Introduce yourself!
K: Hey there hey, my name is KyanaMarie and I am from all over lol…what I mean by that is I was born in Anchorage, Alaska, have lived in about 6 different states, (on both the east and west coasts), call NY/NJ home, but currently reside in Tucson, AZ. And unfortunately there are very few naturals or natural hair products there, so I cause quite a stir when I am out and about with my fro in full effect. Most people here think I am wearing a wig 🙂
Why did you make the decision to go natural?
K: I have been natural (this time) for two years. I transitioned and cut the relaxed pieces off myself when my hair got to about shoulder length. I went natural because I had done it before and missed the texture and versatility I had with my natural hair that I did not have with relaxed hair… also it was a way to truly reconnect with myself.
How would you describe your texture?
K: Ok so this chart has never really worked for me… my mom is White and my dad Dominican and Black… so needless to say my hair is just as mixed as me 😉 In the back of my hair I have very springy curls, the kind you can pull and they bounce right back… then the more you come to the middle of my head it’s very coarse and the curls behave in a “Z” type pattern. So I would say the center is somewhat of a 4b curl pattern and on the sides there are areas like 4a, but also 3c… basically very mixed. The front half frizzes, while the back half curls. And my strands are actually fine, but there are a lot of hair follicles, so my hair is very dense and thick, but fragile. ALL MIXED UP LOL!
Describe your styling regimen over the course of the month.
K: My styling regimen has nothing to do with me… It has everything to do with what my hair wants to do for that day, and I have learned to love my hair no matter how big or wild it wants to get. I have a really good relationship with my hair and have learned to just let her be. I used to try and do twist outs and braid outs and all sorts of things for natural hair, (I was on YouTube like daily lol)… but then in this journey of finding my hair, its true form and texture, and me, I realized I need to stop trying to use every product on the market, so as to have a more defined curl, or to look like this person or that, or to just even get all my curls to match, and just let her (when I say her I am speaking of my hair, she has a mind of her own) be free. Now my regimen is a lil different. I wash my hair with shampoo once to twice a month, but in-between those times I do a lot of co washing, and leave in conditioner is my best friend. But for the most part you will see me with my fro out in full effect. I will do a lot of wash and goes and leave my hair like that for 3-5 days before co-washing again. The longer I leave it, the bigger she (my hair) becomes, and I honestly love it that way. If I want it bigger right after washing I will take my diffuser and blow dryer to it. As for my nighttime routine, I put my hair up in a pineapple and wrap it with a silk scarf. Then in the morning I can just let her down and go!
What does wash day look like for you?
K: Wash day usually happens when I have time because it is at least an all morning project. Like most of us I’m sure 😉 I wash my hair with a homemade recipe of things you probably have in your fridge and pantry right now. This came about because here in Tucson (which I’ve lived for 2 years) it is very hard to find products for natural hair, and I find the more natural/closer I can get to the real stuff, the better my hair feels afterwards. Why go out and buy a $6-$12 bottle of something that claims it has olive oil in it, when you probably have olive oil in your house. And if you don’t have that in your house, you can go out, pick up a bottle for about the same amount anywhere, and can get more than one use out of it. I make a lot of my own hair products that I use in my hair, so after I wash my hair I put conditioner in it and finger detangle. Then I follow that up with a deep conditioning treatment. When I do not have those on hand (I live 30 minutes from a store) I do have store bought products just in case, like the Aussie Moist line, which has a really good shampoo and conditioner. Aussie 3 Minute Miracle is great for deep conditioning, and I use Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine for my leave in conditioner.
Describe your favorite go-to hairstyle for days when you don’t have a lot of time to style.
K: I either pull it up into a bun or high puff, or I just let it down from my pineapple, put a lil oil in it, and pick it out and go 😉
How do you combat shrinkage?
K: I don’t really worry about shrinkage too much… like I said I really just try and let it be, but if I am taking my blow dryer to my hair anyways I will take it very lightly to the scalp portion of my hair and while holding the tips, blow dry just at the scalp of my hair to kinda give me more length.
Tell us about your hair color?
K: My hair color is natural except for the very ends of my hair. I tried to give myself some color before about a year and a half ago, and I didn’t like how it changed the curl pattern of my hair. I did just a couple of small highlights because I was afraid of what it might do, and low and behold it changed the curl pattern and almost made it go completely straight in those sections… it has made me fearful of doing color on my hair. I figure in the summer, and when I am in the sun enough, my hair gets red to blonde highlights naturally anyways so I should just let it be. But I love color so who knows I may try it again, depends on if I can find a professional who knows how to deal with natural hair.
What are some of your problem areas (if any) that require special care and attention?
K: My ends tend to get really dry so I have to condition the very ends daily.
What are 2 do’s for your texture?
K: Moisture, Moisture, Moisture can’t stress that enough for my hair. Especially being in AZ. It is soooo dry, so my hair gets extremely dry… and a pineapple and silk scarf at night keep your curls in tack.
What are 2 don’ts for your texture?
K: I can’t use a brush on my hair (rips it right out) and don’t detangle while dry. Only wet detangling with conditioner.
Is there a blog/webpage where we can find you?
K: You can find me and all of my haircare tips and recipes on YouTube at: www.youtube.com/user/naturallycreative101. Daily hair posts and what I am up to on Instagram: http://instagram.com/kiki_kyanamarie. I’m on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/kyana.marie.39 and on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/SangKyanaMarie. Hope to meet all of you beautiful naturals there! 🙂
