Guest Post by: Marita A.
Happy Wednesday curlies! This weeks’ natural beauty spotlight is Naomi, my fellow Proviso West Alum. Naomi lives in Chicago and works as a Registered Respiratory Therapist. When she’s not saving lives and melting hearts you can find her indulging in cheesecake or dancing with friends all while rocking her fierce fro.
Marita A: How long have you been natural?
Naomi: It’s been five years since I’ve used a relaxer in my hair.
Marita A: What inspired you to go natural?
Naomi: My hair began to break off, so I decided to stop using relaxers.
Marita A: What was the most difficult part of transitioning to natural?
Naomi: When I initially stopped using relaxers I never wore my natural hair out. I did the BC and I was too vain to wear my hair that short. I didn’t know how to take care of my natural hair at that time. The most difficult part was spending 6-8 hours every two to three weeks getting a sew-in done by my mom, it was so time consuming.
Marita A: How did your family, friends, spouse or significant other react to your hair’s new kinky texture?
Naomi: All my family, friends, and co-workers love my hair.
Marita A: Have you tried to convert any of your friends or family members into naturalistas?
Naomi: I tried and succeeded with converting my mother to natural hair. She did the big chop at the end of December 2011 and has been wearing her TWA since then.
Marita A: What’s in your makeup bag?
Naomi: My make-up bag consists of Maybelline transparent mascara and dream matte mousse foundation, clear lip gloss, and a black eyeliner pencil.
Marita A: How did you keep your skin naturally beautiful?
Naomi: I keep my skin beautiful first and foremost being a vegetarian. I also drink plenty of water. Outside of that I use 100% all natural black soap and Neutrogena naturals multi-vitamin nourishing moisturizer daily.
Marita A: Did you go through any kind of personal/spiritual transformation while going through the process of going natural?
Naomi: I feel that my natural hair journey allowed me to show more of my personality. Before, when I was wearing weave, I was hiding behind my hair. In the past I was not really creative with my clothing, now I have a closet full of bright outfits. To tell you the truth I have more accessories than I know what to do with.
Marita A: What are some of your favorite hair styles?
Naomi: I like simple styles. My favorite hairstyle is a puff accessorized by a headband or scarf. I also like wearing a bun and my signature afro after a braid out.
Marita A: What encouragement can you give to someone who maybe considering going natural?
Naomi: I would say just do it, being natural is so freeing. If you feel alone and aren’t sure where to start DON’T! There are so many Facebook pages and websites dedicated to natural hair care and hair styles.
Thank you Naomi for sharing your story. For more natural hair inspiration join Chicago Natural Beauty Meetup, click here
