BGLH: where are you from?
N: Barbados .. holla ! Barbados is known for its lovely beaches and party scenes. Where else can you pay U.S. $25 and have drinks all night ? hehe. That beach is like 2 minutes away from my house. I don’t appreciate it nearly enough though
BGLH: what is the natural hair scene like in your country?
N: While there are alot of natural heads …there are also alot of braids, weaves blahblah. For every three women you meet one will have natural twists, the other would have fake hair and the other would have stringy relaxed hair. The natural hair in Barbados is nothing to shout at either… very boring twists or cornrows with absolutely no creativity. Rarely do I see a natural rocking a big ol puff or anything like that
BGLH: when did you go natural and why?
N: I went natural December 14 2009. I grew my relaxed hair to the middle of my back. Long … straight .. silky hair … that did not make me happy.
I was bored, I wanted something different. I wanted in a way to have some sort of release. I like to wake up on a morning and soak my head under water… while I was able to do with relaxed hair… but it just didn’t feel right. I wanted to shake my hair and run. You know like how you would have the urge to just run around naked and be free .. (or is that just me?)
I have been through so many hairstyles and so many physical changes, but I feel the best with my natural hair. I love it . It expresses me and my race.
BGLH: what mistakes have you made in your natural journey that you’ve learned from?
N: Well I have only been natural for like a couple weeks (03) , but I have realised to stop working on curl definition and work on maintaining the health of my hair
BGLH: what products/ingredients do you use?
N: I use VO5 and White Rain Conditioners to cowash , I love shea butter on freshly washed hair as well as Long Aid Curl Activator Gel and Ecostyler GE. The green one is wonderful for Day 1 hair because it maintains hold but the Blue one is sweet for soft touchable hair. I also use Herbal Essences Mousse and a really cheap gel (which I will buy more of) called Lustre or something like that … It works like the Blue Eco but $5 cheaper . I moisturise everyday with a spritz of glycerin and water mix –> I have been using this mix for the last 3 years and I will never forget it
What would you like to see in your country in terms of natural haircare?
N: I would like the women here to be more educated in terms of caring for their hair. It’s basically the same as everywhere else. Ladies with “eat out” (translated: broken off) hair , not trying to figure out how to fix the problem or why their hair is the way it is but covering up the ‘mess’ with fake hair. One time I saw a girl with a hairline almost behind her ears , she had a fake hairline .. painted with Lord knows what…baby hairs and all. I wanted to speak to her about it, but she seemed like the type to cuss me right out, so I tried not to look at her too much. They don’t try to fix the problem , they just hide it and still don’t take care of the hair underneath. I wish the hairdressers would stop encouraging these young ladies to slap on weave and not take care of their real hair. I mean there are more BSS specialising in fake hair than schools. Okay that is a lie .. but you do get my point. So when a lady with long hair is seen, she isn’t thought to be mixed or anything, she is thought to have fake hair , no question about it, because it is very unusual to have long hair in Barbados if you aren’t mixed with a certain complexion. Point is… I would like Bajan ladies to stop having the mentality that because they can’t grow their hair then forget about it and fake it all the way.
I would like to educate naturals on actually taking care of their hair. I know many naturals who have been that way for their entire lives but still only have one year’s with of growth on their heads. Most wear twists … and wash their hair once every 2 months , no deep conditioning , no moisturising . Needless to say they are giving naturals a bad name. Also … I pray that they get some creativity with the hairstyles… they would discourage other people from going natural. Thank God for this site !
BGLH: Is there a blog/webpage/fotki where we can check your progress?
N: I recently started a youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/bambiix2
