This interview with Cindy Blackman appears on our sister site, CurlyNikki.com. Thanks, CurlyNikki, for a great interview!
Cindy Blackman
On December 19th, in a beautiful Hawaiian ceremony, guitar legend Carlos Santana married the gorgeous Cindy Blackman. Cindy, a jazz and rock drummer often recognized for her work with Lenny Kravitz, is absolutely stunning. Her ‘fro is the definition of fierce, and get this, she’s 51! I know, right?! I caught up with her in Austria and she not only shared her hair secrets, we even got the scoop on her own personal fountain of youth!
CurlyNikki: Tell us your Hair Story.
Cindy Blackman: I’ve been wearing my hair completely natural for the past four years. Prior to that, I used a softener, but didn’t like what it did to the texture, so I let that grow out. When I was younger I would get hard-core relaxers but when I got to high school, I stopped using them altogether and wore an Afro. So I guess you can say I’ve had a few periods in my life where I’ve used chemicals, but at this point, it’s completely natural.
CN: Have you always liked your natural hair? If not, how did you come to embrace it?
CB: My hair is really thick and full, and while I love it today, in the past, because of the sheer volume, I found it to be a chore to take care of [Laughter]. It took a while for me to figure out what to do with it—my hair is strong yet soft, full of tight, kinky curls, and is very easily damaged. So I have to be careful even with the kinds of products I use on my hair. For example, conditioners high in protein, cause my hair to break. I learned that from Diane Da Costa who used to care for and braid my hair. She told me that at every bend and turn along my highly coily strands, are a potential weak spot. You have to be careful, and using high protein products can do more harm than good. I’ve also learned that my hair dries out easily, so I don’t always use shampoo to cleanse. One time I’ll wash and condition, but then a couple of days later, I’ll just rinse it and condition, and then the next time I’ll wash it and condition it. These are just a few of the things I’ve had to learn in terms of what makes my hair its healthiest and its best.
CN: I love Diane Da Costa. I have her book! Do you dye your hair at all? Your color is gorgeous.
CB: Thank you, I’ve known Diane for a long time, she’s an old friend. My hair color is completely natural. I love it.
CN: What is your current routine?
CB: It depends. Right now I’m on the road, so it’s done a bit more often because I’m working out and sweating every night. I might wash it maybe three times a week. Other than that, I’ll maybe wash once a week, and then condition it a couple of other times within that week. After it’s cleansed and conditioned, I apply a leave-in conditioner and then twist my hair in order to wear a twist-out the next day.
CN: So the twist-out is your staple style?
CB: Yes, definitely. I also like to twist and leave them in for a while which allows my hair to take care of itself. I even rinse and condition in the twists. I like not having to comb or manipulate it everyday, and my hair appreciates the restitution. But I do like wearing it out in an Afro, which is what I do mostly- twisting for the sole purpose of wearing a big ‘fro.
