NaturallyCurly: Introduce yourself and your event/company!
Lisa Clay: My name is Lisa Michelle Clay and I’m the owner/creator of the natural hair blog, This Hair of Mine. I’m sharing personal information about my own natural hair journey and seeking to inspire, encourage and motivate those who are natural or considering going natural.
NC: Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and how you got started in the hair care business? Can you tell me a little bit about your own personal background and the event’s background?
LC: As a resident of Houston, I’ve been very active in the natural hair community. I have attended many mixers and meet-ups in my city, but I’ve never put together an event on my own. When I realized I was approaching the first year anniversary of my blog, I shared my thoughts on having a small party to celebrate this milestone. I received tons of encouragement for my 1st Blogiversary Celebration and the ball got rolling! My initial hopes were to have a handful of sponsors and 30-40 attendees, but thanks to an overwhelming backing by my favorite brands and support from Houston naturals, I have over 20 sponsors and anticipate 100 ladies attending.
NC: How do you wear your hair? Natural? Curly?
LC: On any given day you’ll find me rocking a twistout, or some variation of one! I love the simplicity and the versatility of the style because it can be as compact or as big as I want it to be…and I LOVE big fluffy hair!
NC: Can you tell me about your curly hair story?
LC: As a child, I had a lot of hair, and after begging my mom, I got my first relaxer in junior high. I cut my hair short several times in high school, but I was never without a relaxer or texturizer. In college, I was solely responsible for my hair. Needless to say, I was not doing a great job at keeping it healthy. My hair was limp and lifeless, and I had resorted to wearing my hair in a ponytail the majority of the time. After debating whether or not to perm my hair, I decided that it was the perfect time to break the monotony. On July 30, 2004 I went to a local beauty school in Austin and had my hair cut off (“Big Chop” in today’s terms!”>. At that time I wasn’t aware of any natural hair movement, but I was in love with my new short style. After suffering severe heat damage with my first press (straight”> style, I had my second big chop in 2006. This was a hard pill to swallow after watching my hair grow tremendously in the first 18 months. Rather than take the time to learn my natural hair, I opted for braids and using a gentler, ceramic flat iron to straighten my hair. As I approached my 5 year naturalversary, I realized that I hadn’t really learned much about my hair other than that it’s curly when wet. That’s when I decided to take a healthier natural approach to my hair! I found tips on YouTube and other websites and began learning about new products and techniques, but it took another 2 years to actually start documenting my experiences on my own blog. That’s when This Hair of Mine was born!
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