*Guest Post by Marita A.*
A big warm hello to my fellow natural beauty and hair lovers! Back by
popular demand is Natural Beauty of the Week. In the spotlight today
is the lovely Christina. I had the great pleasure of meeting her at
Essential Elements for The Chicago Natural Beauty Expo casting call with the talented Rachel O. Christina is full of personality and has an eye for
fashionable jewelry.
How long have you been natural:
I transitioned for all of 2008 and cut the remaining relaxed ends off
3 years ago.
What inspired you to go natural:
My relaxed hair would not grow past chin length and was thinning. I
was disgusted and tired of the same old thing. I was done and decided
that I would go natural.
What was the most difficult part of transitioning to natural:
Finding styles and products was the hardest part of transitioning.
Thankfully, I was not in Corporate America at the time; I could be
more artistic with my styles. I mostly wore braid outs. As for
products, I started mixing my own since I could not find something
both textures agreed with.
How did your family, friends, spouse or significant other react to
your hair’s new kinky texture:
My husband and dad loved it! He strongly discouraged me from getting
any type of weave. My other family members thought I had gone off the
deep end or that it was a phase.
What’s in your makeup bag:
I LOVE eye shadow! Any color, although I tend to keep to the softer
tones. I also have lip gloss, mascara, and black eyeliner pencils.
How did you keep your skin naturally beautiful:
I am a big fan of coconut oil and castor oil. I use it to take off my
makeup and it has been great for my combination skin. After the
makeup is off, I massage it all over, and in the morning, wipe my face
with a hot face towel. I keep blot paper handy for the occasional
shine on my nose, but otherwise, no oil!
Did you go through any kind of personal/spiritual transformation while
going through the process of going natural:
I definitely did! Going natural forced me to see, accept, and
ultimately love myself for who God made me. I am His lady, just has He
has made me. It also caused me to take the limits off of my life in
every aspect, allowing me to see my potential in a new light.
What are some of your favorite hair styles:
I love my curly fro, either flying free or with a scarf pushing it up
into a puff. As of lately I have done a lot of twists, with the added
benefit of a twist out 🙂
What encouragement can you give to someone who maybe considering going natural?
I found that arming myself with knowledge beforehand took the
intimidation out of the decision. Researching online about hair
health, styles, and techniques made the difference for me. And
remember, its not about whether or not you have “good” hair, but fully
embracing who you TRULY are, regardless of texture.
