If you remember I got really really excited when I found Ace Your Face, well I've managed to get an interview with the owner of the website and a beautiful head of natural curls...
Kadian
Tell us a random fact about yourself?
I
speak a bit of Hindi. I actually used to be more fluent, but haven't
used it much since graduate school. If you don't use it, you start to
lose it. However, I can still read and write in the language pretty
well. I love going into Asian shops and picking up bits of conversation,
especially since they usually think I have no idea what's happening.
The next language I'm dying to learn is Japanese. I like the way my
mouth feels when I form the words. I think the language sounds kind of
sexy.
Hair Story
Tell us a little about your hair, have you always been natural or did you transition to natural?
This
is the second time I've decided to go natural, but this time it's for
life. My mother relaxed my hair when I was 7 years old because she
thought it would be easier for her to deal with. My mother has never
been patient with her own hair, much less mine! I gave no thought to the
benefits of being natural until I was 15. My mother exerted great
control over ever aspect of my style (as most parents do), and would
tell me when she disapproved of an outfit I put together, or my
self-styled hair don'ts--as rare as it was for me to do my own
hair. So, I didn't really explore different aspects of my own sense of
style until my mother was incarcerated during my teen years. With no
drug money to pay for salon visits, I was figuring out my hair for the
first time. Relaxers became less frequent. Seeing my actual hair texture
growing out of my scalp was amazing to me! It was soft. It was wavy. I
wanted more. "Transitioning" was not in my vocabulary. I let my hair
grow for about 6 months before getting it cut into a 2-inch TWA at the
Hair Cuttery in late 1995. I was 16.
I
remained natural for 10 years, but didn't have a good system for
dealing wit my hair beyond hair gel, Pink Lotion, and JAM (the greasy
gel). My hair grew long at times, but was broken off in many spots. In
2005 after earning a masters degree and preparing to enter the
"professional" world, I decided I was over being natural, and so relaxed
my hair again. I don't regret the nearly 5 years I spent with relaxed
hair because my hair regime remained simple: regular hair cuts, applying
heat only once per week, wrapping my hair at night, etc.).
What inspired the change?
On
a visit to the UK (before moving here) in summer of 2009, I saw a
Matalan billboard featuring a model with huge natural hair. I was so
envious until I realize, "hold up, my hair can do that!" So, again, I
didn't know about "transitioning" and did zero internet research.
What were the reactions of otheres around you?
Because
I didn't have two visible textures on display (blowouts and flat
ironing), people didn't have anything to react to. However, once I cut
my hair off to super short levels, a few people had a problem--all of
whom are black. My grandmother's problem was the short hair, not the
natural texture. Funnily enough, a few years ago she went natural with
super short hair! One of my friends--when she first saw my
haircut--said, "What the hell did you do that for?!" The thing is that
she too is relaxer free, but gets Brazilian blowouts all the time so
that she never has to deal with her texture, which is actually a really
loose curl. I don't get it. My white co-workers were fascinated and very
encouraging. But generally, it was no big whoop for me to go natural.
How did you transition and what was your routine? (How did you manage the two textures?)
I
did nothing special to manage my two textures. The only thing that I
did do was tell my hair stylist of my plan to go natural and cut off my
hair. He was a Dominican prone to fabulous (but sometimes damaging)
super straight Dominican blow-outs, so he became a little more cautious
in handling the heat he put on my hair. Other than that, he was very
supportive in his limited knowledge of natural hair. I BCd in January
2010, and discovered YouTube and hair forums later that year.
Styling
Do you have a signature style? Do you do protective styles?
I'm
kind of boring. I don't have any cool Janelle Monae-type signature
updos or anything. I'm fond of twist-outs, chunky braid outs, and in the
winter up-dos and micro twists. It gets on my nerves being in my face,
especially when I'm wearing makeup.
I
definitely do protective styles! I did my hair in micro-braids which I
wore for 2 months, and in the winter, I do a lot of two-strand twists.
I'm currently working on some cool bun styles for when I just want my
hair off my face. That video might be up on YouTube by the time this
goes up. lol.
Do you have a current regimen to care for your hair? If so, are you happy to share?
Yes!
Not washing my hair for 2 months while wearing my micro braids proved
to me that I didn't need to wash my hair every week. I use Shea Moisture
Organic African Black Soap Deep Cleansing Shampoo every 2-3 weeks. I
co-wash once in between and spray water on my hair every couple of days
and seal with avocado oil or shea butter to retain moisture. At least
once a month, I use a greek yogurt and ACV protein mask on my hair
before washing it. The bonus is that it helps detangle my hair before
washing it so that I just don't even bother detangling after putting
conditioner in.
I co-wash/condition with
Herbal Essence conditioners, then use Tresseme Naturals conditioner as a
leave-in before doing most of my styling.
What are your favourite products? How do you use them?
Recently, I made a YouTube video addressing this very topic. You can check it out here http://www.youtube.com/
How do you combat dryness/single strand knots or any other common problems?
Dryness
has always been my number one enemy! I think my lack of attention to
moisture on my first natural journey was the culprit of so many broken
sections of hair and split ends. Now I know that water is life to my
hair! I use a spray bottle on my scalp, which helps to keep new hair
moisturised and in good shape as it grows out and becomes old hair. I
spray the rest of my hair with water, smooth the strands using the
"clap" method then do large, loose two-strand twists or braids to
protect my hair at night. Also, I always sleep on a satin pillow and
cover my hair at night.
As for SSKs and split ends,
When I'm relaxing on the couch, I investigate those suckers and cut them
out. Keeping your hair as moist as possible, and protecting your hair
from friction (rubbing up against a sweater, for instance) are some of
the keys to diminishing SSKs and split ends. You can't avoid them all
together, but you can limit them.
Options!
I love that I can create so many different kinds of textures and styles
with my hair simply by braiding, twisting, pinning or adding heat. It's
the best of both worlds. Also, there's an indescribable sense of
freedom that I feel wearing my hair natural. It makes me feel a little
bit more brave.
Do you have any advice for new naturals or those currently transitioning?
My
advice is to be patient, and to take advantage of the wonderful
resources that are now online. Even five years ago, all these resources
were not here, so we are very fortunate now. The
other thing I would advise is to document your journey on video, or in
pictures, if you can. You'll be amazed at how far you've travelled when
you look back! Lastly, new naturals are prone to product junkyism
because there's so much to explore! It can get expensive. Try to buy
tested or used products that didn't work for other naturals. Just
because it didn't work for them, doesn't mean it won't work for you.
Tell us about Ace Your Face?
Ace Your Face (http://aceyourface.co.uk/ )
What about Natural Hair Meet-ups in
the Midlands?
The Midlands Natural Hair Meetups (http://www.facebook.com/
Can we contact you? Website, blog, email address, twitter etc :)
I
love hearing from people! For some reason, people are more apt to send
me private messages using my website because they can be more personal
in their requests/questions. The whole reason I do Ace Your Face and
YouTube is to share with people, to provide a useful service. So, yeah,
connect with me in whatever way you prefer. Here's how to reach me:
Web: http://aceyourface.co.uk (use the contact form to email me)
YouTube: whatgetsonmytits
Twitter: @kadianpow or @AceYourFaceUK (I might get rid of this and just use @kadianpow. I'm way more active on that one)
Instagram: luddite_in_training
Anything else you want to say...?
Thank you for asking to feature me on your blog! I continue to be humbled by people being so supportive.
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