NaturalBBdiamond // Multi‐Texture Style Icon

*Prepared for BGLH by Meosha Tall of 1MeNaturally

Introduce yourself!
N: Hey everyone! I’m NaturalBBdiamond, 23 years old, YouTuber, Blogger and Scientist (Master degree in Biology). I’m passionate and I love all things creative. I live in France, but I’m originally from Togo (Africa). With my blog and my YouTube channel, I share information, tips and ideas for natural hair care. During 2012–2013, I’ll be the official blogger of the French cosmetic brand Activilong. I’ll also make videos for its YouTube channel.

Why did you make the decision to go natural?
N: As a child, straightening was a habit. I even thought it was an obvious condition to have beautiful hair. I never thought about wearing my natural hair. Fortunately I changed my mind. I started my hair journey shortly after having cut my hair several times because of breakage. I was tired of breakage and bored with my relaxed hair. I started to watch YouTube videos and I found some beautiful American ladies wearing their gorgeous natural hair. Captivated by their beautiful curly/frizzy hair I decided to go natural. I was also curious to see what my hair would look like without relaxing treatments. I think I had a great change of perspective. I’ve been natural for 1 year and 9 months. My last relaxer was in May 2010 and I big chopped at 6 months post relaxer in November 2010.

How would you describe your texture?
N: I have a few different textures, but my hair is mostly 4A/B. My hair is very thick and very dense.

Describe your styling regimen over the course of the month.
N: Twist outs are my favorite style since my 6 months post big chop. Right after my big chop I mostly wore wash‐and‐go because my hair was very short. Now I love twist outs because it allows me to define my curls and makes my hair softer.

What does wash day look like for you?
N: My regimen is pretty simple. Once a week I wash, detangle, moisturize, seal in the moisture and do between 15 to 20 twists that I remove when my hair is completely dry. I wash my hair with Activilong Natural Touch Conditioning Shampoo or Marseille Apricot Soap. I deep condition my hair using Activilong Acti‐Repair Mask. During the mask I detangle my hair with my fingers or with a wide tooth comb, and I do 6 twists. Then I rinse my hair. Sometimes I use diluted apple cider vinegar directly on my scalp. I moisturize and seal in the moisture with Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie and pure coconut oil. I use a Tangle Teezer brush to finish detangling and spread products on to my hair.

Describe your favorite go‐to hairstyle for days when you don’t have a lot of time to style.
N: I wear twist outs almost every day of the week, but you can see me with my twists in if they are not dry or if I’m being lazy. If I don’t have a lot of time I’ll probably do a bun with my hair or a ponytail with my twists.

How do you combat shrinkage?
N: I use twist outs and the banding method (when I go to sleep) to stretch my hair, but shrinkage isn’t really a big deal. Sometimes I do wash‐and‐gos and love the shrinkage.

What are some of your problem areas (if any) that require special care and attention?
N: My hair is really dry and needs a lot of moisture. I also have a sensitive scalp.

What are 2 do’s for your texture?
N: Lots of moisture and sealing in the moisture. Avoid loss of moisture by sleeping with satin scarf. Damp or wet styling and being gentle while detangling.

What are 2 don’ts for your texture?
N: Combing while dry. Heat styling. Going longer than 2 weeks without detangling my hair and washing my scalp.

Is there a blog/webpage where we can find you?
N: Absolutely! My YouTube channel is: http://www.youtube.com/user/NaturalBBdiamond
My Instagram: NaturalBBdiamond
My Blog: http://naturalbbdiamond.blogspot.fr/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NaturalBBdiamond
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/NatBBdiamond

Thanks for reading! 🙂