My second natural hair feature for the month of May is my sister in Blogging and Tweeting, Ms. Selena R., better known to our social networking circle as Luvsels. Since I’m pressed for time due to helping Penzi move, I’ll be doing the feature in a basic Q&A style via YIM, but I’m sure none of the flavour will be lost.
And with that being said, here we go!
Idadi: How long have you been natural?
Luvsels: Since ‘03 - so 5 years.
Idadi: What made you decide to go the natural route?
Luvsels: I got tired of perming my hair every 6-8 weeks and I wasn’t doing anything with my hair except throwing it in a ponytail every day. And I knew the chemicals weren’t good for me.
Idadi: How did you make the switch?
Luvsels: I just chopped it all off.
Idadi: How short?
Luvsels: About a half inch, if that.
Idadi: Wow! What were the majority of reactions to your BC?
Luvsels: My husband at the time was pissed off cause I went from shoulder length to no hair at all. *lol*
Idadi: I just bet. *lol*
Luvsels: But everyone else was cool about it… I found out how secure I am and that I’m literally not my hair
Idadi: Did you follow any specific hair care routine to start with?
Luvsels: Not really. I washed every day ’cause I only had a little bit of hair to work with, and I experimented with products like crazy.
Idadi: And now?
Luvsels: I switch shampoo/conditioner every few months, so right now I’m using Infusium 23 Moisturologie… I wash my hair every 1-2 days, depending on how cold it is outside, and I’ll spritz with a water/oil mix and finish off with Carol’s Daughter Hair Milk. I love the hair milk!!! I had locks from ‘04 to the end of ‘06, so I had no use for the majority of her products. And when I cut the locks off I had forgotten about them until a lady I worked with said she used the hair milk on her daughters hair. That was like last January. So I bought a bottle of the hair milk then, and I still have some left which I’ve been using it daily.
Idadi: Are there any other products you swear by or would recommend?
Luvsels: Let’s see… the Pantene line is good, really liked their products for curls. Love Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Shampoo/Conditioner… And the Garnier Fructis Curl & Shine line is good too. I’ve had better luck with products geared towards women who lack color than those made for us. I heard about a new line that starts with a K — Kizz something — coming to Target in June. The lady who makes it has been doing hair for years for the stars. I heard it was good so I might check it out.
Idadi: What styles have you experimented with?
Luvsels: I’ve done the Afro Puff, which I’ll be returning to in a couple months, Two Strand Twists… and that’s it. I started my locks after the twists as soon as my hair was about 6 inches, so other than the Afro Puff i haven’t played with it much. But that shall change.
Idadi: There are a lot of women who encounter problems in the corporate arena when it comes to natural hair. What has been your experience?
Luvsels: I haven’t had a problem with that at all. I’ve gone on interviews with short afro and locks - in Omaha and didn’t have any issues. I’ve heard of others who have or who are scared to go natural because of what their job might say but I think thats more psychological with them. I’m secure enough with myself to not let someone who doesn’t like my hair get to me… even family members.
Idadi: That is a wonderful attitude to have! How did you break through the black hair stigmas to reach such a point of confidence?
Luvsels: I was just finishing up my quarter life crisis, so the hair was one of the final healing steps for me. I was comfortable enough with myself as a person - a human being to be beyond the straight long hair is the thing to be. There were a couple Yahoogroups that I turned to at the time that helped because I knew I wasn’t alone. Plus living in the boondocks with a small minority population helped. And I really haven’t attracted any negativity about my hair… I have had plenty of white women — here and in Omaha — tell me how beautiful my hair is (Afro and Locks) more so than black women.
Idadi: If you had the process to do over again, what, if anything, would you have done differently?
Luvsels: I would have waited another 6 months before starting my locks so I would have more time to play with longer hair and experiment with different styles. But other than that - no changes.
Idadi: What words of encouragement do you have to offer women considering going natural?
Luvsels: For women considering going natural, know that its your hair, no one else gets to wear it for you. Going natural is a journey, and like all journeys it is what you make of it. Embrace the uniqueness of your hair… be proud of your curls.
~@~
Wanna hear more from Luvsels? You can catch her Blog at www.luvsels.vox.com. Have a question about how she “do her natural do”? Contact her via Email at luv.sels@gmail.com.
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Thank you so much for allowing us to share in your journey, Sels. You have been an inspiration to me in my process from relaxed to kinky, and I sure through this feature you will be the same for a lot of others.
I wish you much more natural success in the years to come!
Blessed Be…
Idadi
I know i’m late…(as usual)…but I love this post. I had no idea luvsels even had locs. Booo @ Eve. Sels…I feel ya on the experimentation…I did the same until I found something that worked for me. I was expecting my hair to change after so long, but it hasn’t and my second set of locs is growing at a much faster rate than the first set. Thanks for sharing ur wonderful insight.