Fatima // Natural Hair Style Icon

*Prepared for BGLH by Meosha Tall of 1MeNaturally

Introduce yourself!
F: My name is Fatima and I’m from Paterson, New Jersey.

Why did you make the decision to go natural?
F: I never actually “Went Natural”. I’ve been natural my whole life and never had a relaxer. However, I did transition as most relaxed girls do, but from heat damaged hair. I did this transition because I wanted my natural curls back. For about 5–6 years I flat ironed and blow dried my hair at least 2x per week. My hair was severely damaged and I wanted my natural curls back. I was in highschool and I was finally becoming my own person. Even though it wasn’t the popular/trending thing to do I decided to try it anyway.

How would you describe your texture?
F: I’m not really sure. My hair is very thick when it’s dry but when it’s wet it is a wavy/curly texture.

Describe your styling regimen over the course of the month.
F: I like to experiment with different styles. On Sunday I usually detangle with any Vo5 Conditioner, shampoo with Vo5, deep condition with Organic Root Stimulator Hair Mayo and style with Eco Styler Gel. I only cowash with Vo5 Conditioner once per week and restyle on whichever day I decided to cowash. Sometimes I’ll do wash n gos and then on my cowash day I’ll do a braid out. I prefer to switch it up every few days. I repeat this pattern each week. Every once in a while I will use Aphogee 2 min Keratin Reconstructor for a protein treatment. It really depends on the needs of my hair.

What does wash day look like for you?
F: First I finger detangle in the shower with Vo5 Conditioner. Then, I shampoo with any Vo5 Shampoo. I only concentrate the product at my roots and I always work in four sections. Next, I apply my favorite deep conditioner, Organic Root Stimulator Hair Mayo for 15 minutes to 1 hour. I rinse and then style in either a braidout, protective style, bantu knots or wash & go. Using Cantu Shea Butter Daily Oil Moisturizer and Eco Styler Gel.

Describe your favorite go-to hairstyle for days when you don’t have a lot of time to style.
F: Wash and Go’s used to be my favorite style. I wore them all summer long. However, I started noticing breakage and dryness so I no longer wear this style. I recently started a “Healthy Hair Challenge” on my blog. So I am wearing protective styles for a couple of months.

How do you combat shrinkage?
F: My hair doesn’t shrink much, but when it does I just embrace it as it is.

Tell us about your hair color?
F: I color my own hair. It’s a mixture of chestnut blonde and honey blonde by Dark and Lovely. It’s growing out now and I don’t plan to re-dye for a while. It has changed the texture of my hair, but not drastically. I do have to be more careful with heat and more persistent with moisturizing my ends.

What are some of your problem areas (if any) that require special care and attention?
F: My ends have been really dry and I noticed a lot of split ends recently. In order to combat this problem I’ve been doing protein treatments, moisturizing my ends daily and trimming my ends as needed.

What are 2 do’s for your texture?
F: Creamy moisturizers, which make my hair super soft and shiny. Deep conditioning once a week keeps my hair strong.

What are 2 don’ts for your texture?
F: Dry combing or brushing leads to breakage. I always detangle on wet hair! Wash and Go’s although this was my favorite style this past summer it no longer is. My roots get severely tangled and my ends always feel dry after a wash n go.

Is there a blog/webpage where we can find you?
F: www.sewingstardom.com is my lifestyle blog. @Fatima_FF on Twitter and IG. I would also like to invite anyone that is interested in joining me on “The Healthy Hair Challenge” to check out my blog for all the details!