Shea Lets Loose on her Natural Curls

My Name is Shea, and I'm from the Rotten Apple!!!

When did you go natural and why?

I grew out my relaxer in 2001, but continued pressing my hair because I didn't know how else to care for it. When I found nappturality a little over 3 years ago, only then did I realize there were other options besides flatironing, and gradually I stopped. Now I press it out twice a year to get a trim and that's it.

I stopped both of the above cause I saw other gorgeous ladies walking around with a head full of natural, beautiful hair and I thought, why can't I? So literally, I made up my mine to go natural. The process took about 4 seconds, literally.

What have you loved most about being natural?

The advice, the knowledge, the people!! Some say "it's just hair" but it's a bit more than that for a lot of people. This has become more of a hobby for me, something I enjoy learning about and researching. Plus I've actually gained quite a few friends through this whole process and that was nice.

What I also love is helping others in learning how to care for and accept their hair, and when they come back to you and say hey, I tried xyz that you told me and it worked! You can't help but smile. Again, it may seem like a small thing to people, but some ladies have actually grown up with issues where they were called names by friends or even family, so they have some really deep rooted issues. When you are told that you helped someone overcome those issues, it's a beautiful thing.

What have you liked least?

The psychotic people that try to put others down. I mean really, do these people have a life? Oh, and washing my hair in the cold @$ winter. It's not fun trying to twist your hair, as you fingers go numb. Have you ever tried it? Not fun at all.

What's your best advice for people transitioning to natural?

Stick with it!!! Research, research, research. And ignore the negative comments, cause trust me, everyone from your family to the little ants on the sidewalk will have an opinion, be it good, bad or indifferent. Say thank you to the positive and screw you to the negative. People tend to shut up around me now cause I will go there, now matter how close we are.


What are your favorite natural hair care websites or forums?

Nappturality.com
Naturallycurly.com
Longhaircareforum.com


What are your top three products and why?

DARN YOU!!!!! I'm foiled again! So many people ask me this *sigh*. Shall I name lines? Or actually products? Okay, I'll name actual things and keep it simple. If I HAD to pick, I'd choose black soap, cause you can use it from head to toe, karen's body beautiful hair milk cause that thing helps shine, define, and detangle like nobody's business, and Jamaican black castor oil cause I couldn't believe how soft it left my hair.


Find out more about Shea on fotki at http://members.fotki.com/EmpressRi/about/ and hope you're all keeping your hair kinky!