NaturallyCurly: Please introduce yourself!Kim Windvogel: Hi, naturally curlies! My name is Kim, aka Blazing Empress. I am a writer and performer.
NC: How and when did you start embracing your curls?
KW: My journey with my curls was always hot and cold, until two years ago. I think that was the time when my hair became more than just hair. Without chemicals, it became a political statement, my first love, and an extension of me.
NC: What’s your current routine?
KW: I wash my hair with dread shampoo. Because this tends to dry out my hair, I am careful to moisturize properly. I use a mixture of jojoba oil, coconut oil, and hemp oil. A good, glistening conditioner also helps lock the curl.
NC: From start to finish, on a curly day, what’s your process?
KW: After washing with shampoo, be it dread shampoo or any other shampoo, I condition my hair and comb through it. Afterwards (if I have time”>, I let my curls air dry and then scrunch with my oil mixture. If I am in a rush, I quickly diffuse my curls, which adds great volume!
NC: What are your favorite hairstyles to wear with your curls?
KW: Usually, I leave my hair to hang and bounce and do whatever it pleases. Every now and again, I wear a top knot, the pineapple style, or I loosely tie my curls at the back of my neck.
NC: What are your must-have products and tools?
KW: A wide-tooth comb, conditioner, jojoba oil, coconut oil, hemp oil and occasionally, a diffuser.
NC: What do you do at nighttime for your hair?
KW: I apply gel to my hair. This might sound strange, but it helps to keep the curl locked during restless nights.
NC: What reaction did you get when you first decided to go natural?
KW: Everybody reacted positively, although my mother was skeptical at the beginning, always wanting me to straighten it or tie it or do something to it that wasn’t natural.
NC: Did you big chop or transition and for how long? Did you ever have any curly girl insecurities?
KW: After relaxing my hair for ten years, I let it grow out for a bit before deciding to chop off all the relaxed hair. It took my hair two years to get to its “prime curl.” I had a lot of insecurities at the beginning. Was my curly hair curly enough? Why was my volume not on par with hers? But you soon get over all that.
NC: What is the best thing about being curly?
KW: The freedom to enjoy my hair and the freedom to let my hair do what comes naturally instead of forcing it into styles it ain’t comfortable in.
NC: How do you think having curly hair impacts your life?
KW: It has impacted my life in ways I never thought possible. I think it also affected my way of thinking. It is incredible.
NC: What would you tell others to encourage them to embrace their curls?
KW: I tell women everyday that whether your hair is straight, curly, afro, dreaded, etc, you must accept it. Accept what you have and happiness will come naturally. Not forcefully.
NC: Tell us about your life and what you are up to!
KW: I run a page for women called Blazing Empress. I write poetry and essays for the modern-day Cleopatras. I write about things that I feel are unnecessary taboos in our world. Things like sex, marriage, children, life decisions, racism, homosexuality and love. I started Blazing Empress at a time in my life when I needed the support of other women. The response to my page has been overwhelming. Through my page I have received messages from many women, making me realize that many women out there feel the same way.
