Naturally Fierce Feature: Marian

June 5, 2013

My name is Marian Pearson; I’m from Panama (Central America). My mother is Panamanian and my father is Colombian, nevertheless there are many other mixtures. I’ve been natural all of my life; I’ve never colored or used any chemicals on my hair. For ten years from 2001-2011 I wore my hair straight, I would take breaks in between times and attempt to wear my hair natural, but I had no clue what to do with it . My hair began to thin out, and it wasn’t really growing the way it was supposed to, so I decided to stop straightening my hair. I had quite a bit of length and I didn’t want to cut it, but the ends were not healthy, so in January of 2012, I cut off the heat damaged ends which was about 6 inches of hair that I chopped off. I was getting to know my hair all over again, and quite frankly I love every bit of it.

How long have you been natural?
I have been natural all of my life.

What motivated you to go natural?
In my case what motivated me to wear my hair natural is the fact that my hair was thinning out and it didn’t look healthy , and I really wanted my hair to be healthy. I enjoyed watching YouTube; it was amazing to see how healthy the hair was once they decided to wear their hair natural.

What has been the most memorable part of your journey? Has it been easy or difficult or both?! The most memorable part has been getting to know my hair , I never knew my texture was so soft and curly , I was so busy straightening all of the time , that I didn’t know what my hair was really like . It was a bit difficult in the beginning because, I had to prep my hair every night, and I wasn’t too familiar with any styles and products, but YouTube was great help.

What are some of your favorite transitioning hairstyles?
My favorite styles are chunky twist outs, wash- and – go’s , pompadour, braid on the right side and the rest of the hair going to the left, puff , and Senegalese twists.

Any memorable reactions from family or others since goign natural?
My experience as a natural has been quite the journey, from bad hair days, to great hair days which we “LOVE.” My family initially was wondering what on earth I was trying to do, but with time they got used to it and they are always complementing me , as opposed to the beginning , when I’d hear comments like ; you should just straighten it ! , why don’t you perm it! Now all I hear is wow that looks lovely, you have lovely hair… haha! oh the irony

What is your hair regimen (including fav products)?
I wash my hair every week, the shampoo that I use is; yucca baobab thickening shampoo by Shea moisture. After shampooing I deep condition my hair with Laila Jean’s DIY Greek yogurt DC: It’s a mixture of plain Greek yogurt, honey, and any oil of your choice. (Leaves my hair feeling so moisturized and soft. Another favorite DC of mine is; Shea moisture deep treatment masque. after my DC, I follow with my GiovanniGiovanni weightless moisture leave in, I then use Shea moisture curl enhancing smoothie, I then use my Shea moisture moisturizer to seal in the moisture; raw unrefined Shea butter, mixed with vitamin E oil, and any oil of your choice, in my case I mix a little of sweet almond and avocado oil. I love to co wash my hair with tresseme naturals. My favorite oils are; jojoba, castor oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, and sweet almond oil. My favorite hair products are; Shea moisture curl enhancing smoothie and soufflé, Karen’s body beautiful sweet ambrosia leave in, Camille rose naturals almond jai twisting butter, whipped aloe vera gel, algae deep treatment, and curl love moisture milk.

What are some of your favorite natural hair websites, YouTuber’s, or blogs?
My favorite You Tuber’s are; Nikkimae2003, fusion of cultures, xgoldn, heyfrahey, mynaturalsistas, naptural85.

Anything you want the readers to know? Inspirational words?
Embrace your natural journey, and enjoy every bit of it. There’s nothing more beautiful than to know who you are inside and out. There will be days when you will want to choose a straightener over twisting a prepping lol, but believe me don’t beat yourself up. As long as you are willing to work for it, you will learn how to master your hair. Don’t give up or throw in the towel.

Where can people find you for more information?
You can find me on instagram : mari_pana04