Introduce yourself!
J: Hey everyone! My name is Jeré (pronounced Jer-ray) and I am a central Florida naturalista with roots in Brooklyn, NY, Trinidad and Barbados.
Why did you make the decision to go natural?
J: I have been natural for about 9 months and I am so excited about reaching my one year milestone as of December. I started to play with the idea of going natural after years of dealing with the common hair frustrations of relaxed weave wearers; breakage, thinning, lifeless hair, etc… I decided to really take it seriously after I saw how my hair choices were impacting my daughter. She loved mommy’s “hair” and disliked her own because it wasn’t straight and long. When I realized she was idolizing my weave and associated her beauty, or lack thereof, with my store brought hair, I knew I had to do something. Best decision ever!!!! 🙂
How would you describe your texture?
J: I have multiple textures, but my hair type is closely aligned with the 4B texture. I’m definitely a kinky, coily with a little bit of curly, and I absolutely love every kink, coil and curl of my hair. In terms of thickness, I suffered with thin hair when I was relaxing, but now I’m noticing a lot of thickness to my hair… It changes every month and gets thicker and thicker, so right now I would describe my hair as fine strands with a medium amount of density/thickness.
Describe your styling regimen over the course of the month.
J: 1) I detangle my hair with a spray bottle filled with water and oil (coconut, castor, olive, and jojoba) and use Karen’s Body Beautiful Sweet Ambrosia to help me detangle section by section. This helps soften and moisturize my hair leading to less shedding and breakage. 2) I co-wash every week with Herbal Essence’s Hello Hydration. I rarely shampoo because it has such a drying effect on my hair. When I do shampoo I use Shea Moisture Moisture Retention Shampoo to clarify about every three weeks. 3) I try to deep condition every 2 weeks and I use Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Masque. I tend to have dry strands so this is a must!! 4) I moisturize and seal every other night with H20, Giovanni Direct Leave-In, coconut and castor oil. 5) I do my twist outs and other related styles using the LOC method (liquid/leave-in, oil, cream hair dressing) and homemade flax seed gel. 6) When I blow dry my hair, I blow dry on medium heat using Tresemme Heat Tamer Spray as a protectant. I have been maintaining length by being a boring natural on Tuesday through Friday and morphing into a feisty, fierce, and fun natural Saturday to Monday. Lol… But seriously, I try not to do too much with my hair during the work week. I usually convert a weekend twist out into an updo on Monday night and rock that until wash day on Friday. On the weekend, I wear my hair out and try different styles.
What does wash day look like for you?
J: Wash Day is an All-day Event!! OMG! 🙂 I start off with a pre-poo. During the pre-poo phase, I coat my strands with shea butter and castor oil for about an hour. After pre-pooing, I co-wash with Herbal Essence’s Hello Hydration. I finally get my favorite deep conditioner, Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Masque and leave it on my head for approximately one to three hours, depending on what I am doing to my hair. Before I wash out my deep conditioner, I finger detangle my hair and then take a wide tooth comb and further detangle my hair. I twist it up in big sections to prepare for the wash. This process can be tedious, but it has helped me retained length… It works!
Describe your favorite go-to hairstyle for days when you don’t have a lot of time to style.
J: Updos, twist outs, and protective styles like box braids and marley twists are my absolute favorite styles. I just love the versatility of twist-outs. I can wear it chunky and fro it out, or I can do them small and have an ultra-defined curl pattern. I also love how twist outs help me create other amazing styles like updos as well. Speaking of updos, this style option is the pinnacle of my natural hair journey. I have become really creative and my most popular videos, blog posts, and pictures are centered around my updo styles. I love a dope updo… It’s effortless and so chic at the same time.
How do you combat shrinkage?
J: For the most part, I embrace my shrinkage and do twist outs on partially dry hair. If I need a stretched style, I usually braid my hair into medium size sections after washing and allow it to dry in the braids. The next morning, or when it is dry, I place my hair in a low bun to give it a little more stretch and finally proceed to style. If I need really stretched hair for a particular style, I blow out my hair using the tension method.
What are some of your problem areas (if any) that require special care and attention?
J: The middle of my hair is most prone to breakage because it is the kinkiest part of my entire head… If other parts of my hair are like a 4A or a 4B, the middle is definitely a 4C. In order to refrain from damage, thinning, and breakage, I usually apply a lot of leave-in conditioner and oil to the middle of my hair to soften it, and I take my time detangling the middle portion of my hair.
What are 2 do’s for your texture?
J: Moisture!!! Moisture!! Moisture!!! The LOC method is my best friend!!! Can’t use enough water or water-based products on my hair. Seal!!! Seal!!! Seal!! Sealing in the moisture is a must for me and learning this has allowed my hair to strive tremendously! 🙂
What are 2 don’ts for your texture?
J: Stay away from overusing shampoos. They just dry out my hair if used too frequently. Don’t ever use any heat styling tools without using moisturizing conditioner and a heat protectant… This girl is trying to stay away from heat damaged hair.
Is there a blog/webpage where we can find you?
J: Yes there is! Please check out my YouTube channel and Instagram for some dope styles and tutorials. Please check out my blog for natural hair, beauty, and fashion tips… Thanks so much for having me and Hugs and Love!!
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/jsongbird624
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/nappturallychicjere
Blog: http://www.nappturallychicjere.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nappturallychicwithjere
