Please introduce yourself!
My name is Leah Thompson. I’m a singer-songwriter and mom from the Greater St. Louis area. I have Type 3, S-pattern curls and my hair-itage African American, Native American, and Caucasian.
How and when did you start embracing your curls?
I have always embraced my curls! While I have experimented with a flat iron and sometimes use a curling iron to lengthen and loosen my curls, I’ve never used chemical relaxers on my hair. Growing up, people were often baffled by the fact that I didn’t want to relax or straighten my curls. Now, going natural is more of a trend.
What’s your current routine?
I wash my hair with sulfate-free shampoo every 3-4 days and comb conditioner through my hair almost every day.
From start to finish, on a curly day, what’s your process?
I use a wide tooth comb and detangle my hair in the shower with conditioner, scrunch excess water out with a t-shirt (helps prevent the frizz that a towel can create”>, scrunch gel through my curls while they’re still damp, and go! I usually let my hair air dry unless I’m pressed for time or it’s cold outside, in which case I use a diffuser. I don’t touch my hair until it’s completely dry. Then I will flip my head over and scrunch to release the gel cast and get some volume and bounce!
