Naturally Fierce Feature: Tiffany

My name is Tiffany Nicole, I was born in Queens, New York and raised in Florida. I have my Master’s in Higher Education and currently work at a local college. I have been married to my wonderful husband now for 4 years (next month) and strive daily to live life that is pleasing to my Heavenly Father. I have a passion for dance and currently teach dance at several churches across the Central Florida Area. I love to write and share information, opinions and ideas about hair, fashion, beauty etc. and became a Social Maven for Entwine Couture hair care line as well as the author of my own fashion & beauty blog Fashion Froward and my personal blog Love. Embrace. Inspire. There my goal is to spread God’s love and inspire girls and women to embrace their natural beauty both inside and out.

How long have you been natural?
I have been 100% natural now for one year and 7 months and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made concerning my hair. I will never turn back!

What motivated you to transition? Did you transition or do the big chop & why?
I transitioned for 11 months before I BC’d. For me, going natural was not intentional but accidental because I wore a lot of wigs and sew ins. Pretty much since January of 2009, I have had about 1-2 relaxers. I started transitioning in October of 2010 after taking braids out of my hair. I decided to grow out my natural hair because I was never satisfied with my relaxed hair, and covering it up with wigs and sew-ins started to become irritating not to mention costly. I just wanted to be free and liberated.

What has been the most memorable part of your journey?
The most memorable part of my journey was definitely when I cut off all of the relaxed hair. It was not planned. One night after washing my hair, I had gotten so frustrated and tired of seeing the two textures that I made an impulse decision and started cutting. I made sure to cut in the middle where I knew I couldn’t turn back. Though it was very liberating, it was also a bit frightening because all of the transition hairstyles that I would wear would no longer look the same. But after I cut off the relaxed ends, I had quickly seen the difference and it eased my mind because I knew I made the right decision. And I was happy to be able to say that I was 100% natural!

Has it been easy or difficult or both?
Honestly my transition was a little bit of both because I rarely wore my real hair during that period. I would do a lot of protective styling wearing wigs and sew-ins just as I did when i had relaxed hair. As it began to grow out I would experiment with styles I saw on YouTube and create my own styles as well.

What are some of your favorite transitioning hairstyles or current dos’?
My favorite hairstyles then were definitely braid outs. Twist outs while I was transitioning did not turn out right because my hair at the ends would not coil, or if they did, the curls wouldn’t make it past my front door. So braid outs were my best styling technique.

As far as up-dos, I love experimenting with different up-do styles that are fun and flirty, but can also be soft and sophisticated.

Protective styling definitely got me through the frustrating, awkward stages of my journey then. Now, protective styling allows me to give my hair a rest and allow my hair to grow without the every day manipulation that can cause breakage.

What have your experiences been as a ‘natural.’ Any memorable reactions from family or others?
When my family saw that I was going natural, I had 100% support. My parents would always tell me that I looked prettier wearing my own hair and that they were proud to see me blossom into my own. I gained more confidence in myself and was able to express my creative self through my hair and personal style.

One of the experiences I didn’t enjoy so much when I first became natural is how both relaxed and some naturals would always ask me if my hair was real and would try to touch my hair because they just couldn’t believe that this hair was all mine! At times i would get frustrated but then eventually got over it. Those same women today, ask me for advice as they too, have made the decision to go natural. I am happy that my journey and my natural hair has inspired others to take that leap of faith and try something they never thought they would ever do…..

What is your hair regimen (including favorite products)?
I wash my hair every Thursday. I start out by prepping my hair for washing by mixing castor oil and raw shea butter together and adding it to every strand in my hair. I currently use Aussie’s Conditioner for my co-washes and wash my hair with shampoo only once a month to get rid of product build-up. I moisturize and seal my ends every night and make sure to wrap my hair with a satin scarf or cap when going to bed.

My current hair care staple products are Cantu’s leave in conditioner, Castor oil, and Aussie’s Shampoo and Conditioner. And I have recently added Entwine Couture’s Creme Jelle Styler to my hair styling staples (for twists and bantu knot outs) and the Exotique Butter Creme Hydrator for moisture. Last but not least, my biggest staple is H2O.

What are some of your favorite natural hair YouTuber’s?
Favorite YouTubers are Nikki Naturale, Foxydoll78, GlamFun, and WhoisSugar just to name a few.

Anything you want the readers to know? Inspirational words?
Whether you are a new natural or transitioning I just want to encourage you to stick to your journey because it will be worth it in the end. I’ve learned that when we work hard towards things in life, we grow to appreciate it more because of the hard work we have put in. Going natural can be rough, but doesn’t a gorgeous butterfly that flies free first come from a caterpillar that crawls on the grown? Doesn’t beautiful gold first get purified by fire? There is definitely a pot of gold waiting for you on the other side of this journey, you have to just stick with it and make it through to the end. When you need strength and encouragement get support from fellow transitioners and encouragement from other naturals. And always remember no matter what, we are all beautifully and wonderfully made no matter what your hair looks like (relaxed, natural, short or long)

Where can people find you for more information?
Blog: www.loveembraceinspire.blogspot.com
YouTube: www.youtube.com/naturallytn
Instagram: Naturallytn
Facebook: Love Embrace Inspire
Email: naturallytiffanynicole@yahoo.com

Thanks, Tiffany! I need Marley braids asap after seeing your cute pics! Check out Tiffany’s blog. It is as fly as she is.

I personally transitioned for two long  years! I wish I would have BC’s earlier. Anyone else feel the same? What were we so afraid of?!! Leave comments below.