Chatting with Naturalista Alisa from CoilyLocks.com
Hey Guys! Check out this blog feature on the beautiful naturalista Alisa from CoilyLocks
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Introduce yourself:
My name is Alisha and I’m the mother of an 11 year old and little mini diva that will be turning 4 at the end of the month! I’ve been married for 12 years and I’m also the creator of COILY LOCKS. http://www.coilylocks.com
What made you decide to go natural?
I actually went natural 12 years ago before I got married to save money. This time around I did it to show my oldest daughter that she can be beautiful with her natural curls and it was pretty hard to emphasize that to her when I was walking around with relaxed, bone straight hair.
Did you Big Chop or did you Transition and When?I’ve always gone between shoulder length and short pixie cuts so big chopping was no problem for me. I wore kinky twist braids in my hair for about 3 months and as soon as I took them out I ran right to get my hair cut. This was November 15, 2011. I take my hat off to anyone that can transition for 2+ years!
Were you nervous when you big chopped and why? What went through your head?
I wasn’t nervous at all and felt liberated after I did it! The only thought going through my head was “I really need to buy more accessories for this short hair now!” LOL And then the other thought was “Who knew I had so many textures going on!” This led to me calling my hair Sybil…haha!
Are you happy you made the decision to go natural?
I’m very happy about being natural and love talking about hair and products with my other curlfriends.
Do you have hair length goals or hair health is more important to you?
I let my hair grow out for one year with the main goal of having a BIG, obnoxious fro! In December 2012 I went to have my hair flat ironed and trimmed. Unfortunately this resulted in a lot of heat damage on my crown. So back for another big chop it was. I cut it all off again this past January and I’ve been keeping it tapered every since. Right now I’m only concerned about my girls and me having healthy hair.
What are your favorite hair products?
It’s funny how my Holy Grail (favorite products) has changed over the past 2 years. Right now my favorite leave-in is Giovanni Direct Leave-in. I typically co-wash daily during the warmer months with VO5 since it’s cheap and gets the job done. For deep conditioning I love Hair Rules Quench Ultra Rich Conditioner. The slip is amazing and makes your hair feel so soft! I’ve been working with KJ Naturals to develop a hair butter and hoping to have that available to others for purchase soon. It will be called Sybil’s Buttah and the base is mango butter. To clarify I use Bentonite Clay a few times each month but have also been hearing great things about Rhassoul clay. Then to give my curls some texture and pop I used Curls Curling Jelly.
I like to keep things very simple! I’m not a product junkie and if I want to try something new I always make sure I purchase it from a retailer where I can return it if I’m not happy. Since I’m pretty much just doing WNGs right now, I’ll cowash each morning, followed by a leave-in, my hair butter and curling jelly. That’s it! I also try and DC once a week with my hair steamer. I’ll use my Hair Rules conditioner and depending on how Sybil is acting I may add some extra oils such as jojoba and almond oil to the mix. Then I’ll steam for about 20 minutes, rinse and style.
What advice would you give to someone who is considering going natural or a newly natural?
The biggest thing to get used to is how much moisture your hair needs as a newly natural. Water based products should be the first staple product you buy. I also tried to find other naturals with a texture similar to mine when it came to finding good products. Be patient and remember it’s ok if your hair doesn’t look like the YouTube person you’ve been following. Do what works for you and don’t believe the hype of magic pills or potions to get your hair to grow. Exercise, eat healthy and take care of yourself and your hair will do great.
I don’t think it’s any harder to wear natural hair in the corporate world, but I think a lot of naturals may be limited on certain styles that may be considered “professional”. A big picked out faux hawk might not go over well, but a bun or pinned up twists may work better. And I really think it also depends on your work environment. But natural or permed, being professional should always come first.
Where can we find Alisa on the internet?
Do you want to be featured? Email shelly@glamnaturallife.com
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