Have you always had natural hair?
No, my mom made we wait until I was in high school to relax my hair, but I was all about perms for a few years.
When did you decide to stop?
Well in college my best friend worked at Supercuts. I was super impressionable, so when my she shaved off the side of her head, I wanted a drastic change too. I told her to give me something edgy, and she gave me a Tina Turner-esque hair cut, and my first reaction was like, "wow my hair looks terrible," and everyone on campus was like, "what is up with your hair?" When I had any new growth it was super noticeable because my hair wasn't long anymore—so I just decided to cut everything off. Then I got really ill a few years ago and I had to shave all my hair off. Ever since then I decided I was going to stop relaxing my hair. My hair grew back super fast, and my hair was really curly—and then curly hair became really popular, and I was like, "Yes! This is awesome," and I just ran with it.
What are your favorite products for your hair?
I don't use shampoo, conditioner only from the Pantene Pro-V Truly Natural line. I also love to get raw coconut oil from Whole Foods—like the cooking oil—and I use that to deep condition my hair, it's so easy. I don't treat my hair very well though, I've fried it this weekend. When I was at the airport to come to Austin they threw out all my hair products so I don't have any of my oils. I had to take a curling wand to smooth my roots in the front, but it's been so humid so I had to keep going over it.
What's your go-to hair style?
I like to use a hair wand and curl the ends and fluff it out so it's super big. I also went through a phase where I used to wear my hair bone straight. It's actually not as long as you think it would be when it's straight—it's an illusion and it's all about keeping up the illusion!
What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about going natural?
It's so much better. Yes, the in-between stage is awkward, and your hair will break. It's hard, but after you get past that—my hair has never grown this fast. There's this weird misconception about black women that our hair doesn't grow—but it's not true. Yes, genes are important—but your hair will grow if you seriously take care of it.
Would you ever go back to relaxing your hair?
No, and I actually accidentally texturized the front of my hair—I swear it was an accident. I bought some clip-in extensions, and the texture didn't really match my hair, so I got a box of texturizer—but my hair perms so quickly, it was bone straight in two seconds. My hair broke off again, the little hairs in the front were just done.
What's your skincare regime like?
I used to work at Sephora so I always wanted to try all the super-expensive skincare systems—but I just use Murad's acne line and First Aid Beauty moisturizer that has tea tree oil and makes my skin super soft. I used to have cystic acne, it was bad. Changing my diet really helped—I don't eat meat, I'm gluten-free and I try to stay away from dairy.
What's your go-to beauty look for performances?
Definitely a cat eye and I like to use highlighter in the inner corners of my eyes.
Who are your style influences?
They change all the time. Usually it's Miranda from Sex & the City—she's a little masculine but still has a sexiness about her. It's somewhere in between there. I dress tomyboy-ish but then I keep it feminine with my hair and makeup.
