Naturally Fierce Feature: Kala AKA thekglifestyle

Greetings! My name is Kala, I also go by KG. I’m from sunny San Diego, California but I currently reside in Detroit, Michigan where I work in the network engineering field.
 How long have you been natural? I have worn my natural hair for 12 years. Three years ago I started embracing my natural texture and transitioned from heat damage. I cut the remainder of my heat damage exactly a year ago (May 2012) and have truly enjoyed my journey.
 
 
What motivated you to transition? Were you a transitioner or a Big Chopper& why? Transitioning from a relaxer 12 years ago was a no-brainer for me. I take my health pretty seriously so refraining from changing a part of me with those harsh chemicals was an easy decision. Again, after researching the damage I was doing to my hair by using extreme heat I decided to stop. I wasn’t comfortable with big chopping so I simply styled my hair to blend my two textures together. It’s always been about health for me.

What has been the most memorable part of your journey? Has it been easy or difficult or both?!
The most memorable part of my journey was when I realized how comfortable I was wearing my curly hair! It was like an epiphany. I had previously only saw myself as beautiful with straight hair, so it was like a complete 180! The journey was difficult at first. There was so much to learn but after you learn your hair it gets easier. I had a “no quitting” mentality so I knew I would get there, I just didn’t know how or when. Loving the hair God blessed you with is such a blessing!
 
 
What  were some of your favorite transitioning hairstyles?

While transitioning I styled my hair in braid outs, twist and curls, twist outs, flexi-rod sets, bantu-knot outs and bun-outs. Since cutting my heat damage I’ve become a serial wash n goer. I find it much faster and easier than the way I used to style my hair. Very recently though I’ve gotten the styling bug, hence why I’ll be styling my hair differently each week on my channel this month. http://thekglifestyle.com/2013/styling-videos-all-may/ Pics of more styles are on my Instagram and blog (thekglifestyle.com, @thekglifestyle)

 
What have your experiences been as a ‘natural?’ Any memorable reactions from family or others?
I’ve gotten mostly positive feedback from family and friends. Most of my closest friends have seen my journey and either transitioned or become natural hair styling queens themselves! I’m blessed to have great people around me. On my channel I get crazy negative comments and messages that get deleted swiftly. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

What is your hair regimen (including fav products)?

I separate my hair in 4 sections first to make the process easier. I pre-poo concentrating the EVCO (or pre-treatment product) on my scalp and hair shaft. I rinse my hair with lukewarm water to remove all the old products I used. If it’s my day to use shampoo I use a dimed sized amount of the shampoo per section, working the product onto my scalp with my finger pads. I don’t really apply the shampoo to my hair, just my scalp. I squeeze the shampoo down my strands and rinse it out and immediately apply my conditioner.

On co-wash days I do exactly the same thing with a conditioner. Next I finger detangle with more conditioner saturated throughout. I rinse that out and once a week apply my deep conditioners, cover my hair with a Target (yes, Target) bag for at least an hour, sometimes overnight. Rinse that out with cold water and put in my leave-in conditioners to style.

My wash ‘n go wash days are a cinch because at that point I’m done. But if I’m going to wear a stretched style I braid, twist, bun (etc.) up my damp hair. In the morning or whenever completely dry I take the braids, twists, buns, etc. out. Currently I’m loving As I Am’s Coconut Co-wash, Tresemme Naturals Moisture Conditioner and Original Moxie’s Oasis Moisture Gel.

What are some of your favorite natural hair websites,YouTuber’s, or blogs? I love heyfranhey.com, naturalselectionblog.com, naturallycurly.com, tumblr blogs. I have lots of of favorites on youtube Francheska (Hey Fran Hey), JustKelle101, WhoisSugar, Chescaleigh/Checsalocs, ShamlessMaya, MsDanti and the NaturalSistas.

Anything you want the readers to know? Inspirational words?
Determine why you want to wear your hair naturally and hold onto that desire. Don’t give up when it gets tough. Maintaining our natural hair is the same as maintaining any other part of our bodies. Stick with it and accept you for who you are! 🙂

Hair is not everything! Embrace and explore your interests and gain a sense of self while on your natural hair journey. THIS will build your self confidence and your sexy. The type of confidence that frees you from what others think of you. 🙂 Peace & Blessings!
 

Where can people find you for more information?
My informative blog is thekglifestyle.com, I’m on Instagram and Twitter @thekglifestyle and of course YouTube (thekglifestyle).

 

 
Thank you Kala!


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