by
Black Girl With Long Hair
“Natural hair is just so much more interesting, so much more fierce, and requires so much more confidence! It’s a definite challenge, but that’s why I love it so much.” ~Krystal
Where are you from and what do you do?
K: I’m a Jamaican born in Brooklyn, New York, and I grew up in South Florida. I just graduated in May from the University of Florida with my Master of Public Health.
So, a lot of naturals don’t like styling. Why do you like to style?
K: I love all aspects of style and fashion. I think natural hair can really set off an outfit and make it extraordinary. Plus natural hair is soooooo BEAUTIFUL! Why waste all that beauty in a ponytail puff day in and day out! I couldn’t live my life like that—I need variety! And I’m sure it may sound cliche, but styling my hair really does give me the chance to express myself!
How would you describe your blog?
K: The Feisty House (thefeistyhouse.blogspot.com) is a place where women with natural curls, kinks, and waves can experiment with fashion and style. I co-blog with my friend J (yes, another J!), and we wanted to have a blog that wasn’t dedicated only to hair or only to fashion. Instead we paired them together–natural hair is definitely the icing atop the cake of style, so we thought it was important we addressed both hair and fashion on our blog.
You’ve been natural all your life. Was that deliberate?
K: NOPE! LOL…I literally begged my parents for a relaxer all through middle school. My father never allowed it (he’s a strict, old-school Jamaican man; I’m sure some of you understand what I’m talking about). All of my friends at that age had relaxers, and I wanted to do styles they did: slick ponytails, waterfalls, and especially wearing my hair down. It was really frustrating for me because I didn’t feel my hair ever looked as nice as everyone else’s.
It wasn’t until I got to high school that I became completely comfortable with my hair: we had a “Wacky Tacky Day,” and my dad blew my hair out into a HUGE FRO! The response from my classmates was RIDICULOUS! EVERYONE LOVED MY HAIR!!!! I realized at that moment just how special my hair was–it was special because it was different, it was mine! I had never experienced those feelings before, and from that day on, I vowed never to relax my hair. I thank my father all the time for not allowing me to get a perm :o)
What advice do you have for naturals who want to give styling a shot and are just starting out?
K: Practice, practice, PRACTICE! Practice makes perfect! You won’t get every style right the first time (although there are instances where you may get lucky :o) Also, just remember that your hair will very rarely come out the same way you saw it on someone else, so don’t get discouraged by that! Every natural is different, and my braid out may not come out like yours even if we use the same products and do it the same way. You also have to let go of your fears of looking “a mess.” LOL, some of the best natural styles are wild and free, so don’t be afraid!
Finally, why are you pro-natural?
K: Natural hair is just so much more interesting, so much more fierce, and requires so much more confidence! It’s a definite challenge, but that’s why I love it so much. I love standing out and being different, and I can do that every day I wake up without any effort!
Look out for some of Krystal’s tutorials on BGLH in the near future… In the meantime check out her blog http://thefeistyhouse.blogspot.com/
15 Responses
Great advice and motivation. Thanks for sharing.
I really liked her styles especially the updos I look forward to seeing more of them.
I LOVE those twists and coils you have there! GORGEOUS!
Awesome styles! A friend of mine went to school with her and introduced me to her blog several months ago. Glad to see her on BGLH! : )
Loves her hair styles. You think she wouldn't mind telling us how she get her hair into those cute styles? 🙂
Nice long hair and great interview.
Thanks for the kind words ladies! My hair is straight in only one of those pictures (the kid sister pose with my hand on my hip…smh). The other styles are braidouts, roller sets and curlformer sets on my natural texture. I think heat adds a little more versatility to styling natural hair. I've learned to respect it's potential for damage though, and I only straighten my hair once every 3 months. My definition of natural is really broad–no relaxer/texlax/texturizer. I'm sure it means differen't things for different people though.
I'm sure it was really hard for some of our parents to see us really want a relaxer and keep saying "no." But I wish more parents would say no, especially to younger children. When I was at the age when I could decide for myself, I decided to keep my natural hair. And I truly believe more ladies would stay natural had they been given the opportunity to make that decision for themselves.
I'm super excited that more naturals are going to start styling more often! Don't get me wrong: there are days I really don't want to do my hair (like today, lol). But styling is so much fun! I love this blog for the inspiration it gives me in styling…and I stalk fotkis too 🙂
you have great styles! i only leave my hair out or put it in a ponytail when i don't have time to wash it. I'm definitely going to try something new.
PS i wanted straigh hair my whole life. when i started HS i finally got it then cut it all off in college.
When we use words like pro-natural i think we create a sort of confusion. Our hairs are kinky coily or curly. You will never hear any other race describe their hair as natural unless they really mean something. It is normal that our hair is natural. That is how every other races hair is, most of the time. By mainly calling our hair natural, we are kind of stating that it is not normal but it is. It also sometimes create expectations that we are anti-heat alteration, anti-hair coloring, pro natural ingredients, organic, anti-makeup etc. I'm not pro natural. I love kinky-coily hair. That is all. If the people that i know were not relaxing their hairs because they will not be caught dead with kinky hair, i will not have a problem with it because they would rock both hairs at different moments during theirs lives.
Who says a lot of naturals don't like styling? Mannn…if I had the time I'd be doing all kinds of styles with my natural hair! My hair is a medium like watercolor, pen and ink, etc….it's another way I express myself. This woman's after my own heart, lol…I look forward to checking out her blog.
I'm sure it was hard for her father to see her unhappy as a teen but her thank-yous are the reward for standing his ground.
One more thing re the meaning of "natural": Natural hair is hair whose texture has been unaltered by chemicals. That's the ONLY rule of natural hair! Beyond that, you can do anything you want, including use heat. I don't know why people think being natural is akin to joining some sort of religion…although it's true some of us do get to preaching the gospel as newbies, lol.
I absolutely love this post!! the more and more I read a bout natural hair makes me want too sooo badly!!! I am just afraid of not having my beloved relaxer lol ..but i love the look of curls!!
Nice hair.
When I was younger my hair was completely natural, in fact I was natural until I was aged 12. My mum used to use a pressing iron to straighten out my hair and my sister's on special occasions. On other occasions she would three strand plait the hair, or apply thread to the hair woven round, (This made it grow very long) or we would just have cornrows in our hair.
It was nice to have it pressed or my mother would use a hot pick, which looked like an afro comb with metal heating elements alonside the teeth. This is old school early eighties, so some people probably won't remember it. But this was great if you wanted a very big and soft afro and a little stretch in the hair.
You sound like me. I begged my mom for a relaxer and she never let me get one. I'm so glad now that she told me "your hair will fall out" b/c that is what kept me from getting one even once I was grown and out the house!
My hairstyle is usually a ponytail/puff, but I am getting more into styling. Thank you BGLH b/c you have definitely been a catalyst in my 'styling movement'.
i've never taken natural to mean anti-heat. i don't see the big deal over the whole natural hair/heat discussion. i use heat as one tool in a diverse styling/haircare regimen.
love her hair & everything she does with it…a few of those styles, i've done myself!! 🙂
…i noticed she had a press/flat iron in some of the pics & i guess it's safe to assume "natural" does not mean anti-heat alterations???