Natural Spotlight: Bella

5:31:00 AM Monique 0 Comments A⁺ a^-

Meet Bella, a naturally curly mom who has grown to embrace her hair and teach her daughter to love hers as well.

I am super excited about this interview. Bella is one of my favorite bloggers and Twitter followers. I love her spirit and no-holds-bar mentality about life. I am so happy she was able to take time out of her busy schedule to do this interview for me. Thanks so much!

Introduce yourself and your hair to us.

My name is Bella and my hair is naturally curly and goes about halfway down my back.

What's your hair regimen?

I wash my hair once a week, or else it will get too frizzy and seem to have a mind of its own. Besides the fact that I don't really have much time to wash it more often than that. Before I wash it, I use a wide-tooth comb to part my head down the middle and comb out each side starting from the bottom and work my way up. Then scratch my scalp with the comb because my scalp tends to get dry and it feels sooo good (plus loosens up any hair product residue/debris).

I use NuExpressions Scalp-Ale Therapeutic Shampoo and let it sit for about 5 minutes before rinsing out. I love the tingle from the tea tree oil, it makes my whole head feel like "ahhhhh :)" After rinsing it out, I repeat but without letting it soak, just a quick scrub, lather, and rinse. For conditioner, I use NuExpressions Humective Conditioner, let it sit for about 3 minutes, then rinse. I wring my hair, then wrap it in a towel. Before blow drying it, I rub just a little Palmer's Coconut Oil Replenishing Hair Milk around the edges of my scalp to help with the dryness (I should probably see a dermotoligist about that lol, but for now that seems to help better than anything else I've tried).

I comb my hair out with my fingers and rub some Garnier Fructis Curl Construct Mousse onto my hands and run my fingers through again, applying it evenly and lightly (avoiding contact with my scalp). Then I flip my head down and spray my hair (lightly) with Garnier Fructis Curl Shaping spray gel to help control the frizz. I blow dry my hair using a diffuser attachment while I fluff my hair with my fingers until it's dry, then flip my head back up, pat my hair and shake it a bit with my finger tips. Finally, set the hairdryer to the cool setting and "smooth" it down with my hands and I'm done. It usually takes a little over an hour from start to finish.

You are the proud mother of 3 beautiful biracial kids (2 boys and a girl). We all know that some people view biracial hair is 'difficult'. What a misconception! How do you maintain your daughter's hair?

Thank you :) Yes, the loves of my life! I maintain my daughter's hair pretty much the same way I maintain mine except I use NuExpressions Mayonnaise and Honey hair creme on her scalp. Sometimes I blow it out straight and then section it into ponytails with braids or twists. I don't leave it very often since she's kind of tomboyish so it gets in her face when she's running around/playing and she says it's "annoying" lol. Basically I keep it clean, combed, and moisturized. I think those are the most important basics for maintaining all types of hair.

You have naturally curly hair. How have people reacted to the various changes in the length and styles you've worn? What is your current style?

It took me a while to learn how to properly style my hair so I never really changed it much because I wasn't sure what else to do with it. The most drastic thing I've done was get bangs and cut it up to my shoulders about a year and a half ago. I really like it because it was a change and I got a lot of compliments on it. I decided to grow it back out because it was such a chose to dry and straighten every time I washed. I currently wear my hair down and curly with a head band because my bangs are about cheek-length.

You've recently ventured into the world of modeling. Awesome! Are stylists careful not to damage your hair with excessive heat and crazy hairstyles?

Yes, it's fun! I'm fortunate to not have any horror stories in regards to stylists so far. One guy wanted to tease the hell out of my hair for a fashion show but I talked him out of it.

Thinking back over all the crazy hairstyles (i.e, the fan, box braids, etc) over the decades, what was the craziest styles you ever wore?

Oh goodness... I wish I had some junior high pics I could share. I was obsessed with the curling iron in 7th grade, like I had to have candy curls going on for some reason. In a ponytail, coming out the top of a french roll, etc. I called myself doing my whole head once. It was awful, especially in the back. I'll say the candy curls were the worst look for me (and foolish since my hair was already naturally curly, I just didn't know how to properly deal with it until I got older).

What advice would you give readers in regards to their hair and self-esteem?

I used to HATE my hair, which is kind of a mood killer at times because it can be frustrating and make you self-conscious. I was teased about my hair being "poofy" when I was in elementary school, which made me insecure. As I got a little older, I used to slick it back into a bun all the time to hide it which eventually damaged my scalp and thinned my hair out because I used to brush it down repeatedly and slather gel in it until there were no bumps, no curls, just flat hair slicked straight back. Then, I would put it in a tight ponytail to keep it that way and wrap it into a tight bun, all while my hair was wet because it was easiest to slick down that way. Even when my scalp was on fire, I would keep brushing. I rarely took it out of a ponytail before going to sleep either. I did that a lot from the time I was13 years old until I was 24 or 25.

I used to put so much effort into getting my hair to behave that I didn't bother trying to figure out how to work WITH it [MESSAGE PEOPLE!]. If I did wear it down, I would spend 3 hours straightening it. With all the self-inflicted damage I caused, I became self-conscious at times. One day about 4 years ago I was flipping through a magazine and saw a model with gorgeous curls. It was then that I realized that I was admiring this woman's hair, but frowning at mine. So I decided to let my curls be great and told the stylist to work with my curls and see what happens and it looked and felt SO good. I learned what products to use for curly hair and how to PROPERLY blow dry my hair, which made a HUGE difference. I wish I did that a LONG time ago because I really love my hair now the most when it's just curly and free. I feel confident with my curls.

I would say that your hair is like your mane, and when your mane looks and feels mighty, your mood seems to align with that.

Is there a blog/website/twitter account that we can follow you at?