What is your hair type?
2c/3a
What was it like for you growing up with textured hair?
It was frustrating! My hair was always super thick, long, frizzy, and a tangled mess! My mom would strictly do braids on my hair cause the moment I would leave it loose, I’d get huge knots at the nape of my neck & my hair would just be a big poof ball! I would love it when my hair was straightened cause it was always 10x easier to manage and it was silky smooth.
What made you decide to embrace your naturally wavy hair?
The brutal summer heat we had back in 2016! At least that summer felt extra hot to me because I was moving at the time and having my hair straight or even the thought of having to sit there blow drying it in that heat was just too much. I was moving in with my sister and she already had Cantu’s shampoo & conditioner & a foam mousse by SheaMoisture so I decided to give them a try and I was surprised at how wavy my hair was! Of course, I had heat damage, but it didn’t look half bad and I decided at least for the rest of the summer I could do this routine! It was easy & simple and I truly liked the results. I stuck with it & two weeks into it I became so obsessed with the amazing curly world I had discovered and never knew existed!
How have your family, friends, and co-workers reacted? What was your response to them?
They love it! At first, my mom was upset ONLY because I had tailbone length hair and had to cut off quite a bit due to all my heat damage. I assured her my hair would grow back, but it would now be all healthy hair! My hair has grown a ton since, & tailbone length hair is definitely my goal. Other then that, I received a lot of support & I was quite surprised at how much people loved my curls & how they were eager to learn how I was making the change! Because of them, I transformed my Instagram into a natural hair haven & love helping other curlies around the world!
How did you transition to wearing your natural texture?
At first, it was hard because I still craved straight hair from time to time lol but I just stuck with it and pretty much just did it! I started out with learning as much as I could about the curly girl method and then just tried affordable products and different styling methods every so often until I had a routine down.
What is your current hair regimen?
I wash my hair probably every 3-4 days. I alternate between shampoo and a cowash. I deep condition 1-2x a week. I style on very wet hair and add my products in, then smooth it out with my wet brush or Denman brush, and scrunch away. Then, I diffuse until it’s 100% dry.
Here’s Amanda’s Holy Grails and Styling Tips
Are there any techniques or methods that have made a big impact on the way your hair looks?
Definitely using my wet brush or the Denman brush has helped me a lot! This is how I achieve nice big curls and get my curls to clump together. Without this step, I notice my hair is a lot more stringy and frizzy.
Any advice you’d like to give other women who may be in the transition phase or need some encouragement in their hair journey?
PATIENCE IS KEY! I know it’s hard, especially for those with tighter curl patterns than me, but once you give it time and stick with it, you WILL see results! In the end, it’s definitely 100% worth the struggle because you will fall in love with your hair, but more importantly you’ll fall more in love with YOU!
What’s your hair story? Share your story with us here to be featured in our Texture Tales series.
