Naturally Fierce Feature: Tamia

My name is Tamia, I’m 28 and I reside in the DC Metro Area.  I’m an internal auditor by day; and yoga addict, fashionista, foodie and natural hair enthusiast by night.

How long have you been natural?

I’ve been natural for a year and five months now.



What motivated you to transition? Were you a transitioner or a Big Chopper & why?


I began my Healthy Hair Journey in late 2010 with no intention of going natural.  My #1 goal was to improve the overall health of my hair and retain length.  After doing some research, reading countless blogs and hair sites, and watching tons of YouTube videos I decided to stop relaxing my hair as often as I was (every two months) and “stretch” my relaxers (every 6 months).  This led to me cutting out relaxers completely after realizing how thick and strong my new growth was. This newfound thick and strong hair made me extremely curious about my natural texture.  I transitioned for 16 months and big chopped in February 2012.

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 most definitely the day I chopped my relaxer off.  It was scary as heck but very liberating at the same time.  Now when I look back on it, I wish I would have cut my hair months before I actually did!  Thus far, my journey has been pretty easy with a tad bit of difficulty here and there.  I’ve always been very hands on when it comes to my hair, and I never fully relied on Beauticians to take care of or style my hair; I mostly did that on my own.  This made it pretty easy for me to handle and learn my newly natural hair.  I experimented with a lot of different products, hair care techniques, and hair styles to find my staples.  I ran into a few difficulties, but it was nothing a little research couldn’t resolve.  I’m 100% comfortable with handling my hair now and have no problem trimming, styling, etc.  Learning your hair will save you TONS of money and disappoint in the long run.


 

What  were some of your favorite transitioning hairstyles?

While transitioning my staple hairstyle was the flexi-rod set.  It was a low-manipulation hairstyle that was easy to install and lasted about a week.  I also wore buns, roller sets and senegalese twists.  My transitioning phase was all about minimal to no manipulation.

Currently, my absolute favorite hairstyle is my wash n’ go/curly afro.  It starts out as a curly wash n’ go and by the end of the week I have a huge curly afro.  I also wear puffs a lot and flexi-rod sets every once in a while.


 


What have your experiences been as a ‘natural?’ Any memorable reactions from family or others? I come from a big family of dreadlock wearers and natural hair, so my family didn’t have a huge reaction to my hair.  For the most part they loved it.  My boyfriend was very supportive and thought that I looked “very interesting” with natural hair.  I find that other ethnicities are very curious about our (i.e. black women) hair texture.  I work in a professional office environment and didn’t have any negative reactions to my hair, which I thought was kind of interesting, considering all of the stories I’ve heard about natural hair being frowned upon in Corporate America.  I mainly got a lot of questions and compliments.  A co-worker of mine was so intrigued by my big hair and tried her best to ask me if it was my real hair without outright asking if it was my real hair. Lol. Yes, it is all mines.
  
 
What is your hair regimen (including fav products)?

I shampoo and deep condition my hair with my Huetiful Hair Steamer faithfully every week.  I thoroughly moisturize and seal my hair using the LOC method on wash day.  This method is very effective and I can go 3-4 days without adding any additional products to my hair.  I spritz my hair daily with a water/aloe vera juice mixture to hydrate my hair. I do a mild protein treatment once a month or when needed and that’s about all. 

My favorite products are my water/aloe vera juice spray, castor/coconut/olive oil mixture, Shea Moisture Shampoo, Shea Moisture Leave-In Conditioner, Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie, Shea Moisture Purification Masque and EcoStyler.  As you can see my hair LOVES Shea Moisture products. 

What are some of your favorite natural hair websites, YouTuber’s, or blogs?

Favorite websites:  curlynikki.com, blackgirlslonghair.com, kinkycurlycoilyme.com just to name a few.
Favorite YouTubers:  Naptual85, BlackIzBeautyful, AfricanExport, SimplYounique, LongHairDontCareLLC just to name a few.

Anything you want the readers to know? Inspirational words?

If you are transitioning or newly natural, I highly recommend you learn your hair, experiment with it and most of all LOVE IT.  Don’t get too caught up with hair typing and other Naturals’ hair textures.  Learn what works for you and your hair.  Also, be patient and give your hair plenty of TLC. 


 

Where can people find you for more information?

I started my own blog, The Naturalista Chronicles, to share my love for natural hair, food and fashion: www.thenaturalistachronciles.com. You can also find The Naturalista Chronicles on Facebook and on Instagram @naturalista_chronicles.

 
I love love love her perfect fro! Thanks Tamia
 
 
Global Couture is trying to spread the word about embracing your natural hair. Love your HAIR, if it is wavy, curly, kinky or coily.
Shop designs at http://globalcouture.net/ and Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.
Are you naturally fierce? Email us to share your hair journey at globalcouture@aol.com.


Comments

Leave a Reply to Nicole Bailey Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badge