*Prepared for BGLH by Meosha Tall of 1MeNaturally
Introduce yourself!
J: Jouelzy โ- the great white land of suburbia, Delaware.
Why did you make the decision to go natural?
J: I didnโt really โgo naturalโ I just wanted to try a new look by shaving my head into a caesar. That was the 3rd time I shaved off all my hair. The first two times I was actually trying to go natural. The first time I thought I was doing something wrong because my โnew growthโ just wasnโt acting right. The second time, I thought I could train my hair into being curly โ because thatโs what I thought natural hair was suppose to be, curly. And the last time, I just wanted a caesar with designs in it; blame it on just moving to Brooklyn. Once I got some length I started putting various weaves and braids in and forgot about my real hair. So as far as being a natural who actually embraces her hair โ I would say 1.5 years.
How would you describe your texture?
J: I have coarse 4C hair with some other textures in the back, but I largely identify as 4C. Itโs somewhat dense. For me the hair typing system is a beginners marker to help them begin to learn about their hair, but itโs nothing to get too attached to. I know I have a texture thatโs not widely represented so I use 4C as a marker so Iโm easier for people to find on YouTube.
Describe your styling regimen over the course of the month.
J: I enjoy switching up my look and I think hair is a mode of expression. I style often because I can and I like to โ and because I have a YouTube channel that I try to upload one video a week to. I love curls, like most of us. So I do a lot of curly styles, and because of that Iโm styling my hair 2โ3 times a week. Iโm always looking for a new way to curl my hair (itโs why I have a curl series!!!), whether itโs different curlers or techniques, Iโm trying something new on a weekly basis when my work schedule permits.
What does wash day look like for you?
J: Well depending on what products I have obliged myself to review or what style I decided I was going to record a video on, that usually shapes my wash day. Once a week I have a thorough wash day and then when I can get it in in the middle of the week Iโll do a refresh wash by just co-washing my hair. On the wash day Iโm always trying something new, whether itโs a deep conditioner (I DC weekly during the winter) or a DIY cleanser/conditioning treatment. Iโm doing something that requires me to mix some products together. I always steam. I LOVE steaming my hair as part of my conditioning process. I use my QโRedew steamer a lot. If I need to clarify my hair, which I do once a month Iโll use Carolโs Daughter Rosemary Mint Shampoo or As I Am Cleansing Conditioner depending on my mood.
Describe your favorite go-to hairstyle for days when you donโt have a lot of time to style.
J: I love big hair, so I can get almost any style to work with a few bobby pins because I want my hair to be big and obnoxious. Bantu knot outs are my usual go to. Some times I throw some perm rods in for 30 minutes, just to add some type of definition. My Honeychild Type 4 Hair Creme is a great moisturizer that allows me to do these last minute styles without it turning to complete frizz. For whatever reason if I have that in my hair, I can get away with 30 minute rollers that look decent.
How do you combat shrinkage?
J: I embrace it. Thatโs the biggest thing with coarser textured hair. Embrace the โflawsโ like shrinkage and frizz otherwise youโre going to have unrealistic expectations. I know if I style my hair on anything more than slightly damp hair (if I can actually get it to dry) Iโm going to have really tight curls/shrunken styles. But itโll stretch throughout the week as the curls drop or if itโs a style I redo every night, thatโll stretch it out too. I donโt combat it. I work with it. Thereโs a plus to shrinkage. Even if your hair looks shorter because itโs densely compacted it will appear thicker/fuller. I prefer a full look over a longer look.
What are some of your problem areas (if any) that require special care and attention?
J: The back middle of my head is a pain in my right side. It has the nerve to try and be curly when the rest of my hair is a z pattern. And who has time to section their hair and apply completely different product to one section of their head that just wants to be different? Chile cheese. On a serious note, I just try to be gentle all around with my hair, patient and manage my time better when it comes to doing my hair, so Iโm not pulling a rush job.
What are 2 doโs for your texture?
J: Detangle, detangle and detangle. Itโs a never ending process. Wash, detangle, condition, detangle. With coarse hair that wraps around itself and has no sense of uniformity, I have to be very careful with detangling my hair to help minimize breakage, tangles and knots that cause breakage. And obviously moisturizing. Itโs something I do often, depending on the style, at the very least every other day. After every wash I do the LCO (leave-in water based product, creme product, oil/butter) to moisturize. Then Iโll spray my hair throughout the week. For curly styles I love Alikay Naturals Loc Butter and Entwineโs Hydrator. For all around styling, when Iโm being super lazy, Shea Moisture products are the best. They can be overpowering, but that works in your favor if you want to moisturize your hair one day and not worry about it for most of the week.
What are 2 donโts for your texture?
J: Being impatient and over thinking the process. I get a lot of questions on my YouTube channel that really make me furrow my brow, like huh? But I understand that there isnโt a lot of representation for 4C/Coarse hair in the media to begin with. We all watch these girls with big curly hair or hair that has a lot less kink then ours and we start thinking our hair is the impossible texture to deal with. We set unrealistic expectations on ourselves and we get so caught up in the have-not side of things. And then every time we go to style our hair, the first thought is โthis isnโt going to work cause my hair isโฆ.โ, youโve already over complicated the situation. Know that itโs going to take more then some light leave-in or gel to moisturize your hair and that you have to MANIPULATE your hair into a curl, because you DO NOT have a curl to DEFINE. Accept it and make it do what it do. Yes you will have to style your hair more often, because of your moisturizing needs you hair doesnโt hold curls as long as others, but if you embrace your hair you will open yourself up to a whole new world of style options. 80% of your style is confidence. People perceive you how you perceive yourself, so donโt box yourself in with expectations that donโt fit you. I might think that my hair looks horrible, but thereโs someone out there wishing they had my hair.
Is there a blog/webpage where we can find you?
J: www.youtube.com/jouelzy, www.blackhairkitchen.com and my IG: http://www.instagr.am/jouelzy.
Beautiful girl, beautiful hair! This is the best hair icon interview Iโve read.
โThe great white land of surbubiaโ What does that mean??????
She lives around a bunch of white people in the suburbs
โ..a bunch of white people..โ we need to drop the racial connotations,
Realy!!??!! Weโll do that when they stop using racial connotations. Since that ainโt happening, its open house!!!
Should be โReallyโฆโ
Joulezy said, โBut I understand that there isnโt a lot of representation for 4C/Coarse hair in the mediaโฆโ I just want to point out there there is a difference between 4c or tightly coiled hair and course hair. I often find those with tightly coiled hair have some of the softest hair.
I love her and get self-satisfied smile. You go girl!!
Iโm subbing to your youtube channel now sis.
shes sooo pretttyyy! stealing some of these styles! but idont think shes 4c she has a curl maybe shes a 4b
I think she knows her hair best ๐ Depending on what I put in my hair I have exact the same โcurlโ when my hair is wet and believe me Iโm a 4c all over. There are all kinds of 4cโs. Youโd be surprised to see what kind of styles I can pull of with my 4c. My sister is 4c as well and her hair behaves differently to the same products. Beautifull lady, happy to see a 4c!
Good interview. Sheโs right make it do what it do and love the hair you have. I like her you tube page. I stumbled upon it last year.
Beautiful styles!
love your hair
EMBRACING YOUR TEXTURE MEANS DOING JUST THAT NOT MAKING IT CURL AND ONLY WEARING IT THAT WAY. SHE DOESNโT IT LOOK 4C TO ME. I REALLY DONโT LIKE THIS INTERVIEW. SHEโS CONTRADICTING HERSELF WITH THIS CURL OBESSION. AND WHY ARE YOU DOING YOUR HAIR SO MUCH SMELLS DAMAGE IN YOUR FUTURE. WILL NEVER SUB TO YOUR CHANNEL
She has a point, but people will hate on the comment because sheโs Tina Smithโฆhowever, if you read properly sheโs got a valid point
If not for the many typos, run-ons, and seemingly angry tone maybe we could โread it properlyโ.
Sorry sister :-(.
oh goshโฆreallyโฆits hair relaxโฆif thatโs the curl pattern she identifies with so be itโฆthatโs not the really the pointโฆ its about taking care of her natural care and embracing her hair regardless of the texture/curl pattern whatever..
Iโve seen her videos. That hair is 4C and she rocks itโฆbecause why wouldnโt she *shrug*
I know it is Tina Smith but I have to agree with her. The interview is a contradiction. One minute she is saying she loves 4c hair, the next minute she is manipulating her hair in search of the holy grail of curl 90 to 100% of the time. 4c is fabulous as is. You do not need to try to manipulate it and make yourself sick trying to create type 3 curls. If type 3 hair girls are not spending the majority of their time trying to create type 4 texture, there is no need for me to spend… Read more »
Best write up ever! Thatโs what I call โreal talk!โ
Obviously a hater woman met up with a hater dude and had a hater kid. We now know that hater kidโs name was Tina Smith. IJS. Why be so negative? Move on. No. Really move with your whole life because if you have that much salt for a blog post, one can only imagine what other baggage you have. #facepalmmoment
I love that she looks for different ways to curl her hair! She seems like she might use curlformers? Iโm a big fan of the big ringlet curls on natural hair. So pretty. Natural hair is versatile, there is absolutely nothing wrong with seeing what it can do!
I do, I just did a video on curlformers. Love them. Thanks!
We pay too much attention to hair types. If she says her hair could be 4c we shouldnโt be disagreeing with her & make it a big deal. My hair is 4c but you wouldnโt think so if you saw it in a twist out or curled up & about. The point is, have/maintain healthy hair, embrace it & rock it as you feel.
I loovvee her Youtube channel. She was one of the first women to show me that I can put curlformers in my head and have swag all day. ๐
Jouelzy on black girl long hair! YAY! Iโve been watching her videos on youtube for a long time. She helped prove that our 4C hair with the right care and style can look like looser hair types. Congrads Jouelzy! Represent that beautiful 4c hair!
[โฆ] Read this article: Jouelzy // 4C Natural Hair Style Icon | Black Girl with Long Hair [โฆ]
I love your confidence Jouelzy.
And Iโm totally feeling you about that curly patch.
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I love this interview, it is the realest.I bought curlformers right after watching your curlformer videoโฆkeep it up girl!
I like her channel, visit it all the time. Informative, to the point and slick production. Itโs rare to see 4cs doing that. 4cs donโt see the demand for our hair on youtube so the majority of 4cs on youtube donโt seem to invest in the equipment or production that makes YT videos more watchable. Itโs always the 4a, 3c and looser curlies who have high quality videos. Definitely enjoyed what Jouelzy had to say. I find Tina Smith so repetitive. I read what she said and she doesnโt have a point, she just loves ranting.
Beautiful hair and face! And has anyone ever told you that you look like you could be related to Nikki Mae (natural hair vlogger)? You all could pass for sisters! ;0)
I love her insights on 4c hair. I also had un-relealistic expectations when I started learning how to take care of my natural hair. I like that the shrinkage actually created the appearance of volumne. Never thought about it that way. I now understand that frizz is a part of 4c hair, especially when it grays. My hair is super, duper crinkly, but Iโm learning to love it. Thank You. I love Jouelzyโs story.
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I love her hair and she is beautiful!! She is definitely my natural hair icon <3
I just love you for this post. 4C girls are so underrepresented.
Hi Jouelzy! I love your hair. Girl that face and lips? You are just too much=) You are however spot on with your philosophy on 4c hair. Iโve been natural since the late ninetiesโฆ just out of high school. I always just wore blow outs from the Egyptians, sew ins and different braid styles. It wasnt until 4 or 5 years ago that I started to experiment with curly looks. I went thru the motions of buying curl defining creams, wetting my hair then using curl enhancing products to no avail. Then I finally realized that my hair was incapable… Read more »
[โฆ] featured Jouelzy as a style icon in February. Her Youtube channel is dedicated to showing how to style and care for 4C hair, and [โฆ]
[โฆ] We featured Jouelzy as a style icon in February. Her Youtube channel is dedicated to showing how to style and care for 4C hair, and includes helpful tips on how to install weaves without damaging your edges and how to select good quality weaves. Check it out: [โฆ]
I have 4c hair, and Iโve started using Wen. Itโs expensive but a GENIE on my hair! There are certain varieties of Wen that have the moisturizing capacity to tame my locks, as well as a styling stick that I LOVE. I donโt use the stick often because of the price for the amount, but I actually have my (teeny tiny) curls when I use it. Iโm experimenting more with it, but so far, Iโm in love ๐
I been natural for almost 3 years and at first i was almost thinking about giving up because i have coasre hair and i was unsure what to do.. now i am glad i didnt