*Prepared for BGLH by Meosha Tall of 1MeNaturally
Introduce yourself!
A: My name is Audrea, Iโm 29, born and raised in Beaumont, Texas and now reside in Houston, Texas. Iโm an Elementary Teacher.
Why did you make the decision to go natural?
A: I made the choice to go natural because I was very curious to what my natural hair looked like AND because I wanted versatile hair without the hassle of having to relax, roller set, blowout, or flat iron my hair all the time. In August of 2009 I began my journey of going natural. I was too chicken to totally big chop all of my relaxed hair off so I transitioned for an entire year. During that year I trimmed away at my relaxed ends a little at a time. Iโve been natural for almost 3 1/2 years!!!!
How would you describe your texture?
A: I believe my hair texture is 4A. I have a good curl pattern, but I have some kinks too! My hair behaves well. I consider my hair coarse, but not super thick.
Describe your styling regimen over the course of the month.
A: My styling routine over the course of the month is very simple. I wear my hair in braid outs majority of the time. Once a week I wash, braid my hair up, let it air dry, and then unbraid. On weekends or when I donโt feel like braiding my hair, I will rock a wash and go. Every now and then when I feel like having fun I experiment with protective styles and updos.
What does wash day look like for you?
A: My wash day is very simple also. I co wash with As I AM Coconut Co Wash Conditioner and then I detangle my hair with TREsemmeโ Naturals Conditioner (I always use the TREsemmeโ conditioner that I detangle with as my leave in). I braid my hair while itโs wet using Camille Rose Butter, let my hair air dry and when itโs completely dry I take it down, separate and fluff. I maintain my hair throughout the week by hydrating it when needed with argan or coconut oil and I rebraid any sections of my hair that begin to frizz.
Describe your favorite go-to hairstyle for days when you donโt have a lot of time to style.
A: My favorite go to style when I donโt have time or when Iโm in a rush is a giant curly puff.
How do you combat shrinkage?
A: I donโt have major shrinkage, and the little shrinkage I have doesnโt bother me. The times I want to stretch out my hair I will lightly blow it out before I style it.
Tell us about your hair color?
A: Since I can remember, my hair has always been a sandy/golden color. After going natural I noticed that my hair began to darken so about year ago I tried Henna Hair Dye for the first time. I found Henna to be good for my hair. Henna didnโt weaken or change my curl pattern. I think that Henna actually refreshes my curls.
What are 2 doโs for your texture?
A: Two Doโs for my texture. 1) Good moisturizers/oils 2) Good detangling conditioner with lots of slip
What are 2 donโts for your texture?
A: Two Donโts for my texture. 1) Not using a leave in conditioner before I style 2) Not hydrating or keeping my hair moisturized throughout the week when needed
Is there a blog/webpage where we can find you?
A: Follow me on Instagram: Penelope15sam
pretty
I hate how she describes herself as having a โgoodโ curl pattern. Why give these women a platform on this site?
Beautiful hair! I love love love the color!! Great simple regimen too.
I definitely cringed when I saw that โgoodโ curl pattern partโฆcringed just because I figured that it would upset some people. I do not think she meant it like oh she has โgood hairโ that reallyโฆprobably like she had a defined curl pattern that really shows. It was the way she phrased it. Regardless beautiful woman/hair and love her IG.
I agree with you Marcia!
I donโt think she said that in a way to cause an uproar; in fact it didnโt even cross my mind until I saw the previous comment. Everyone uses words differently depending on what region theyโre from, kind of like โLet me take a good look at thatโ or whatever. Either way, her hair & color is awesome.
Seriously, I swear some people live to be offended. Why assume the worst? I sooo didnโt think that when I read it. I just thought she meant she liked it , not that there was a good or bad. Her hair is very cute. I love her color ๐ Not that it matters at all but I would have put her at a 3C.
I agree with you kb. So what if she describes her curl pattern as good. Itโs not like she is saying anything not like hers is bad.
I agree with that as well. I donโt think she meant it in a negative way. People need to relax. It is getting to the point that no one is going to post their hair story on this site due to overly critical people posting negative comments. Let people live.
I agree! Everytime I come on here there is a person offended about the responses to another persons hair story. Geesh! And when I read the responses to these stories, I donโt see any justification for being offended.
Anyway, beautiful lady and hair!
Totally agree. Itโs her hair and she can describe it anyway that she wants.
That comment doesnโt read well but she wears undefined styles so Iโm not sure she did mean it in the way it reads here without tone. I hope sheโll clarify before the snowball becomes an avalanche.
i agree with you,because obviously there are people on here who just cant comprehend her statement, she said i have a good curl pattern but i have kinks to, as though kinks are bad! Come on really! That should have never been said! but alot people can read, but that doesnt mean they understand what they read!
If you want to find fault in you will, and if you donโt you wonโt. I donโt think kinks are bad , so it didnโt affect me, but maybe you think they are bad, hence the reaction.
To be fair, It could be read as beauty85 chose to read it. Either way I feel that lots of hair types look lovely. I can appreciate 4c to 3A and I do not value one over the other nor would I ever say that someone had a good curl pattern because thatโs not me. I think when I was naive about hair types and my own natural hair, I loved longer 4b/c and big curly fros but as I watch more youtube vids and see more pictures of Afro textured hair of all types, I am really happy to… Read more »
I couldnโt have said it better .โฆ:)
She may have simply meant that her hair is a combination of curls and kinks, my hair is too and Iโm 4a-4c, I can wear curly styles and a full blown kinky afro. Black hair is beautiful and varied thats allโฆ
Lol, guess Iโm gonna have to polish up my nappy hair police badge. Her comment does make you wonder but its not that serious people. This is why I hate that the term โ curlyโ is being used by all naturals. Cause truth be told nappy and curly are not the same thing.One is not worse than the other but they are different.They behave different. Someone saying that they have a good pattern is just stating a fact. She does. Her hair makes curlies. I bet someone is gonna say sheโs not 4a either lol. My hair looks nothing like… Read more »
IT SADDENS ME THAT SOME PEOPLE WERE OFFENDED BY THE STATEMENT โGOOD CURL PATTERNโ THAT WAS IN MY RESPONSE TO BGLH. I donโt believe in such a thing as GOOD or BAD curl patterns. All hair patterns no matter the style or length are beautiful to me. When I said good curl pattern I MEANT that my hair works the way I would like it to work, that it defines when I attempt to define it, and that it is nice to me most of the time and doesnโt give me a lot of bad hair days.โฆI WAS NOT using… Read more »
Thank you for sharing. Please do not allow yourself to be discouraged by others. Our opinions are shaped by our past along with our personal sense of โselfโ. You expressed YOURSELF and I thank you.
The majority of comments are good, donโt like neg. nancy ruin your shine. ๐ Your hair is awesome!
Yea I didnโt take offense to it. I read it as you saying that mostly your hair forms complete curls with some of your hair not having a defined or complete pattern but rather irregular kinks. Itโs just semantics , people have become trained to associate negativity with the word good when used in a sentence with hair, just like they did when they heard the word kinky or nappy. Now the table has turned and kinky and nappy are good, but good is bad. SmH. You have interesting hair. It shows that the hair typing system only refers to curl… Read more »
I just thought you simply meant that some of your hair is defined in pattern, and some is not. :o/ I didnโt even pause at that sentence until I read the comments criticizing your description.
Itโs all good, Audrea! I think you and your hair are both beautiful, and I love your twist-outs! Thanks for sharing your story and routine with us!
I didnโt read into that way but everyone is different and may read into it differently. My hair is very similar to her hair and the first thing that came to mind when she said โgood curl patternโ I thought she meant that she has a โpretty goodโ or โpretty definedโ curl pattern and that her curl was not less defined or hard to fine. I get what you are saying but honestly if someone is going to find something negative to say, I think it doesnโt matter. They will always find something negative to say. I think people are quick… Read more »
Very beautiful hair and so healthy.
I LOVE your hair colorโit is so unique!
Nice hair. The โgood curlโ comment flew over my head when initially reading her interview, so to me, it didnโt come off as offensive. I took it as she has definition, as well as kinks. Now on to a BGLH topic on hair icons: I applied to be one, but obviously wasnโt chosen. No sweat. Iโm 13 months natural. However, I notice ALL the icons usually have been natural for 3+ years, and obviously have long hair. Is the BLACK GIRL LONG HAIR term to be taken literally? Is the requirement to be considered being featured to have โlongโ hair only? Just… Read more »
I with you on this Vonnie because we donโt all aspire to have long hair, some of us aim for healthy hair and if it becomes long then cool. I for one would love to see a variety of lengths featured here.
How did you apply to be featured as a style icon?
in the โaboutโ section.
Just email them with some pics and say you would like to be a style icon? Pretty simple.. Thanks!
Sorry Vonnie but the site is called black girl with LONG hair not BGW short or medium length hair. I love seeing the long hair inspirations, keep up the good work BGLH!
While I understand BGLH has the right to showcase the images they want to protray, IN MY HUMBLE OPINION, ESPECIALLY if they want to appeal to all areas of the natural community from the newbie to the seasoned veteran, they should showcase different levels of people on their natural journey. What good is it to someone who just BCโed last week to only see pics of folks 4+ years deep in their journey? It can be disheartening. I know that was something that I noticed here and on other sites when I first started. Hence me figuring I would show… Read more »
People have to start somewhere, they donโt just wake up with hair down to their butts. To only show long hair on this site would be to leave out a vital role of the hair journey, as well as showing diversity and hairstyle option (as some people may not want to have long hair/short hair for forever). This site is also not designed just for one person, but to provide something for everybody, i.e. those new to the game and those that have been in it for year, short fades, or big epic โdos. I feel the creator of this… Read more »
Alot of the icons do include pictures of them with their short or medium length hair and sometimes their hair straightened pre and post BC/transition. So really all hair lengths are being represented. Before they had long natural hair, they had short natural hair, or transitioning hair.
Iโm not even natural and I can appreciate this site so lets not get so serious as to make a good thing bad.
Exactly Stacy. There are other websites out there that show all different lengths of hair. But, personally, if I want to see long beautiful black hair, I come here. I hope it stays that way. If others want to see more โdiversityโ set up a hair site like this one and Iโll come and support it. ๐ M
I remember about a year ago BGLH featured a few lovely naturals who had short or twaโs. Eithet they werenโt too far into their natural journey or they just perfered short hair. There were an immense amount of comments about how wrong BGLH for showcasing short hair naturals. So now its become a damed if you do, dammed if you donโt.
I remember this too! โErm, this site is called black girl with LONG hair, I donโt find her hair to be particularly long blah blah blahโฆโ. I rolled my eyes for a good 5 minutes!
Ok Iโm sooo glad Iโm not the only one who noticed the โgood curl patternโ part! As opposed to what?!? Beautiful hair though..
I love the sandy color! It soo prettyโฆ
I believe that when she said โgood curl pattern and kinks tooโ she meant โgood curl *definition* but also some undefined strandsโ. I canโt believe that is all most of the comments say.. a bit saddened.
In stating that she has a โgood curl patternโ I think she simply meant that she has an โobvious curl patternโ. What is wrong with that?
She has a beautiful hear of hair and I appreciate her sharing the details on this website!
Why are people so sensitive on here? Hair is Hair and she does have a โgood curl patternโ. I think some people live to scrutinize what others say because they have insecurities. Hair is hair, and its beautiful when its healthy!
Exactly SHammy!!! People and their insecurities can turn anything into something negative. And she does have a good curl pattern!
COME ON IT DIDNโT READ WELL. AS SOON AS I SAW THAT COMMENT I DIDNโT EVEN WANT TO READ THE REST. CURLY AND KINK IS THE SAME THING ONE MAY BE TIGHTER THEN THE OTHER.
I think sheโs got good hair though, donโt you think?
Yes. And I think the โkinksโ form part of that. The bit about โkinksโ didnโt have to come after the โbut,โ.
I initially thought she just meant โobviousโ or โclearโ curl pattern (as in, โthere was so much traffic it took me a *good* hour to get to workโ), but her own explanations proved me wrongโฆ
Tina, is your caps lock key always on? If you press it again, you can type in lowercase letters too.
No curly and kinky are not the same if one is tighter than the other. They are both ways to desribe but texture but they look different so I donโt see whatโs wrong with describing your hairusing both thoseword or any combination.
When I read her comment about โgood hair patternโ I knew some people would get all sensitive. People have to nag about something. Itโs not that serious. Thereโs too much drama on this blog. She has beautiful hair!!! Love her hair color.
People are too sensitive. Wow. I didnโt even notice with first read.
My hair is kinky, not curly.โฆand Iโve learned to be proud of that.
Did it ever occur to anyone that WE ALL have โGOOD HAIRโ???
Great comment/question and Yes!
When she said good curl pattern, I thought she meant it curls well or easily. I have parts of my hair that spring into coils naturally, and some parts that need gel and pleading to not just stay cottony. Any head of curly/coily/kinky hair is different in different parts and we alter it with styling. Iโm kind of tired of people going off whenever the word โgoodโ mentioned is within 20 feet of someone talking about their hair.
+1
beautiful hair
Her hair color is lovely and I need my hair to behave that way, because I I have 4a hair as well, but canโt control my frizz. When she said โgood curl pattern,โ followed by โbut I have kinks too,โ I donโt think that she was stating that she had โgood curlsโ or โgood hair.โ I think she meant that her curl pattern is visible/identifiable, because when you approach the 4s, the consensus is that there is minimal curl and that the hair is much more kinky. My hair is black and looks like hers, and my curl pattern is… Read more »
Just read her response under โDre.โ Iโm glad that she clarified her previous statement,but on the other hand some of the other commenters took it too seriously. And I donโt know why BGLH would refuse to showcase a natural haired beauty one week or one day because the previous post was of someone with similar looking hair or curls. Thatโs ridiculous, Iโm pretty sure theyโre not working that hard to group their posts by similar curl pattern, and they shouldnโt be. If you want to see a different beauty up there with hair similar to yours, submit your own story… Read more »
I will be honest, when I saw this post, I didnโt even finished reading, I just jumped straight to the comments because I just KNEW.โฆ
As soon as I read that โgood curl patternโ I knew thereโd be trouble. ๐ Such a shame too because she gave a great interview and has beautiful hair.
+1 So the first thing I saw was 60 comments then I read โgood curl patternโ. I was like โuh ohโฆโ
Not even gonna lie, I only read this one because it had 60+ comments, and style icons rarely reach those numbers unless thereโs some drama. And there was, of course.
Seriously People! I have said it once and I will say it again. SOME naturals are too dern sensitive. Who is anyone to tell HER how to describe HER hair?!? I dont care if she said it was the best of the best or the worst of the worstโฆits HER thoughts and opinions. If YOU opt to use different words when referring to YOUR hair then so be it, but you can not determine how one describes themself. Now if someone describes YOUR hair in a way that YOU donโt like, thatโs different (but still not worth the fight in… Read more »
I have known Dreโ for many years and know that is not what she meant. Right after that statement she says her hair behaves well, meaning it do not give her any problems. This was a great read for me. Great job Dre you look amazing and your hair is flawless. People will always have something to say, donโt let that bother you. What about the rest of the interview? Her beautiful hair and color? Dre has responded so go read her comment and move forward with more positive comments.
Some people are so angry unnecessarily so that they havenโt even noticed that Audrea has replied as commenter Dre, trying to explain herself.
I agree with TJM and Shammyโฆsome people take things too far.
Hmmm .โฆ. case closed. Her hair looks nice though.
When I seen this story had 52 comment, I knew it had to be something about hair type, texture the GOOD & bad it never fails with this site!!
Yeah the โgood curl patternโ part totally went over my head too. Didnโt think anything of it. I feel like someone who got offended by that must have some insecurities about their own hair.
IG: YurSweetDream
As soon as I read the article I knew it was coming.โฆlol
Itโs so good to see someone from Beaumont with such a glorious head of natural hair! Iโm from a neighboring city, Port Arthur, and I went natural in 2006โฆ 2007 moved to DC. There were little to no naturals then, now when I go home to visit more and more people are losing the permed hair, no wonder theyโre going natural if I saw her hair I would want to be natural too! Great post and love all the pics
Like MAHA, I, too, was happy to see such a beauty from Beaumont discussing so eloquently her natural hair journey. Iโm from the neighboring Mont Belvieu area, and I could immediately connect with her. I also applaud her for taking the high road in her response regarding the โgood curl patternโ comment. I didnโt think it read well, but I was not offended by the comment as the remaining verbiage seemed to better clarify what she meant. I, too, have curls, coils, and kinks, so again, I could relate. I pray that I live to see the day when our… Read more »
I have 1year hair6in well and sandy d. Hair
Love her hair and color. That pic of her hair huge with โLionsโ in the background.โฆAmazing!