In continuation from my last, slightly stalkerish post, in which I showed you all some of the hottest Naturalites spotted at Brooklyn's 2013 AFROPUNK Fest last month; I wanted to introduce you to some of my favourites.
Brooklyn's Natural Beauty Exhibit A: TESSA
Age: 29
NATURAL FOR: 12 years.
Tessa's family are Rastafarian and she went natural to challenge the ideas of beauty that were around her every day.
2 MUST HAVE PRODUCTS:
- Karen's Body Beautiful Sweet Ambrosia (available from Target or online) and
- Natural Shea butter + Olive Oil
Tessa's Top Tip:
Use Bentonite clay wash regularly to cleanse your hair from root to tip without stripping it of its natural oils.
Follow Tessa's blog at www.afroista.com She is more than just a chick with a 'fro...
Brooklyn's Natural Beauty Exhibit B: BETHLEHEM
NATURAL FOR: 7 years.
Bethlehem is natively from Ethiopia and although had used relaxers before, hated depending on it to feel good. She grew out her relaxer and one day took a breath and cut her ends off herself into her sink! Since then she's tried various styles and experiments regularly with her curls.
2 MUST HAVE PRODUCTS:
- Queen Helene's Royal Curl Shaping Creme available to buy online
- Kinky-Curly Knot Today Leave-In Conditioner
Bethlehem's Top Tips: Buy inexpensive Natural hair products from www.terressentials.com.
In Ethiopia women often put butter in their hair before washing... But that doesn't work (and it smells.) So she created her own special Pre-Poo mix:
Ingredients:
Egg yolks
Oil (olive, jojoba or Moroccan, whichever you prefer)
Coconut Cream
Avocado
Whisk the egg yolk and oil together bit by bit to create mayonnaise. Then add the coconut cream and avocado. Add more oil as needed and coat your hair. Cover your hair and do your business. Wash out after a couple of hours and boom - soft, beautiful curls!
Brooklyn's Natural Beauties Exhibits C-F: PARIS, JULES, ZAHRA and NDELEA
NATURAL FOR: 16 years, 13years, 10 years, 15years!
Interestingly, they all went Natural in their teens years, rejecting the image of straight haired beauty that surrounded them. Zahra grew up in Hawaii and said she didn't have a colour complex, but instead wanted hair she could run her fingers through, like the other girls. Eventually though she had a realisation: "I can be beautiful in a way that can represent beauty for others."
2 MUST HAVE PRODUCTS:
Z - Apple Cider Vinegar and Olive oil. "If you can't find it in the kitchen, you don't need to use it!"
P - Nature's Blessing Sweet Almond Oil and that's it!
J - Water! And Jojoba oil - which she'd been using for years but was so clueless after first going Natural, she was calling it 'Joe-Joe-buh' oil. Needless to say she has much more of an clue these days...
N - Shea Butter is a must have. "And whatever else I can find in the kitchen."
Brooklyn's Natural Beauty Exhibit G: JENNIFER
NAME: Jennifer
NATURAL FOR: 12 years
Jennifer had been Natural and had long hair until she had it relaxed before high school. After it breaking and not being as long as it had in the past, she decided to go back to natural hair at the age of 17 and hasn't looked back as her hair is relatively easy to maintain!
JENNIFER'S 2 MUST-HAVE PRODUCTS:
- Miss Jessie's Curly Butter Cream
- Miss Jessie's Supersweetback Treatment
Big up Miss Jessie which you can buy in the UK online from the Curly Emporium here :-)
Brooklyn's Natural Beauties Exhibits H and I: ADAMA AND SIQUELE
NAMES: Siquele and Adama (Meaning "Queenly")
NATURAL FOR: 12 years for both
Siaquele decided she was through with relaxers. She was tired of conforming to the neat pretty look and so wanted to grow out her natural curls. She loves her baby curls so much, she shaves her hair down every February to rock a refreshed new look.
Adama grew her locs as an experiment and now wears waist length hair. At AFROPUNK fest she told me she was trying out a shorter look by twisting up her locs ahead of chopping them off...but, by the end of the day had decided she preferred her long hair.
2 MUST HAVE PRODUCTS:
S - Natural Shea Butter and Aloe Vera Gel
A - Natural Shea Butter and Coconut Oil - Simple is best.
All Hail the Brooklyn Beauties.
Karla x
I've been itching to get my hands on some of that clay since I gave up on the old fashioned shampoo and conditioner that's been giving me allergies.
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