Naturally Fierce Feature: Karina

Hello beautiful people, Karina Weeks here. What you need to know about me is, I’m an Island girl. Hailing from lovely sunshine city Saint Maarten. If you haven’t heard of it look it up! It’s a small Caribbean island east of Puerto Rico. I’m currently situated in the Netherlands. I’m 23 years of age and studying Law. One of the things I’m known for are my dreads!

How long have you been natural?
I like to say I have virgin hair. Well because I’ve been natural all my life. Never once have I straightened or relaxed my hair. My mom never allowed me to and when I was finally of age,.. Well I didn’t want to. I opted for dreads instead. Since then I’ve never looked back.

What motivated you to transition? Were you a transitioner or a Big Chopper& why?
 Never had a transition stage. Unless you want to call, going from being natural to growing dreads a transition :D. I’ve always had lots of hair and I was trying to figure out what I was going to do before I moved to the Netherlands. My biggest inspiration turned out to be my older sister who had lovely long locks. My mom started my dreads with two strand twists. After that, I was my own personal hairdresser/loctician, palm rolling and finger twisting my locks.

What has been the most memorable part of your journey? Has it been easy or difficult or both?!
My journey has been enlightening and encouraging. In the beginning so many people were against me growing locks even my mom, at first. But I didn’t let that stop me, I knew I would be in love with the end results and I wasn’t wrong. Now everyone loves them. The journey itself had some hard times. In the beginning when my locks had not yet matured, they were frizzy and looked unkept but everyone goes through that stage. With some patience and care you grow to love them more each day. There are two memorable moments for me. The first would have to be when my mom finally admitted she loved my locks. Secondly, last February I was asked to do a photo shoot for natural hair!

5. How does your natural hair make you feel or how has it affected the way you see yourself? It has given me confidence I never knew I had. It’s very inspiring and liberating. Growing up it was a stigma to have natural hair. You were almost brainwashed into thinking that natural hair was ugly and straight was the only way to go. I remember being teased because my mom wouldn’t let me relax my hair. I’m glad she was strong. My dreads have been such a big part of my life and it’s a part of who I am now. Like I said I’m known for my locks and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

What are  some of your favorite hairstyles?
My go to style in the beginning was braided locks, and a braid out when I really was aiming to impress. Back then my hair always had to be fresh and twisted. Now after 5 years, I wear them as is. I experiment a lot though with different styles and up do’s. But my favorite style would have to be after I take out my Bantu knots! I love the curls that my locks get and it could last for weeks if I wanted. Not to mention the different stages, from tight curls to loose and wavy.

What have your experiences been as a ‘natural?’ Any memorable reactions from family or others?
Well I’ve always been natural but having dreads people respond to me differently. Guys are definitely very intrigued and fascinated by them. Others fellow Dreadheads are always sizing up each other’s locks, but in a good way. We greet each other with smiles because we understand and know we share something special! Funny how that is. The reactions have been only positive since my locks have matured. A family member once told me that she recognized my locks and knew it could only be me. I thought that was pretty funny.

What is your hair regimen (including fav products)?
Phfff my regime, well I try to use as much natural products as I can. Products that don’t leave residue in my locks. Because once it’s in there it isn’t coming out. Every other day or so, I moisturize my dreads with water and Oil to keep them health and shinny. I sleep with a satin head tie to keep them for drying out. I wash regularly with shampoo no conditioner at least once a week. Depending on how busy I am maybe as frequently as every 3 days. But it takes at least 24 hours to dry so I stick to the once a week. I was a big fan of the Mango & Lime product line but I have switch to Taliah Waajid black earth products. Although I still use mango & lime’s Cactus gro after every wash it really helps against breakage. My shampoo is whatever I can get my hands on. It’s difficult getting an all-natural shampoo where I’m.

 What are some of your favorite natural hair websites,YouTuber’s, or blogs?
In the beginning I visited some websites but I would usually consult my sister. After all she is the veteran. Later I started watching Youtuber’s such as BronzeGoddess01 and Chescaloc’s for styling tips. They would have to be my favorites.

Anything you want the readers to know? Inspirational words?
 I love my hair and I know every dread personally. That is just to show you how much time I spend getting to know my hair/dreads. I think it’s very important to know your hair, what works for you and what does not. Be patience and know that every hair texture is different so certain things you see others doing may not necessarily work for you. So don’t fall prey to hair envy! Most of all I love natural Hair and all the women that are brave enough to rock it! It’s says a lot about a person. It still takes a lot of courage and confidence to make the switch to natural or remain natural, so hats of to you ladies. I hope this movement continues,… Long live the Natural Beauties!

Where can people find you for more information?
Follow me on Instagram @Karina_special or on twitter @FactsareHard