*Prepared for BGLH by Meosha Tall of 1MeNaturally
Introduce yourself!
T: I’m Taryn Andre, an art student residing in Atlanta. My focus is fashion design. My goal is to be able to do things my way on my time, and I understand that you have to be really bold and willing to take risks even when it seems like the people around you that are conforming to the norm are going to go further than you. Maybe they will, maybe they won’t. Who cares, it’s all an illusion. So I plan on staying on the path that I am drawing for myself.
How long have you been natural?
T: I’ve been natural for 4 years and these 4 years have probably been the easiest ‘hair years’ of my life.
How and why did you transition into natural hair?
T: I think I did the transition because my lifestyle changed. I was always on the go, always had a deadline to meet, so spending hours upon hours on hair wasn’t really important anymore. I hated being attached to my hair, always touching it when it was permed, carrying around a comb, freaking out if the wind blew to hard, not enjoying the pool or acting like I would melt in the rain because I didn’t want to get my hair wet…slowly but surely all of that started to become stupid to me, so I stopped perming it and it grew out in about a year and a half.
What are your must-have products for shampooing, conditioning and styling your hair?
T: Very seldom do I wash my hair with shampoo, but when I do I use horse shampoo because it’s a lot less harsh B.S. than they put in regular human shampoo. I just started using a product called As I Am, which is a coconut conditioner. I like it, it does the job and it smells pretty good as well. The one thing that I simply cannot live without is African shea butter. That’s my ‘everything’ moisturizer. I use it on my hair when I want to twist it, on my skin, and as a lip balm, etc.
What is your signature hairstyle?
T: The side pom-pom puff. It takes about 5 minutes to do and it can be dressed up or dressed down.
Did going natural affect your style choices at all?
T: Yes it did. I noticed that I stopped wearing heavy oversized jewelry. My style has become a lot more minimal and clean. Not just in the way I dress, but more so in the way that I design. Less is more for me these days.
How would you describe your personal style?
T: My personal style is clean and simple. I like shapes and style lines. It’s pretty hard for me to actually find clothes that I like in fast fashion stores. I know when something is worth the money and when it isn’t so I usually only go to H&M or Forever21 to buy simple stuff off the sale rack like t-shirts, and I design the rest of my wardrobe. Overall I refer to myself as the stylish tomboy. If I wear a dress, it has to have some kind of masculine quality to it. So the kind of woman I am is also the kind of woman that I design for.
I also have no problem wearing the same clothes every week. I honestly don’t like having a lot of clothes. I’m always getting rid of things in my closet. My goal is to have a few key essential pieces (both store bought and designed by me) that I can wear over and over in different ways.
What are the three favorite things in your closet?
T: My sole cut out Calvin Klein wedges, white shorts and a white dress I designed for my apparel III class this past spring.
Is there a blog/webpage where we can find you?
T: Tarynandre.tumblr.com
44 Responses
Hi Taryn. It’s so cool to see another “Taryn,” especially one similar to myself…lol. I’m 2 yrs natural. I just wanted to say your hair and your designs are awesome. I have also described my personal style as a sexy tomboy myself (every since high school, 25 now)…lol. Anyway, keep doing well and it was great to read how you maintain your natural hair and style.
And people in this website should learn to let other people say what they have to say without being “negative”. Everyone is entitled to their opinion.
you look fly T
*sorry I meant to say..even of its negative not without 🙂
Sorry I did not please you. Rude as I may sound, if I had to do it all over. I would do write the same thing all over. There are no comment guidelines. Have a nice day
I love the straightened hair! Any tips on to getting it like that? I have given up as it reverts and frizzes quickly i getupset over all the hours i put in. 🙁
Get it professionally straightened by someone that specializes in natural hair. For the most part they should know what to do. Sometimes depending on where you are located, the season in which you decided to straighten your hair important as well. I live in hot-lanta so straightening my hair in the summer time is pointless (unless I’m doing a curly fro, that’s when having a little frizz is fine because it gives my hair that extra volume). I normally straighten mines once a year in the fall/winter because the air is crisp and not as humid, so it doesn’t frizz up.
Thank you for the tips! I live in rainy old England,in fact it rained today. LOL
Your hair is beautiful, the curly fro reminds me of my hair. When you straighten your do you get it professionally done? Dominican Blow out? or Press and Comb because it really looks good!
I went to Dominicans one time for a blow out. The picture of my hair bone straight on the top row was done by Dominicans. I liked the results, I just didn’t like the process it took to get to those results. Maybe it was the salon I went to but, they were extremely rough on my head.
I normally get my hair straighten by this woman who is AMAZING. She would come to my house and do it, and she is gentle on my head and very protective of it, and what I love most is my hair never has the burnt hair iron smell when she does it (she uses a steam flat iron). My hair smells wonderful and she gets it unbelievably straight and it has so much body to it.
I get my hair straighten 1 once a year in the fall/winter because the air isn’t as humid and sticky. Crisp winter air allows my hair to stay straight a really long time.
Hello fellow Taryn! I too have been natural for about four years and am interested in art(paintings and theater moreso than fashion). I respect your philosophy on individuality and love your hair. Do your thing girl 🙂
Cool 🙂 Another Taryn with the same exact name spelling. That’s very rare. Nice to meet you!
Your hair is so beautiful and looks very moisturized! i do have a question, how did you come about wanting to try horse shampoo? Where do you buy it? How does it smell?
And keep doing what you’re doing because your results are amazing!
I meant to say your hair looks very healthy and moisturized.
When I was really young, probably about 5 or 6 my mother used to use horse shampoo on my hair. So I was familiar with it really young. Time passed, I got older and forgot all about it but it’s something I recently came back to. I use it because it’s made for coarse hair. It doesn’t have a lot of crazy chemicals in it, it helps thicken and strengthen hair…and gives it shine. It can be found at Sally’s beauty supply, Wal-greens and Walmart.
It’s Mane & Tail. Found at drugstores everywhere.
Ohhhh, I thought that’s what she was talking about. Thanks, Camille! My mother used to wash my hair with that too and I loved it.
I especially like what she says about “fast fashion”. I’ve noticed that I too am not into fast-fashion anymore want to wear more delicate and clean clothing and jewelry now that I am loose natural. I have all these chunky necklaces that I am planning to give away or sell right away.
I also find it funny that everyone says “Well, I’m not into hair typing, but I think I am a 4A.” GIMME A BREAK!
Beautiful girl, great style, and GORGEOUS hair. I am always amazed at how beautiful and shiny natural hair looks when straightened properly.
Hair typing was way better.Here me out. IMO, people with a divisive mindset are going to view the hair type system as divisive. Only when we take it positively will we see it that way.
Ok look at it. Doesnt JC who contributes here type her hair. One of her articles she typed her hair as 4C and it was about detangling I think which was amazing and positive. So does Fran.
Anyway point is. This system has been completely beneficial to all of us especially learning to take care of hair etc even if you hav diff hair types from the person your learning from.
Remember the good hair debate? When did it stop? When we turned it around and said “good hair is healthy hair” When people say black girls cant have long hair? This website was created.
we cant ignore that hair typing doesnt exist. You cant ignore that curly hair and straight hair doesnt exist. However, we can accept that all hair is beautiful. Am for hair typing.
5 paragraphs and yet not one comment on this beautiful young woman, with gorgeous hair and a phenomenal story about her dreams, aspirations and how her hair journey changed her life. What you had to write was better off sent via email to the owner of the site instead of as an opening to another debate completely derailing an icon’s page.
Her name is Taryn by the way and I for one LOVE her flirty, curly bob and her teased out fro and the lovely white shift with the chic cut-out.
I’m sure she hoped for, and would have appreciated, comments and/or questions from you regarding the program she’s in, or whether or not astronomy influences her design work, or why being natural has resulted in a minimalist ethic for her or how she achieved some of the styles in the photo.
What is the usefulness of these posts if the comments left have absolutely nothing to do with the content the icon submitted? Is it really so difficult to argue your point through the appropriate channels? Is this not something you could continue to write about in the FORUMS, or yet again, directly to Leila? Must these posts ALWAYS be derailed?!
If you were featured as a style icon how would it make you feel to see comment after comment completely IGNORING everything you had to offer? It would probably feel really bad, as if no one was listening to you or cared. I often wonder about the icons who put themselves out there hoping to have their decisions celebrated and share a piece of their lives with all of us, only to have their contributions lost in the selfish, self-validating, arguments of others. You should be fair to this icon and fair to other users, if you object to how Leila runs this site, you should direct that to her.
Amen!
Thank you Annie L.
LOL! too funny Annie! I agree
Thanks Annie, you are absolutely right. I have always been the type to shy away from attention and praise because I feel awkward about receiving it, but I must say when I checked the page today I was very shocked to see a random debate that had nothing to do with my feature. Like, C’mon people, what part of the game is that? Was my feature that boring? It reminds me a bit of how I somehow managed to be the person that was constantly talked over or ignored in high school when I had to stand in front of the class and present something. It’s not cool.
Overall, I appreciate the feature. I really like this site and I appreciate you putting the focus back on the original content. Much love.
Like you’re style and you hair is gorgeous. Sorry you felt your piece was “hi-jacked”.
Well said and congrats on your feature, Taryn.
Even if you guys “pretend” not to type hair icons anymore please bring more 4C ladies here. Most girls here are 3c/4a. Am proud 4c but I dont see it a lot. More please.
Not trying to be smart, but why don’t YOU apply to be a Icon. I plan to once I hit my one-year anniversary
You people are so confusing. There’s a whole section on “find your hair type” then you cant type these icons??
I MISS THE OLD WAY OF TYPING.
I find that not having a hair type label takes the focus of it and that is a good thing.
I find that having a hair type label does not take the focus of it. I miss it too. Am with Rio.
I’m with you. Knowing someone’s hair “type” doesn’t help me one bit….everyone’s hair is so dramatically different that 4a..b..c…means nothing to me. Now if someone says to me my hair is thick and low porosity…or thin and low porosity…I can better gage if something they are doing will work for my hair. I can eye ball the hair characteristics myself.
It’s is funny how attached people become to something that was INVENTED and hasn’t done any good in my opinion. LOL
I’m happy it has gone for now :). The words Kinky,Coily,Curly,Wavy are better and everyone can have all of them.The majority of people fall into those descriptions.
Um the words kinky, coily, curly and wavy were also ‘invented’ but you seem to have a great attachment to those. Labels are ways to describe things, and whether it is type 4 or kinky, i’m sure there is someone who has benefitted.
We can’t please everybody, unfortunately. I personally don’t miss the constant debating that came with listing a hair type, but BGLH is the ultimate decider and they obviously decided against listing it. Moving on.
I think this debate is gonna go on and on untill bglh says something. Personally, I have learnt a lot from hair typing including porosity etc. But I just kinda keep quiet when people comment because it seems that here when you say that you like hair typing your a bad person.
I agree. After all the drama last when Tamika said she was a 3c it’s best to let it go. Hair typing has become something else to cause division.
+1
Understandable. I was in that thread it was almost like a freakin’ riot! Maybe when the whole issue calms down, they’ll bring it back, but until then………
I had no problem with them listing their type, but understood COMPLETELY why they did away with it…
The division has always been there. It was not caused by hair typing, nor will it end with it. To me, the bigger problem is the obsession with trying to transform kinky hair into curly hair.
I love her hair, and I luv the fact that she has fun with it. Her hair is as versatile as her style– I luv, luv natural hair.
the versatility of afro textured hair is amazing
Ridiculously beautiful hair and a gorgeous sense of style.
I too get rid of clothes I don’t wear and bulk.:D My fashion style is classic and I love shift dresses and simple but nice pieces. I wish you all the best with your career and hair journey.