CN: What about night maintenance throughout the rest of the week? Do you re-braid?
Kim: I put my satin bonnet on it and just sleep. In the morning, I take that off and re-fluff. Some times, if it needs it, I’ll take a little more of that coconut oil mix and squeeze it through to give it some extra shine. And that’s it!
CN: You mentioned DevaCurl. What other brands are you liking?
Kim: I love Carol’s Daughter Healthy Hair Butter. I also love Jane Carter Solution. She has a Hair Nourishing Serum and a spray, liquid Revitalizing Leave-in Conditioner. I like both of those and use those from time to time. I also love her Nourish and Shine. My hair likes heavier solutions, it’s my friend. You put some in at night and by the morning, it’s absorbed and your hair feels great.
If I want to change up my look, which I rarely do, I’ll pull my hair back into a bun. And that’s another good thing about the conditioning. If you condition over night, you find that you get a lot more stretch the next day, which makes it easier to pull it back into a little bun. Or, sometimes I’ll just do two piggy tails, which is my husband’s favorite. He just loves that. I like it too.
And that’s about it. I’d love to learn how to twist my hair though.
CN: Your skin is so clear and smooth. Dish!
Kim: Thank you! Coconut oil! If I can’t eat it, I try not to use it on my skin. It’s free of chemicals. It’s also excellent for removing makeup. Lately, I’ve been doing some publicity stuff for my new film, “Pariah,” and coconut oil is wonderful for removing makeup. It leaves me so soft and moisturized afterward. I have very sensitive skin and can’t use a lot of products. I love Aubrey Organics, it’s an all natural skin care line and I love their cleanser.
CN: What’s new? What projects have you been working on?
Nikisia Cooper and Dee Rees.Kim: I’m in a film called “Pariah” that I’m really proud of. It opens up the 28 of this month in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles, and then they’ll roll it out to other cities after that date.
It’s an amazing film. It’s a coming of age story about a young lesbian struggling with her identity and I play her mother who is having a difficult time dealing with her sexuality. It’s beautifully written and so relevant to what’s going on these days. It’s good for opening up dialogue and will hopefully help to change some lives. The director is a young, black woman, a protege of Spike Lee who is actually one of the executive producers on this movie. Check out “PariahtheMovie.com” to see a trailer and get more information.
We had a lot of fun. We premiered at Sundance this past year and then we went to the Toronto Film Festival as well. Focus Feature bought the film and they’re distributing it. The cast is wonderful. It’s a portrayal of an African American family in a way that we rarely ever get to see. And you know I really hope people will come out and support this because on so many levels, it’s a beautiful film. It’s a universal film. You don’t have to be gay or black to be affected by it and to resonate with a a lot of the different themes that are going on in the project.
Another great thing is that all of the cast is natural, even the director Dee Reese and producer, Nikisa Cooper! So we made quite the statement going from town to town promoting the film. People were like, “Hold up, wait a minute, the naps have arrived!” It was really, really great.
I also have a collection of children’s books that my husband and I write called Amy HodgePodge. We just got a deal with a production company that is trying to do animation with the project. We have 6 books out on the market right now, published by Penguin, and it’s a delightful story about the trials and tribulations of a multiracial 4th grader, starting regular school after being home-schooled her entire life.
CN: What was it like growing up in the Wayans household?
Kim: Amazing. There were 5 girls and 5 boys. I loved growing up with a big crazy family. We didn’t have much in the way of material things, but we didn’t need it with all the joy, love, fun and creativity. I didn’t realize we were poor until I went off to Wesleyan University. I woke up one day and said, “Wow, we were poor?” [Laughs]. It’s great having a family like that.
CN: Where did you fall at in the line?
Kim: In the middle, the forgotten middle child. But in a family that big, there really is no middle child!
CN: Are the rumors true? Is “In Living Color” coming back?
Kim: Yes! Keenan is doing a reboot of “In Living Color” with a fresh new cast. So Ms. Benita will not be blowing up the spot [Laughs]. I may make a guest appearance, but it’ll be a new cast because the whole point of this is to help talent that’s out there now — talent that doesn’t have any place to showcase their skills. And the same way “In Living Color” served as a launch pad for myself and Jim Carey, Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Lopez — the list goes on and on. This reboot will do the same for a whole new generation.
I’m also working on a pilot for a sitcom that I wrote with my husband and that my brother’s executive produced. It’s a modern day telling of what it was like growing up Wayans, and I play the mom of a large brood growing up in a NYC Project Development. It’s from the mother’s point of view, showing what it was like for she and my father to raise us there.
Want More?
Kim is super busy but she’s active on Twitter. Connect with her there!
Final Thoughts
Ladies, help Kim out! After the interview, we discussed her desire to try twists and twist-outs. She’s never even created a two strand twist and I shared a few tips, but she wants to hear from you!
- How do you create your twists (wet, damp or dry”>?
- How do you keep them from unraveling?
- What are your favorite products for hold and shine?
