Karyn Parsons as Hilary Banks in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
CN: How did you feel when you first chopped?
KP: I had a moment when I felt like ‘I’m gonna have to get some texturizer up in here’ because it was so frizzy and my hair couldn’t find a curl. It was totally different from my texturized hair and I was feeling a bit discouraged and a little insecure. I honestly felt that I couldn’t do it. But I stuck with it and enjoyed some good hair days. My girlfriend was a source of support too, she told me my hair looked ‘happy’, and that felt good. My hair likes this so much better. I have happy hair!
CN: What is your current routine?
KP: When I was still texturized, I’d moisturize and braid it every night in order to wear a defined braid-out the next day. That’s something I’d like to get back to- moisturizing, braiding, and tying it up- but my life is different now. With the kids, it’s been really hard for me when it comes to bedtime… I just pass out!
Right now, if my hair gets wet, it gets conditioned. I’m not a shampoo’er. My hair rarely ever gets suds, but it does get wet just about everyday. When I’m working out regularly, I have to shower and rinse my hair. I condition my hair every time I do that… sometimes a deeper conditioner, sometimes lighter.
During a wash session, I wet it, condition it, and finger detangle. If I have the time, I do try to keep the conditioner in for a while and put on a plastic cap for a deep treatment. I own a heat cap, but haven’t pulled it out in over a year! Kids. I then rinse and put in a leave-in conditioner. I like Mixed Chicks or Miss Jessies. Mixed Chicks is lighter and Miss Jessie’s is a little oilier (Curly Buttercreme“>. But I like them both for different reasons. I do my best to listen to my hair, giving it richer, heavier creams when the situation calls for it. If I can avoid a dryer, I do, and try to air dry. But unfortunately I find myself very often diffusing it. That’s about it!
I try to sleep on satin pillowcase and there is a huge difference when I don’t. I don’t do anything like wrapping or braiding it, but like I said earlier, I’d love to start that again. It’s been easy because of the shorter length, but now that it’s growing out, I need to develop a more stable night routine. Sometimes I’ll rub an oil in it (rosemary”> especially on the scalp and ends, but that’s only if I’m thinking about it, and thanks to the kids, usually I’m not.
CN: What would you tell a woman who has yet to embrace her natural hair?
KP: For me, I’d say if you’re thinking about it, go there! And definitely before you do it, go online and look at pictures and testimonies of people like crazy! That helps a lot. You’ll become inspired when you see so many people that look like you, or have hair like yours. I think we often find ourselves saying, ‘well that looks good, but I don’t have that kind of hair… my hair is not like that’, or whatever. But the bottom line is, highly textured hair, of all types, is beautiful!
I think a lot of people assume that because I am bi-racial, I have a looser curl, but that is not the case. I have a very tight, kinky curl. So I think as you go and take a look and see more and more people who have hair that looks like yours and see people with similar face shapes rocking flattering cuts, you’ll become so excited. I’d look at pictures, print them out, and pin them up for inspiration—looking at the person’s texture, their style… man, I just got more and more excited. I like a fro, I really like it. I love my fro! It’s taken me a while to realize that. I’m just happy that I’m finally there.
