Feature Friday - Tiffany in the Spotlight

Were you a slow transitioner or did you Big Chop & Why?

I did a little bit of both I guess. I let my relaxer grow out for about 7 months before I big chopped. Honestly, I never intended to cut all my hair off. I was going to keep growing it out while trying to maintain my length. I let me niece and sister convince me to cut it all off. It was a serious adjustment lol!

How did you feel after going natural?

At first, I hated it. I'm just going to be honest. I'd never had super short hair before. I hadn't been without a relaxer since I was 6 years old. I felt weird and looked weirder! I hadn't done any research about how to care for my hair and felt lost. However in retrospect, 2 years post BC, I feel it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. Once I began experimenting with different products and styles, I grew to love being a natural girl!

How did family and friends react to your decision to go natural? What was your response to them?

One of my sisters and niece were all for it. They'd already BC'd so they recruited me into their little gang lol! My mother actually did the cutting for me-all while shaking her head in disbelief! She still can't understand why I'd cut off my back length hair and start from scratch. My oldest daughter cried which was hilarious! She did my grieving for me. My boyfriend was all for it! He was super supportive. 

Describe your hair.

My hair has several different textures, but I can attest that I am a solid '4' girl. It's soft and fluffy at the top with almost no curl pattern. I have to work extra hard to define this part of my hair. The sides and the back are all curls.  My 'George Jefferson' area I call it lol!

What’s your current hair routine? What are your favorite products? Details please.

I've really gotten into deep conditioning my hair lately. I try to DC every 7-10 days. I'll normally use a protein-rich Biotin conditioner with my Aubrey ultra-smoothing conditioner as a base. Then add olive, jojoba, and castor oils and honey. I apply the mixture to dry hair, cover with a shower cap, then a grocery store bag, then a cotton scarf, then finally a beenie whew! This locks in the heat from my head to really allow the conditioner to penetrate my hair. I'll normally leave it in overnight and co-wash with my cheapie conditioner. This really makes my curls pop. After rinsing I'll immediately apply my aloe vera juice/water mixture and grapeseed oil. All depending on what type of look I'm aiming for, I'll either do two cornrows to the back to air dry or blow dry if I want a more stretched style. For regular styling, I've finally found my perfect combo: a little water (to moisturize), coconut oil (to seal), Elasta QP Olive Oil & Mango Butter Moisturizer (love!) and EcoStyler gel for hold. The results are amaze!

How do you maintain your hair at night?

It all depends on what style I'm wearing. If I'm sporting a Bantu knot-out, I'll normally only re-knot on day 4 because my curls are really tight those first few days.  I prefer big hair-the bigger the better! If I'm wearing an 'out' style, I'll perform my routine for moisturizing my hair, re-twist or re-braid and roll the ends on perm rods, cover with a satin bonnet and joilá! All set for tomorrow's style!

What’s the best thing about being natural?

I love the versatility of natural hair. You can have a totally sleek style one day then be completely wild and big the next! How you can create waves and curls all without heat. Beyond the visual appeal, there's also a feeling of empowerment and confidence representing my natural texture brings. My hope is my display of confidence will trickle down to my daughters. I want to show them that we don't have to be mainstream to be beautiful. That we are naturally beautiful as we are. 

Where can people find you on the web?

You can find me on Instagram: naturallyme_11 and on YouTube: tmargreen (newly natural). I've neglected my YouTube account so please forgive me! I will be uploading soon!!!