NC: What are your favorite hairstyles to wear with your curls?
JW: A high messy bun is my normal “go-to” when I am in a hurry. If I have some time, then I will part it down the middle and wear it down. It is shorter in the front, so if the humidity is nice to me and I have enough conditioner in it, my hair will be my friend.
NC: What are your must-have products and tools?
JW: I am not too picky about what shampoo and conditioner I use, as long as it is good for curly hair. Normally I stick with Suave and Tresemmé, when it is on sale! I use Shea Butter also, but sometimes it can weigh my hair down. Tools? As long as I have my detangling comb, I’m good!
NC: What do you do at nighttime for your hair?
JW: I HATE tying my hair up in any kind of cap, bonnet, bandana, scarf, etc. It never stays on my head anyway! So I have a satin pillowcase. I will sometimes put my hair up in a loose bun, but most of the time I just let it be free.
NC: What reaction did you get when you first decided to go natural?
JW: People tend to notice my hair before my face and honestly, it gets annoying. I have cut my hair on a couple of occasions and every time I got scolded in some form. I realize that I am not my hair, but when people are used to seeing it very long, cutting it is difficult to get used to. I found that once I explained why I cut it, and that “it’s just hair, it will grow back,” people started to chill out…
NC: Did you big chop or transition and for how long? Did you ever have any curly girl insecurities?
JW: I did a mini-chop. There was a lot of damage, and I was in denial, honestly. I tried all kinds of things to get my curl pattern back, from deep conditioning to just praying. Finally, I realized that I needed to go ahead and cut the damaged parts off.
I did have insecurities. Like I mentioned, I had a LOT of hair as a kid, and I never really knew how to take care of it in its natural state other than putting it in a ponytail. I felt like a lion…sometimes I still do! But I have gotten to the point where I don’t care and I actually love the big hair look.
