Joy is a 33 year old dental therapist. This Jamaica native is currently obsessed with all things natural hair. Joy has a sweet spirit, beautiful smile, and amazing hair!
Marita A: How long have you been natural?
Joy: I have been natural for three years now. Yay! 🙂
Marita A: What inspired you to go natural?
Joy: Initially I went natural because I wanted to give my hair a break from relaxers; I was having some serious issues with dryness, breakage and an itchy scalp. About six months into being natural I accidentally discovered the natural hair phenomenon on YouTube while searching for reviews on the Kinky Curly Curling Custard. Seeing all these beautiful black women proudly rocking their natural tresses inspired me to stay natural.
Marita A: What was the most difficult part of transitioning to natural?
Joy: I did not really transition, I just big chopped. My TWA made its glorious debut in June of 2009! The most difficult part of transitioning to natural was learning to comb my hair without breaking it off! I have fine strands but dense hair and by the time I had three or four inches of new growth, trying to comb through my thick hair was an absolute nightmare. What made things worse is that I knew NOTHING about caring for afro kinky hair. In the beginning I would comb my DRY hair, with a super fine RAT TAIL COMB! (Yes…I cringe every single time I remember that). My detangling sessions were absolute torture until I started watching tons of videos on YouTube. I soon discovered that lots of conditioner on wet hair would save my delicate strands AND my life. LOL!
Marita A: How did your family, friends, spouse or significant other react to your hair’s new kinky texture?
Joy: I did my big chop myself as I was all too eager to see my relaxed ends go. I stayed up until 3am one morning snipping away at my hair until I had about an inch of new growth left. I remember staring at myself in the mirror and thinking that it was a drastic change from straight hair past my shoulders to an inch high afro, but I was smitten. I was seeing my natural texture for the first time in seventeen years! My significant other and my immediate family loved it, everyone else, not so much. I was told by a coworker that I was “sick in the head” for cutting off all my hair and that long hair was “a blessing”. To that I smiled sweetly and responded, “No. YOU’RE sick in the head for thinking I’M sick in the head for getting a hair cut. It’s just hair.”
Marita A: Have you tried to convert any of your friends or family members into naturalistas?
Joy: Ha! When I first started seeing serious growth I remember being really excited and wanting to share what I had learned about natural hair to everyone and anyone that would listen…LOL. My sister has gone natural, she has GORGEOUS hair. My hair stylist also went natural and told me that she was inspired by my hair. Unfortunately the natural trend is yet to catch on here in Jamaica as most women prefer weaves and relaxers over naturally kinky hair. In fact most people seem to think that you can only go natural if you are either “mixed” or have “pretty” hair. Unfortunately the global misconceptions about afro kinky hair are alive and well here too.
Marita A: What’s in your makeup bag?
Joy: With our year round tropical and humid climate here in Jamaica one is wise to keep the makeup at a minimum…LOL! While I do get dolled up for special occasions, on average I wear very little to no makeup at all. In my makeup bag you will find some mascara, Maybelline in Blackest Black, black eyeliner, lip gloss, my favorite papaya skin toner and my favorite fragrance. That’s it.
Marita A: How do you keep your skin naturally beautiful?
Joy: I was plagued with severe acne in the past but thankfully I now have it under control. I make sure to cleanse twice daily with a mild cleanser like Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser or for those days when I have to remove a lot of grime my African Black Soap Facial Wash gets the job done. I always follow up with my favorite beauty product of all time, my Papaya Skin Freshener produced right here in Jamaica. It’s an alcohol free toner that moisturizes and softens my skin like nobody’s business. That is pretty much all I do to my skin on a daily basis.
Marita A: Did you go through any kind of personal/spiritual transformation while going through the process of going natural?
Joy: I have never felt more confident and comfortable in my own skin. Going natural taught me a huge lesson in self acceptance. Going natural was also THE best decision I ever made for my hair, my scalp, quite possibly for my health and most importantly for my self esteem. I have absolutely no regrets. I had always thought in the past that my hair in its natural state was unacceptable, outdated, and needed to be “fixed”. I didn’t think I would be able to care for it and nurture it the way I do now. These days I get more positive feedback and compliments on my hair than I ever did when I had a relaxer.
Marita A: What are some of your favorite hair styles?
Joy: Two strand twists would have to be my go to style and I contribute my length retention to wearing twists 80 percent of the time. I wear them loose; do them on stretched hair, in updos, you name it. Wash and go’s are another favorite, as they are easy to do and they provide an opportunity for me to showcase my coils. Plus there’s something about wearing my hair out that is liberating. I feel like I’m telling the world, “Like it or not this is me”.
Marita A: What encouragement can you give to someone who may be considering going natural?
Joy: For anyone who is possibly considering going natural my advice would be to just accept your hair for what it is and to know that your texture is unique to you. Don’t ever compare your hair to anyone else’s; you might never be happy with your God given tresses. Also, the opinions of others should NEVER determine or influence how you feel about your hair OR yourself. Lastly there are endless blogs and YouTube channels that offer inspiration and support, do your research. Caring for your tresses becomes a breeze when you empower yourself with knowledge.
Joy thanks for showing the U.S. some love, I have enjoyed reading your story, I am sure the readers will too!
