*Prepared for BGLH by Meosha Tall of 1MeNaturally
Introduce yourself!
T: My name is Thaina Felisha Madere. I am of Haitian descent. I was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts but I’ve been living in Riverside, California for almost 7 years. I work for my father’s business right now but I’m in transition from undergrad to law school.
Why did you make the decision to go natural?
T: That’s a great question! Lol. It really wasn’t intentional. “Natural hair” wasn’t as popular as it is today and I really didn’t know what I was doing. I had my hair cut into a short permed style when I first moved here. I got lazy and just didn’t keep up with my relaxers. With short hair it was easier to see what my natural texture was so I just made the jump. Realizing that my hair formed curls and that I could care for it was such a revelation for me! I’ve always been a fan of big hair, but assumed that my hair needed to be permed because it was unmanageable. I made a lot of mistakes in the beginning like over-processing with color and such, but I’m definitely learning how to care for my hair. I love getting to know my hair and making healthier choices in regards to how I treat my body! I’ve been natural now for a total of 6 years and I big chopped twice. The first time I chopped to cut the perm off and 3 years ago I shaved my hair off as a result of heat damage.
How would you describe your texture?
T: I’m not too much into hair typing, but if I had to classify I think I have mostly 4b strands. The strands at the top of my head are a little looser so they may be 4a, but the strands in the back of my hair are a coarse and tight 4c. My hair is dense and soft to the touch as long as it is moisturized.
Describe your styling regimen over the course of the month.
T: I try to style my hair in medium twists for at least a week out of each month. When my hair isn’t twisted I wear braid-outs, a bun or a fro. I moisturize my hair with a mix of water, glycerin and peppermint oil. My hair LOVES water, so I spray my hair quite often. I seal with a shea butter whip I blend with glycerin, olive, avocado, peppermint, and coconut oil.
What does wash day look like for you?
T: I prep my hair for wash day by finger detangling my hair with coconut or olive oil then I put my hair in loose plaits to wash my hair in. I find that my hair sheds less when I wash my hair in plaits instead of washing my hair loose. In lieu of shampoo, I rub my scalp with diluted baking soda or I wash my hair with Terressentials Pure Earth Hair Wash. It doesn’t lather, but it does the job. I condition my hair with Shea Moisture’s Organic Raw Shea Butter Restorative Conditioner. After conditioning, I squeeze the excess water out of my hair and wear a turban or hat until my hair is about 85% dry. I then moisturize my hair and either put my hair in medium twists for the next week or two or I put it in tighter plaits for a braid-out.
Describe your favorite go-to hairstyle for days when you don’t have a lot of time to style.
T: Scarves, Turbans and more Scarves! If you know me, you’ll see my hair wrapped up at least 3 days out of the week.
How do you combat shrinkage?
T: I don’t worry too much about shrinkage. There really isn’t a way to fight it; however I find that after using the pineapple method at night my hair is stretched.
Tell us about your hair color?
T: I haven’t been to the hair salon since going natural. I picked up a Dark and Lovely permanent hair color in honey blonde from Walmart and did it myself in my bathroom. I was going for a really light brown, but I figured since I wasn’t using bleach, a blonde would get me closer to what I wanted. My curl pattern hasn’t changed, but my hair is a lot more brittle. Color has always made my hair dry, but I do it anyway because I love changing it up sometimes!
What are some of your problem areas (if any) that require special care and attention?
T: My edges tangle really easily, so when my hair is twisted I have to remove the tangles and re-twist them every 3 days or so. Since my hair is color-treated, my ends are also dry; which is why sealing my hair after moisturizing is so important.
What are 2 do’s for your texture?
T: Sometimes mid-week my hair will feel parched so I’ll “hotbox” my hair. I spray my hair with water, put olive oil on my ends, cover my hair with a plastic cap then wrap it with a scarf for the day. After doing so, my hair is always super soft until the next wash day. I also watch my ends. I’m not afraid to trim my hair. If I notice that my strands are tangling excessively, I’ll blow dry and trim or twist them, search and destroy.
What are 2 don’ts for your texture?
T: Sleeping on cotton pillowcases and coloring too often have proved to be the demise of my strands, so I always sleep on satin pillowcases and I don’t touch up my roots after coloring anymore.
Is there a blog/webpage where we can find you?
T: I’ve thought about blogging, but I haven’t made the step yet. For now, you can find me at http://instagram.com/adreamdiffered.
Beautiful hair and I love the color!
Super cute!
Beautiful hair love the color, your updo is on point!!
Loving it! You look so pretty in every shot.
A fellow haitian whoohooo!
GORGEOUS!
GORGEOUS girl with fabulous hair and an awesome sense of style to match!
Very pretty head of hair!
Haitienne!!!! Doing it! Great hair! Belle bagay!
So pretty! Ayiti, sak paseeee!
Gade bèl cheve ou genyen.
Epi mwen renmen foto yo.
Translation: Beautiful hair, love the pics.
That hair color makes her skin POP! Beautiful hair.
Sak pase?!
Anyway, love your hair and really love your eyebrows! For some reason, that’s one of the first things I notice on people lol
Ayy an ayisen! Lol her hair is gorge and her “going natural story” is pretty close to mine 🙂
She’s so pretty
Thanks for the kind words everyone! Double thanks bglh for the feature!! Sak pase?! and Merci to all of my Haitians. 🙂
Beautiful!! Fellow Riversidian right here!! 🙂
Awesome! Her regime and mine are almost precisely the same! All the way down to the headwraps and turbans!
Beautiful young lady! So beautiful that you looked stunning with short-cropped hair! You go girl!
OMG she is stunning!! Beautiful hair & a great sense of style too!
Beautiful!
It was refreshing and a bit thicoung to see Autumn’s natural tresses. My daughter and I look like her and it makes me realize more and more that we are blessed. I’m still discovering the depths of our hair and it doesn’t take me long at all to style or maintain my hair. I feel our hair isn’t meant for all the trauma we put it through, simply a result of being conditioned. Kudos to Autumn!
Wow lady, I am completely salivating over your pictures and hair right here! I swear if you start a blog on your hair care, styling and general dress style, I would check it out in a heart beat! Congratulations on your move towards law school and keep up the great hair care! Love from South Africa…
Hi Boogie Lurv! This is soooo late but I wanted to let you know that I have been contemplating a blog for a while. I saw your comment and it inspired me to make the step so thank you! The blog is called secretsdessoeurs.com
Gorgeous hair, beautiful pictures!
lovely!
Gorgeous smile and hair!
Aside from you being gorgeous as all of us have noticed and said haha and me having the same hair as you, where do you shop?? Your style is on point and I need some tips please!!!
Hi Breeze! Thank you so much! I shop everywhere but a bulk of my clothes are from asos.com and thrifted. I’ve recently started the blog where I go into details about my outfits. It’s called secretsdessoeurs.com