Search Results: NaturallyCurly

While having curly hair can certainly create confidence, it can also put us on a never-ending hunt for a miracle product that doesn’t exist and never will. Standing in aisles of drugstores, reading through lists of ingredients with words longer than anything we learned about in Biology 101, we invest serious amounts of time into finding products that will do absolutely everything for our hair, from defining texture to seriously eliminating all frizz.

For us textured tressed ladies, often the last place we look to find this Holy Grail product is to the products marketed for “straighties.” But maybe we should reconsider.

AG Smooth

Well-known textured hair brand AG Hair Cosmetics has released a new lineup of hair smoothing products. But despite the marketing aimed at re-texturizing curls, kinks and waves, the Smooth line actually has a high impact on textured hair, reducing dry, frizzy hair and protecting it from going haywire in humidity.

The secret behind the multi-use functionality of these hair smoothing products is found in argan oil. Argan oil is the de-frizzer and protector of all hair types. Not only do they provide moisture for your curls, helping to define and reduce frizz, they also provide protection from heat — whether that heat comes from the weather or your appliances.

Beginning the process with the Smoooth Sulfate-Free Argan Shampoo, the line continues with the Sleeek Argan Conditioner, Set it Straight Argan Straightening Lotion, Firewall Argan Flat Iron Spray, The Oil Smoothing Oil and the Hydr8 Argan Hand Moisturizer. And while the Argan Straightening Lotion is a great hair smoothing product for straight hair, it can easily be used to stretch out and define your curls too.

Giving Back

Of course, if you remain to be convinced that these products are something you should try on your way to discovering your Holy Grail product, consider this. Purchasing the Smooth lineup will not only help you and your hair, but also women of the Berber tribe in one of the poorest regions in Morocco. The argan oil in AG’s Smooth products is sourced using sustainable and organic farming methods, and the income these women earn goes directly back to their community to provide food, shelter and education for their children and families.

“These products truly are miracle workers,” said Lotte Davis, Co-founder and CEO of AG Hair. “Not only do they produce unreal results, they give back to the community where one of the key ingredients is from. Helping women lead change through our products and our promotions is something we’re very proud of at AG. We know that if we give women access to education and employment, they’ll be able to make a noticeable difference in their communities for years to come.”

Try it Today!

Starting today, March 1, you can head over to Shop.NaturallyCurly.com and pick up one of AG’s new hair smoothing products. They might just become your new perfect products, and you’ll also be giving women the world over the chance to also read ingredient lists, or anything else for that matter. Here in the textured community, we know how important education truly is. Most of us wouldn’t be where we are on our natural journeys without it. So in our quest for perfect curls, kinks and waves, let’s join in their quest for equality, education and basic human rights.

On the heels of Viola Davis’ TWA exposé on the runway (okay, it was the Red Carpet, but it was runway worthy!”>, Thandie Newton has stepped away from her straightened tresses and is coming out about her natural hair, her daughters’ natural hair and being a role model for them and all other naturals.

According to Daily Mail, Newton told a friend earlier this month, “I didn’t want my daughters to judge their beautiful curls.”

This determination to be a role model for her girls led to her appearance at Sadler Wells Theatre in London donning a beautiful head of curls.

“The stigma with some black women seems to be that ‘nappy hair’ (natural afro hair”> is almost as bad as loo roll trailing from your shoe,” said Newton. “[But] I’ve always let my daughters’ hair be wild and scruffy. When they were papped in the States, I had remarks about how I didn’t take care of their hair. The truth is, I choose to keep it that way.”

Newton herself grew up feeling embarrassed and ashamed of her natural hair when, at a convent school she attended, the nuns refused to let a cornrowed Newton in the school picture.

“I read earlier this year a piece in The Independent about a student who appealed against not being able to wear his hair in (what the school felt was a hoodlum style”> braids, and he won,” said Newton. “It has been 30 years since the nuns dissed me. This sh*t keeps going ’round!”

The “Mission Impossible” star admits that she began to go natural after watching Chris Rock’s documentary “Good Hair,” which explores the affects of the harsh chemicals that women use to achieve straight hair.

What do you think of Thandie’s new look? Plus how adorable are her daughters?! 

For all of our complaining about the lack of curls on the runway during New York Fashion Week, which led to us creating our own event featuring only textured hair, Amika did a pretty good job on creating texture too. So much so, that we feel like this style is worthy of highlighting.

Keep in mind, this model’s hair was straight when she went in, so for all of your straighties and wavies out there, this style is perfect for you!

As always, when using heat to style your hair, be sure that you use a good sealer or heat protectant before you apply the heat to your hair. A good style is nice, but good hair health is better!

Amika’s Textured Runway

Show: Cynthia Rowley Fall/Winter 2012 Show

Lead Stylist: Duffy

Hair Look: Autumnal Texture

This season’s hair look was all about texture for Amika. While three different textures were used on each model, the final look varied.

“Cynthia and I wanted the hair to play with texture for the hair look.” said Duffy. “The clothes this season are so structured, we wanted to contrast that with the hair. The idea of this look was for it to be free flowing; there is no beginning and no end. This season there isn’t one Cynthia Rowley girl; the casting is diverse and each hair look is unique to the girl.”

Since each girl’s hair was different, Duffy selected the final style based on each individual girl, her personality and the clothes she was modeling.

Major Curls

1. Mouse was applied to the hair and it was rough dryed with the Amika NRG Professional Hair Dryer.
2. A figure-eight technique was used (around the crown of the head”> which was created by pinning the hair around bobby pins.
3. The figure-eight shape was sealed in with heat from the Amika x Cynthia Rowley styler.
4. Tight curls were created using an Amika 13 mm Curler.
5. The hair was then dragged out and brushed to create volume.

Tired of dry, undefined, winter curls? Can’t seem to attain the second-day hair that all other curlies seem to be bragging about? Hate wearing hats because it ruins your style?

Well, curlies, you have a friend in Heidi Schmid, the inventor of Q-Redew, a hand-held hairstyling vapor wand created specifically to revive curls. Like many of you, she spent winters huddled indoors wishing for the humid summer months. At least then, she could use products to ward off frizz and control humidity. But in the winter, or on those days we need a little better curl shape or rejuvenating in the middle of the day or to help boost second-day curls, the product market was more than lacking in useful tools to get moisture back in to deflated curls. So she created one. Read on to hear about how she came up with the idea, how to use the product and even where you can get your hands on one!

Just to start off, tell me a little bit about Q-Redew. Where did you get the idea?

For 10 years I have followed the ladies who started the curly hair revolution, everyone from the NaturallyCurly site to Lorraine Massey. So I was doing those things myself — the low-pooing and learning to love my curls.

I have curly hair that is thick and fine. In the winter months, my problem would be that my curls were not formed enough and that they weren’t curly enough. My hair just wasn’t curly enough in the dry, winter months. In the summer, we can find lots of things for controlling high humidity and the challenges of that side of the humidity spectrum, but it was the other side of the spectrum – the low moisture, low humidity days and the dry static air – that I always had an issue with. For example, what do I do if my hair isn’t curly enough? Or, how do I promote second day hair? Or, if I’m not using heat tools, what do I do in between styling my hair? Those were always my issues. I live in Wisconsin and we have very cold and dry winters, so every year it’s a big part of the year for me.

I literally had a eureka moment one day. I was having some curtains hung. It was a very cold, dreary day and the installer was using a floor standing commercial steamer to hang my curtains, and I just had this thought. I had long curly hair at the time and I thought, “Oh my gosh, I would have liked to stand safely under that thing for just a minute!” And I knew my hair would look great if I did. It would look like it was April!

I kept going back to that thought. What is available to me that could address teh dry, static air and “not enough curl” or “second day” curl problem? I did searches online and couldn’t find anything available. But, I did not lose track of that thought. I would come back to it in moments of need. So I decided to try and develop my own, which led to talking to a patent attorney and working on development on it. I was able to make a prototype for myself to see if it could solve my problem. And it did! So I had some curly hair friends and I decided to share it with them. They said, “Yea, this is so cool!”

Of course, the prototype was really ugly, so we wanted to get past that. And we did by hiring talented and professional design engineers and a quality manufacturer. That brings us to today.

My initial thought in enhancing and reshaping my curl changed when I realized that I could also straighten my curl by using rollers and misting it. Take the rollers out and that is my version of straight hair. So those other uses just followed my initial thoughts.

That’s great, no heat styling and multiple uses! So can you tell me a little bit about your own hair?

My hair is a type 3a. Over the years, I have straightened it, had spirals, even really short hair. The great news is that you can use the Q-Redew on any length of hair!

So would you say that the Q-Redew works best on your hair type or all hair types?

You can definitely use it on all hair types. Anyone with texture of any sort will enjoy the Q-Redew. If someone struggles with drier days or feels like their hair is flat and lifeless, they’re going to enjoy the Q-Redew.

If somebody has very curly hair and is looking for ways to run away from that and flatten their hair, this tool probably wouldn’t suit them. But it’s good for the majority of people who have curly hair and have those days where they say, “Ugh, I just want to start over!”

You don’t want to wash it and then wait for it to dry for hours, you just want to perk it up and refresh it. I even think that some curly women will err on the side of a little frizz to have volume, versus the curly flat hair.

Let’s get in to how this works. It is a vapor wand, you put the water in, it heats up and then you use it like a diffuser?

Correct.

OK, so I know that it is just a warm mist, but a lot of the products curly women use are easily water-soluble so that we can continue co-washing. If you use this, will you have to reapply?

No, because it is a very, very fine vapor-like mist. You are applying it to your hair, and whether you apply it for 20 seconds or five minutes, you are starting your initial use with dry hair, dry to the touch, as in not wet, and the mist is so fine and warm that it leaves your hair completely dry. What I find is that it re-activates with water-soluble products. It doesn’t rinse them out; the product isn’t dripping because your hair is never wet. It will reactivate the product because you are putting the moisture back in the product as well as back into the hair.

So water-soluble products are good to go. Are there any specific products that you have found work well with it?

I follow curly girl methods and always stick with the water-soluble products. Because it is not something that you use when your hair is wet, you can continue using the products that you typically use. I may use a holding spray of some sort or a pomade after I use the Q-Redew, but I’m not applying anything pre-Q-Redew use. I think you would typically stick with the product that is a holy grail for you, that you like, then use the Q-Redew in conjunction with that.

Does this product tend to work better in the winter, or does the weather play a part at all?

It definitely plays a part. In the summer months so many people are trying to control the humidity, and this is more mist. I use the Q-Redew year round because I don’t have tons of kinky curly hair. Even in the summer months, if I spend a lot of time in the air conditioning, wear a helmet when I bike to work, or if I want to change the shape when I go out at night, I will use the Q-Redew. Then I just use my fingers to reshape my curls.And the Q-Redew is really helpful in boosting and re-activiating second-day hair, regardless of the season.

Often I’ll say “humidity” and people will run the opposite direction because we spend so much time and money trying to avoid humidity. So I approach it as warm mist for when you need it, definitely in the wintertime.

When I explain it to some people they will make the connection that it’s like your skin. In the winter, your skin is drier and needs more moisture, and your hair is the same. It takes away the dryness and static. It is great for hats, or when you take out your ponytail and you have a ponytail ridge.

So to answer your question, I think it will be pulled out of the drawer more often in the wintertime, in the dry climate, but I do see a use for it year round.

With it being a warm mist, is there any damage that occurs?

No, it is not hot like a curling iron or a blow dryer. You would get no more damage than if the air had more moisture in it. You are just using tap water. You aren’t putting any heat directly on your hair like you would with a straightening iron. So, no, there is no damage to your hair. And once you own the product, there is nothing else that you need to buy.

Great! How long does it generally take? I see that it takes 30 seconds to heat up, so how long will it take someone to use it on their hair. Obviously, it will differ for different hair types and length, but is there a general rule of thumb?

It varies according to all the things you mentioned. The idea is that you are just kind of spot treating. If there are certain parts of your hair that you would like to avoid, such as the crown that might have more frizz for some people, you can.

It’s really a tool for minutes. I’m thinking like three or four minutes. I would never typically use it for longer than that, because once you cross that line, you are going to feel like you are in August. It will create frizz.

You are going to applying it slowly to your hair where you need it. You don’t have to apply it to your whole head, you can just put it where you would like it to be for just a few minutes.

Final Thoughts

To buy the product, head on over to the Q-Redew website. And, don’t forget to follow them on Twitter and like them on Facebook for updates!

Watch the video below to hear more from Heidi herself!

The money speaks for itself — naturally textured hair is hot!

According to Forbes magazine, former Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Kathy Ireland is the wealthiest supermodel-entrepreneur worth an estimated $350 million. To put that in perspective, Ireland sells about 2 billion more in retail and is worth more than Martha Stewart herself.

So how does this wavy hair babe make all of her money at the ripe age of 48? Well, it isn’t modeling swimsuits anymore, or even selling them for that matter. Although you may still remember her clothing line at K-Mart, Ireland actually makes most of her fortune from windows.

That’s right: namesake vinyl and plastic replacement windows, which apparently insulate heat inexpensively. She sells about $400 million of those each year. She also shells out furniture including desks, end tables, media centers and the like.

Her conglomerate, Kathy Ireland Worldwide, does one thing unbelievably well — it targets middle American moms.

An entrepreneur at heart, Ireland has never given up on herself, and has always forged ahead with her dreams and aspirations. That’s something every wavy, curly or kinky-haired woman can relate to.

Read Ireland’s entire story at Forbes. 

Because in the natural hair world, whether you have waves, curls or kinks, the blogosphere is essential. Were it not for all of the brave and die-hard naturals out there who took to their video cameras and computers to blast out the word that natural was a way of life and everyone should hop on board, we wouldn’t be here (heck, NaturallyCurly was one of those!”>.

All of us have watched at least ONE, if not hundreds, of styling videos and read through even more styling tips looking for the perfect wavy, curly or kinky hairstyle, regimen, prep technique, on and on and on. So in celebration of our curly celebrity month of love, we bring you curly vloggers that are celebrities in their own right, and to us!

Meet Gabrielle

Vlogger ChocolateTresses takes us through her wash-n-go style and her frohawk!

Having curly hair isn’t always an easy venture, in fact, quite rarely is it. For many of us, the difficulties begin at a young age, which is why we were so excited to report a curly heroine from Pixar’s “Brave” that would finally show young girls that curls are beautiful, too. However, despite the confidence #teamnatural has in changing the conversation and undertaking a textured revolution, the road here has indeed been a difficult one for us all.

Perhaps the road has been even more so difficult for Natalie Harvey, 35, a UK citizen who resembled “Orphan Annie” growing up.

“As soon as I entered infant school the taunts started,” Harvey told the Daily Mail “I would be spat at and called named. The kids were so cruel, they would call me Annie and Yoda and racist remarks because they had never seen an afro like mine on a white person. People said my mum must have had an affair because both she and my dad have straight hair.”

Like many of us, Harvey responded to the teasing by straightening and even dying her red hair. According to her, the bullying finally came to a close in college when she perfected her two-hour daily routine of straightening her curls.

Sounds to us like the average story of a curly girl shut out and pushed down from what society deems as “beautiful,” and you might be saying to yourself, “Yes, but that was 30 years ago. Certainly things have changed.” Well, you’d be wrong.

Recently, a photo of a 5-year-old Harvey surfaced on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook, which is when the cyber-bullying began. The messages even got so bad that Harvey called the police.

According to the Daily Mail, one tweet read: “I can’t wait to pull off your wig and reveal your ginger afro hair to everyone.”

Another added: “wait until everyone sees your f****d up afro hair!”

For Harvey, the horrors of elementary were coming back to haunt her, and this time, she couldn’t even see or face up to her tormentors.

“At least at school I could turn round and see who was insulting me, but this is so faceless. The bullies are able to hide behind their keyboards,” she said. “I just couldn’t believe that I was getting bullied at the age of 35 through Twitter, from people on fake accounts.”

According to Harvey, the stress from the messages has caused her to lose nearly 15 pounds.

“It was so personal and nasty and targeted directly at something that has affected me throughout my life. Every time I meet someone from school they say, ‘Oh didn’t you have such funny hair at school?’”

As #teamnatural, what advice do you have for Mrs. Harvey, and for all curly women who have yet to embrace their natural hair due to torment?

For curlies and NatuallyCurly.com alike, New York Fashion Week ran the gamut of emotion from chaos to admiration to “Oh my gosh, we’re here, this is happening!”

“Texture on the Runway” was a massive success, but it would be silly of us to ignore all the other shows that were going on that week! At the top of our favorites list was the Ralph Lauren presentation focusing on hats. Taking inspiration from PBS’s “Downtown Abbey,” Ralph Lauren models sported English-style hats that are bound to make a comeback.

For curlies, hats are miracle workers in winter. They keep your curls, kinks and waves protected, your head warm, and if you can manage to find one with a silk lining, they can even provide second day hair! Seriously, holy grail accessories, I tell you.

In addition, perhaps without knowing it, Ralph Lauren’s collection is even better suited to curly tresses — though you wouldn’t know it from their stick straight stranded models — given that the shape perfectly accomodates protective styles and allows for you to push all your curls up under that protective barrier we call “hat.”

Take a look for yourself and then keep an eye out for the style before the heat hits!

Amika’s experts take us behind the Golden Globe scenes to get Selma Hayek’s glamourous, shiny curls.

1. Pour a dime-sized amount of Amika Obliphica Oil Treatment into your palms and rub them together. Work the oil into your hair starting at the ends for shine and heat protection.
2. Using a round soft bristle brush, blow dry your hair using the NRG Professional Drying System.
3. Take a section of hair and loosely wrap it around the medium sized barrel, the 25mm barrel, of the Amika Triple Barrel Curler. Be sure to wrap the hair in the direction away from your face. As the curl cools, the weight of your hair will pull it out into a looser wave. Curl all of your hair in this manner.
4. If you don’t have a curling wand, you can also create these curls using the Amika 100% Ceramic Styler. Clip the styling iron around a small section. Take the loose end of the section below the tool and flip it up over the top of the tool. Now rotate the iron 360 degrees so that the loose end is now pointing towards the floor. Then carefully glide the iron down the length of your hair. This will create a curl!
5. Tease the roots for a hint of volume. Pour another dime-sized amount of Amika Obliphica Oil Treatment into your palms and rub it all over your hands. Use the fingers to carefully brush through the curls, creating separation and texture. The oil on your hands will add gorgeous shine.

More celebrity looks: Get Mz Bratt’s Curly Hairstyle!

Get Erykah’s 1970s style Afro with Twisted Sista! First, shampoo with Twisted Sista De-Frizz Shampoo to hydrate your strands and add essential nutrients, including green tea extract and coconut oil.

Next, condition with the Twisted Sista De-Frizz Conditioner. This conditioner strengthens and protects hair from UV damage, and feeds moisture back into frizzy hair. Delivering intensive conditioning to your strands is important in avoiding greasy roots.

After conditioning your hair, spray Twisted Sista Leave-In Conditioner to clam and control troublesome ends. Leave hair damp and apply Twisted Sista Curl Activator to moisturize your hair, activate curls and deliver volume and definition.

Finally, sit under a hair dyer to allow your hair to completely dry. Make sure your curls are tangle-free by using a wide-tooth comb. Part your hair into sections and combe out each one to create a puffy Afro look. Add Twisted Sista 30 Second Curl Spray to keep your Afro vibrant and well-defined.

In the natural hair world, whether you have waves, curls or kinks, the blogosphere is essential. Were it not for all of the brave and die-hard naturals out there who took to their video cameras and computers to blast out the word that natural was a way of life and everyone should hop on board, we wouldn’t be here (heck, NaturallyCurly was one of those!”>.

All of us have watched at least ONE, if not hundreds, of styling videos and read through even more styling tips looking for the perfect wavy, curly or kinky hairstyle, regimen, prep technique, on and on and on. So in celebration of our curly celebrity month of love, we bring you curly vloggers who are celebrities in their own right, and to us!

Meet Kirstin Walker

Vlogger Jadison03 shows us how to wet bun type 4 hair (plus she is the creator of “Sh*t Some Relaxed Girls Say“”>.

Stylist Ami Mankey of Madusalon in San Francisco dishes on how to get Corinne Bailey Rae’s perfect wash-and-go look.

1. The key to amplify this wash-and-go style is to amplify the natural curl pattern by making sure hair has enough moisture. Don’t completely rinse out conditioner after washing, then trickle some water on to re-wet hair.
2. Before air drying, shake curls loosely. All the conditioner will give a soft, light hold and hair will also be frizz free.
3. For extra pizzazz, scrunch in light-hold styling products on slightly wet hair.
4. For extra volume when hair is dry, put your head upside down and rub your fingers on your scalp to backcomb the curls with fingers, rather than a comb. This will provide volume without the frizz.

More celebrity looks: Jill Scott’s New Diva Twist

Curlies, are you looking for an edging product that actually works? Well we got your fix! Ampro’s new Silk Edges product, part of the Shine ‘n Jam product line, is made of 100 percent olive oil and silk protein. Yep, that’s right – there’s real silk in it!

The silk protein helps to create a smooth, sleek finish while delivering the strongest hold of the entire Shine ‘n Jam line. Even Toya Wright tweeted out that she, “prefers to use the product when smoothing the edges of her natural style.”

We caught up with Toya ourselves to find out how and when she uses the product and how we can, too!

So tell me about this deal you have with Ampro.

Well, I love their edge tamers and I also really love their styling jam. I hear people complaining all the time about their hair care products and which these types of products, you can’t apply a lot. It is just for the edges, then you brush it or comb your hair down, especially for ponytails, which is works really, really well with. My ponytails are always really pretty and shiny when I use Ampro products. But that edge tamer, that’s a really good product that they came out with!

When do you use the product the most?

I always use it with my ponytails, or if I wake up and I don’t want to apply any heat, I’ll use the edge tamer, but I’ll only apply a little, little bit. If you use it right, which is again, by just using a little bit, then it will give your hair a silky look.

So if you’re looking to cash in on the product, head over to Fred’s Super Dollar store and other local beauty supply stores and pick up a jar!

Today, curlies are faced with many curly hairstyles to choose from.  If you pick up any magazine, you are likely to find literally hundreds of different looks. Some are good, great and amazing. Others, not so much.

Choosing a curly hairstyle that works for you in your lifestyle, and as an individual, is paramount. If you have children, and only have 5 minutes to get ready, it is probably best to choose a natural, wearable look that is quick to style or can dry naturally based on your hair texture, but at the same time is still chic and not frumpy. Then again, if you are a child-free and live the glamorous life each night on the town, then kicking it up a bit in the maintenance area and adding some time to your styling routine is no biggie.

In walks Charlize Theron. Her simple curly hairstyle is ideal both for the sexy appeal and the relative ease in which it is attainable. Go on curlies of all ages and lifestyles, rock your curly bob!

Charlize Theron’s Sexy, Curly Bob

1. Shampoo the hair with a light shampoo that is not too oily or heavy, using a light onditioner on the ends.
2. If your hair is naturally straight, you’ll need to blow dry the hair with a boar bristle brush. To ensure a smooth finish, run the brush from roots to ends with slight tension and follow with the blowdryer. I recommend choosing a great dryer to save time, such as the One Epic Nano Pro. Choose a size of brush that is on the bigger side as your style will be made straight
3. Wrap hair around the barrel, using the Verge Curl Styx, with your fingers in a spiral pattern. Keep in mind that the more of a gap there is between each spiral, the softer and more natural the wave will be. The closer the hair is to itself in the spirals, the tighter the curl will be.
4. For the Charlize look, you are better off to not be so perfect with each curl and do each one randomly and differently than the one before.
5. Using your fingers, softly run brush out your hair until you achieve the desired softness and style that is all you.

Whether your up for a night on the town, a trip to target or even a champagne and strawberry ride on your own jet, this look will deliver! Now you just have to get yourself to somehow channel your inner Charlize which is a two part formula – one part tiger, one part confidence, ROAR!

In the natural hair world, whether you have waves, curls or kinks, the blogosphere is essential. Were it not for all of the brave and die-hard naturals out there who took to their video cameras and computers to blast out to the word that natural was a way of life and everyone should hop on board, we wouldn’t be here (heck, NaturallyCurly was one of those!”>.

All of us have watched at least ONE, if not hundreds, of styling videos and read through even more styling tips looking for the perfect wavy, curly or kinky hairstyle, regimen, prep technique, on and on and on. So in celebration of our curly celebrity month of love, we bring you curly vloggers who are celebrities in their own right, and to us!

Meet Jenna

Natural hair vlogger JennaSings509 shows us how to create an easy and elegant wavy/curly hair updo.

As New York Fashion Week gets off to a start, and “Texture on the Runway” inches closer and closer (only one day away!”>, we caught up with Miss Universe, Leila Lopes of Angola, to talk about Fashion Week, her hair, her history and where she sees herself going from here.

Keep a lookout for her in NYC, she will be taking the fashion and acting world’s by storm — and maybe wearing a little bit of Kanye’s collection on the way!

Talk to me a little about what you did before Miss Universe.

Before Miss Universe, I was studying business management, and then I decided to compete for Miss Angola.

You just decided?

Well, I wanted to get into it because pageant queens have so much power and influence. They have a voice. I decided to compete because I thought that, as Miss Angola, I could change people’s lives in my country. That’s why I decided to compete for Miss Angola, and luckily, I won Miss Universe, which is even better! [laughter]

No kidding! Now you get to represent and speak for your country and women everywhere on a world stage.

Exactly!

Let’s get in to your hair story. Are you natural?

Well, I used to have an afro. My hair was natural and it used to be curly. When I was 18, I relaxed it, and then I kind of regretted it because I lost my curl and I didn’t like wearing my hair straight. So I decided to give up on relaxing and learned how to go back to my hair naturally. But then, when I decided to compete for Miss. Angola, they said that I looked too young with curly hair, and they said that it would be better if I relaxed again. So I did. Now my hair is relaxed. I relax it about once every three months.

Interesting. How is your hair holding up from being natural to relaxed back to natural and then back to relaxed?

I have very fine hair, so I have to be very careful with it. I use products that are very appropriate for my hair. It gets dry because of the weather in New York, so I need more moisture. I use a lot of CHI products. I started using them when I was down in Brazil for the competition. The products actually just work a lot better for my hair.

Speaking of the competition, there was a lot of talk about you wearing a topknot instead of wearing your hair down. Was that your decision?

Yeah, it was my decision! I remember when the girls, when they saw me wearing my hair up, they were like, “Are you going to wear your hair up doing all the competition?” And I said, “Yes.” And they said, “Wow, you’re brave! Even for the swimsuit?” And I said, “Yes!”

I just wanted to do something different.

Of course, and it obviously worked! So what’s the natural hair attitude in Angola?

In Angola, normally when we are 18, we decide to relax our hair and then we regret it. It’s a tropical country, its hot, you are always sweating, and your hair gets curly easily, even if it is straight. The roots will get curly and then everything gets puffy. Normally all the girls I know regret it when they relax, so we are all going back natural.

Do y’all transition back, or big chop?

Some people do just chop it all off, but most people just wear braids until it gets more natural because it is a hard process, you know? Letting your hair grow back natural is hard because all the hair is susceptible to break.

It definitely is, and it takes a lot of confidence to rock the natural look.

Well, you do have to be confident about your hair. You have to get the right products because, even though you decide to wear it natural, it has to be healthy to be beautiful. So with the right products, we all can get beautiful hair. I believe that you should feel comfortable with your hair.

My favorite thing about my natural hair was that there were so many options. I could wear it down or I could wear it straight. Of course, you have to use a lot of product to make it stay straight for a long time! [laughter] It works though. As long as you know how to play with your hair, it works. I used to be more creative when I had an afro, but now that it is straight, I only wear it down or in a ponytail. I can’t braid it, or anything else.

Right. So when your hair was natural, what were your go-to styles?

Well, I used to really like to braid just one side. Sometimes the left side, or sometimes the right side — sometimes both sides and left the middle out. Everybody used to say that my hair was beautiful.

Do you have nay plans to go back natural after the Miss Universe reign is over?

Yes I do. I prefer my hair natural. The relaxer that I’m using isn’t too strong, so when I wash my hair, I see the curls coming back and that’s really cool. I know that I can go back natural when it is all done.

So what is your hair routine?

Well I wash my hair on Saturdays, on the weekends, on my off-days, those are my washdays. I deep condition every Thursday because, with all the heat that I’ve been using, I need to condition my hair.

When I go to a hairdresser, I take my products with me, especially the CHI Shine Treatment. It is like my secret. I take it everywhere.

Also, I use a reconstructer because the ends of my hair, I have to cut them every single month. So this helps to reconstruct the health a lot.

Sounds like you’re going to have a pretty easy time going back natural if you’re taking such good care of it right now.

Yes, yes, that’s the goal.

So, going back a little bit to the request to relax your hair. Do you think that in the pageantry world, if contestants were to wear their natural hair, that they would have a more difficult time winning?

No, I don’t think so. My organization in Angola, they sat with me and they said, “You, with the curly hair, you look too young.” And, it’s true. I’ve seen pictures of me with the curly hair and I really do look too young. So, they asked if I would straighten it and use some extensions. And, it worked. It worked to make me look older, unfortunately.

But, you’re #teamnatural all the way!

Yes, yes I am!

Brenda [Leila’s PR agent]: I’m always fascinated by talks like these! So, sorry to interject!

No, no, go ahead!

Brenda: Well, I have this friend down in Atlanta, and she has been going to a lot of these meetups, and there really is this movement toward going back natural. My friend is all natural now. She hasn’t had a relaxer in years! She shows me all these pictures of her friends and says, “Girl, she just went natural, too!” And all these women have the same styles that Leila is talking about, you know, transitioning with the braids. But my friend, she just chopped it all off. She had this real cute little boyish cut. It is so cool!

Yea, we call that the TWA – teeny weeny afro.

Brenda: Really? Oh that’s cute!! Leila: Yeah, it is something that is really getting a lot bigger. All these women are going back natural. In Angola, it is really common. Everyone regrets their decision to relax because you want to go to the beach and get your hair wet, but they can’t because it is relaxed. We just prefer wearing our hair natural.

That’s great! What advice would you give women looking to go natural?

Even though I always hear a lot of women say, “Oh, my hair. It is an afro, but it is not curly. I don’t have the beautiful curls!” Well, there are a lot of products out there to help give it the small curls or the big ones, to help define. You just have to love your hair and find the right products for it.

Of course, so going off on a little big of a tangent, I watched your vlog post about how excited you are for Fashion Week and you were especially excited about seeing Kanye West’s collection. Are you a fan?

Yes! I also love Sean John’s line. It is good for me to see famous people getting into the fashion industry and doing well because not everybody can do it, and they are doing great! I saw some coats from Kanye’s past collection at Paris Fashion Week and I’ll say, he is doing great! Kanye West is a businessman.

Definitely. So you’ve pledged to help combat HIV during your Miss. Universe reign. Can you tell me a little more about that?

Yeah, this is my platform, and it used to be as Miss Angola also. I’m very proud to work for this cause. Now that I’m Miss. Universe, I’ve really been learning a lot more. It is good to see people really focus and tackle this disease.

Is HIV something that is prominent in Angola? How did you become associated with this?

Yes, it is big in Angola. Now it is even worse. I was working for this cause before any of the pageantry stuff.

Yesterday I worked with an organization in New York. I took the public test to encourage other people to do the same because I believe it is really important that people get tested, and know their status. It is better for people to find it soon. The sooner you find out that you have the disease, the easier it will be to fight it.

Especially as a woman, it is good for me to talk to other women because we all want to be mothers. It is good when we can get the test so that we can save our babies.

So what’s next for you?

I won a scholarship from New York Film Academy, so I’m thinking about acting classes. I really want to stay in New York for a year longer. I’ll take acting classes and also think about a modeling career because I’ve never been a model.

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The overall theme that we decided to create for the “Texture On The Runway” hairstyles consists of full texture with braids and curls. The inspiration for this look would be from the Victorian and King Edward period because the hair of this period was physically done and styled to create particular looks. The techniques that will be showcased will include braiding, iron styling and hot tools to create a certain type of curl.

When coloring the hair we have decided to use strawberry blondes and dirty blondes because of the time period.

The reason why we have chosen this era in the past for inspiration, the Victorian/King Edward period, is because we want to feature a modern twist on style to take something from the past and make it relevant and beautiful for the present.

In terms of what we will be using for cutting and texture would be highly textured cutting techniques infused with multidimensional colors. The products we will be using are the new Matrix Total Results Miracles.

The wardrobe and makeup that will be visible on the models would be directly influenced by the Victorian Era with a couture finish to complete the overall look. Matrix Artist Directors: Daniel Roldan and Nick Stenson.

Check out these styles plus so much more at www.textureontherunway.com.

Mariah’s hair has so much potential, as she has managed to save and maintain her precious and beautiful length. Her hair color is successfully showing her dimension in her lower curls, and her golden highlights are well balanced by her golden brown lowlights. Her ends can’t be too light, as her hair is quite weak and fine so precious length can easily look weak, thin and transparent.

She definitely is in need of Curl Keeper as the right side of her hair shows frizz. Mariah’s hair goes flat quite easily and her habit of scrunching her flat spots definitely needs tweaking, which will support her hair creating the volume and bounce she desperately craves.

I would strongly suggest that Maria should try achieving more volume on the top of her head, as her style lies quite flat on the top of her head almost straight at the roots. Her face shape shows her beautiful smile and jaw line, but the hair volume is widest at her cheeks, which is not the most flattering spot for volume, and doesn’t add anything to the look. Learning how to add some gel to the Curl Keeper and with the help of a root brush will only help her beautiful curls, as the gel will support the loose wave in definition, while getting rid of the frizz. Her style will complete the perfect full-bodied frizz-free freedom she can carry.