Image:@lipstickncurls
One of the top questions we receive at NaturallyCurly is, “How do I know what my hair needs?”
Whether you’re an OG curly girl or a new natural, it can be overwhelming and frustrating learning to care for your natural hair in all its glory. Realistically every day won’t be a perfect hair day, but the best advice I can share is to take time to understand your hair’s needs, keep it simple, nurture it with love and it will flourish.
Beauty influencer and entrepreneur, Jade Kendle-Godbolt aka @lipstickncurls decided it was time to get back to the basics to understand what her hair needs, without layering on tons of products and manipulation. After becoming frustrated with her natural hair when her go-to products no longer were providing lasting results, she felt it was time to re-evaluate her hair regimen and take a break from using styling products. A few months ago, she shared an IG post on how she was battling the pressure to always feel the need to style her hair and how she couldn’t tell what products were doing what because she always had something in it.
Jade was ready for a reset and began sharing her #NakedHair moments with her digital community and helped to redefine natural hair without the pressure of perfection. What started as a challenge has fueled a #NakedHair movement where over 7,500 women fearlessly embrace their natural hair in its purest form and allow their hair to be free and flourish effortlessly.
Keep reading to learn more about Jade’s journey to falling in love with her natural hair, advice for women struggling with embracing their natural texture and the lessons she’s learned as a mom and wife.
Share your inspiration behind the #nakedhair movement.
The #nakedhair movement started from my own hair-frustration. I was pregnant and probably more moody than normal (LOL”>, but I was frustrated with my hair. My go-to products were not working well and I was feeling overwhelmed with trying to find new products. I started wanting to blow my hair out straight more or even cut it ALL off. I was THAT irritated. Then one day, I just decided to let my hair breathe with zero products in it and I felt different. It felt like a “break”. I kept doing this and in conjunction with conversations I was having with hairstylists I trusted, I began re-evaluating how I chose products for my hair and how often I used them.
Image:@lipstickncurls
What does a successful wash day look like for you?
A successful wash day for me includes an aromatic sulfate-free shampoo. I really enjoy lather with my shampoos, and one’s that leave my hair still soft afterward, not that “squeaky” clean feel! Then, I’ll go in with a great deep conditioner, I prefer treatments that have protein and moisturizing ingredients in them. Then, to make things even more hair-euphoric, I’ll grab my hair steamer. I’ll sit underneath for 20-30 min and rinse. Usually after allllll that, I’m going #naked! This way, I can see how my hair is doing from the previous week of styling and make sure the wash day was a good one.
How do you maintain moisture when using less products?
The common misconception with #nakedhair is that I’m going days on days without any products. The maximum I’ll go with #nakedhair is 2 days. At that point, I’m co washing and styling. Also – it’s summer. There’s a bit of humidity in Texas and going outside with damp hair is a common (and really enjoyable lol”> experience in this heat! So my hair is able to gain moisture from the water left in my hair from showering and/or the moisture in the environment. Also – let’s be real. If your hair is so dry that you can’t go a few hours or a day without anything in it- are the products in your usual routine REALLY getting the job done? Or just making your hair “look” moisturized?
What are your top humidity hacks?
I’ve learned that I stress less when I work WITH humidity and not against it lol places like New Orleans during Essencefest weekend taught me this! Instead of freaking out about trying to maintain a hairstyle, I plan to wear styles that are slicked down and pulled back, a protective style like braids, or use a humidity-resistant product like the Ouidad Advanced Climate Control Heat & Humidity Gel or the Living Proof Humidity Shield.
What ingredients, techniques and/or products help you achieve healthy hair?
I like to use products that have fewer ingredients (so I have less to try and understand lol”> and products that don’t contain a number of ingredients like phthalates, parabens, silicones, sulfates, or coconut-oil. There are so many options out there for naturally curly and coily hair now that the market is soooooo huge. This is a good and bad thing – lots of choice with lots of marketing lingo that can sometimes be misleading. That’s why I’m always trying to learn what my hair likes and how it’s affected by specific ingredients. This is how I’m able to look and feel my hair and figure out what it needs at that time.
Image:@lipstickncurls
What’s your advice to women who are still struggling with loving their natural texture?
The more you face it and embrace it – the easier it gets! All you need is to have a tiny bit of love – and the commitment to nurture that love over time. If you think staring at yourself in the mirror for one day and saying “I love myself, I love my hair” is going to magically change your perception of your hair – you’re kinda missing the mark. I understand that historical and current societal expectations (and completely ridiculous laws and norms like “afros and locs are not professional””> exist. We have to stop waiting on “them” to accept us. We have to show up as our authentic selves as much (and as safely”> as possible. The #nakedhair movement is about YOU. That’s it. It’s about YOU and YOUR HAIR – no product or no one else. Self-love and acceptance has to start and end with you. Showing yourself love, even in the smallest way, like resisting the urge to ALWAYS style your hair out of fear of not being accepted by others, is a step towards loving your hair, unconditionally.
As a mom and wife, what is the biggest lesson you’ve learned about self-care?
That it’s OKAY to take time for me. I know my husband needs me in a very real way and so do our daughters. I push myself to give them my best, and I can’t not do the same for me. My beauty routines are MY WAY of self-care. I grew up with the understanding that “If you have nice things, you take care of them”. I consider myself a “nice thing” , so I gotta make time to take care of Jade, too!
What has your natural hair journey taught you about yourself?
That I am so much better when I embrace my own wants & desires when it comes to personal style than trying to keep up with trends or other people. Comparison kills creativity. I have always been incredibly creative, and have gone through many moments where I was so engulfed in comparison, that I lost who I was. Going natural in college was part of my transition to womanhood and it continues to teach me how to let go of control and just be.
When was the last time you let your hair be naked? Share with us in the comments below.
