*Prepared for BGLH by Meosha Tall of 1MeNaturally
Introduce yourself!
C: Hi ladies! My name is Channing; I currently reside in Tampa, FL but D.C. where I lived while attending the BEST university on the planet, Howard University (HU, You Know!!) is my heart. Iโm a current student of Computational Linguistics with dreams of being a documentary producer, and starting a health and empowerment foundation for young girls.
Why did you make the decision to go natural?
C: Iโve always loved big hair, big curly hair to be exact. Iโve had a fascination with it for as long as I can remember. Honestly a relaxer for me was so normal as a child I didnโt know there was any other way. I remember this girl in middle school who came almost every day with a BAA and although people made jokes and comments, I was so in love with her hair. I wanted to find a way to make my relaxed hair that way (lol) and honestly Iโve never found straight hair that flattering on me. It felt so flat, was a lot of upkeep to maintain that pin straight look, and wasnโt reflective of my carefree personality. Even now my flat ironed hair has to have some sort of curl.
My natural journey started in 10th grade back in 2005, but I spent the majority of that time as a heat-straight natural as well as in and out of sewins. I tried a texturizer or two and even did a wave nouveau trying to achieve this โperfect curlโ that I thought I was so desperately missing, and because of this I had a lot of hair setbacks with the worse being no real progress in growth. Eventually I cut my processed, damaged hair off and my natural hair to a short bob in the Summer of 2008 and went from there.
How would you describe your texture?
C: Hair typing has been the bane of my natural hair existence since I began. I donโt know if I have it right at all. It seems like once you get past the 3bโs things get muddy, but Iโll give it a goโฆI do have 3 textures.
The front of my hair from ear to ear across the top is 3c. It is very fine yet dense. It responds the quickest to any sort of stretching or heat, and is most prone to heat damage. There is a lot less shrinkage in this area, and it doesnโt hold a loose style very well. Instead of reverting it falls flat. The back section from ear to ear across is 4a. It is slightly coarse and is the most durable of the three sections. Like the front it responds well to any manipulation and styling, but isnโt affected by heat as easily and maintains a style throughout its duration. The crownโฆis there a 5? No seriously, she is a tough cookie up there. My love/ hate section for sure. 4c Iโd say, and is the most resistant to stretching and heat styling. Very coarse strands, but when I get it styled let me tell you this section stays put through whatever. I am a big hair lover and this gives me my volume, making sure I donโt have the โflat top lookโ so itโs worth the extra attention.
Describe your styling regimen over the course of the month.
C: I donโt want to sound redundant since the next two question are basically my regime, and really the most activity my hair sees is on wash day which is normally every two weeks or so. Outside of this, I will do the occasional henna treatment and I do drink a โhealthy hair smoothieโ almost daily that consists of things that are good for hair, skin, and nails as well as overall body health. I try to stay away from adding too many supplements so I primarily focus on foods that have the nutrients I need. My styling regime is โwhat can I wear that is low maintenance that will also transition well throughout my various activitiesโ (work, school, dates, going out, etc.)
What does wash day look like for you?
C: Wash day is very simple; I start with conditioning on dry hair (prepoo I guess) with a mix of olive oil, raw honey, Motions CPR Repair Treatment, and Hair Mayonnaise. (Forgot the brand, the one with the dark green lid) I let it sit for about 15 minutes and while Iโm waiting I mix a batch of Bentonite Clay and Apple Cider Vinegar. I rinse out the conditioner and detangle with my Jilbere and apply the Bentonite, making sure to scrub my scalp and cover the hair completely. Leave it on for another 15 minutes and rinse. After I add a small amount of Herbal Essences Hello Hydration as a leave in and style.
Describe your favorite go-to hairstyle for days when you donโt have a lot of time to style.
C: I am a self-proclaimed protective style queen. So anything that keeps my hair up and away and keeps me from having to do or redo it daily has my name all over it. I truly believe wearing protective styles along with extremely limiting my direct heat styling is what got me past my hair plateau and has helped me retain so much length. But while the limit in heat styling was an intentional move to retain length, the protective styling was not. Truth is I am extremely hair lazy and the less I have to do to my head the better so I tend to go for styles that will last me a week or more (twists, braids, yarn braids, buns, etc.) I just style those when I want to change it up. Only recently have I been wearing my hair out which is why I was able to scrape up some pictures haha and even then I go for long lasting styles, so bantu knot outs and braid outs tend to be a staple for that.
How do you combat shrinkage?
C: I donโt do wash and goโs and I never let my hair dry loose. On top of that all of my styling is done on damp hair. Not even damp, like moist, when it is just barely wet, just enough to be pliable. I also henna from time to time and Iโm not 100% sure, but I think it has given me less shrinkage overall. Then as my hair has gotten longer it just naturally hangs lower.
What are some of your problem areas (if any) that require special care and attention?
C: Oy vey! My crown is a beast I tell ya, straight monster! If I have a style that takes 3 hours the crown alone takes probably 1 hour or more and weโre talking a section about the size of a balled up fist. Itโs always been my trouble section, but itโs the only area that rarely ever gets splits or SSKs and itโs the strongest. For years though I didnโt realize it was different and needed even more delicate handling than the rest of my hair and due to my own rough handling out of frustration I suffered breakage, but now that I know it needs extra time, I try to do that section first or near first if possible so Iโm not worn out. This has really helped me retain length, cause you have no idea how close I used to come to just shaving a patch in my head and wearing my hair up all the time.
What are 2 doโs for your texture?
C: Hmm, Iโd say my hair responds very well to dry conditioning and low manipulation styles.
What are 2 donโts for your texture?
C: Donโt forget to moisturize especially the ends. Detangle thoroughly, very thoroughly, until you can run your detangling tool root to tip with no snag. Yes it takes more time, but it is worth it.
Is there a blog/webpage where we can find you?
C: Although I am extremely passionate about healthy natural hair, and can usually be found poking around on any natural hair site, my attempts at starting a blogโฆehhโฆIโve realized that while Iโd love to contribute to one, I donโt want one of my own at the moment so for now feel free to catch up with me up on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/Curls.and.Stilettos and/or Instagram @curlsandstilettos. I love hair talk, answering questions and getting tips and tidbits from other ladies as well.
That is some seriously beautiful hair!!! Love it!!
Thank you!!
Love.Her.Hair
Thank you!
Suuuuuuuuch beautiful hair!
P.S. 813 represent~
Thanks! I knew there would be some 813 ladies around, weโre never too far lol
Gorgeous. Curious, what is in that smoothie ๐ ?
I accidentally answered this in the comment under yours lol
whatโs jilbre?
Itโs a recipe I found on long hair care forum it has milk, an egg, wheat germ, and wheat germ oil, I add fruits, chlorella, and spirulina
Lol wrong spot, the jilbre is a shower comb, I got mine at sallyโs for like $2, I swear by
(The crownโฆis there a 5?)thats funny! loved the article and your beautiful hair!
Sometimes it feels like it lol, thank you
Whoa girl! Thatโs a whole lotta hair lol. Beautiful! ๐
Yay HU!!! Lovely hair so thick, that first picture is serious hair porn.
You Know!! lol, thank you!
Question: So you use bentonite clay every week? I never knew you could use it that often! lol
I used it every two weeeks to a month, basically whenever I wash my hair, but if you wash weekly it can be used.
Thanks so much for responding! Your hair is gorgeous!!! You are too!
Oh and I meant to type *every two weeks. Sorry.
Letโs talk about this smoothie.โฆIm into juicing and smoothiesโฆwhatโs the recipe.
woot. i just read the comments! thanks.
You can get chlorella, and spirulina at http://www.iherb.com
Enter this unique coupon code KAP753 when you shop at iherb.com.You will get $10 off your first purchase.You can buy affordable natural beauty products, natural hair products, vitamins and much more. All brands available.Shipping is free.
You can get chlorella, and spirulina at http://www.iherb.com
Enter this unique coupon code KAP753 when you shop at iherb.com.You will get $10 off your first purchase.You can buy affordable natural beauty products, natural hair products, vitamins and much more. All brands available.Shipping is free.
Beautiful hair and I love your outlook on it!
im super duper curious to know how you got your hair so curly in that pic of you in the green tank top and gold earings. Your hair looks so beautiful and thats the look ive been trying to achieve for so long now
Over confident husbnads. Go figure. My dh is all a glee about our 4WD. Iโve been without a car for days and days while he goes off to work. BTW, we found the best UU church here in Bellevue. You probably know it, East Shore. Anyway, we are really happy to have found a good fit as a family. It has been a longtime in the making. Do you make your own blocks? Iโm none too happy when my son crayons on one of our blocks.