortable making such a drastic change.

I'm managing my hair being sure to keep the two textures blended - without doing that, breakage is going to happen, for sure.(And, as I said in my first post on my blog, breakage is not something I'm playing with). I like to keep the textures blended by making my relaxed ends more texturized. I've never been able to maintain truly straight hair with chemicals, so, now that I'm transitioning, I'm not even going to bother trying with heat.

When did you BC?  What was your initial reaction to your natural hair? 

In terms of "BC'ing" with transitioning, I haven't officially done so yet. I did cut off a large part of my hair in the back that's purely natural, so, I have a good idea of what my texture looks like, and, from what I can see, I love it. I haven't been hesitant, at all, in typing it (it's easier for me to take care of if I have a general idea of the type and thus some ways I can look up how to care for it), so, I'd say it's about 4b/4c (which I fully believe exists). 

How did your family and friends react to the new you?  What was your response to them?  

They didn't react well. I grew up with "Good Hair Syndrome", so, they were always used to seeing my hair straight - Well, my hair is still, for the most part, straight. They weren't used to seeing all of my new growth and hearing me honestly say that, no, I was not getting a relaxer anymore. And, no, you could not pay for it. I got picked on, from adults and kids alike, friends and family alike, but, they don't understand it, so...

My response was just to tell them it was my head of hair and they didn't have to like it. It wasn't that I couldn't afford a relaxer or that someone said something mean about me getting relaxers - I just didn't feel comfortable getting them anymore and I wasn't going to, whether they liked it or not.

What does this journey mean to you? 

This journey means... A lot to me. I don't want to say something "cliche" like "Oh, this means finally stepping out from the bonds of the societal 'norms' and being myself!", but, I feel like, sort of, that's what it means. This means finally getting to honestly say "I am not my hair" and live like it. I've cut out a large section out of the back of my hair, I'm wearing my new growth and not trying to hide it... This finally means I can get over the whispering of my peers and do what I want to with myself and be confident in it.

What is your daily regimen? 

Unfortunately, I don't have one just yet. Well, my "rough draft" of a regimen is being sure to wet with water and seal with castor oil when I wake up, and put it in a protective style (typically a large, french braid crown, now that I've learned how to do them).

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

Motions! I know, I know, it's kind of been a hands-off product (it's got 'cones and sulfates, right?), but, it's doing wonders for my hair. In addition to just throwing in some castor oil and EVOO in my spray bottle with my water. It's kind of a running joke on my blog that I'm broke, so, no big, pricey things for me.

What have you learned throughout your journey?

I have learned that people will talk. It's inevitable; and especially since I'm a high school student. My peers don't understand. And, what they don't understand, they fear - it's different. And, what they fear, they hate and make fun. It's a pretty natural response, and, I've learned that anyone not making comments that'll help me improve in my journey or as a person... They just aren't worth listening to.

Any advice for others on their journey?

You have got to have an attitude. That's not suggesting you be rude or cocky; there shouldn't be room in your person for those types of attitudes. But, you can't just go into this just doing it. You've got to have an attitude and a mindset that says "No matter what they say, I'm going to be the bigger person, answer their questions in an educated manner and not go off when they make ignorant comments". Because, they will. You just have to have a strong attitude and be prepared. Not everyone is going to be supportive.