Regina King at the Heart Truth show at Fashion Week 2010
She was looking for a change, a drastic one. Cut or color. Those are the usual suspects, but she’s not a color girl, and felt drawn to a cute cropped ‘do… a pixie cut with longer bangs. It was the cut that inspired the relaxer. She commented, “I have the type of cut that, with this type of hair, and the look I was going for, requires a perm. I definitely will not be perming my hair for the rest of my life, though. I can guarantee you that. I will be chopping soon. Trust.”
The cut is fierce. But I couldn’t help but wonder what her issue with color was. She explained, “For some reason, I’m a punk when it comes to color. I only use semi permanent, ‘cause I’m just scary that way. But there is no apparent reason why I’m okay with getting a perm, but not okay with color. None whatsoever. I don’t know, maybe it’s the smell of color…but I guess the smell of perm is horrible, too. I don’t know, Nikki!” [Laughter] I can tell you that I definitely will not be continuing this perming thing. But I’m going to enjoy my current look – I’m loving it. And at the end of the day, it’s just hair, and it will grow back.
When asked about her adjustment to and maintenance of the style, she stated, “It did take some getting used to. During the first 6 months after cutting my hair, I felt like I always needed to have earrings on. But in the past year or so, I find myself going without earrings a lot. I’m much more comfortable now. The upkeep is pretty easy but I do have to get it cut like every 2 weeks. It grows so fast! Other than that, I wrap it at night and it has got enough length that I can finger through and pull it over to the side, or push it off my face. And even when it’s oily, it still looks good.”
Her hair product faves reach back to her days as a natural. She’s a self-described “oil girl,” in love with Jane Carter Solution Hair Nourishing Tonic. She commented, “When you have a short haircut and your hair is black, you really can’t go wrong. When your hair is oily, it just looks shiny and healthy. It kind of gives it a sheen, and keeps it moisturized which is really important when you’re wearing a perm. You need to drink a lot of water to moisturize from the inside out – because that perm will look like hay if you don’t.” Her other faves are Carol’s Daughter Lisa’s Hair Elixir and Ojon.
As far as styling, Tash Jennings handles her cuts, color, and perming. And Yvette Shelton, her longtime stylist, does her hair on the set of “Southland.” Shelton was also her stylist in her natural days and highly recommends her to L.A. curlies. For her gorgeous skin, she uses a Los Angeles-based product line called Arcona. It’s all natural, and even after years of use, she has never experienced any build-up or residue.
