Ashley // 4A Natural Hair Style Icon

*Prepared for BGLH by Meosha Tall of 1MeNaturally

Introduce yourself!
A: Hello, my name is Ashley. I am from South Carolina. I am currently a student.

Why did you make the decision to go natural?
A: It all actually started with my oldest sister. She did the big chop. At first I was not sure what to think and I never imagined myself going natural. Then my other two older sisters decided they wanted go natural and I still wasn’t exactly convinced. But, my hair was getting shorter and shorter because of my relaxer. My mom and I were the only ones to still get relaxers and she wasn’t very happy with the condition of her hair either. So, we made a deal to both go natural and have been natural ever since. I’ve definitely seen a major improvement in both of our hair over the years and haven’t ever thought of going back. I have been natural for about four years now.

How would you describe your texture?
A: I would say my hair is mostly 4a, very thick and coarse.

Describe your styling regimen over the course of the month.
A: Most of the time, I do wash and gos. But a lot of times this can be difficult in the winter because I don’t like to wet my hair then walk outside. So sometimes I co-wash or wet my hair at night with either Motions Conditioner or a VO5 Herbal Escapes Conditioner, then I put Eco Styler gel on it. I brush it through with a Denman brush and put it in a “pineapple” style. It is one of my favorite styles because it looks nice and is easy to take down in the morning. Another style that I do are twists. It is a bit more time consuming, but can also last for a longer period of time. For twists I first co-wash my hair and then apply either Cantu Shea Butter Coconut Curling Cream or Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curling Souffle. As I’m doing this I usually just use my fingers to rake through my hair.

What does wash day look like for you?
A: I wash my hair once a week. I mostly use VO5 conditioner or the Motions conditioner. About one time out of the month, I will use a shampoo. After I am finished I either style it or apply a moisturizer like shea butter.

Describe your favorite go-to hairstyle for days when you don’t have a lot of time to style.
A: My favorite go-to hairstyle would probably be applying Eco Styler to my hair and combing it out with my fingers if it is already wet or if I did a pineapple style the night before.

How do you combat shrinkage?
A: Twists are a great way to get rid of some of the shrinkage.

What are some of your problem areas (if any) that require special care and attention?
A: One problem area for me is towards the front of my hair. It is straighter than most of my hair and doesn’t curl as easy. This is mostly due to straightening my hair more often than I should have. I’m not sure how to fix this problem, except to get the straight parts trimmed off a little at a time.

What are 2 do’s for your texture?
A: A major do for my texture and really all textures is to keep your hair moisturized. There are many different moisturizers or oils that you can try to do this. I am still sort of experimenting to find the best one for me. Another do is co-washing my hair every week. I don’t use shampoo every single time because it can make hair very dry. But I do try to co-wash it every week so it isn’t too difficult or time consuming. If I were to wait too long, it would definitely be harder to go through.

What are 2 don’ts for your texture?
A: One major don’t I would say is pulling at all the little knots in your hair. Since my hair does tend to get dry it’s easy to want to pick at it. But in all honesty it’s probably just doing more harm than good. Another don’t for me is getting my hair pressed back to back. This is one thing that I used to do, especially when I wasn’t used to the idea of wearing my hair natural. It is another thing that damaged my curls and made some parts of my hair very straight.

Is there a blog/webpage where we can find you?
A: You can find me on Instagram at me_llamo_ashley.