Angela // 4A/B Natural Hair Style Icon

Introduce yourself!
A: My name is Angela Sims, and I’m from Kansas City, MO. I currently live in New York, NY.

Why did you make the decision to go natural?
A: I’ve been natural for three years in November 2013. I originally stopped relaxing my hair because I was a broke college student who couldn’t afford $60 for a relaxer! I had been straightening my own hair and heard the term “natural hair” from a friend. I started researching what that actually meant. I came to find an entire natural hair community that wore their hair without chemically processing it, and they had beautiful hair. I’d gotten relaxers since the age of 6, and never considered wearing my hair in its natural state! I wanted try something different and challenge my personal concept of both inner and outer beauty.

How would you describe your texture?
A: My hair texture is a mix between 4A and 4B. The texture around the circumference of my head is 4A and the crown is 4B. My hair is very dense with coarse strands throughout. My hair is manageable as long as it is well moisturized. I try to add water and moisturizer to it daily or else it becomes terribly dry. I’ve found that the best time to style my hair is when it’s wet, or after an old braid/twist out once it’s stretched.

Describe your styling regimen over the course of the month.
A: Over the course of a month I usually style my hair in a twist-out twice, and a protective style and wash & go once. I love variety when it comes to my styling, but I also have less time to dedicate to it than I did say a year or two ago, so bouncing between twist-outs and w&g’s keeps styling simple, while adding one protective style keeps me creative with my styling. For my shampoo and conditioner I use Trader Joe’s Nourish Spa, and Jane Carter Solution Revitalizing Leave-In Conditioner. The moisturizers I use are either Shea Moisture Curl and Style Milk or Entwine Couture Butter-Crème Hydrator. I’m an admitted product junkie, so the styling creams I use do vary, but Jane Carter Solution Curl Defining Cream and African Pride Bouncy Curls Pudding are my go-to styling creams. For extra hold I use a nickel-size amount of Eco Styler Olive Oil Gel. To seal in moisture I most often use jojoba oil.

What does wash day look like for you?
A: Wash day for me is usually a Sunday evening, and I start by washing with Trader Joe’s Nourish Spa Moisturizing Shampoo. I then detangle and section my hair into about five sections. I add Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque and place my hair under a plastic cap for 1–2 hours then rinse. I then put my hair in chunky twists and let them air-dry overnight.

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 is a wash & go because I wash and detangle my hair while in the shower, then section and add product without needing to let it air dry or use a blow dryer before I leave the house. When I’m pressed for time it can take about 45 minutes.

How do you combat shrinkage?
A: I don’t really try to combat shrinkage because that’s just what my hair does. I’ve learned to love my hair in all of its states. If I style my hair in a braid-out it stretches, and if I continue to twist/braid my hair in between washes it stretches, so I go to those styles for a more stretched look.

What are some of your problem areas (if any) that require special care and attention?
A: The only “problem” area I have would be the crown of my head. It’s more dry than rest of my hair.

What are 2 do’s for your texture?
A: Since my crown area tends to be dry I have to make sure to saturate it with conditioner and massage oil into it whenever I do hot oil treatments.

What are 2 don’ts for your texture?
A: Two don’ts for my texture are detangling without saturating the hair with water and/or conditioner, and applying oils to my hair without applying moisturizer first.

Is there a blog/webpage where we can find you?
A: Instagram: an_pyt and Twitter: ANPYT_TheArtist