Introduce yourself!
H: Hey there folks! I’m Hanna from Sweden, but Paris is my hometown since a few years back.
Why did you make the decision to go natural?
H: I have been a natural since day one. Both of my parents (I have four sisters, so my dad had to give my mother a hand) taught me at an early age how to take care of my natural hair.
How would you describe your texture?
H: I have never put my hair texture under a category since it changes so much regarding the weather or styling/treatment. But I guess I can describe it as thick, soft and unpredictable!
Describe your styling regimen over the course of the month.
H: Styling:
1. Wash and go: leave in conditioner, oils, shea butter and styling gel.
2. Wash and sleep: leave in conditioner, oils, shea butter and then I twist or flat twist. I always sleep with a silk scarf on my head.
3. Bad hair day: Twists or flat twists are the BEST way of getting control over your bad hair day situation. You can make an elegant hairdo in no time.
4. During hard weather: Europe is not the best continent for natural ladies, so protective hairstyles are a must! I honestly don’t mind keeping my hair up or “hidden” since I know that it will be for the better.
Soren Jepsen
Maintenance:
Before going to bed each night I spray my hair with water and use some kind of oil or butter to moisturize my hair. Then I twist or flat twist it in 4 or 8 twists, depending on how much volume I would like for the next day.
Go-To Products:
Apple Cider Vinegar
Oils: Macadamia Oil, Coconut Oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Argan Oil
Conditioners/Styling: Products from Dark and Lovely, III Sisters of Nature and Organic Root Stimulator.
Butter: Shea Butter
What does wash day look like for you?
H: I start by dividing my hair in four sections. Then I detangle it with my fingers and twist it in four big twists. I then use apple cider vinegar to cleanse my hair and after that I co-wash with conditioner. When I’m done with that I put a deep conditioner in, cover it with a plastic bag, and use a blow dryer to heat it for 10 minutes. I let it sit like that for about 30 minutes. After I rinse my hair, I divide it in four sections again and put in some leave in conditioner, oil and shea butter. Usually I do twists, bantu knots, or flat twists. If I am going out that same day, I add some gel and blow dry it with very low heat for a big and fluffy afro.
Describe your favorite go-to hairstyle for days when you don’t have a lot of time to style.
H: A BIG AFRO!
How do you combat shrinkage?
H: I actually don’t mind shrinkage at all! And since we have cold and chilly weather almost 6 months per year in Paris, I like to wear protective hairstyles.
What are some of your problem areas (if any) that require special care and attention?
H: Dry ends, and I have this little section on the top of my head that for some strange reason is very nappy and dry, so I need to give some extra TLC to that part.
What are 2 do’s for your texture?
H: Shea butter and water!
What are 2 don’ts for your texture?
H: The water in Paris is SO BAD for my hair! There is a lot of lime in it that makes my hair very dry, so I need to buy water to wash my hair. Second thing must be if I cheat one evening, meaning not putting water or any kind of oil/butter in my hair, I wake up the next day with the biggest mess ever! My hair gets dry very easily, and it actually hurts my scalp when my hair gets too dry.
Is there a blog/webpage where we can find you?
H: http://dejavutheblog.com/
Great definition and interview. Your hair rules.
So nice of you! Thank you 🙂
Yay, a fellow Swede! Gorgeous head of hair too.
Hejsan! Tack skall du ha 🙂
Beautiful hair! Like the interviews for the international naturals!
Me too! I love hearing from naturals from around the world. Great job ladies!
Thanks! We are all over the world!
gorgeous hair
Thank you so much!
Lovely! Very nice blog, too!!
Thank you 🙂
Beautiful woman, great style, beautiful hair — all of her hair. I’d just caution that, “very nappy” can be construed as derogatory or demeaning.
Fair enough but I’ve seen many women with looser hair in blog interviews and forums call a less defined patch of hair unruly, nappy, rough or even 4Z aka 4C. Maybe we all need to change the dialogue about hair or the parts of our hair that do not curl or conform to mainstream society’s idea of pretty and perfect.
Hi Elle,
I understand your point but where I am from, my culture/society does not see nappy as something negative. Its just another type of texture 🙂 And thank you for your wonderful complements!
/Hanna
I was going to say the same thing. We need to take into account the cultural background since some words we Americans consider offensive aren’t considered offensive elsewhere. Plus, saying “nappy” to a Brit would mean something completely different.
Well I’m from the UK and while a nappy in general means a diaper in the US, those of us with natural hair read US blogs, watch US films etc etc so we know what nappy means in regards to hair and all it’s negative connotations. I don’t think anything was meant by it here as Hanna says herself.
Anyway love all the hairstyles here.
Hanna, don’t know if you’ll reply or not, but is natural hair a movement in Europe? Or is it something that “just is” ? I love me some America but sometimes what we hype up is passé to others. Also I’m hoping to move to Germany (military) eventually so I’m curious.
I am going to add my two cents…I had a great opportunity to live in NYC where I went natural, and then move to Paris for a year and now I am in Berlin. I must admit the idea of a ‘movement’ was more apparent to me in the US but I have seen quite a few naturals in Paris and Berlin. I am African and I remember going to an African film festival in Paris where most of the young ladies where rocking natural hairstyles! (which I had not experienced back home in Africa.) I do think the response… Read more »
Hi there! No, I would not call it a movement, it just is. Black women in Europe wear their hair as it is and its not a big deal at all. I actually had no idea about the “natural hair movement” till recently when I was looking for good products for my hair on the web. I do have to say that etnicity plays a big part of it. We have a big mix of africans in Europe and many wear their hair in a traditional way. My parents are from Eritrea and the habesha hairstyles are based on braids and… Read more »
YEAH Eritrea in da houuuuuuuuuuuuuseee. I love it 🙂 I live in Berlin and I have to say that some of the products which are often listed here on this blog I cant find in Berlin. Only online. But you can find enough stuff in the Afro-shops. When it comes to oils you can find a lot in supermarkets or in health shops.
Hi!
Im Mixed (half German,half ghanaian) and i live in Germany.
I wouldnt say that it is a movement here.
In my opponion the Reason Why especially the Mixed People here are Wearing their hair natural is that most grow up with European morgens That Hardly know Anything about black hair care,respectively relaxers — Good for the childrens’ hair 🙂
I think that mostly the fully black/african women over here use relaxers, but i have noticed more and more,especially Younger women Wearing their hair in its God-given State 🙂
Pls excuse the typos — Auto correct 😉
I meant “opinion” and “mothers”
Still wondering why the majority of black people don’t have hair like this :c
I don’t understand your question.
How does most Black peoples hair look??? We all have different hair types because we all have different backgrounds. Many Blacks in the U.S. have Native American and Caucasian in their lineage but Blacks in other countries may have other ethnicities in their makeup or may be 100 % Black, who knows. Hanna stated her parents are from Eritrea, she may have a vast background as Eritrea has Ethiopian, Italian and Arabic backgrounds to name a few (I think, I’m not from there so I could be wrong). Bottom line is everyone’s hair is different as it’s not solely based… Read more »
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I think your hair is gorgeous! I love the fact that you embrace it and get the best out of it. I now value my curls a lot more than before so I’m keeping them healthy and manageable with my pro naturals hair repair mask =)
Thank you so much! Makes me happy to know that you are rocking your curls 🙂
I think that many of us here (USA) also see the word nappy as just another lovely description of hair texture. I am from Oakland Ca. We have beauty salons called Oh My Nappy Hair & Nappy or Not ‚just to name two.….… I love your hair, I’m going to try the heat with deep conditioning:)
OOOMMGGG I am like dying out of shock right now, my name is Hanna and I’m also from Sweden! (still live here too!) Aaaaahhhh makes me so happy to see another Swedish person in the natural hair community, I’ve always felt so lonely.… Hanna du chockade mig så jävla hårt hahaha, skitkul att se att det finns andra svenskar här också! Ditt hår är såååå fint, great job!
Hahah! Fick mig ett gott skratt 🙂 Var bor du? Kram
BTW I just read some of the other comments… Now I’m REALLY freaking out, because my parents are from Ethiopia and apparently your parents are Eritrean… THIS IS SO SCARYYYY HAHAHAHA
Its a small world haftey! Lets stay in touch, my e‑mail is blogg.dejavu@gmail.com. Fikri
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