Naturally Fierce Feature: Adrianna

June 28, 2014

Hey Curly Girl, My Name is Adrianna! I was born and raised in Georgia with my loving parents and older sister. I’m an outspoken Sixteen-year old girl with big dreams and goals that are strongly supported by my family and close friends.

I love being natural, inside and out. My generation indefinitely into finding different ways to hide and severely alter our natural appearance. This is mostly because of the way media has defined what beauty should look like. Being natural isn’t only about my hair, it is also about standing out and letting people know that you can be fierce and beautiful just by being YOU.

How long have you been natural?

I have been natural all my life, however my hair was very damaged from using too much heat. I was in that middle school stage when you start to style your hair on your own. My hair is very thick and tangles easily in its natural state. As a result, my right hand man was the flat iron! The straight hair was working for me until I realized how much breakage I was experiencing!

What motivated you to transition? Were you a transitioner or a Big Chopper & Why?
I started to notice that I had breakage and a lot of heat damage. That’s when I knew there had to be a change! I really wanted to see what my curl pattern actually looked like, so I began to use little to no heat and trimmed my hair regularly.

How would you describe your hair?

My hair is extremely thick and curly, with a few wavy strands in the front of my hair. (3b, 3c)

What do you love most about your hair?

I love the diversity of my natural hair. No hairstyle seems to come out quite the same. This makes every hairstyle fun and exciting to wear!

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

Going natural took more dedication than I thought. Going from straight hair to my natural state was an eye opener. It definitely made me appreciate my mom for dealing with my natural hair everyday when I was younger! However, it was fun to find out all the different hairstyles I could achieve.

What were some of your favorite transitioning hairstyles?

My favorite hairstyle while I was transitioning were twist outs, bantu knots, and protective styles. My hair did not have a consistent pattern at the time so bantu knots and twist outs gave me the definition I wanted. I loved that I could wear those styles out and big or in elegant up do’s. I learned how to style my hair in varies up do’s from my older sister. Now that my hair is healthy again and my curl pattern has returned, my new favorite hairstyle is a wash and go. I love wash and go’s because my hair tends to grow when I moisturize it often and manipulate it as little as possible.

What have your experiences been as a ‘natural?’ Any memorable reactions from family or others?

I received a lot of support from my family and close friends on my quest to getting my curls back. My mother has been natural and wore her hair curly for as long as I can remember, so she was also a huge influence on me wanting to go natural. It was actually very fun going natural because my older sister joined me. Going natural can seem like a task but it’s always fun when you have someone going on the journey with you.

What is your hair regimen (including fav products)?

I tend to do a lot of wash and go’s. Therefore I make sure I cleanse my hair with a clarifying apple cider vinegar rinse or Pantene cleansing shampoo to help remove excess product build up. I also like to use Pantene’s Co-Wash as an alternative to regular shampoo, this keeps my hair moisturized and clean. I absolutely love Pantene’s cleansing shampoo because it leaves my hair product free without completely striping my hair of moisture. Then I deep condition it with natural products such as mayonnaise, honey, and grape seed oil or Pantene’s deep conditioner. Once I wash out the deep conditioner, I usually use Shea Moisture’s Raw Shea Butter Restorative Conditioner as a leave in! Then I might use Garnier Fructis Sculpting Gel to finger coil a few of my frizzy pieces. I put my hair into a simple pineapple at night to keep the preserve the curls throughout the week.

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

I watched so many videos when I was transitioning! My favorite YouTuber’s are Naturalneiicey, Mo Knows Hair, and Yours Naturally 11. These Youtuber’s inspired me to make a channel of my own, Curl Appeal!

Anything you want the readers to know? Inspirational words?

Your natural journey is all about you loving yourself the way you were created. I encourage you to focus on the health of your whole body and not just your hair. Remember, your natural journey is truly about the well-being of yourself as a whole. Once I started to transition I didn’t understand why it was taking so long to get the results I wanted. I was deep conditioning my hair regularly and shying away from excess heat, yet my curl pattern wasn’t returning. With the encouragement of my family I began to take care of my body as a whole. I drank more water, stressed less, exercised more, and ate healthy foods. As a result my curl pattern return and my hair grew rapidly. So to all my natural girls, loving yourself means you will take care of your whole body.