Meet Kelsie, an International Programme Coordinator from London. I met the gorgeous curly and beauty enthustiast in college, and e-bumped into one another in recent years on fotki. She rocked her curls with the hotness at every stage - I'm a fan of her hair. Enjoy...
How long have you been natural? What was your reason for transitioning? [OR if you’ve never chemically altered your hair texture], why have you stayed natural?
I’ve been natural 3 years! (exclamation mark because I had to count lol). I transitioned from a “healthy” head of well kept relaxed hair because I got tired of stressing about maintaining my hair poker straight, worrying every time it rained or if it got too hot, having to shower as fast as Clark Kent changes in Superman because the humidity would give me frizz, not being able to swim in the sea on holiday (because salt water + sun would wreck my hair i.e. make it curly) then it would take me a min of 2hrs to fix it straight again.....sadly the list goes on.....
Relaxed 2007 Big Chop
Tell us some of your hair journey and how you transitioned.
I transitioned for 3 months then BC’d to about 1.5inches of natural. For the first 12 months I trimmed regularly as I wanted to remove the scab hair as quickly as possible and get to the good stuff!
Does having natural hair hold any special significance for you, or is it ‘not that deep’?
For me natural hair means complete self acceptance. Not trying or wanting to be anyone but me.... I always felt restrained by my relaxed hair; it was always so neat, sleek & precisely cut! Natural hair has definitely liberated me.
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| May 2008 |
What are your staple styles? Are there any natural styles you can’t wait to try? What styles (natural or not) do you detest?
My staple style is a wash’n’define. I basically wash/co-wash my hair apply leave in conditioner, section in 4 then apply a styling cream or gel to each section using my fingers to define my curls by raking the product through my hair....then shake my head like a heavy metal rocker for 5mins to let the curls form.
This method makes my curls clump nicely and lasts an entire week. Recently I’ve been protective styling (with braids) for 3 week per month and its really made a big difference to the way my hair behaves –it’s so manageable! I think its retaining moisture better now.
Ummmm what do I detest ?...well my uncle is a Rastafarian with locs down to his knees and he maintains his hair beautifully so it REALLY annoys me when I see a “fake dread” that thinks free form loc’ing is a valid reason not to wash and care for their hair...it’s just plain nasty. I also detest dyed blonde hair and blonde weaves (on black women in particular).
Is there anything about your natural texture (or a particular stage in your haircare regimen) that you still struggle with? What product/ technique forever changed your hairstory?
Where do I start! My hair is very thick, thirsty and prone to dryness. When it was relaxed products with silicones and mineral oil worked perfectly because the relaxer would act as a clarifier and remove build-up. However they do not work so well on my natural hair and during my first yearI really struggled to find products that would tame my frizz without leaving my hair gunky .
My wonder product is EVO (Extra Virgin Olive oil) mixed in with a good moisturising silicone free conditioner and applied to damp hair. I use this EVO/conditioner mixture daily after showering while my hair is damp (from the humidity), it refreshes the definition of my curls and my hair LOVES it. EVO has made my natural hairstory a happy one.
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| Bob Cut 2010 |
What are your hair goals?
First and foremost healthy manageable hair....second to reach BSL (UNSTRECHED) asap! :o)
Give me
A) A common misconception about natural hair that you have proved untrue
B) A pearl of wisdom to pass onto a transitioner / new natural
A) (ALL) Black people have frizzy undefined very dry and very course mega short hair that never grows (in its natural state). I’m sick to the stomach of ignorant black people insisting that I have texturized /texlaxed my hair just because they are too small-minded to realise that we ALL have different textures.
B) Spend time getting to know your hair! Unfortunately very few of us have been raised knowing how to care for natural hair. The “old skool” method of washing our hair, killing it with heat “to make it manageable” then overloading it & our scalp with mineral oil/petroleum concoctions, needs to stop! I shudder when I see natural hair being treated this way. Always remember that natural hair thrives on moisture!
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| April 2011 |
Where can we find you online?
Your ‘tweet’ to naturallovesong readers:
‘ A hair style is the final tip-off whether or not a woman really knows herself.’
(Hubert de Givenchy, Vogue, July 1985)
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