Really? That is a first for me to hear! How so?
Because I started out being a chemical stylist first, by the time I started getting more into the natural side, cutting different textures of hair was just second nature. I have not run into any problems with cutting natural hair.
I’m basically clipping ends, looking for straight or weak areas and mostly promoting growth. I recommend to a person who is natural to keep the ends trimmed. Sometimes, you may need to blow the hair with a blow drier to straighten it a bit to get an accurate cut. Again, I don’t see natural hair as being complicated to cut or style.
How often should naturals get their hair trimmed?
If you are wearing flat iron styles a lot, you will probably need to trim at least every eight weeks. If you are a person who is just wearing twist outs, two-strand twists or braided styles and you are not applying a lot of heat, you could probably be trimmed about every three months. It really just depends on the person and how active they are with their hair.
I’m big on explaining to my clients how to comb their hair out to make it softer and what products to use, so that there isn’t a whole lot of unnecessary tugging and pulling to avoid excessive split ends. Once you master those things, you can kind of get away with three months or even longer.
What about your AskQueen website. Can you tell me a little more about that?
My AskQueen site basically burst out of phone calls. I would get countless phone calls from people with different hair questions. They would come from stylists, college students, people from my church or just people that knew me. So I said, “Hey, I might as well make this a little bigger and go for it on a professional level.”
My thing is that I never hold back on giving people hair advice. If they value my opinion and my professionalism and value what I say, then I offer it. AskQueen is a site designed for stylists or clients who are having hair issues and don’t know what to do and want advice. It is free of charge. You just log in and post something in the forum, and within 24 hours, I will reply.
People have always poured out to me, so I felt a need to make myself available to others. If they are willing to ask, then I am willing to answer.
That’s great! So tell me about you and U R Curly.
I helped to create U R Curly, and I was one of the lead people to help test the product.
“I think that is most people’s objective [growth]. I haven’t had too many people say that they don’t care about their hair growing!”
It was something that I was saying for a long time, that there needed to be a natural line. These ingredients were the ones that I felt like the product needed. When U R Curly was presented to me, it was on a trial basis. It was not out or known to anyone. We were just in the testing stage.
Once we really got the product where we wanted it, it was time to launch it. It was a great success!
Let’s talk a bit about the line. I’ve been looking at a lot of the ingredients in the U R Curly products, and this quinoa conditioner seems to be very unique to the line. Can you tell me about it?
Quinoa is a grain. It is high in protein, calcium and iron. It is a good source of vitamin E as well. It contains a balance of amino acids, which is needed for protein, and protein strengthens hair. We were very adamant about finding the best ingredients to promote healthy hair growth, whether your hair is natural or relaxed. That is why the quinoa conditioner is so unique. There aren’t a lot of products out there that have the ingredients that U R Curly products have.
That’s great! You are speaking right to the heart of the community in promoting growth.
I think that is most people’s objective. I haven’t had too many people say that they don’t care about their hair growing! [Laughter]
Our thing is to continue to promote growth by teaching, training and just educating people on the most vital things that you need as far as your hair. People often don’t include hair as part of the body, but it is and you can’t take that away from who you are. You want it to be healthy no matter what style you choose, be you natural or not.
Do you have any tips for women who are considering going natural or who are newly natural?
Yes! U R Curly believes that natural is a lifestyle, and we work to make your natural lifestyle a whole lot easier. We believe that our ingredients work to your advantage to enhance your natural curl. U R Curly is very versatile since it softens, moisturizes and adds shine to the hair.
My tip for anyone considering going natural is that I first ask them, “Do you know where you are trying to go?” It’s a journey. When you are putting something into your GPS you need an address.
Whatever your destination is, know that from the beginning. Then, along the way, learn as much as you can and take in as much as you can because it is not an easy transition. Most of us have been relaxed our entire lives and so we are just now learning how to properly take care of our hair. It is new and you need help along the way. And that is why we are here, to help people along their way and along their journey. If they have any questions or need any hands on help, we are here. That is my thing.
Own you! Accept your uniqueness.
Anything else you would like to add?
We look forward to hearing from everyone! The line is new, but we are hitting the ground running with it. We are just trying to get it out there and let people know that we have a product we really believe in. We stand behind it.
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