Quick  Info:

How  long have you been  natural?

21 Months (almost my two year mark! Yaaaay)

Haven’t  been natural your whole  life? What caused/prompted  the change?

My hair was really damaged. After thousands of perms and weaves, my hair was a mess. I needed a big change with my hair and my life period!

Have  pictures of your BC,..what  was the experience like?

I have pictures maybe a week after I did my big chop! It was a relief, it was then shocking, it was an emotional rollercoaster, but then it was freeing!

The  Journey:

What  has the natural journey  been like so far?

The beginning was scary, then I developed the I can do this attitude, well, that ran out,  I became insecure and decided to cover it in extensions all over again, and then took the extensions out and developed the I don’t care and I am beautiful regardless attitude. It’s been history ever since! LOL!

Has  anything changed in  your life since you  became all natural?

Well, I just feel so much better about myself. I hate to tell my cheesy story, but I was really insecure. My confidence was not where people thought it was. I hid under make-up, weave, and more! But..now I feel like I can just be me, and being me feels so freakin’ good!

How  would you describe your  hair?

4a BIG & CRAAAAAAZY! But I love it!

What  are your favorite hair  care products and tools?

I am a very simple country girl! Pink moisturizer, African Oil, Conditioner weekly co-wash , Mane N Tail Shampoo once a month, comb, sometimes Denman Brush and call it a day!

What’s  your hair routine?

I co-wash weekly with Conditioner. I do hot oil treatments weekly, beause my scalp get really dry and the itching is horrific. I was once a month with Mane N Tail Shampoo. I use Pink moisturizer daily. I love braidouts. Braid at night, cover it up with my satin cap and then un braid in the morning and style as I please!

Blogger/Vlogger:

What  prompted you to start  blogging/vlogging?

Wow….Because I was watching all the videos every day, and just decided to see if maybe I could do the same thing! LOL!

Why  do you love blogging/vlogging?

It’s a lot of fun! Just connecting with people who are in the different parts of the world and also have the same loves that you do!

What  do you typically post  about?

I post some tutorials, natural hair fails, sometimes just encouragement, and also I share my music!

In the Industry

Why did you start your singing career?

I ‘ve wanted to sing as long as I could possibly remember.. I was raised in Mississippi and never knew that it was possible to create my own music. So, when I moved to Houston about 8+ years ago. I realized that I could feed that part of me!

I see you completely enjoy being an artist with natural hair and often celebrate it, what words of wisdom do you have for those in the industry who might be afraid to go natural?

WOW! Yes, I love being the natural chick in the industry. Not only that, being the natural chick that is just like any other female! Girlie, flirty, and all that mushy stuff! I would tell women to just do you! If you want to wear your natural hair, wear it. If you want to wear your hair relaxed wear that. It’s whatever is right for you!

What do you expect for future generations in regards to music and natural hair?

Wow…I think that natural hair will become more normal. People will began to accept it more, because ladies are just stepping out and wearing it regardless! Music..wow, hopefully we will get back to our roots. Enjoying the fun music, but also popping in some real music, that has a story, and we can relate to!

Advice  and Tips:

Tips  for longer, healthy  hair

Advice  for those wanting to  go natural

I would say just take good care of yourself. If you want it to grow, you pretty much need to give it attention like you would a child! LOL! It’s not easy being natural, it’s work to keep it nice and healthy the way that you want it to be!

If you’re thinking about going natural, do your research, make sure you are ready for it, because it can definitely be emotional.  When you do finally make the decision, wear it and wear it well! *snaps finger*

Misc.:

Other  interests, and hobbies

I secretly like to dance, but I can’t! LOL!

Is  natural hair professional?  Why or why not?

I guess I would say why wouldn’t it be. Hit a cute updo! BAM! To say No would be craaazy!

What do you think about others wanting to touch and or play in your hair (especially without permission)?

Ok… I thought I was the only one this happened to! Um… I am not a doll! I don’t mind so much, but I do mind! I don’t know how to explain this! LOL! It’s sort of like rubbing a pregnant woman’s belly without her permission! You’re sort of invading my space! LOL!

Any  particular links/books/sites  etc that you find  to be very helpful?

I’m youtube all the way. Anything you need, questions, tutorials, it’s all there!!

Where  can we catch up  with you (fotki, website,  etc)

Find me on my new site NCEPidemic.NING.COM

Also.. My fotki à http://public.fotki.com/aliciajames/

My Official site à MSALICIAJAMES.COM

P.s check out this cool video by Alicia:

So you want to go natural?

The best ways to go natural:
I only know of two ways

1. The big Chop: Cutting off your relaxed hair and being left with no other option but to wear a really short tiny weeny afro
2. Transitioning: Letting your relaxed hair grow out until you have reached your desired length and cutting off the relaxed part.

Basic Tools needed for Natural Hair Care:

• Water: Natural Hair thrives on water. You need it internally and externally
• Shampoos with no sodium lauryl sulfates
• Conditioners with no ingredient that end with “cones”, which can dry out your hair
• A leave in conditioner
• A wide tooth comb
• A good detangler, I swear by qhemet biologics cocoa detangling ghee.
• A good mosturizer
• Hair Accessories such as clips, headbands, scarves, flowers etc.

Good Natural Products to have:
Coconut oil
Jojoba Oil
Shea Butter
Aloe Vera Gel

Some advice on managaing your natural hair:

• Use heat sparingly as it can alter the natural state of your coils, besides it can make your hair brittle and break off. Use it when deep conditioning, however, wear a plastic cap to keep the moisture in your hair
• When detangling, use a wide tooth comb and start from the ends to the roots
• Don’t be bashful using Conditioners and Mosturizers, your hair will be thirsty for them
• Your natural hair is easy to comb while wet
• PLEASE DO NOT WEAR EXTENSIONS. THESE THINGS DO NOT LIKE YOUR HAIRLINE
• Wear a silk scarf to protect your hair at night
• Try to wear Protective styles for about two weeks. This helps you to retain length
• Mosturize and oil your ends very often ( helps length retention)

In 2007 I chopped off my relaxed hair.  I did it for several reasons…

1. I was tired of trying to fit the “ideal mold of beauty” in the eyes of man.

2.  My hair would break once my new growth starting growing in.

3.  My edges were thinning.

4.  I found my new growth to be so beautiful and wondered what it would be like to have a head full of spirals!

So!…since then I’ve vowed to stay away from relaxers and heat styling.  I’ve basically been shampooing and conditioning my hair every other night.  While in the shower I comb thru with a wide toothed comb, make 4 parts, double twist to 4 knots while in the shower, wrap my head in a towel, then in a scarf to sleep.  The next morning I gel the front with the knots still in place, and slip on a half wig over the knots, with a hairband to cover up the wig line.  That’s it! Quick and easy.

Now 5 years later, my hair is long, but because I’ve been covering it up with half wigs for years I do not know how to wear it out without it drying up.  I’m tired of half wigs!  I tried wearing it out once in a bun after letting it air dry….big mistake.  My hair was so knotted afterwards it took hours in the shower, for three days, to get all the knots out. I just need help maintaining them. I’m hoping to find solutions to my hair issues so I can feel more comfortable wearing it all natural, and throw out those half wigs.

I could say I truly love my experience naturally I’ve tried diffent hairstyles each I’ve done on my own. I must say I Love My Hair. The transition was easy I just cut my perm out and started a new me. The longer it gets the more I could do with it.

Hi, my name is Timi. I have been natural for a little over a year now. I am a college student. My hair is always changing and I’m always trying to experiment with new styles. The styles above are (from left, top right, bottom right): 1) This is a combination of a twist-out and a straw set. It’s called the “Twist set fro”, 2) Twist-out fro-hawk and 3) This is my tilted mohawk.

This was an experiment and I love the results! I have 3ish hair on top and the rest of my hair is 4ish. I love big hair but could never get any volume on the sides or top of my head. This style was created with a week-old blowout. I made two French Braids and rolled the ends under, but first, I spritzed the top of my head with aloe vera juice/oil mix. I let it dry overnight, and voila! I’ve been a lifelong natural, but I’ve always done the wash and go or twists looks.

I am Kiana and I have been natural for almost 2 years. I transitioned by wearing twist outs and straw-sets. I love to wear wash & go’s and I also love to sweep it all to one side and wear it all on one side. I co-wash with White Rain Coconut conditioner, I clarify with Chagrin Valley Soaps Butter Bar Conditioner Shampoo Bar, and I deep condition with Carols Daughter Khoret Amen Hair Smoothie (My hair adores this)I love my natural hair and wish I had learned to appreciate it much sooner in life!!!!!!

My name is Denys. The pictures above are of my two strand flat twist out. A friend of mine in college showed me how to do these way before blogs and youtube videos existed. I think these pictures are from the 2nd time I tried it. I really love this look!!

So you want to be in next Fridays’ Spotlight? Just send me an email to contribute@afroniquelyyou.com subject line: spotlight fridays and you’ll be included. Send 1-3 pictures and a short write up on your hair, and you can send pictures in weekly if you like!

What  has the natural journey  been like so far?

The natural journey has been just that—a journey. While learning more about my hair, I learned more about myself. When I first went natural, I wasn’t sure what to do with my hair or how others would react, but something about going natural just felt so right. And it was. My hair is like my own little flag. It represents me and I wear it proudly. :)

The most significant (hair-related) change is that I’ve met so many really phenomenal women in the natural hair community who inspire me and others to love themselves wholly and truthfully. And no matter what I’m wearing, I stand out and look fierce. ;) I also feel inspired to take better care of my hair and my health, which are more intertwined than people realize.

I’ve never been much for hair typing, but I think I’ve got shoulder length 4a (with some 3b) hair.

My staples are Herbal Essence’s Hello Hydration Conditioner, Raw Shea Butter, and Coconut Oil. I’ve been natural for about three years, and these have been my best friends. I don’t use any fancy tools- only a wide tooth comb for detangling in the shower and a small tooth comb for getting out smaller knots during styling.

I co-wash 2-3 times a week, and deep condition once a week when my schedule allows. I co-wash with Herbal Essence’s Hello Hydration, and then two strand twist with whatever conditioner’s around as a leave in, coconut oil, and shea butter. My favorite style is a twist out, but when my hair needs a break I’ll wear small to medium two-strand twists for 5-6 days. When I don’t have time to style my hair, I’ll rock a wash-n-go in a fro-hawk or pinned to the side.

I started blogging in Decemeber of last year because I noticed that almost all natural hair forums/blogs/videos were targeted towards people with 1) a substantial amount of time 2) a substantial amount of funds. As a College student, I have neither the schedule nor the resources to make a production out of hair care, and I wanted to document my experience with natural hair in order to help other people trying to stay “fabulous and frugal.”

I love blogging because I love being a part of the natural hair community. Y’all are SO supportive.. I struggled when I first went natural, because I was looking for answers in all the wrong places. CurlyNikki saved my life. lol. For real. I love knowing that I can help people with their journey—to inspire and be inspired every day.

I post about my everyday hair experiences (styles, routines, product discoveries) and things that I think are interesting and relevant to my readers. In no way does my blog intend to exclude those who are not in college, or even those who don’t have natural hair. I want to provide a space where the fabulous and frugal can discuss products, methods, styles, salons, fashion, health opinions, resources, you name it. I want the discussions to go beyond just the topic of hair, because at the end of the day…it’s just hair.

Tips  for longer, healthy  hair: Start from the inside out. Take care of your body, and your hair will follow right along. If you aren’t taking a multivitamin, get on that. Drink water. Eat foods that won’t kill you by the time you’re 30. As for haircare: deep conditioning, trimming your ends when needed, and protective styling are your best friends. Get to know them well.

Advice  for those wanting to  go natural:

Do what makes you comfortable. And be patient.

Other  interests, and hobbies: I love writing/reading/listening to/watching poetry. I love performance of any kind. I think it’s the bravest and most honest thing people can do. I love thrift shopping more than any sane person should. I could go to a thrift store every single day and not get bored. You never know whose story you’re wearing. Last but not least, I love spending time with people I love. I know it’s cliche, but life is way too short to do stuff you don’t want to do with people you don’t want to be around. People who love you teach you the best way to love yourself.

You can find most of my adventures at CollegeCurlies.blogspot.com. You can also follow me on twitter @CollegeCurlies.

Natural hair is real. If a company told you that you had to lighten your skin to look more “professional,” [I hope to God] you wouldn’t even entertain the thought of working there. I feel the same way about my hair. This is who I am. It’s not like people with natural hair roll out of bed in the morning and walk out the door looking like Buckwheat. That’s ridiculous. Professional hair is that which is styled and maintained, natural or not.

Hell.No. (Can I say hell no on your website? lol). Really though, I do appreciate the curiosity, but I am not a trained poodle nor am I some jungle creature waiting to be tamed and cuddled. If people ask permission, I’m generally alright with it. Otherwise you’ll get the side-eye-back-hand quick.

Click the banner and don’t forget to use your discount code: REA104 to save a nice 10% (ends Sept 27!)

Gorgeous curls not on your list of things you can achieve? Why not? Here are few quick tips on how to get your hair spanking pretty and flawlessly curly.

Do the right thing:

Washing your hair can be a chore, but if you do the right methods you can achieve the prettiest curls in the end.

1. Always finger detangle matted hair/dry hair very gently. Use a spray bottle with water, to dampen the hair and continue to finger detangle and remove any knots presents.
2. Pre-poo can help eliminate major knots and fights while washing. Use coconut oil and or Olive oil to pre-poo the hair with for atleast 30 minutes
3. If you do shampoo use a gentle shampoo such as: Blended Beauty Soy Cream Shampoo or you can use the Come Clean by Kinky-Curly or any other gentle sulfate free shampoo, and shampoo in sections! at least 4 sections should be on your head.
4. Follow up immediately with a conditioner, one that is mean’t to moisturize the hair shaft, like Aubrey Organics Honey Suckle Rose, Darcy’s Botanicals Pumpkin Seed Conditioner, Oyin Honey Hemp or any others like that, and again do it per section. Give the conditioner a chance to penetrate the hair shaft and then, rinse with lukewarm water.
5. You can choose to do an Apple Cider Vinegar rinse after this, or to just go ahead and do a final rinse using cold water.

If you didn’t manipulate your hair alot during the washing/conditioning process, your hair should be moisturized and retained it’s curls.

After the right thing, protect it!:

After you washed and conditioned the hair, the next best thing to do is, to lock in the moisture. Tip: curly hair thrives on moisture!! If you see your curls unresponsive, they might not be getting enough moisture)

1. Use a water based moisturizing spray like Water-aloe-glycerin mix, or the Oyin Juices and Berries, Karen’s Body Beautiful Sweet Ambrosia or any other like these, to moisturize the hair. (this step can be done when the hair is damp)
2. Seal the moisture in using a creamy product like a butter (shea butter, KBB butter love, Oyin whipped pudding etc are examples of that)
3. Finally, you can seal it with oil, preferebly a light oil like coconut oil or olive oil.

Your hair should not be only moisturized, but your curls prior to manipulation should be much nicer and smooth to the touch. You can then do a twist/braided style if you so choose or for that matter any other.

Confidence is sexy! You’ve heard that line so many times, you’ve heard that used in so many instances. But how many of us really take the time to recognize it’s validity? Confidence is sexy? How come? Well when we are confident in ourselves, it gives off an air that we truly are happy with ourselves, flaws and all, but we are secure in ourselves to know, this is me, it might not be the best of me, but I can continue to work on me while I live my life.

I love the picture above. I’m def diggin the jacket she has on and I love the hair for some reason. I think what I love most is the confident look she has. Yes to most that hair might look “crazy”, but she wears it as if to say, it’s like this and was mean’t to be like this and best of all, you’re going to love it. Confidence can do many things. It can cause you to see things a little more optimistically, it can cause for others to see completion of self in you.

Truth of the matter is Natural Hair is always knocked hard upon! But do you!! Rock your hair in confidence! You know why you went natural and you know why you love your hair. If you love your hair, darling, nothing else matters. Too often I find new naturals and even seasoned ones living in fear that someone isn’t going to accept their hair. Truth is, not everyone is going to love. But be confident in what you do. There might be days we feel as though our hair is looking ugly/not behaving to our standards, but still wear it in confidence. Everything we do in life requires a little faith and confidence in the matter.

stay blessed and Afroniquely You.

Hello I just wanted to share an experience I just recently had. First of all I have only been without a relaxer for about 10 weeks. I have the kind of hair texture where you can see new growth from across a room. But I am learning to love this whole process. I am really excited to see what my hair will end up looking like after my bc, although I am not sure how long I will transition, but I think it will be a long one.

So this is what recently happened to me. I went into one of the Asian owned beauty supply stores looking for a cute hat to wear for those “in the meantime, in between time” ponytails. I asked one of the employees if they had any hats. She looked me, touched the back of my head and said, “Oh honey you need perm?” I told her “No” and that I wasn’t getting any more perms. Needless to say this made me very angry. I left without buying anything.One of the things that I really love about this transition is that I am learning about all of the African American owned and operated product lines. I can put the money that I was spending at the Asian owned beauty supply stores back into my own community.

Dorothea

Needless to say, I think it’s both funny and rude that everyone and their mama (as the expression says) feels the need to tell you how to rock your hair. What’s so bad about natural? Why is it a lot of people, mostly hair dressers, always seem to think, when a natural enters a salon, they want a relaxer? Ladies, tell me?

What happens when you go to a hairdresser?? (be it to get your hair done, or just with a friend).

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Ever have those days you feel just natural and nerdy? Maybe other days you feel fabulously stylish? Whatever the case might be, I want your stories! I want to do post series on natural hair + fab fashion (be it formal, be shabby chic, be it nerdy, be it glamorous).

If you have pics like the ones above, or you feel you or some one else you know has natural hair, and awesome fashion sense, send some pics over to contribute@afroniquelyyou.com subject “naturally fashionable”. I know somebody out there has something!!

Congrats to you Whitney. Your comments and input were greatly appreciated. And I hope you will enjoy your gift. Please contact me at contact@afroniquelyyou.com with the following information:

• Full Name and Address
• Email contact
• Choice of styling product (gel-les’c/whipped creme/milkshake/curl souffle)
• Please do so within this week.

Congrats to Whitney, and remember everyone, you can enter again to win in September’s Giveaway as well as many other contest/giveaways.

Stay blessed and Afroniquely You!