FashionLuvsMimi: ~~Au Naturale~~

Hello ladies!

This post is about being "Au Naturale"- (African American hair that is un-processed and has no chemical agents meant to straighten the hair. The hair is in it's natural curly, or kinky state.) I felt as though interviewing someone that I personally know and have seen werk her natural was the best way to get some insight on a subject that I'm not too familiar with was best.

I interviewed a lovely friend of mine, Kortni. She is my only friend that has taking that step that so many of us African American ladies wouldn't dare take ( ncluding myself) because we are "Creamy Crack-heads!" LoL! Well below is the interview with the lovely Kortni below:

What inspired you to go natural?

I don’t know if I would call it inspiration or desperation :-) My family heritage includes Puerto Rican, Black, White, and Indian, so we all have A LOT of hair and I always wanted super long, straight hair but that just isn’t realistic. I was introduced to relaxers aka "creamy crack" at 6 and used them faithfully for 18 years. My mother has been natural for many years and she constantly tried to get me to go natural, but I vowed that I could NEVER be natural because I’ve always had A LOT of hair, be it somewhat fine.

I never intended to go natural, but I decided to stop relaxing my hair when I found out that I was pregnant (the rumor mill of well-meaning women said that it wasn’t a good idea to use those chemicals while pregnant????). That was 2 years ago and even though it wasn’t planned, I wouldn’t change the outcome. I LOVE my curly hair!

How did you transition?

I transitioned for about a year. During that time, I wore microbraids, sew-ins, and had my hair straightened with Dominican blow-outs. During my transitional phase, I DID NOT wear any protective styles like braid-outs, twist-outs, or bantu-knot outs because they simply didn’t work for my 2 hair textures. In July of 2011, I chopped off my relaxed ends and started wearing some of these styles, but I prefer to wear wash n’ go styles.

Tell us about the products that you use?

I have a TON of products that I’ve tried on my hair but only a few that I LOVE

1) KINKY- CURLY KNOT TODAY LEAVE-IN & CURLING CUSTARD
OMG- I love this stuff on my hair. It’s excellent for wash & wear hair because it helps define curls, but you have to be cautious about how much curling custard is used or else you can have CRUNCHY HAIR :(

2) MIXED CHICKS LEAVE-IN Good for detangling and curl definition. This is a fairly lightweight product, so it does not provide much hold.

　
3) MISS JESSIE’S QUICK CURLS- great for those mornings when I am in a hurry. I’ve tried most of the Miss Jessie’s products but I wasn’t crazy about them for wash n’ go’s. They do work well for twist-outs and braid-outs, though.

4) OILS- Argan Oil and Olive Oil are my faves. I do my best to avoid petroleum-based products.

5) SILICON MIX- Lots of people don’t recommend any products with "cones" in the ingredients but my hair loves them. They are great at protecting the hair and minimizing frizz when preparing to straighten.

These are the best styling products for MY hair.

How often do you wash/condition your hair?

Every day, unless I do a puff, twist-out, or braid-out. Throughout the week, I wash with a sulfate-free shampoo like Miss Jessie’s Crème de la Curl and then on Saturday I wash with a sulfate shampoo, usually a drugstore shampoo like Hello Hydration. I’m not fussy about shampoo, because the conditioner is the most vital part of the process. I deep condition with Mixed Chicks Deep Conditioner, as needed.
　

How often do you get it straightened? How long does it last?

I try to only straighten every 2-3 months, but I do LOVE me some straight hair sometimes! If I go to a Dominican salon, it can last up 3 weeks, but if I do it myself it MAY last a week and a half.

What are some tips that you would give someone who is considering or just starting going natural?

First, remember it’s a process so there will be days that you love your hair and other days that you hate it.

Do WHATEVER works best for your hair. Every product WILL NOT work for everyone, so try lots of things until you find what works best for you.

BLOGS and YOUTUBE are a natural girl’s BFF! Taren916, lexiwiththecurls, and curlycrazyfulLeah are a few of my fave channels.

There you have it ladies!!!! This is exclusive info from my friend Kortni. I would like to thank her for taking the time to do this! You know we use the term "fashionista" when refering to the ladies that are very fashionable...well Kortni is the first "Naturalista" on FashionLuvsMimi!!! Here are some pics of the beautiful Kortni rocking a few different styles below....