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Jaqui // Multi-Texture Style Icon

Avatar • Jun 11, 2013

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Introduce yourself!
J:
My name is Jaqui (Juh-kwee) and Iโ€™m from the San Francisco Bay Area. I currently reside in Brooklyn and moved here in 2011 to pursue a career in music.

Why did you make the decision to go natural?
J:
I started my natural hair journey back in 2010 when I cut off the last of my relaxed ends (no big chop). At the time I wasnโ€™t aware that I was embarking on a healthy hair journey. I merely stopped getting relaxers because I couldnโ€™t find a reliable hairdresser while I was away at college in DC. It was also for this reason that I started wearing weaves sporadically because it was easy. After rocking weaves, infusions (tragedy!) and clip-ins for on and off for four years I had a lot of new growth and noticed my natural texture for the first time. I decided to โ€œgo with itโ€ and learned as much as I possibly could about caring for my own hair without relying on perms, hairdressers and weaves. I trimmed my ends every couple of months and delved into Curly Nikki, Healthy Textures and MopTopMaven (oh where did she go?!) A couple years passed and I was relaxer-free!

How would you describe your texture?
J:
I have multi-textured tresses. Thereโ€™s a combination of mainly 4A/3C coarse and fine hairs all over my head, so as you can imagine it was a bit of a challenge solidifying my product line-up in the beginning of my hair journey. Kinky Curly products worked great whereas Miss Jessieโ€™s didnโ€™t. THEN my hair got longer and Kinky Curly didnโ€™t work as great and Herbal Essences conditioners did. Iโ€™m almost always experimenting with new products to this day (product junkie alert!) but the most basic rule Iโ€™ve learned about caring for my hair is that it needs moisture. A ton of it.

Describe your styling regimen over the course of the month.
J:
Using Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat Shampoo, I only shampoo my hair every couple of weeks and that is simply to remove product buildup so that MORE moisture can get in. Between washes I co-wash almost every 3โ€“4 days with Herbal Essences Hello Hydration, which has great slip, and I deep condition at least once a week now with Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose. Iโ€™ve also been experimenting with Saryna KEY Pure African Shea Butter and my hair LOVES it. My main styling regimen consists of twist outs with a cheapie detangling conditioner like Organix Coconut Milk.

My hair is no longer at wash nโ€™ go length and if I tried Iโ€™d be in a detangling inferno so I twist or braid out to avoid this and keep my ends smooth and sealed. I also style my hair in a lot of buns and slick them with EcoStyler Olive Oil Gel (angels sing!). Most of the products I use are sulfate-free and I only use shampoos with sulfates when my hair has been straightened and is doped up on styling serums and heat protectants. My theory is this โ€” if all the products Iโ€™ve used before wash-day are natural and water-soluble, then I can wash with natural, sulfate-free products. If Iโ€™ve got some gunk on my strands then I need a sulfate shampoo to clear it off (very important!).

MyHairStraight

What does wash day look like for you?
J:
Wash-day is not a day at all but more of an overnight process. I pre-poo with olive oil and if Iโ€™m out of that I put conditioner on my hair first to serve as a barrier to the shampoo. Next, I just wash in four sections, detangle with my wide-tooth comb and Denman brush, and deep condition for 30 minutes. I have a Huetiful Hair Steamer (amazing gadget), but havenโ€™t had time to use it lately, so I just use a plastic bag in the shower. Then I make about 12โ€“16 twists with conditioner and seal my ends with shea butter or Simplicity Hair Oil (incredible stuff!) and go to sleep. I also put some oil on my scalp as well. I wake up, untwist, fluff, stretch with a hairdryer on my roots and go!

Describe your favorite go-to hairstyle for days when you donโ€™t have a lot of time to style.
J:
If Iโ€™m not feeling my hair by day 3 I usually pull it up and rock a high bun or just co-wash and repeat my regimen.

How do you combat shrinkage?
J:
I find using the hairdryer on my roots is very effective at stretching my hair so that itโ€™s BIG, and I donโ€™t have to do it often because of this reason.

What are some of your problem areas (if any) that require special care and attention?
J:
My basic problem area is dry scalp. Healthy hair grows from a healthy scalp; therefore a main focus of mine is keeping my scalp moisturized, eating healthy and exercising. I battled dry scalp so much as a child (tar shampoos eek!) and now as I look back I can see that what was passed off as โ€œsensitive scalpโ€ or โ€œpsoriasisโ€ can be attributed to the use of chemical relaxers (duh!). Since becoming natural I donโ€™t have scalp issues like I did before and my hair is so much healthier.

What are 2 doโ€™s and donโ€™ts for your texture?
J:
Caring for my hair has been a learning process and there have been a few old habits to rear their ugly heads along the journey, like coloring (highlights) and constant straightening. These are two major donโ€™ts. I quit my fascination with highlights a couple of years ago. Iโ€™m still recovering from the loosened, inconsistent curls due impart to the bleach. My highlighted hair also started to split, so now if I do color my hair itโ€™s using a dark cellophane which just gives my tresses a nice shine. Color can be so tempting but my hair has thrived because Iโ€™ve resisted the urge to alter it, and when I do want to experiment with color I achieve the look with weaves.

I also stopped straightening my hair all the darn time. It seems so simple but this was a challenging area for me because I was used to rocking straight, silky hair. I felt the temptation this past winter when wet styles like twist outs were becoming more of a challenge in this New York winter (which we donโ€™t have in Cali) and I reached for my flat iron more than usual. Heat Free Hair was a saving grace. Iโ€™ve been rocking the ForCurls collection for about 3 months now and absolutely love it. Itโ€™s a protective style (major do!) that affords me the same look as my own natural hair, and keeps the flat iron away. Even though spring is here, Iโ€™m still rocking it because itโ€™s so awesome.

Is there a blog/webpage where we can find you?
J:
www.youtube.com/quibee80
Twitter: @heyitsqui
IG: @heyitsqui

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About Meosha

Just another lover of natural hair and expression. - Style Icon Coordinator for BGLH

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treece12
treece12
7 years ago

pretty hair and hazel eyes

mlank64
mlank64
7 years ago

Every picture looks like a different woman. You should be a model! You and your hair are beautiful.

Allegra
Allegra
7 years ago
Reply to  mlank64

I was thinking the same thing! To me no pic looks the same! Versatile lady โ€” great hair, beautiful!

Jaqui
Jaqui
7 years ago
Reply to  mlank64

Aww thnk you!

Camillia
Camillia
7 years ago

Gorgeous darling!!!

brown-princess.tumblr
7 years ago

So pretty >.<

Saye
Saye
7 years ago

Beautiful!

Ashley
Ashley
7 years ago

Beautiful girl, beautiful hair!

D.K.
7 years ago

Totally beautiful, I agree with the โ€œmodelโ€ comments (not runway โ€™cause it eats people alive; commercial is WAY better). Girrrrrl, do it!

vertmoot.blogspot.com

rw
rw
7 years ago

speaking ofโ€ฆcan we do a post finding out what happened to Mop Top Maven !?!?!?

Trini
Trini
7 years ago
Reply to  rw

Did you have to go there? Lol! On a serious note hopefully sheโ€™s doing better.

Caramelcurls
Caramelcurls
7 years ago
Reply to  rw

Maybe Mop Top Maven doesnโ€™t want to be found. Clearly she is familiar with social media and could have done an update by now if she desired. Let her be!

Aiych
Aiych
7 years ago
Reply to  rw

She has an instagram account that she updates. Her hair has gotten super long and looks so dang healthy, I wish she was still updating her blog!

Aynonamous
Aynonamous
7 years ago
Reply to  Aiych

Whatโ€™s her Instagram account name ?

Trini
Trini
7 years ago

Lovely hair and versatile looks.

Q
Q
7 years ago

I LOVE her hair. Straight, curly, up, downโ€ฆit looks fabulous anyway

TWA4now
TWA4now
7 years ago

Simply beautiful! #anotherhaircrush!

Cherry
Cherry
7 years ago

Wow. Hair crush and girl crush. You are stunning!

Jaqui
Jaqui
7 years ago
Reply to  Cherry

Thanks!!!!!!

Caramelcurls
Caramelcurls
7 years ago

Girl, you are GORGEOUSโ€”face, hair, everthang! ;0) #WERK

Jaqui
Jaqui
7 years ago
Reply to  Caramelcurls

Thank you! ๐Ÿ™‚

Keisha
Keisha
7 years ago

Beautiful woman and curls!

Karina
Karina
7 years ago

when you used to use the wash and go technique, did you ever use mousse?

Jaqui
Jaqui
7 years ago
Reply to  Karina

Hi Karinaโ€“no never used mousse. I used the olive oil eco styler gel FAITHFULLY with a leave in conditioner to avoid super crunchy hair. Kinky curly curling custard worked well too when my hair was shorter.

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[โ€ฆ] recent style icon Jaqui, credited the Heat Free Hair ForCurls collection with helping her stay away from flat ironing this [โ€ฆ]

brunettefury
brunettefury
7 years ago

Beautiful hair!

I rarely find people with my hair texture on here; I think youโ€™re one of the few people Iโ€™ve seen with hair similar to mine (although mine might be a bit coarser).

Jaqui
Jaqui
7 years ago
Reply to  brunettefury

Iโ€™m glad! I know how hard it can be to find a โ€œhair twinโ€! ๐Ÿ™‚

Mika
7 years ago

Sheโ€™s so pretty with gorgeous hair. All her pictures look like a model. Awesome versatility in her hair too. I love it straight and curly!

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