NC: What’s the BEST advice you ever got about your curly hair?
TW: Rose oil — hands down! Before my “big chop” of sorts, my hair was super long and super damaged, but I couldn’t bear the idea of cutting it. A friend recommended rose oil to help keep my hair hydrated and frizz-free and I’ve been using it daily ever since.
NC: What are some of your go to’s — styles, methods, tools, etc?
TW: I don’t really have any specific go-to products for my hair other than rose oil. I pretty much use what I have on hand, and as an editor at NaturallyCurly, I have A LOT on hand! Some of my favorites so far have been DevaCurl AnGel and the Moroccanoil Mousse.
I am absolutely in love with my curling rod. If you are a wavy girl and you don’t have one, what are you waiting for? Buy one now! There are tons of cheap ones at drugstores across the country! Go. Right now! I know, I know — it is a heat tool, but I love it. I don’t use it on all of my waves, just a few that have fallen flat here or there. It’s how I get second day hair. Without it, I would be hopeless (especially because I still can’t, for the life of me, figure out how to curl hair with a curling iron without creasing it”>.
As for my favorite styles, you have all seen it! My signature front twist that I starting doing over in France when I was living with a host family who only allowed me two showers a week. The twist would hide my dirty hair and roots from the rest of the world. Over time, I got better and better at it, and now I use it almost on a daily basis, usually just to get my hair out of my face. Of course, it’s awesome as a lazy girl second day hairstyle too.
NC: Tell us about YOU — what makes you unique?
My approach to my waves is the simpler, the better and always keep doing what works.
TW: I’m really into feminism, and I often get so upset with myself for always wanting to explain that away, as if I just dropped the “f” bomb at a Presidential tea. Some people really just don’t get that all being a feminist is about is believing and standing by the belief that all women deserve the same rights as men. After spending 18 years of my life in east Texas, where I learned first hand that women are not seen as equals to men by so many people (including women themselves”>, I know what it looks like and what it feels like to be defeated because of your sex, to not have had an equal opportunity, to feel powerless based simply on who you are. I think my feminism is actually what makes me fall in love with the natural hair community. It is about the same things: learning to love and fight for who you are, and helping your sisters to do the same.
NC: What are you favorite things? What are you passionate about? Nail polish? Fashion? Shoes? Books?
TW: I love books and reading, especially feminist literature. Go figure. I even have a tattoo of Virginia Woolf’s “Anonymous was a woman” quote. Also, shoes. I love shoes. In fact, despite the small size of my current apartment, I have already figured out that I can fit 21 more pairs of shoes in my room, and that is a conservative number. Guess what I’ll be doing this weekend?
NC: What do you do for fun?
TW: Walk around NYC, sit in parks and read, write, listen to J.Cole, go to free concerts, hang out with friends — all the usual things.
NC: What’s going on in your life right now? Moving? Relationship etc?
TW: Well, I just moved to NYC, and that is a challenge and adventure all in itself. I have no relationship status, and I have a feeling that lack-of-status will stick around for a while, but I’m in no rush.
NC: What is your NaturallyCurly.com username?
TW: Tracey Wallace
Look out for introductions to the other three Texture Perspective ladies!
