CN: How do you protect your hair at night?
AB: I always cover my hair with a satin bonnet or sleep cap.
CN: What’s the best thing about being curly?
AB: Definitely the versatility! I can wear my curls in their naturally tight form, or I can twist/braid out to get a looser curl. I can also flat iron or blow it out for a fluffy fro. Or just go bone straight. I love having options.
CN: I found myself admiring your skin during the CBS short. What’s your regimen?
AB: As far as my skin goes, my regimen is pretty simple. Drinking lots of water, eating healthy foods, and exercising is a great start. But specifically, I do the following twice a day: I thoroughly cleanse my skin using cleansing cloths that come in packs of 30. These cloths remove makeup/dirt/oil really well. Olay Daily Facials Deep Cleansing Cloths are the brand, but I actually use the generic version from CVS. The CVS brand has a better texture (and they’re cheaper”> than the Olay, and gives me better results. You can use either if you don’t live near a CVS. I don’t like pre-moistened towelettes because they always contains oils and fragrances that leave a residue on your skin. These cleansing cloths are dry and you have to run them under water and lather them up.
After cleansing with the cloths, I wash with Aveeno Clear Complexion Cream Cleanser. Then I use Neutrogena Clear Pore Oil Eliminating Astringent. I just take a cotton pad, pour a bit on and swipe all over my face. After it dries, my final step is to moisturize with Ambi Even & Clear Moisturizer with SPF 30. Unless I’m wearing a lot of makeup, my regimen takes less than 5 minutes.
CN: What would you tell a woman who has yet to embrace her natural hair?
AB: My oldest sister just big chopped a few weeks ago and has been asking me for a lot of advice. The number one thing to remember, in my opinion, is that going natural requires a mental transition as well. The mental transition is much harder than cutting off the relaxed hair. You have to train your mind to forget everything it’s been taught about what is beautiful and socially acceptable. You have to decide, with certainty, that you are beautiful as you are.
You also have to choose what is best for you and don’t let anyone make you feel bad about your choices, not even other naturals. If you only want to wear your hair in twist outs or flat ironed or in wigs, that doesn’t make you any less natural than the woman who prefers an Angela Davis ‘fro or a shrunken teeny weeny afro. We’re all in this together!
CN: Tell us about your current or upcoming projects!
AB: I just recently shot a one-liner on HBO’s “How To Make It In America.” The episode will air this fall. I’ve also recently shot ads for Morgan Stanley, Citi Financial, Puma, and Verizon. The summers are usually pretty slow for TV, but casting for episodic season starts in the couple of months so hopefully I’ll be auditioning for some cool shows!
You can keep up with this stunning actress on Andrea Bordeaux’s website, or personal blog.
