TFK

My name is Nayomi. I’m a student and I live in London, UK. I run a blog by the name of ‘beauty is a state of mind’ (http://beautifulms.blogspot.com/) which is basically about natural hair, beauty and confidence. I started it June of this year after having an ‘epiphany’ on my way to college. It just randomly struck me in a time when had low self-esteem, that I shouldn’t need anything to make feel beautiful and I don’t have to conform to an image be beautiful. Out of that random thought I had that day I started ‘beauty is a state of mind’ a blog not just on physical beauty but also encouraging young women like me to become beautifully minded. When did you decide to throw the relaxer out (if you did)? I decided to stop getting relaxer the summer of last year for a number of reasons. Because I couldn’t really afford it, I was becoming more aware of black hair & beauty politics and also I was becoming bored with straight hair. So summer 2009 I had my last relaxer, but it wasn’t a proper conscious decision – I just never went back. Then after several month of transitioning very badly I ‘big chopped’ on March 26th 2010. What was your support system like once you went natural? Well, my mum had gone natural before me and seeing her natural hair journey was very encouraging. And my boyfriend was fully behind me, I think at time he was more enthusiastic than I was. Some of friends really wanted me to BC because they thought the short crop on me would look modelesque. I got a lot of great comments and compliments about my hair when I decided to rock it – so yes, I had a lot of support and not too much hateration, well not that I know of. How would you describe your hair journey so far? It’s definitely been a learning experience and I’ve made loads of mistakes so far but sometimes you have to get wrong before you get it right. Sometimes I’ve been frustrated and annoyed with my natural hair but I realise that would happen anyway relaxed or natural. It’s bumpy journey so far with loads of up and downs but it’s definitely getting better as time goes on. What keeps you motivated? My fellow naturals on blogs, vlogs and network communities are what really keep me motivated. The natural hair community has been really supportive – I mean I wish that there could be such interactive hubs of discussion for other topics as well. I would say that and hair porn keeps me motivated, lol. Your hair is so beautiful, but what is the most craziest remark you have has received about your hair? I’ve been asked if I have had Jheri Curl before on a number of occasion and I didn’t really know how to react because I was thinking does my hair really look like something out of the eighties (greasy and wet). What are your top 3 products? Eco Styler Gel, Castor Oil and Motion CPR Protein Reconstructor. Any advice to the aspiring successful women out there/closing remarks? Just do it! Be bold and confident and do what YOU want to do. Form your own opinions and don’t rely anyone else’s to make you feel good/comfortable otherwise you’ll never truly feel good about yourself.

Introduce/Background info on yourself (preferably background on your Business as well) My name is Genoa. For almost half of my life I’ve had an on again, off again relationship with relaxers. Our romance began when I was 14. I would go through long periods of growing it out and follow that up with relaxing again. At 18 I did my first bc. I shaved my head. I loved being natural, but ended up relaxing again. This pattern continued up until Dec 6 2008. It was during this current natural episode that my best friend Kemit and I began talking about starting a natural skin and hair line. Mora I. Naturals uses all natural ingredients to create products that good for your hair, skin, and wallet. When did you decide to throw the relaxer out (if you did)? My last relaxer was Dec 2008. Just prior to that re-touch, I had been doing research online about natural hair and stretching relaxers. I wasn’t quite sure which way I was going. Jan of 2009 I made the decision to transition. I was approaching 30 and wanted to enter this decade chemical free. What was your support system like once you went natural? It was wonderful. Both of my sisters are natural, my mother had dreadlocks, so they were wondering what I was waiting for. My boyfriend at the time was very supportive. He couldn’t understand why I went relaxed anyway. When he met me I had dreadlocks. He was crushed when I chopped them off. My co-workers were used to me always changing my hair styles, so they rolled with it as well. How would you describe your hair journey so far? I would have say that thus far the journey has instrumental to my personal growth. I no longer feel like my hair has to be “dealt” with. I dont feel like straight hair is better. I am in love with what is growing out of my scalp. As it grows and changes so do I. You seem to be such a success business wise, what advice would you give someone trying to travel in your footsteps? I think we have a ways to go before we are considered a success. I would say that it’s important to start where you are now. You can always make up for what you dont know by either taking a class, or reading either the book or the information online. Start where you are. Dont wait for the day to come along when everything is perfect. What has been one of your biggest obstacles so far in your career and how did you face it? I am the biggest challenge I face. Once I get myself together and determine what direction I’m going in everything else follows. It doesn’t come easy at first, but having a direction is a great start. I’ve gotten side tracked, but I wont give up. When it comes to your hair, what do you find most challenging? I’ve noticed that as it grows, the products and styles change and evolve as well. This is the longest my hair has been in some time. So I’m stretching myself trying to come up with staple styles and protective styles. What keeps you motivated(pertaining to life/work/or hair)? My mother passed away last year from liver disease, and my father died when I was 5. I want my parents to be proud the next time I see them. Your hair is so beautiful, but what is the most craziest remark you have has received about your hair? Most recently I had a friend ask me what I was mixed with, cause I didn’t have nappy hair. I laughed, but people dont know about black hair actually being curly. I’ve slowly been educating my friend. Any advice to the aspiring successful women out there/closing remarks? Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure. – George Edward Woodberry Check her Shop out at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/MoraINaturals

Hey there, I go by the hair alias “aJwitaFro” (aj with a fro) online but my real name is Ajoke. I’ve been active in the natural hair online world for quite a number of years and I’ve had the privilege of seeing the community grow and evolve over time. It wasn’t until I recently decided to take my hair journey seriously (in like April) that I thought it would be a good idea to start a blog about natural hair care, sharing my hair journey, and other things related to living your best life. Currently, I’m also a Bachelor of Commerce student and aspiring entrepreneur alongside running my blog. When did you decide to throw the relaxer out (if you did)? Well, interestingly enough I was natural until I was 10 when I got a relaxer for a wedding. I got relaxers until I was around 13 or so but due to the fact that I really didn’t like the way my hair looked with a relaxer, it never grew passed a certain length and I didn’t know how to take care of it properly, I decided to transition back to my natural hair. I ended up getting a texturizer back in 2007 which forced me to do the big chop. Now, here I am in September 2010 and minus a few setbacks I have fully natural collar bone length hair. What was your support system like once you went natural? I literally had NO support system when I first went natural. I was going into the eighth grade at the time and although my mom was/ is natural, she’s very relaxed about hair care so there wasn’t really anyone to “show me the ropes” when it comes to proper natural hair care practices. Thankfully, I wore my hair in braids most of the time and when I was fully transitioned, the only style I knew how to do with my natural hair was an afro puff. How would you describe your hair journey so far? Well, I can say that looking back I’ve made a lot of mistakes mostly due to a lack of proper information. Simple things that make such a big difference for my hair like wearing a satin bonnet to sleep or only detangling while your hair is damp/wet with product only came into my hair care regimen within the last like year of being natural. At this point, although I have definitely made some positive improvements with my hair I still think I have a lot to learn and my hair journey isn’t complete. I still want to learn a lot more styling techniques and try out products specifically made for curly, black natural hair. Right now, I use a pretty basic set of products. I do try new products often but I wait until the containers are empty (usually) before I buy something else to try and I always have my staple products handy. Here are some of my go to products right now: Shampoo: Organix Coconut shampoo Oils I like: Extra virgin Olive Oil, virgin Coconut Oil, & Castor Oil. I have a lot of other oils lying around that I do use from time to time but these are definitely my staple oils. Deep Conditioner: homemade mix of HEHH, olive oil, vegetable glycerine, and coconut oil. This mix is actually super moisturizing and I highly recommend it. There is a rough “recipe” for it on my blog 😉 Conditioner: Herbal Essences Hello Hydration for co washes and detangling Leave-in: Carefree Curl Gold Curl Activator or Garnier Fructis Sleek n Shine I also have a shea butter mix that I made with my Garnier Fructis Sleek n Shine, it’s good but the product could definitely use some tweaking. I’m very interested in making a perfect homemade shea butter mix for twists and sealing in moisture. I’m also very interested in Ayurvedic hair care practices so I use body art quality henna in my hair ever 1-1.5 weeks. I will definitely be trying a lot more oils and powders to see how they work with my hair. When it comes to your hair, what do you find most challenging? I think that not being lazy with my hair is definitely a challenge, it’s easy to pass out on the bed without wearing your bonnet every so often but those little mistakes add up especially when you’re trying to achieve hair goals. I’m sure a lot of people can relate to that as well. I’m also not a very high maintenance person so although I like to look cute, I don’t like taking excessive amounts of time to style my hair. Again, I’m sure there are people out there who can relate to this but I know that it’s important to practice styling my hair because it becomes easier over time with practice. Lastly, working with multiple curl patterns/ hair textures is a challenge. The curls at the very back of my head or “the kitchen” as it’s also referred to is much looser than the curls on the rest of my head. It’s kind of like a 3c while the rest is a mix of 4a/b textures. The curls hang really loose so it makes my hair harder to style sometimes when I want to leave it out because it just acts differently than the rest of my hair. But aside from that, I’m pretty well versed at the basics of caring for my hair and treating it well. What keeps you motivated (pertaining to life/work/or hair)? I think it’s really important to have goals in all areas of your life. A lot of times we want to achieve things or become this great person but if you don’t specify what it is you want to accomplish it makes it that much harder to get there. I find this hard to keep up with sometimes but I’ve seen how it has helped to not only keep me motivated but make it easier to achieve

Hey there, I go by the hair alias “aJwitaFro” (aj with a fro) online but my real name is Ajoke. I’ve been active in the natural hair online world for quite a number of years and I’ve had the privilege of seeing the community grow and evolve over time. It wasn’t until I recently decided to take my hair journey seriously (in like April) that I thought it would be a good idea to start a blog about natural hair care, sharing my hair journey, and other things related to living your best life. Currently, I’m also a Bachelor of Commerce student and aspiring entrepreneur alongside running my blog. When did you decide to throw the relaxer out (if you did)? Well, interestingly enough I was natural until I was 10 when I got a relaxer for a wedding. I got relaxers until I was around 13 or so but due to the fact that I really didn’t like the way my hair looked with a relaxer, it never grew passed a certain length and I didn’t know how to take care of it properly, I decided to transition back to my natural hair. I ended up getting a texturizer back in 2007 which forced me to do the big chop. Now, here I am in September 2010 and minus a few setbacks I have fully natural collar bone length hair. What was your support system like once you went natural? I literally had NO support system when I first went natural. I was going into the eighth grade at the time and although my mom was/ is natural, she’s very relaxed about hair care so there wasn’t really anyone to “show me the ropes” when it comes to proper natural hair care practices. Thankfully, I wore my hair in braids most of the time and when I was fully transitioned, the only style I knew how to do with my natural hair was an afro puff. How would you describe your hair journey so far? Well, I can say that looking back I’ve made a lot of mistakes mostly due to a lack of proper information. Simple things that make such a big difference for my hair like wearing a satin bonnet to sleep or only detangling while your hair is damp/wet with product only came into my hair care regimen within the last like year of being natural. At this point, although I have definitely made some positive improvements with my hair I still think I have a lot to learn and my hair journey isn’t complete. I still want to learn a lot more styling techniques and try out products specifically made for curly, black natural hair. Right now, I use a pretty basic set of products. I do try new products often but I wait until the containers are empty (usually) before I buy something else to try and I always have my staple products handy. Here are some of my go to products right now: Shampoo: Organix Coconut shampoo Oils I like: Extra virgin Olive Oil, virgin Coconut Oil, & Castor Oil. I have a lot of other oils lying around that I do use from time to time but these are definitely my staple oils. Deep Conditioner: homemade mix of HEHH, olive oil, vegetable glycerine, and coconut oil. This mix is actually super moisturizing and I highly recommend it. There is a rough “recipe” for it on my blog 😉 Conditioner: Herbal Essences Hello Hydration for co washes and detangling Leave-in: Carefree Curl Gold Curl Activator or Garnier Fructis Sleek n Shine I also have a shea butter mix that I made with my Garnier Fructis Sleek n Shine, it’s good but the product could definitely use some tweaking. I’m very interested in making a perfect homemade shea butter mix for twists and sealing in moisture. I’m also very interested in Ayurvedic hair care practices so I use body art quality henna in my hair ever 1-1.5 weeks. I will definitely be trying a lot more oils and powders to see how they work with my hair. When it comes to your hair, what do you find most challenging? I think that not being lazy with my hair is definitely a challenge, it’s easy to pass out on the bed without wearing your bonnet every so often but those little mistakes add up especially when you’re trying to achieve hair goals. I’m sure a lot of people can relate to that as well. I’m also not a very high maintenance person so although I like to look cute, I don’t like taking excessive amounts of time to style my hair. Again, I’m sure there are people out there who can relate to this but I know that it’s important to practice styling my hair because it becomes easier over time with practice. Lastly, working with multiple curl patterns/ hair textures is a challenge. The curls at the very back of my head or “the kitchen” as it’s also referred to is much looser than the curls on the rest of my head. It’s kind of like a 3c while the rest is a mix of 4a/b textures. The curls hang really loose so it makes my hair harder to style sometimes when I want to leave it out because it just acts differently than the rest of my hair. But aside from that, I’m pretty well versed at the basics of caring for my hair and treating it well. What keeps you motivated (pertaining to life/work/or hair)? I think it’s really important to have goals in all areas of your life. A lot of times we want to achieve things or become this great person but if you don’t specify what it is you want to accomplish it makes it that much harder to get there. I find this hard to keep up with sometimes but I’ve seen how it has helped to not only keep me motivated but make it easier to achieve

I’m Elle, and I’m a DC native currently living in Los Angeles. Basically, I’m a hair junkie. Usually when I’m done with work, I’m doing something that pertains to hair, whether it be shopping for products, researching ingredients, conversing on my hair boards, working out (stimulate that scalp!), reading books about hair, or doing my hair. Everything about hair is just so fascinating to me, because everyone’s hair is so different. Recently, I got a few textbooks on the science of hair from the library, so I know exactly how nutrition, the elements and chemicals affect my fro – I named her Izzy. Besides that I do what any 20-something woman does; right now I’m just loving life and loving my new city! One day, I’d like my hair to be so large it blocks people out of pictures. When did you decide to throw the relaxer out (if you did)? My last relaxer was in May 2009; I got relaxers for 21 years. After a few months, I cut my hair into a Mohawk/frohawk, and still had relaxed hair on top, but I wore it in a curly wash and go. Finally, in December 2009, I cut off the top of my mohawk and BC’ed to an inch of hair in order to be fully natural! What was your support system like once you went natural? I had a TON of support from being on hair boards; the ladies there are SO helpful and have a plethora of information. When I first decided to stop relaxing, I was on the boards for hours looking for inspiration and ways to care for my hair. I still frequent them today, because I love looking for new tips for my hair, browsing for product raves, and simply chatting about hair. For anyone who wants to go natural, I highly recommend finding a board to join. How would you describe your hair journey so far? Fun! Sometimes I look in the mirror and I’m like, “Hey, girl!” Yes, I talk to my hair sometimes – trust me, it’s not that abnormal. I enjoy playing with my hair and trying out new products, even though I already have staples that I can always go to. When I had a relaxer, I didn’t even know what my natural texture was, so I often stare at my hair in disbelief. But I love it; it’s super curly and getting bigger every day! What are your favorite hair/homemade products? My favorite deep conditioner hands down is extra virgin olive oil and honey, and sometimes I like to add in some coconut milk. As for products, lol, where do I even start? I have so many! Oyin Honey Hemp Conditioner is amazing; if it were alive I’d definitely marry it and have its curly headed bottle babies. My favorite leave-in conditioner is Shea Moisture Shea Butter Leave-In, and my fave stylers are Komaza Haircare Califia Styling Pudding, Kinky Curly Curling Custard, and plain aloe vera gel. When it comes to your hair, what do you find most challenging? Hands down, my low porosity hair. It takes forever to wet my hair in the shower, it rarely likes to absorb products, and it takes ALL DAY to dry. Seriously, I can do my hair at 7am, and at 10pm my roots will still be damp. To help my hair get more moisture, I’ve started doing weekly Cherry Lola treatments, which contains yogurt, baking soda, and Bragg’s Amino Acids. I do it about once a week and my hair loves it. Your hair is so beautiful, but what is the most craziest remark you have has received about your hair? Once, I was at a party, and a couple of guys had a debate with me about how black I am, because they weren’t sure if they wanted to call my hair kinky or curly. This literally went on for about fifteen, minutes, and one told me that I had to be mixed with white because I have freckles and because of my hair. Say what?! The length of that conversation alone was bizarre enough. Any advice to the aspiring successful natural haired women out there/closing remarks? Whatever reason you want to go natural, make sure you do it for you. Whether it’s for a hairstyle, the health of your hair, maintenance, anything…just do it for you, and no one else. It’s your hair, and you don’t need to answer to anyone! Where can we find you on the net? Everywhere! I’m always reviewing products on my blog, The Quest for the Perfect Curl (no, that doesn’t mean perfectly styled hair, lol), and my YouTube channel. Also, I talk to many of the #naturalhair ladies on Twitter, my name is CurlyHeadedPJ.

I would say there is no need for a formal introduction but I must put my two sense in! This week’s artisan is Rachael Stewart. You may have heard of her,and if you haven’t you will! I absolutely love this lady’s jewelry and her artistic talent. She is part of the reason why I may be brok this season. Listen to her story:   Introduce/Background info on yourself I started making jewelry a little over a year ago, I started with making peacock feather earrings and selling them on my blog..they got a lot of attention so I figured I would try to make more things and since then I’ve evolved and the business has really taken off.   When did you decide to throw the relaxer out (if you did)? I never transitioned, I’ve been natural for over 20 years (im 37) I wanted to shave my head because I loved that style so I just did it, It wasnt some great spiritual, natural journey..I just liked the style What was your support system like once you went natural? I didnt need one, my decision was mine and I didnt need support, I really didnt care what other people thought about it, I liked it and that was all that mattered and it still is. How would you describe your hair journey so far? its not a journey for me, there hasnt been an awakening or great revalation, this is the hair I was born with and im rocking it..thats all there is to it. You seem to be such a success business wise, what advice would you give someone trying to travel in your footsteps? dont second guess yourself, and dont make things harder than they have to be, the resources are endless and most of them are free, get a blog, a paypal account, and upload your product..JUST DO IT. What has been one of your biggest obstacles so far in your career and how did you face it? I havent had any obstacles, anything that I needed to do I just did it, Im not afraid to fail im afraid to not try, ive tried so many things in my life..some worked and some didnt but I went for it and I learned from it. What keeps you motivated(pertaining to life/work/or hair)? My son keeps me motivated, I want to provide the BEST I can for him and be an example of what kind of woman I’d like him to choose one day, also show him that you dont have to punch the clock for anyone else..make you own way…dont compromise yourself. Your hair is so beautiful, but what is the most craziest remark you have has received about your hair? Sometimes I get asked what I use on my hair and when i tell them I have one product and I dont shampoo it they dont beleive me, they assume ive had it texturized or “DONE: at a salon…ive had women get MAD at me because they thought I was lying..needless to say they had permed hair, had never seen their natural hair and had no idea what thier hair could do…I rarely engage in conversations about hair because its like talking speaking German…they just dont understand. Any advice to the aspiring successful women out there/closing remarks? Yeah, stop asking for permission to be great. Catch her on: https://twitter.com/RStewartJewelryhttp://rachelstewart.bigcartel.com/http://targetqueenjewelry.blogspot.com/http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=518079692

I would say there is no need for a formal introduction but I must put my two sense in! This week’s artisan is Rachael Stewart. You may have heard of her,and if you haven’t you will! I absolutely love this lady’s jewelry and her artistic talent. She is part of the reason why I may be brok this season. Listen to her story:   Introduce/Background info on yourself I started making jewelry a little over a year ago, I started with making peacock feather earrings and selling them on my blog..they got a lot of attention so I figured I would try to make more things and since then I’ve evolved and the business has really taken off.   When did you decide to throw the relaxer out (if you did)? I never transitioned, I’ve been natural for over 20 years (im 37) I wanted to shave my head because I loved that style so I just did it, It wasnt some great spiritual, natural journey..I just liked the style What was your support system like once you went natural? I didnt need one, my decision was mine and I didnt need support, I really didnt care what other people thought about it, I liked it and that was all that mattered and it still is. How would you describe your hair journey so far? its not a journey for me, there hasnt been an awakening or great revalation, this is the hair I was born with and im rocking it..thats all there is to it. You seem to be such a success business wise, what advice would you give someone trying to travel in your footsteps? dont second guess yourself, and dont make things harder than they have to be, the resources are endless and most of them are free, get a blog, a paypal account, and upload your product..JUST DO IT. What has been one of your biggest obstacles so far in your career and how did you face it? I havent had any obstacles, anything that I needed to do I just did it, Im not afraid to fail im afraid to not try, ive tried so many things in my life..some worked and some didnt but I went for it and I learned from it. What keeps you motivated(pertaining to life/work/or hair)? My son keeps me motivated, I want to provide the BEST I can for him and be an example of what kind of woman I’d like him to choose one day, also show him that you dont have to punch the clock for anyone else..make you own way…dont compromise yourself. Your hair is so beautiful, but what is the most craziest remark you have has received about your hair? Sometimes I get asked what I use on my hair and when i tell them I have one product and I dont shampoo it they dont beleive me, they assume ive had it texturized or “DONE: at a salon…ive had women get MAD at me because they thought I was lying..needless to say they had permed hair, had never seen their natural hair and had no idea what thier hair could do…I rarely engage in conversations about hair because its like talking speaking German…they just dont understand. Any advice to the aspiring successful women out there/closing remarks? Yeah, stop asking for permission to be great. Catch her on: https://twitter.com/RStewartJewelryhttp://rachelstewart.bigcartel.com/http://targetqueenjewelry.blogspot.com/http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=518079692

My name is Faithlynn Morris and I’m an 18-year-old sophomore at UConn. When did you do your BC? I cut it all of in November of 2009. Why did you decide to go natural? I’d had a mohawk prior to my cut and I wanted for my hair to start growing evenly again, so I decided to shave everything. Also, I’d decided to no longer use weaves or get relaxers. What was your support system like once you went natural? Everybody loved it. It wouldn’t have mattered much to me if they hadn’t, as it would still be my hair, but everyone seemed very excited about it. What is one of the strangest comments you have received about your hair? “So, is it gonna, like, grow back…normal?” How to you maintain moisture and curl? Everyday, after I wash it in the shower, I put in a small but healthy amount of curl activator. What advice would you give to new naturals or naturals period? Maybe just to embrace their hair as it is. I am very much an advocate of loving yourself as you are and as you were made to be. If you had a choice would you revert back to permed hair? Nope. What are some of your favorite sites for a support system? I do love napskinkslove.onsugar.com…. How do you spruce up your natural hair on a fun night/special occasion? I use some Jam on my edges. It’s also one of my favorite products. What was your transition process like? It wasn’t very difficult at all. I simply had hair one day and the next I did not. I quite liked it, actually. What are you hair goals? I had an afro my freshman year of high school, before I delved into many, many different hairstyles. I would like to see a nice, curly afro in my future. 

My name is Faithlynn Morris and I’m an 18-year-old sophomore at UConn. When did you do your BC? I cut it all of in November of 2009. Why did you decide to go natural? I’d had a mohawk prior to my cut and I wanted for my hair to start growing evenly again, so I decided to shave everything. Also, I’d decided to no longer use weaves or get relaxers. What was your support system like once you went natural? Everybody loved it. It wouldn’t have mattered much to me if they hadn’t, as it would still be my hair, but everyone seemed very excited about it. What is one of the strangest comments you have received about your hair? “So, is it gonna, like, grow back…normal?” How to you maintain moisture and curl? Everyday, after I wash it in the shower, I put in a small but healthy amount of curl activator. What advice would you give to new naturals or naturals period? Maybe just to embrace their hair as it is. I am very much an advocate of loving yourself as you are and as you were made to be. If you had a choice would you revert back to permed hair? Nope. What are some of your favorite sites for a support system? I do love napskinkslove.onsugar.com…. How do you spruce up your natural hair on a fun night/special occasion? I use some Jam on my edges. It’s also one of my favorite products. What was your transition process like? It wasn’t very difficult at all. I simply had hair one day and the next I did not. I quite liked it, actually. What are you hair goals? I had an afro my freshman year of high school, before I delved into many, many different hairstyles. I would like to see a nice, curly afro in my future. 

1.Introduce yourself? Hey Cia! My name is Ebony and I’m a 19 year old full time college student and newly natural! 2. When did you do your BC? I BC’d July 14th around 2am. 3. Why did you decide to go natural? I had always been interested in natural hair and after doing a lot of research on it, I decided to try it out. I was also struggling with self-esteem issues and decided that going natural would help me get to the root (no pun intended) of those problems because my hair wouldn’t always be bone straight and once I big chopped, I would have to deal with a completely different head of hair. 4. What was your support system like once you went natural? My support system was very small. A lot of people didn’t understand why I did it or they thought I did it to follow some type of trend. 5. What is one of the strangest comments you have received about your hair? “So what are you gonna do with it?” 6. How to you maintain moisture and curl? I maintain moisture and curl by co-washing every other day and using moisturizing products that contain humectants. To define my curls I use Fantasia IC Styling Gel with Olive Oil. When combined with a good leave in, it makes my curls pop and leaves them soft and moisturized. I spritz my hair at night with water/conditioner/oils and apply a whipped shea butter mix to it before wrapping it in a satin bonnet and going to bed. I also deep condition my hair once a week for about two hours, using a plastic cap and towel (no heat). I’m still trying to figure out what works for my hair and what doesn’t. 7. What are your favorite hair/homemade products? Fantasia IC Styling Gel with Olive Oil, Suave Naturals conditioners, Suave Humectant conditioner, Hawaiian Silky 14 n 1 Miracle Worker and my whipped shea butter mix (unrefined shea butter, oils and suave conditioner) I love Lustrasilk Cholesterols for deep conditioning as well. 8. What advice would you give to new naturals or naturals period? My biggest piece of advice to new naturals would be to not get discouraged with your hair. The way your hair looks and feels right after your BC is, most of the time, not what it will look and feel like in a few weeks. My curls and texture change everyday and it took my curl pattern a while to reveal itself. All naturals should remember that water is our best friend and to keep your hair moisturized. Also, don’t focus so much about what other naturals look like. Embrace YOUR hair, they way that it is. God blessed you with it, so love it. 9. If you had a choice would you revert back to permed hair? No. I love my natural hair. My curls are fierce! 10. What are some of your favorite sites for a support system? I love the forum on CurlyNikki.com. Also, for college curlies, collegecurlies.blogspot.com is a good site also. Some others I visit include Black Girl Long Hair and Naturally Obsessed. 11. How do you spruce up your natural hair on a fun night/special occasion? My twa is very short so I usually use a cute headband or flower to jazz it up. 12. What was your transition process like? I transitioned for 3 months and because I had done so much research, it wasn’t that bad at all. I had intended to transition for 8 months, but after 3, I was tired of the relaxed hair and wanted it gone. While transitioning, I co-washed my hair 3 times a week and rocked bantu knot outs, half wigs and ponytails. 13. What are you hair goals? I don’t have many hair goals right now. I just want my TWA to grow out long enough for me to be able to wear protective styles by November/December. I am always striving for healthy, moisturized hair, no matter what the length is. 14. Where can we find you on the blocks of kinks? aka the net? You can find me on facebook (Ebony Kashan Ragin), Twitter (@GodGivenNatural) or the CurlyNikki.com forum     Do you have a story you would like to share? Visit >Tales from the Kinks