Keeping Up With Queens

01/12/2017

PSA: Natural hair is on the rise.

Yes, more and more black women are embracing their natural hair, mixing funky styles with God given curls. It seems as if self-love is the new black. It is all over social media, and what a sight it is to see. What it means to be a natural black woman is custom fit to each individual woman, ranging from light skin to dark skin; 2a to 4c. Whether it be long luscious locs, or an afro with naps to match, natural hair has become high fashion.

Some women have even taken their natural hair experience one step further with the use of social media. I had to the opportunity to speak with two of my fellow naturally curly sistas. Kayla is a natural hair expert and blogger with a goddess fro to match. Talaya is an Instagram famous, youtuber with a fierce, curly cut. Here, the two gave some insight into their world as a natural woman.

Q: When and why did you decide to go natural?

A: (Kayla) "I decided to go natural about 5 years ago because perms were doing a lot of damage to my hair. Perms have a lot of chemicals in them that can and will stunt your hair growth. I wanted longer healthier hair and the only way I saw that happening was to get rid of the perms and use products that my hair actually liked. Going natural was also another way for me to accept my blackness. Now don't get me wrong, just because someone has a perm doesn't mean they don't love their blackness. But for me, loving my blackness meant loving all parts of me, including my hair."

A: (Talaya) "Omg my hair hated me my junior year of college, so I was kind of forced into it. My hair was very badly damaged from over processing it with dye, relaxers and just straightening it entirely too much. My roots were curly, but the ends of my hair were so stringy that they looked like spaghetti noodles. No lie! I also wanted a short haircut again really badly and I'm so impulsive that when I want to change something, I have to do it right away. So, I just went to hair cuttery and had them cut all of my relaxed hair off. This was in 2014 I wanna say?"

Q: Who inspires your hair on a daily basis?

A: (Kayla) "I have so many hairspirations."

Youtubers:

TheNotoriousKIA

Naptural85

NaturalNeiicey

FusionofCultures

SmartistaBeauty

Celebrities/Others

Solange

Tracee Ellis Ross

Erykah Badu

@mind.marauder (IG)

A: (Talaya) "Thecutlife on IG is 'legit' my savior ! There are so many beautiful women who rock these amazing haircuts with so much style that I often contemplate cutting my hair off all over again lol. I also am an avid Youtube creep, so I see a lot of really cute hairstyles on there as well."

Q: What's your favorite natural hair style and why?

A: (Kayla) "Braid outs and twist outs are my favorite styles hands down. These are super easy styles to achieve and my hair loves them. I also love a really big fro and braid/twist outs are the perfect way to get one."

A: (Talaya) "Honestly wash and go's. Mainly because that's all I ever do with my hair when I wear it curly. I've never tried Bantu knots, twist outs, perm rods or anything like that out on my natural hair and that's probably because I'm too lazy to spend hours doing it. My hair has serious attitude problems sometimes and will act out. Wash and go's are simple and I feel they show my true curl pattern, which I really love!"

Q: Would you rather have good hair days for life or free hair products for life and why?

A: (Kayla) "Omg, this is such a hard question, lol. I think I would rather have free hair products for life. Natural hair products can be really expensive and the more products I have the better chance I have at having good hair days."

A: (Talaya) "Oh wow, good hair days for life no questions asked! I can't do too much with free hair products if my hair still looks crappy after I apply the product lol. Especially when you're natural, good hair days can be very few and far between, so you really treasure any good hair days that you can get. Also, I tend to stick with the same natural hair products because my hair is obsessed with them and will freak out any time I try to introduce anything new."

Q: What do you think makes black women so magnificent?

A: (Kayla) "Black women gave birth to this society. Without us, no one would exist. I love how compassionate and nurturing we are. We are the healers that the world claims they don't want but 100% need. Our beauty is beyond measurable and I am so blessed to be a Black woman. Much love to Black women."

A: (Talaya) "Black women are lit lit lit! I think what makes black women so magnificent is that we come in so many different forms. For example, our hair. You can line up 50 black women and every curl pattern, and every kink of our hair will be different. Black women are so unique and creative and each have such a beautiful story to tell. We are not afraid to stand out amongst a crowd and be fearlessly ourselves. What we say we're gonna do, we do. I think black women are so magnificent because we don't know how to be anything else. We're so lit!'

Black women are indeed magnificent. From our hair, to the way we sway our hips moves mountains. Natural hair just makes us all the more incredible! Every curl has a story to tell, and I advise the world to listen. Be sure to follow my new curlfriends on instagram.

Kayla: @_earthbrown

Talaya: @Talaylayyy


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