Naturally Fierce Feature: Bethany

IMG_1186

Hello there, my name is Bethany, I’m 18 and I live in London UK. I like colour a lot, and I want to show people it IS possible to take care of your hair as well as have fun!

How long have you been natural?

I’ve always had natural hair, however my mother and I are both mixed race and when I was younger I used to have incredibly long hair but she and my grandmother never really knew how to take care of it and used to do all kinds of hair sins such as dry brushing it every single day! Heat was my main enemy though, I was a compulsive flat ironer.

IMG_6946

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

As it stands, I’m definitely a transitioner, but contemplating a big chop when I get a few inches of new growth. On one hand, I don’t know how I’d cope with very short hair, but on the other hand I can’t see myself cutting my hair short in the future so maybe I just should experience it now! My motivation to transition back to natural only came a few months back when I realised how shiny and full of life my roots were! I experiment with colour but avoid my roots – if it ever goes horribly wrong I’ll big chop! Until then, it gets chopped an inch at a time.

How would you describe your hair?

I’d describe my hair as mainly 3b, however sometimes it gets more of a 3c around the front and crown and I also have strange 2b-3a patches too! My hair is very deceiving though, when wet it is completely straight – this makes detangling a dream! In fact, my hair looks wavy until it’s about 85% dry then it suddenly comes to life! For some reason it seems to look a lot better on the second day after washing too… Also, it cannot stand coconut oil! I can use it for hot oil treatments if I wash it off, but if I seal with it my hair feels dry and stiff and greasy!

IMG_8455

What do you love most about your hair? For hair that is supposedly one of the weakest types, I love that it is an absolute warrior! For example, now I know how to safely use colour my hair has withstood multiple rounds of bleaching without significant damage. I also love the versatility – I can achieve anything from bone straight to a big fluffy fro! Natural hair is amazing to me, I love the different types of curls all over my head, no two are the same!  What has been the most memorable part of your journey?Has it been easy or difficult or both?! I would have to say that the very beginning of my journey where I began to find out all this knowledge I had absolutely no idea about was a very memorable part of my life, not just my hair journey! I find that the physical things are easy, but going through times where it feels like you’re putting in so much energy and passion but not seeing growth is really difficult. I’ve slowly taught myself to enjoy every step of the journey because I WILL get there in the end! I used to be envious of those with long hair, but now it’s total motivation for me to keep on going.

IMG_3762
What are some of your favorite transitioning hairstyles or current dos?’ I’m veryyyy lazy when it comes to my hair – wash and go’s, buns and one large French braid are pretty much all I seem to do on a daily basis, sometimes I have fun with a blonde wig as well, but that makes me stupidly hot and sweaty! Once a month I’ll play around with flexirods or Bantu knots but the quality of the results varies quite a lot hahaha. What have your experiences been as a ‘natural?’ Any memorable reactions from family or others? My experiences have been rather mixed. My mother refuses to listen to the benefits of natural haircare and still has sew ins and relaxes her leave out – I’ve never seen her without weave! So the reactions from her have always been negative, but I think a lot of that is down to being bi-racial and raised in a predominantly white area and wanting to blend in. On the other hand, a surprising amount of men light up when you tell them “yes it’s real” which was a really positive surprise for me! My favourite experience as a natural has definitely been being part of one of the most hate free, ridiculously supportive networks of people from all over the world! It’s a really nice feeling.
IMG_8866
What is your hair regimen (including fav products)? My regimen changes a lot! But currently I wash once weekly, sometimes a co-wash, sometimes a shampoo (Organix coconut milk!!!) depending on what I feel my hair needs. A lot of people blast me on this one, but I love Mane n Tail deep conditioner! Bleached hair is very porous and this seems to give it the heavy conditioning it needs. I tried the LOC method but it doesn’t work well for me as I have fine strands, so I twisted it a little and I put conditioner and a leave in (Africas Best Organics Leave in Mayo is my favourite right now) then seal with almond oil as it’s nice and light! I spritz with water and seal near enough every day, and steam my hair several times a week. When I remember, I use Jamaican Black Castor Oil on my scalp a few times a week and I can’t deny that my new growth is lovely! (Yes, we’re allowed to show off about our hair!) I also love products from the Naked range, and the dyes I use are La Riche Directions and they are plant based and very conditioning!
IMG_0719

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

Longhairdontcare was a VERY inspirational woman, such a beautiful head of hair! I’ve never come across a natural hair blogger/YouTuber that I don’t like – I LOVE how going natural has given people the confidence to share their tips and methods. Even if they only get a few hundred hits on a video it’s not even about that, there’s always supportive comments from others which remind us it’s not just about us as individuals, it really is about the community! The support naturals give each other is truly heartwarming and I’ve gotten to know some wonderful people online.

IMG_8341

Anything you want the readers to know? Inspirational words?

It’s not all about length!!! Once you get comfortable with this idea your journey becomes amazing. Why fly direct when you could cruise around the world and enjoy every destination eh?! When I was about 10 my hair reached almost mid thigh length when straight, but my mother pressured me into cutting it. I kick myself about that every day but it’s pointless to dwell! You have to start again from NOW! I also don’t believe you should be pressured to set a hair goal – I don’t have one! I plan on growing my hair until the day I die, others just want to maintain a thick healthy head of hair at BSL, each to their own! My penultimate piece of advice would be this – sharing information about natural hair is very useful, however I don’t think you should ever talk in a way that makes relaxed ladies feel inferior. It’s possible to be natural with damaged hair, and possible to be relaxed with healthy hair – it’s all a personal choice for everyone to make as individuals. Lastly, even if you’re sitting there with two inches of broken, brittle hair, don’t be disheartened! If you search for hair journey videos on YouTube you’ll be able to see how many people were once in your position too! To me, a hair journey is 25% effort and 75% patience and it’s worth every second.

Where can people find you for more information?

My Instagram is @caramellefire

Or you can add me on facebook, my name is Bethany English. I love to talk hair so feel free to stop by!

IMG_1199


Comments

  1. says

    At the beginning, I was still puzzled. Since I read your article, I have been very impressed. It has provided a lot of innovative ideas for my thesis related to gate.io. Thank u. But I still have some doubts, can you help me? Thanks.

Leave a Reply

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

CommentLuv badge