Hello
Everyone,
Today for Feature Friday, I have the lovely Starrla, sharing her natural hair story and regimen with us. Thank you Starrla, for taking time out to share with us today, I really do appreciate.
I
know you are a busy woman, so we will go ahead and jump right into it.
When
you decided to return back to natural, did you do the Big Chop or did you
transition?
I did a big chop, but not with the
intention of staying natural. I'd had a perm for years and was always able to
keep my hair healthy. However, at one point my hair started breaking off like
crazy and I could never seem to isolate the cause. Finally, out of frustration,
I chopped all of my hair off. I wore it very short and curly for about 6 months
or so, then I got tired of keeping up the cut so I started letting it grow out.
I thought about getting it relaxed again as I started to gain length and that's
when I decided I really didn't NEED a relaxer. I made the choice to stay
natural and have been that way with no regrets ever since. I big chopped circa
early 2009. 
Well
way to go girl! Whether it was done on
purpose or accident you made the decision and stuck with it. That is always a plus.
So,
how did you feel after going natural?
Totally liberated! Although at times
very different because my hair was so short and I was used to have it long. I
enjoyed the worry-free aspects of it, but I missed my length. I really liked
the fact that I didn't have to go to the salon every 4-6 weeks to maintain hair
health
Yes,
it is definitely a little difficult to deal with the shorter length when you do
the chop. But, the saving from the salon
is a definite plus!!!
How
did family and friends react to your decision to go natural?
No one in my family cared at all.
Other people looked at me with complete surprise because to them I always had
beautiful hair and no reason to cut it off. I think some of them probably
thought it was a dumb thing to do. 
How
would you describe your hair?
I'm not exactly sure what I have,
but I think it's a mix of varying degrees of 4b. The top/crown has a much
looser curl pattern, and is less coarse. The sides and the back have a tighter
curl pattern and are coarser. My hair on top tangles very easily, but along the
back and sides it's much easier to manage. The back and sides are very prone to
SSKs, breakage, and severe dryness. I LOVE my coils/curl pattern...they are one
of the major reasons I decided to BC. I was anxious to see how I would look
with curly short hair.
What’s
your current hair routine?
I'm currently in love with wet set
buns. I've finally figured out what works for me and they are so easy and
cute....such a time saver too. Aside from that I do twist-outs- religiously. I
never do braid outs because they don't seem to agree with my curl pattern and I
never like the way they turn out. I usually do about 8-10 large twists for my
twist-outs. Whether I do large or small twists, my curls always turn out the
same. I will do WNGs (wash-n-go’s), but I typically only wear it up in a bun/puff
even while wet. Whenever I do a WNG, I always seal with oil after applying my
conditioner (I don't use gel on my ends).
I wash (with shampoo) once per week.
I have very dry/sensitive scalp so any sort of buildup whatsoever makes my
scalp very itchy. I deep condition for about 1-2 hours every time I wash. I
rinse out some of the conditioner but never all or most. I like to leave the
conditioner in my hair- I do not use a separate leave-in. I then twist my hair
in large twists to air dry. The next night, I will re-twist with I use a
moisturizer and a bit of water to better define my twist-out. How I want to
wear my hair the next day (or whether or not i need to moisturize) will
determine whether I re-twist the night before or just pineapple.
I am protein sensitive so I don't use a "protein treatment" type of product. I will use a conditioner with protein in it as my deep treatment, then rinse it out and follow with a moisturizing conditioner (using same steps above).
What
are your favorite products?
Beautiful Textures Moisture Whip
Butter- Hands down my favorite curl defining/moisturizing cream. It smells
amazing too! This is a staple.
Yes to Carrots Pampering
Conditioner- My absolute favorite conditioner. Has tons of slip and leaves my
hair very moisturized.
ECO Styler Olive Oil Gel is my go-to
gel, but not necessarily a favorite. It's cheap and it does the job. I favor a
heavier clear gel..like Elasta QP
When I wet my hair to re-twist at
night, I use a mix of water and oils (coconut and/or EVOO). I used to add
essential oils as well, but I found it was expensive and i didn't see a lot of
benefit from it.
I love Suave Naturals Coconut conditioner
to refresh my WNGs every day. It's inexpensive, smells great, has tons of slip,
and leaves my hair very soft.
I currently use Organix Argan Oil
Conditioner as my protein conditioner, but it's not a favorite- it's just ok. I
am still looking for the one I like the best. When I was relaxed, I always used
Aveda Damage Remedy Restructuring Conditioner, but once I became natural I
found myself staying away from products with cones and other unnatural
ingredients.
After
a full day and you are getting ready for bed, how do you maintain your hair?
If I need to moisturize or redefine
my twist-out, I re-twist in large twists (maybe 4-6). Otherwise, I will
pineapple if I am wearing my hair in a twist out. If I am wearing a WNG, I will
dampen my hair and put in 4 large twists just to keep stretched out and
detangled. In the morning I rewet my hair in the shower and add more
conditioner and oil.
Starrla,
thanks again for taking time out to share with us today. I know someone will benefit from your hair
story and I know your story will inspire others.
Before
leaving, can you share what you feel is the best thing about being natural?
The freedom to do so many different
things with my hair. Freedom from being chained to a hair dresser! Freedom to
love my hair the way it was meant to be- translation = freedom to love me as I
am.
To
see more of Starrla check her out on Instagram @godseed79 (www.instagram.com/godseed29)
No comments:
Post a Comment