Natural Spotlight: Kisha
Meet Kisha, a transitioning natural who is sharing her trials and triumphs during her natural hair journey.
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| Early permed days |
1. Introduce yourself to us (are you: loc'ed, newly natural, natural-n-pressed, etc.)
Hi my name is Kisha and I am happily "almost" totally natural. I'm 9 months into my long term transition and loving it. Although I have a lot of permed hair left, I did cut a lot off during the third month of my transition. I don't press my hair, but during the beginning stages of the process I would let it air dry and flat iron my hair (this was done to blend the two textures).
2. How long have you been natural and why did you decide to embark on this journey?
My last perm was April 16, 2010, so I guess I can say that I'm a full 9 months natural. I originally decided to go natural about February 2008 due to a lack of a consistant/proficient stylist. About a year or so later the humidity got the best of me and I went, no RAN, and purchased a perm and "fried" my hair once again. After going about and failing yet again at finding a proficient stylist (and the rising cost of going to a salon didn't help either); I decided this is it. Along with the constant begging of my husband to go and stay natural, I embarked on this journey again - this time for life.
3. How did people react to the changes you made to your hair? Were they supportive or against it?
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| Rocking a twist out |
Initially, no one really noticed except my husband and kids. My mom didn't even notice, she thought I was kidding when I said I'd decided to go natural. My brother-in-law, co-workers and friends have said they don't know why I ever started getting a perm in the first place, they love my wave pattern. I would say that the majority of my circle are very supportive.
4. What's your hair regimen?
I shampoo my hair every two weeks with Shea Moisture Brilliant Curl Shampoo. On the in between weeks I co-wash my hair with either Nexxus Botanphuse (nourishing botanical conditioner) or any good thick conditioner. I follow up with Cantu Shea Butter Leave-In Conditioner and a little Vitamin E oil. I've lately been practicing twisting out my hair, but being that I still have perm left on my ends I use cold rods to hold the twist and curl the ends. I use a homemade mixture of water, olive oil and leave in conditioner in a spray bottle to rewet my hair as needed while completing the twist/rod of my hair. After my hair has dried, I use a little shea butter oil or Carol's Daughter Healthy Hair Butter to take down and style my curls.
5. What is your staple hairstyle?
I usually wear my hair curly because it's easier to blend the two textures I have going on right now. If I don't have time to maintain my hair during the week, I usually pull it back in a bun. Being that this year I've set a goal to not flat iron my hair, those are the only two styles I've been working with. But I do see braids in the near future:)
6. What's your favorite hair accessory?
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| Her fave hair pins |
I love these extra long curved hair pins. I actually found these pins in Walmart and I LOVE them. I use these when I pin my hair up into a curlyhawk. I can't believe I had the nerve to do the curlyhawk and my 11 year old loved it. He actually told me I rock! The hair pins have just enough curve to hold the "hawk" in place and they do not slip. They come in a set of six in two colors each (black,taupe and tortoise).
7. What tip or trick have you learned works best when it comes to defining your curls and maintaining moisture?
It's still rather hard for me to define my curls with so much perm remaining. I have to re-twist my hair often in order to maintain a neat curl pattern with the permed portion of my hair. My hair has become really dry during this process so I've learned to use oils that will replenish the vitamins/nutrients my hair need. I use Vitamin E oil, olive oil and grape seed oils to help fight the dryness of my hair and scalp.
8. What is the natural hair scene like where you live? Do you see many naturals in your area?
Oh My Gosh YES!! Sooo many beautiful ladies sporting so many different natural hair styles that often I'm just overwhelmed. There are so many different styles I've seen worn that I would love to try in the future.
9. Is there a blog or website we can follow you at?
1 comments:
Write commentsGreat interview!
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