Naturally Fierce Feature: Keshia

 

Tell me a little about yourself and your hair journey. (Name, where you’re from, etc)

Hi, my name is Keshia. I was born and raised in Oklahoma. I currently live in Tulsa, OK. I’m a technical writer and in my free time I’m writing my travel blog or working out. I have been natural since June 15th, 2013.

How long have you been natural?

-I transitioned for approximately 6 months starting right before New Year’s Eve 2012. I big chopped June 15th, 2013.

How would you describe your hair?

-My hair is “a defiant turtle”, meaning it takes its own sweet time growing and if you start “doing too much” to it, it crawls back into its shell and refuses to do what you ask. It sounds weird I know, but I think the metaphor fits. As far as the “type”, my hair is predominately 4C with a few random spots of 4A and 4B. My hair is very fine and has low porosity.

What do you love most about your hair?

-It may sound funny, but I haven’t really figured that out yet. I spent most of my childhood and young adulthood despising and fighting with my hair. Since becoming natural, I think the thing I like most is that I accept it for what it is. I know that I am at least on a better road now than I was before when I was turning to relaxers because I thought that was the only way. One thing I can say is my hair does take well to coloring, although since going natural I have yet to color it. Maybe I will sometime in the future.

Any memorable reactions from others?

-When I told my mom and my brother, they just shrugged their shoulders and went about their business. Now my mom is natural too. I had two friends who were transitioning at the time, so they were all for it. As far as coworkers, everyone seemed to like it. People were more curious about me cutting my hair than me being natural, but it didn’t matter what anyone thought; it was a change for me.

What is your regimen?

-Since starting my travel blog, I have realized I don’t have a lot of time to spend on my hair. In the last three weeks, my regimen has changed. I am currently doing the Curly Girl Method. When I arrived at my 1 year big chop anniversary, I noticed my hair didn’t look or feel like I had hoped for at one year. So, I decided to look into changing some things. I finally figured that the Curly Girl Method may be the thing for me. Being predominately 4C, I was hesitant to do wash-n-go’s so frequently, but after my first attempt I knew I was on the right track. I allot myself an extra 30 minutes in the morning three days a week to pre-condition my hair. Then I hop in the shower rinse, reapply conditioner, rinse, and section my hair. Once out of the shower, I apply my leave-in Kinky Curly Knot Today and my gel Kinky Curly Custard. I shake it and let it air dry. I also implement coconut oil when needed. This regimen allows me to have the freedom of not having to retwist at night, which I had to do often before
and caused a lot of stress on my hair. I get to put moisture into my hair regularly, which it loves. I can actually see my curls, which I really enjoy.

What has been the most memorable part of your journey? Has it been easy or
difficult or both?

-The most memorable part was my decision to go natural. I remember sitting on my couch looking at a friend’s Facebook page and seeing how healthy her hair looked since she went natural. I knew it was something I needed to dig a little deeper into. It didn’t take me long, once I gave it some thought, to make the decision to give my hair a chance. Beginning when I was young, I had a bad relationship with my hair and up until I decided to go natural I had basically given up on my hair. I have done what seemed like everything under the sun to my hair because I thought “what the heck, it’s just a bad grade of hair anyway”. I didn’t realize all these years that my hair just needed the basics: moisture and minimal manipulation. I still have a long way to go and a lot to learn, but loving my hair has been the best thing I have done so far.

Is there anything you would like to tell someone who is thinking about
going natural?

-Make sure you’re going natural for the right reasons. Don’t do it because everyone else is. Do it for you. Don’t think that every product or regimen is going to work for you just because someone else does it. Find out what works for you. And of course, be patient. Like I said before, my hair is like a defiant turtle, it goes at its own pace.

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

-Youtubers: NaturalMe4C and Aketafitgirl. Blogs:Naturallycurly.com,
naturalchica.com and of course Curly Nikki.

Where can we find you on social media?

-email:colormyfootsteps@gmail.com

-travel blog:colormyfootsteps.wordpress.com