*Prepared for BGLH by Meosha Tall of 1MeNaturally
How would you describe your texture?
J: If I had to pick a hair type, I would say my hair is a 4a/3c hybrid with a bit of 4b in the back. The back of my head boasts the tightest coils while the front has looser, more defined curls. I have a ton of hair, so it is really thick but the actual strands are fine. Because my hair is so soft, I feel like that makes it more prone to frizziness and it succumbs to any kind of heat without much resistance. My hair also takes an eternity and a half to air dry.
Describe your styling regimen over the course of the month.
J: I am constantly changing my hairstyles. My favorite style has to be my double-strand twists because the styling options are endless. If I take the time to throw some twists into my hair, I usually rock them for about a month before I reach my threshold of frizz. Sometimes I put my twists in flexi-rods and wear them curly. Sometimes I arrange them into a funky up-do. If Iโm in a hurry, Iโll pull them back into a ponytail or wear them straight down. At night, I can just moisturize and seal my ends and keep it moving.
Unfortunately my patience with installing twists is thin, so my hair is usually out and free. I love over-sized fluffy buns. They keep my hair out of my face and off of my neck, which is especially great on hot days and also keeps the amount of time I spend with my hands in my hair down A TON. Lately Iโve been in love with my twist-outs and bantu-knot outs. Iโm not much of a braid-out girl unless itโs done with about 6โ8 medium sized cornrows.
As far as my hair product arsenal, these are my current favs: Shea Moisture Curl & Style Milk (prep for twist-outs), Kinky-Curly Knot Today (leave-in conditioner), Oyin Handmade Hair Dew (moisturizing), Shea Radiance Hair Butter and coconut oil (sealing). I can always depend on them when I need to be sure my hair will be looking just right.
What does wash day look like for you?
J: I really try to have a wash day every week. I had to designate Sunday as the day for it all to go down to keep me on track. I donโt have a million steps or products in my wash regimenโitโs pretty straight forward. Before I pick up any products, I take a couple minutes to rinse my hair and make sure it is fully saturated with water.
Shampoo: Sectioning my hair is a must! I do about 4โ6 sections, depending on how big the job is looking that week. I use a clarifying shampoo once a month to make sure Iโm really getting all of the gunk out of my hair. Right now my favorite shampoo is Beautiful Textures Moisturizing Shampoo. It is gentle enough that it does not dry out my hair, but still leaves my hair feeling clean.
Condition/Detangle: I like to condition and detangle with Herbal Essences Hello Hydration (or Long-Term Relationship if I need a bit of protein) with the help of my trusty shower comb. I will admit that sometimes I skip this step and head right to the deep conditioning step. HeyโIโm a busy girl!
Deep Condition: Sometimes Iโll detangle while my deep conditioner is in my hair and I never bother to deep condition longer than 30 minutes. I love ORS Replenishing Conditioner. Iโll go to my Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Masque when my hair needs real therapy and on really rough weeks, since the masque doubles as a leave-in, I wonโt rinse it out.
Once all of this is done, I dry my hair with an old cotton tโshirt, apply my leave-in (usually Kinky-Curly Knot Today) and go for another short round of detangling. What happens next varies on what style Iโm prepping for or how sore my arms are by now after working with my hair for so long. On a low maintenance day, I apply a moisturizer or styling product like Shea Moistureโs Curl & Style Milk, seal with my Shea Radiance Hair Butter and put my hair in several big twists for a fluffy twist-out the next day.
Describe your favorite go-to hairstyle for days when you donโt have a lot of time to style?
J: As of late, twist-outs and topknot buns have been my go-to styles. I am far from a morning person and Iโve mastered both of these hairstyles enough that they donโt take much thought to do when Iโm getting ready for the day.
How do you combat shrinkage?
J: I let my hair air dry in twists and that helps reduce how much my hair coils up. If I have time, when my twists are almost dry I will re-twist each twist to stretch out whatever shrinkage has already happened during the first bit of drying. Bantu-knots are also great for eliminating any unwanted shrinkage. Other than that, Iโve learned to just embrace the curls!
What are some of your problem areas (if any) that require extra care and attention?
J: I have to be mindful of how tight I pull my hair because the hair around my edges is very fine. There have been a couple times when Iโve noticed slight breakage, especially in the back from gathering ponytails and puffs too tight. Iโve learned how to perfect a sleek look without pulling my hair too tightly.
What are 2 doโs for your texture?
J: One: Doing my hair in sections changed my life. I donโt know what I was trying to get done before but a few years ago, a friend suggested that to me and I saw the light. Two: I have to be very gentle with my hair. Although it is thick, I have fine strands and there are times when I can just hear every strand popping because Iโm being too rough.
What are 2 donโts for your texture?
J: One: No-poo regimens donโt work for me. I have to use shampoo or else I get ridiculous build-up and my strands are visibly weighed down. My hair starts to look dull without a good shampoo from time to time. Two: Wash and goโs are a no-go for me. Tangles and knots GALORE. It isnโt worth the work I have to deal with later. Plus, Iโm not a fan of how my hair frames my face after it air dries freely.
Is there a blog/webpage where we can find you?
J: HairGetsKinky.com,Twitter: @HGKWW, http://www.youtube.com/user/HairGetsKinky
Very informative and down-to-earth interview and fun website, especially liked the Lego wigs! Also the shape and style of those twist/coil-outs look amazing on her!
Honestly she isnt 3c/4a. More like 4b
I agree, but it looks good though.
Yes she does. Very beautiful. I love the updo and the blowout :-):-)
Visual hair-typing (i.e.)the whole 3โa-bโc 4z categorization is so arbitrary whoโs to say what is what? If she thinks her hair is 3c/4a/4b can we really argue? I think the important thing is that her hair looks amazing. I canโt speak for everyone, but Andreโs hair โtypesโ have taught me absolutely nothing about natural hair.
If the visual typing doesnt mean anything, it wouldnt have been mentioned as part of her feature.
she has the right to believe what type her hair is but the rest of us who are looking to relate to icons featured here is definitely misinformation.
and her hair looks amazing- I agree
+100000000 @ Imani.โฆwhy do folks get so caught up in hair type??! We all know it goes back to the โGOOD HAIRโ argument!! She can label HER HAIR as she pleases!
Ummm, does it matter? No.
She is what she says she is. My hair is the exact same texture. She is right, it is a mixture of 3 different types. Found it very useful, as I have struggled to find advice/ practical.. for my hybrid hair texture!.. x
I love the diversity of her hair, it looks great!
beautiful!!!!
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!
I think she could very well be a type 3c/4aโฆ/4b.โฆ Thatโs what I consider my hair. My mom has 3c hair, and some of my hair looks just like hers and the others I assume,are more like dadโs, but with styling, stretching & manipulating it all looks the same. Whatever, this style iconโs hair is very similar to mine, so I liked it. Now if only I had the will-power to keep my hair in twist like that. I would have hair galore!
Iโve not met too many naturals with just ONE texture of hair in their headsโฆI have a mix of everything from 3B/4B in my head, let it get too far out from wash day and it looks like 4B/4C. Visual hairtyping of course gives you something to relate to, but you have to remember whe your hair is twisted or in a style it might โlookโ like something totally different. You definitely canโt discount the thickness of the strands, too, when it comes to hair either. Itโs just meant to be a guide, but ultimately you are the only ruler… Read more »
I am not attacking her!!!! she can type her hair the way she wants..HOWEVER, This is a website teaching other women/men how to take care of her their hair. The hair typing is important because I will look at her hair and relate it to mine and get tips from her. Typing her hair wrongly HERE is changing that And you people saying โshe can type her hair the way she wantsโ agree with me that her hair is 4b not 3c/3b..am not bringing the whole good hair debate bc I did not attack her hair so its your misinterpretation of… Read more »
I donโt think youโre attacking her Kisha, she does have multiple textures in her hair, including 3s and 4s. The hairtyping system is not an exact science, and unless you have someone pulling your strands and comparing them with someone else, youโll never be able to tell 100%. Her hair isnโt all one type, majority of naturals have 2 or more textures in their head. It does go beyond visual hair typing, but I understand where youโre coming from. If you can relate to what her hair โlooksโ like, then thatโs great, but ultimately you have to learn your hair,… Read more »
Hi Kisha! Iโm sorry that you feel I incorrectly described my hair type. My hair isnโt in a wash & go in any of these pictures so you canโt really tell why I described it the way I did. I wasnโt trying to mislead anyone. I usually comb out the front of my hair so it matches the back because it is easier to do that than to try to get the back to mimic the looser curls in the front. This is my hair when I let it air dry as it is: http://hairgetskinky.tumblr.com/post/12523378354/freshly-washed-hair-curly-bangs I rarely do wash & go… Read more »
Oh WOW now I see :-)) like someone said hair looks different when its styled.
You have beautiful hair and am really sorry if I caused any drama. Have a great week :-)):-)):-))
i agree with kisha. Her hair definitely looks 4b/4a ish and I love it. Sheโs absolutely stunning!!
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