Spotlight Monday: Courtney

Tell us about yourself.

> My name is Courtney and I was born and raised in Dallas, TX.  I graduated from Prairie View A&M University in May 2011 where I received a B.A. in Accounting.  I’ve been working in Finance for almost 3 years now.  However, I’m currently changing my career field and going into nursing.  I realized quickly the cubicle life is not for me and I need to do something that allows me to help and interact with people (nursing was my original major at PV haha).

Spotlight Monday: Callie

Tell us about yourself.

> Hey, I'm Callie-- a Brooklyn girl with a random, carefree spirit.  I am a junior at Syracuse University, majoring in Child & Family Studies as well as African American Studies.  If I'm not eating, I'm probably watching movies (or both lol).  I LOVE music, books, new places and new things.

Spotlight Monday: Shanelle

Tell us about yourself.
> My name is Shanelle and I am a first-year graduate student at Syracuse University. I am currently pursuing my masters in Engineering Management!  One of my many hobbies is reconstructing denim shorts for young ladies.  I’ve managed to make a little business, Eat My Shorts Vintage, out of that which is pretty dope.  I was born and raised in Jamaica.  If I could find one word to describe my personality it would be cooky-- I’m just all over the place!

How long have you been natural? What is your hair type?  Describe your curls!
> I have been natural since my junior year of college, which would be about 3 years.  I actually don’t know what my hair type is.  I don’t like the hair typing system because it doesn’t really tell us anything about how our hair reacts to different products, or more importantly the physical make-up of our hair.  My hair has about 3 textures, which is why I can’t say I’m 3c, 4a, or 4b.  My crown is very loose (almost no curls at all-- so frustrating), while the rest is more of an “S” curl pattern (I love that portion of my hair).  My hair is very easy to manage for the most part.

Did you transition or big chop?  Why did you take that route?
> I actually big chopped while I was in China living it up for the semester in 2011.  I transitioned for 9 months prior to the chop so I don’t know how big of a chop it was.

On big chopping-- how did you feel?
> UGH!!!  OMG-- I was with my roommates Dominique and Jaleesa when I big chopped.  I had just taken out those long overdue braids I had in for about 2 months.  My hair was unruly; I couldn’t deal with the two textures for much longer and I didn’t have the right products.  There was only one thing to do... CUT IT ALL!  As I saw the straight, processed, unhealthy pieces fall to the floor, my body tensed up and anxiety kicked in.  When it was all over, my head felt so much lighter.  My hair felt soft; I liked the feel of it until I looked in the mirror.  I was bald!  Even though I had grown my hair out for nine months, I still felt like a little boy.  I didn’t really get that "I feel free" feeling.  I was very insecure; I didn’t feel beautiful anymore.

What was it like when you experienced your natural hair for the first time?
> When I first experienced my natural hair, I hated it!  I like big hair and I liked my hair long.  I’ve always had long hair and that short cut was so different for me.  I’m not going to lie and say it was a walk through the park, but it definitely took some getting used to.  My family would say, “Shanelle, you should perm your hair” and in my head I’m like, “Hell no, this was a journey!  I’m not putting that crap in my hair.”  I turned to weaves to escape that feeling I got when I big chopped.  Currently, I still wear weaves more than I wear my natural hair out, but not because I’m insecure.  I wear weaves as a protective style.  I find that my hair grows with weaves and it kind of passes the time by.

What are some of your favorite products? (top 3)
> Like any woman who experiences their natural hair for the first time, I wanted to know what products would work for my hair.  I’ve learned that if I have too many products in my hair, it will confuse my hair.  I like to think of my hair as cables or wires.  When you have too many cables, they get tangled and you have to take your time to detangle those wires.  So too many products tangles the crap out of my hair!  However, my favorite products are (I’ll probably say more than 3): WATER, coconut oil, Herbal Essences Hello Hydration shampoo and conditioner (I love the conditioner as a detangler), Macadamia Natural Oil Deep Repair Masque (My deep conditioner), Kinky-Curly Knot Today as my leave-in, and the Kinky-Curly Curling Custard.

What are your go-to hairstyles?
> My go-to hairstyle is a simple wash and go!  I don’t like twist outs; I don’t like that they tend to look sooo perfect because I don’t like perfect (sorry if that makes absolutely no sense to you just now).  Whenever I do wash and go’s, I make sure my hair is drenched with water.  Then, I use my coconut oil, Kinky-Curly leave-in and gel combination and work it through my hair.  Once it dries, I stretch my curls with a blow dryer.  I should invest in a diffuser; I love big hair! :)

How do you feel about your hair today?
> I am obsessed with my hair honestly, and it's not based off physical appearance, but she is my baby.  This was a journey that I will not allow anyone to ruin.  There are people out there, especially men, who bad mouth women with natural hair (someone called me Michael Jackson one time, that was a funny joke).  I have two words for those types of people.  When I was younger, I wanted a perm so bad.  I guess because it was a trend at the time, but after a while I knew deep down inside that I was supposed to be a little naturalista.  Even when I had a perm I would do twist outs (that was a sign).  I was born to wear my curls; I was born this way.  On a final note, if you are reading this and considering becoming natural, you really and truly have to be committed to it.  There will be that one ignorant being who has everything and anything mean to say about your beautiful curls.  Stay Strong and don’t be discouraged!

Until next time,
Ashley, xo.

Do you have any questions for Shanelle about her natural hair journey? Comment below!

Spotlight Monday: Sasha

Tell us about yourself.

> My name is Sasha; many know me as Asha, I’m 21.  I’m an Anthropology and Forensic Science major with a minor in Medical Anthropology at Syracuse University.  I was born in Jamaica, moved to the United States when I was 13, and became an American citizen probably a year ago.  I teach dance and theatre works every summer when I can, and I have been dancing and doing musicals since I was 5yo.

How long have you been natural? What is your hair type?  Describe your curls!

> I’ve been steadily natural for about 2 years.  I think my hair is a 4c, maybe 4b.  My hair literally does what it wants, when it wants, and I’ll gladly let it.  My curls are sometimes super tight and coil-ish, then some days they're nonexistent.  It probably depends on the shampoo I use.  My hair gets really dry and that scares me and obviously with my curl type, when it gets wet, it shrinks to nowhere land.  I think I do a pretty good job of maintaining it since I’m a product junkie.  I have just about everything at my fingertips.

Did you transition or big chop?  Why did you take that route?

> I kind of did both when I was around 17/18yo.  I was going natural without much thought  to it.  My hair was red on the right side and black on the left side, and my bang was relaxed; I had a phase.  Freshman year, I randomly decided to shave my head but leave enough for some hair to cover my face; again, another phase.  During this time, my hair grew out and I just decided to keep it like this instead of frequenting a barber to cut it and a hair salon to relax it.

If you big chopped-- how did you feel?

> Well, when my hair was growing out from the shaved style, I still had some relaxed ends, and while I was twisting my hair and preparing for the winter, those relaxed ends bothered me!  So I got some scissors and snipped them away without a second thought, but then I freaked out!  I don’t know why, but I started panicking, like "Oh my God!  What did I do?!  Oh no, my hair in the front is so short now!" and even though everyone liked it, I was just nervous that it didn’t look good.

What was it like when you experienced your natural hair for the first time?

> I remember all the times I was natural-- from a kid, to my phase, to my chop-- each time, honestly, was traumatic.  Being of mixed ethnicity showed in my hair and it bothered me as a child.  We all had those horror stories of our mom combing out hair like she was searching for silver pieces and parting like Moses had nothing on her.  Well, my hair was long and it was thick so it took hours.  I would fall asleep as she did my hair so I hated it.  I hated my hair so much which is probably why I went through so many phases of coloring and cutting it.  Being older, going back natural was confusing.  I didn’t do any research on it and it was clearly spur of the moment.

What are some of your favorite products? (Top 3)

> Only 3. . . . . oh boy.

1.     The Yucca & Baobab Thickening Growth Milk- makes my hair really soft after a long day so I can retwist it.

2.     Carol's Daughter, Black Vanilla Leave-in Conditioner- super helpful when I detangle on wet hair.  It really helps to loosen up those knots I get.

3.     Elucence Moisture Benefits Shampoo- I actually got this from Ash and I thought it would be bad for my hair, but it’s perfect!  It doesn’t erase my curls.  In my opinion, it defines them way better than what I’ve been using.

What are your go-to hairstyles?

> I always have a twist out, afro or a Mohawk, mainly because one is the precursor to the other for me Lol.  When I get home and forget to re-twist, I just comb it out to an afro then the next day maybe the Mohawk.  For protective styling, I usually do Senegalese twists, but I’m slowly backing away from that.

How do you feel about your hair today? 

> Today?  Well I just twist my hair and notice how much longer it is.  Man, I love my hair.  As deceitful, complicated and time consuming it is, there’s never a day I think “You know what, I’m getting a relaxer”.  It’s exciting to see how much it grows and everything I can do with it.  I’m still learning about it and realizing that my hair now isn't the same as when I first started, and I need to take better care of it.  Lord know it's been better to me than I have to it, but I am truly happy with my hair!

Until next time,

Ashley, xo.

Do you have any questions for Sasha about her natural hair?  If so, comment below!

Spotlight Monday: Imena

Present Day Ida, 2013/14

Tell us about yourself.

> I am a 23 year old Howard University graduate from NY.  I would like to consider myself a cosmopolitan as I love culture and traveling. 

How long have you been natural? What is your hair type?  Describe your curls!

> My last perm was November 2009, but I have officially considered myself natural since October 2010!  So I would have to say roughly 3 years.  My curls are probably considered 4a/4b.  My curls are not extremely defined, but more like frizzy box springs.  They are soft and I love them!  I named my hair Ida B. Wells because she is a strong black woman! LOL  So if you see "Ida" just go with it ;)

Did you transition or big chop?  Why did you take that route?

> I transitioned with weaves and braids, and I wore wigs.  I took this route because my original intentions were not to wear my hair in its natural state.  I honestly wanted to grow the perm out of my hair.  When I went away to school, my permed hair was becoming damaged by the water and I could not find a good salon in the area.  I would have to come home to NY to get my hair done and go back to DC.  Getting a wash and set every two weeks was costly and ridiculous.  So i got protective styles to grow out my perm to eventually press it; it's amazing how things change in life because i barely press my hair now! LOL

Big Chop, Birth of Ida

On big chopping-- how did you feel?

> I can say I big chopped because I cut off my permed ends on October 16, 2010.  I felt overexposed but also light and liberated!  This does not mean I ran around freely with my hair just yet; I was still very shy about it!  I posted pictures on Facebook, watched the Sesame Street "I love my Hair" video, and my very good friend helped me with the Natural commitment because she is a natural hair guru!  However, I still wore wigs and weaves to grow my hair.  I started to read and teach myself about natural hair care to ensure I was taking care of my hair.

Morocco, 2012

What was it like when you experienced your natural hair for the first time?

> I felt overexposed, but it was not until I went overseas to study abroad that I had to really embrace my hair!  When they say there are level to this, there clearly are levels to self-love and acceptance!  I was abroad for 6 months, and I did not want to wear braids, or a weave, and have my hair all matted so I decided to do my natural hair while I was out of the country.  I was walking around Spain and Europe and people would STARE and even GRAB my hair.  It was a lot!  Some of it was sincere curiosity; I even got my eyebrows done and they said, "Wow this is my first time doing a negritas eyebrows" *major side eye*.  It was also frustrating because there were no products for my hair and TSA limited a lot of what I could bring.  So I had to be creative and make a lot of my own products.  I even traveled to Morocco and purchased pure Argan Oil!  It was amazing like a natural hair goddess' dream come true, and it was inexpensive!  I loved this experience even though it was hard at times because I learned so much about my hair and myself.  When I came back to the states, Ida was my CROWN! 

What are some of your favorite products? (Top 3)

> I always change my hair products with the seasons because some products work better in the summer or winter and vice versa!

• My favorite cheap detangling conditioners are Herbal Essences: Hello Hydration and YES! to Carrots.  I add Olive, Argan, and Coconut Oil and any other oil I can find just to make it even more amazing!
• I use the Chagrin Valley Ayurvedic herb Shampoo bar one to two times a month.  I also love Vitika Coconut oil as a pre-poo/hot oil treatment!
• As I am Leave-in Conditioner is AMAZING!
• For daily moisture, I use Oyin Whipped Pudding in the summer (because it has honey) and the Carol's Daughter Hair milk in the winter.  Thanks to CurlBox, I found some amazing, inexpensive moisturizers.  One of them is the Moisture Butter Whipped Curl Creme by Beautifully Textured and the second one is the Olive Oil & Mango Butter Moisturizer by Elasta QP.  I also change oils with the seasons, too.  If it is solid at room temperature I use it in the summer, and if it's liquid at room temperature I use it all year/winter. 

Summer 2013

What are your go-to hairstyles?  How do you spice up your TWA?

> I love bantu-knot outs, flat twist outs, twist outs, and puffs!  I also love perm rods and curlformers!  Hairstyles are just so much fun because you can do whatever you want-- funky to chic to sexy!

How do you feel about your hair today?

> I love my hair!  It is truly apart of me, but i am not confined or defined by it!  I can do whatever I please because it is my CROWN and a CROWN is the ultimate accessory for a Queen!  I have learned so much about it by going to the wrong salons, trimming, cutting, dying, and protective styling!  I know that my hair will grow with patience and care and that is all that matters!

I think my love for my natural hair is radiant; it also gave my mom and grandma the courage to do the BC!  So my house is filled with fierce TWAs! =)

Until next time,

Ashley, xo.

Do you have any questions for Imena about her natural hair?  Comment below!

Simple Braided Updo Pictorial

Lori

Hey lovelies!  It's Holiday season and I wanted to share a simple updo for the ladies that are protective styling.  I took my PS out a couple of weeks ago, but I thought about you all ;)

I can only imagine how difficult it is to find easy styles are that fun, creative, and easy on the hair.  This simple updo is simple enough to do, but especially fun for the Holidays!  I asked my friend, Lori, to demonstrate one of her favorite updos and here it is!

You will need:

- hair pins (these are different from bobby pins)

- a soft bristle brush (for your edges and nape area, optional)

Let's get started!

First, lean forward to bring all braids to the front:

Next, take 2 braids from the left side of your head, and 2 from the right (preferably around the middle for added security and less tension on the braids around your edges):

Then, wrap the sectioned off braids around the majority and tie as you would tie a shoelace.  (This acts as a hair tie):

Next, divide braids into 2 sections and braid them:

Then, wrap each braid around, in opposite directions, and secure with bobby pins:

*Slaying your edges is optional once the braids have been secured!

All done:

*Side note: Feel free to add a head wrap if you want to spice up the look.  Just wrap accordingly after your braids have been secured!

I would love to see some of these updos recreated especially during the Holidays.  If you have time and take on Lori's updo, tag us at #curlsfothegirls on Instagram!

Happy Holidays,

Ashley, xo.

Do you have a favorite braided updo or questions for Lori about her updo?  Comment below!