Tiffany “New York” Pollard
Images of Tiffany “New York” Pollard’s natural hair photo shoot have been all over the internet. Hair and gossip blogs were reeling with comments from readers speculating about the details – questioning the authenticity, her motives, and debating whether or not it was a good look for her. I had the pleasure of chatting with Ms. Tiffany yesterday and got the scoop. This woman is absolutely hilarious! Tiffany was incredibly sweet, and super-jazzed to talk about her hair.
Yes, Tiffany is 100% natural. She explains, “I’d say that for most of my adult life I struggled with my hair. I have very thick, textured hair and tried my hardest to help it ‘lay.’ I used to wear weaves all the time and would even apply my own perms! The perms, of course, never came out right – my hair would be like straight in some areas, and poofy in others. And then I’d take the straightening comb to the poofy sections… just damaging my poor hair. It was a never ending battle. But to make a very long and tedious journey short, I have to tell you, girl, discovering my natural texture, getting rid of the perm, cutting my hair completely off, and growing it out, was the best thing I’ve ever done for myself. Because my hair didn’t want the process, it didn’t want the chemicals, it was like begging me all these years just to be natural.”
It warmed my heart to hear the joy and confidence in her voice. She said the turning point came on the set of “I Love New York 2.” Tiffany said, “A new stylist arrived on set – a person who dealt primarily with locs and natural hair styles. She washed my hair, blew it out, and cornrowed it. Then she said, ‘Tiffany, your hair is so beautiful, why are you putting chemicals in it?’ I didn’t have an answer… I had been doing it for so long, that I never even thought about it anymore. It was then that I made the transition, and plunged into taking the steps of caring for my hair. So from there, which was a little more than 3 years ago, I cut out the relaxer. I’ve been growing it out, and letting it do its thing, and this is where I am now.” I asked her if the infamous lace fronts were a thing of the past. Tiffany laughed and responded that she still wears a lot of hair pieces. She gets her hair professionally braided every month or two and dons lace fronts. In between braid sessions, she enjoys playing in her natural curls and takes care to keep it “moist, clean, and trimmed.” She’s been growing it out for the past 3.5 years and finally mustered up the courage to reveal it to the world. And she’s happy she did!
“So far I have worn it out once, and that’s the photo shoot that everyone is talking about. Right now. I’m currently wearing cornrows. Honestly, nothing has changed in my regimen. I’m still getting it braided, wearing the cornrows, and wearing the lace fronts on top of that. But because there has been such a great response to my natural hair, I do see myself wearing it out more often. I plan to release another video after I remove the braids, because I think videos are a forum for people to see it. I am a role model and if I can help others to embrace their natural texture, like if I can have any part in that, then I’m all for it.” Tiffany is enjoying the attention and truly appreciates the outpouring of support and positivity from the natural hair community. However, she feels that her journey to acceptance and finding her true confidence has been the real test. She remarked, “I love it and feel like it is an outward expression of who I truly am.”
Tiffany is still in the beginning stages of learning how to care for her natural hair while it’s out. She’d love to rock her curls more often, as her new signature style, but not until she gets a handle on her breakage.
She says, “I have a great texture of hair. I love every springy curl and watch in amazement as some of my coils become waves with length. It’s very thick, but thin and fragile at the same time. My hair tends to break a lot, and that is what’s holding me back from wearing it out as often as I’d like to. So I’m still on the journey to figuring out what my hair needs; trying to find the right oils and products to make it stronger, so that I can enjoy wearing it out.”
