Naturally Fierce Feature: Samantha

June 13, 2013

My name is Samantha I am from Ct. I am 21 years old and a senior in college, majoring in psychology. I love to read, draw, workout, and be social.

How long have you been natural?

I have been natural for a year and a half.

This was my hair 6 months in and I had the courage to wear it to my cousins wedding. I loved it and used all deva products! I got so many compliments and I felt so free wearing it to a classy event!

What motivated you to go natural?
In Feb. of 2012, I remember searching to look for a good book to help me understand curly hair. I came upon the book: The Curly Girl Handbook by Lorraine Massey. I began reading it and had an epiphany about my hair. I have always been a curly but I used to straighten everyday! I only wore my hair ‘curly’ when I was in between washes and too lazy to straighten it. I was ashamed of my hair and always wanted my hair to be long and smooth. While I read the book, I decided to take this personal challenges to not only love my hair but to rid of silicones and sulfates in any product I owned. Thus, I was definitely a transitioner. I used the Curly Girl handbook as my ‘bible.’ I began you-tubing, looking up pictures, and researching on the Internet as much as I could to get my hair to curl the way I wanted.

What has been the most memorable part of your journey?
It was definitely difficult to transition in the beginning. I was still getting used to understanding products so I would have insane frizz and some pieces of hair would not curl at all! I remember I wanted loose curly bangs when I first transitioned. So I straightened my hair (HUGE NO NO!) and then cut. Ugh, afterwards I regretted it, so it was hard to leave my hair all the way down because my curls would shoot way up! I would get so frustrated and cry, but something inside me kept pushing me to keep going. I knew if I kept at it the end results would be entirely worth it (It definitely is now!)

What are (or were) some of your favorite transitioning hairstyles?
My go to styles when I transitioned would definitely be a bun or two twists on each side of my head and then put a lower bun. I also did a lot of half-up & half-down looks so I was able to wear my hair down, but eliminate the frizz that was common on the top of my head. Lastly, LOTS AND LOTS OF GEL! Gel was my best-friend! It kept the curls in tact! [ Gel still is 😉 ]

Here is a pic of 2 months in. I would tend to pull my hair back out of my face because the problems would emerge from crown frizz and my short-short bangs. So this was a ‘go-to’ style, if I still wanted to wear my hair down, but wasn’t feeling confident to completely let my hair down yet.

What have your experiences been as a ‘natural?’
My boyfriend loved my curls. He could tell that it suited me way more because I wasn’t afraid to step out in the rain or take hours trying to blow-‘fry’ and straighten my hair just for it to get frizzy. He could sense, not only the difference in my hair, but the freedom I possessed. Also, I got very positive reactions from strangers, which reinforced my natural journey. At the beach last year, when I thought my hair was a frizzy mess, one woman said I had beautiful hair. At school, another individual told me to not ever straighten my hair- I was so lucky! To hear the word lucky was nice but strange to me because many curly girls don’t ever feel lucky, they feel trapped.

What is your hair regimen (including fav products)?

For my hair regimen, I first scrub my scalp with a conditioner wash (I like to use AS I AM Co-wash) and make sure my scalp is extremely clean! Then I tilt my head to the side and let the conditioner from my scalp run down the shaft of my hair. As this occurs I scrunch upwards to promote a curl pattern. This is very similar to the CG method. After, I begin detangling with Yes to Carrots conditioner. I squeeze conditioner from the ends and move up. I only finger detangle so I run my finger up my hair as if I am climbing a rope. I make sure no curl is left behind. Afterwards, I leave the conditioner in my hair and go about my business in the shower. Once I am done, I squeeze excess conditioner out and as the water runs down my hair I keep squeezing. I sometimes leave a little conditioner in but most of the time I completely wash the conditioner out. After I get out, I tilt my head to the side and use a microfiber towel to squeeze excess water out, only from the ends! I don’t touch the top of my hair otherwise it gets frizzy. I sometimes use a leave in and scrunch that through lightly. A leave in I love is Shea moistures curl smoothie. After, I use either Shea moistures Souffle or Kinky Curly Curling Custard to scrunch through each section of my hair. I never tilt my hair all the way over because that gives me frizz. I then use duck clips on the roots of my hair to give me lift. I sometimes attach duck clips on the bottom if I don’t want as much shrinkage. My other favorite products I use are definitely deva products! I love the One condition and their gel: Ultra defining gel. I also love the brand curls (sold at target). They have a leave in conditioner that smells heavenly and also a conditioner that is amazing.

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

I love going on naturallycurly.com. That was where I began really learning about my hair and getting my tips when I first started. I would always write frantic posts because I was so fed up with my hair but then people on there would help. So many curly girls from so many places have different tips and recommendations!

Anything you want the readers to know? Inspirational words?

Being natural isn’t just about your hair, but it’s about you quitting the conformed image women are told to follow. I love being one of the only curlies in a room that feel forced to use heat. It is difficult at first, but if you find the right products and understand your hairs qualities it isn’t as bad! Also, one must also remember how good this is for your hair. And If you get frustrated that your hair doesn’t curl the way you want the first time, remember how long you’ve chemically and heat damaged it, so your hair is simply trying to grow out of that habit.

Where can people find you for more information?

Definitely follow my instagram: @head_of_curls! It’s not pictures of just me, but results of something I did, many different products, tips, and routines I do!

Thank you Samantha. I agree it isnt just about hair for so many of us!