Naturally Fierce Feature: Camille

1. Tell us a little about yourself (name, hometown, etc.)

My name is Camille Lashell and I’m from a small town near Austin, Texas. Growing up I was embarrassed by my big, frizzy hair and would use tons of gel, mousse, and hairspray to keep it tamed. Talk about crunchy curls! Yuck!

2. How long have you been natural?

I am biracial, and having a white mom, I had never heard about relaxers or perms until I was about 11 years old and some of my black family members told me I should get a relaxer to tame my hair. Feeling insecure about my curls, I begged my mom to buy me a relaxer and I finally got my first treatment when I was in the 7th grade. From then on, I got a relaxer every few months.

3. What motivated you to go back to natural?

Going back natural was kind of an accident. When I was 20, I decided I wanted a mohawk, and shaved the sides of my head, while still relaxing my hair. Once the mohawk started growing out I got a cute little pixie cut, but started envying girls with big luscious curls, and fantasized about being able to rock big hair. Girls that rocked big hair just exuded so much confidence in my eyes. So it’s been about 3 years since my last relaxer and after a lot of tears, frustration, doubt and insecurity, I am now able to rock my big beautiful hair and have never felt more myself; more free. I am no longer a slave to my hair.