Hair Talk With Shelly

Firstly introduce yourself? Where are you from and what do you do? Ciao! I'm Shelly, an Economics student at Sorbonne and a fashion blogger based in Paris, but I'm from Congo and Italia. How long have you been natural?  I was natural when I was a child, and now for 5 months since I cut off my relaxed hair. If you have transitioned to natural what prompted you more from processed to naturalhair? Before, my main concern was to find another hairstyle before seeing my natural hair because I didn't know how to take care of it. My hair was really damaged, especially the tips. How did you transition, did you big chop? A friend showed me the youtube channel of Mynaturalsistas, I have watched several videos which made me realize that I can managed my natural hair! Actually I was looking for another hairstyle, including relaxed hair, and my hair regrowth was big because I didn't relaxed it for 10 month... Videos and natural girls pushed me to cut my relaxed hair. What were the main reasons for your choice to wear your natural hair? It's about health! What does having naturalhair mean to you? It means you accept yourself as you were created. It gave me all the self-confidence that I needed. How do you keep your hair looking so good? I twist my hair almost every night. I use a vaporizer with mineral water, olive oil, jojoba oil and coco oil. Then, I use nourishing cream, my hair isn't oily because I use a small amount of all my products. Finally I don't dry my hair, and I shampoo every 2 weeks but I wash my hair with a conditioner once a week. What products do you use in your hair? As I said previously, I use lot of oils which make my hair softer. I really love my shampoo because my hair aren't dry after, it's from "Shea Moisture" for damaged hair with Shea butter. Another of my favorite products is my natural mask from "Secret de Loly", it smells so good because of the fruity essential oils, and then my hair is well-mosturized and detangled. My curls whipped cream from "Curls" is perfect for twists, I can't describe it, but my hair loves the texture which is nourishing but not greasy. How do you protect your hair in the winter months? I use nourishing cream a lot, and protective styles. Do you have any advice for women starting out on their natural journey? We are all different, so you have to know what your hair needs, and you have to love it to enhance it, but don't try to change it. Tell us about your style? I like to be classy and at the same time comfortable in my clothes. What are your favorite places to shop? Zara, Amercian Apparel, Sandro (French brand) and Maje (French brand). Any tips for young ladies trying to start there own business/blog?  Being an "entrepreneur" is one of the best qualities to my mind, but it's difficult, never forget your goal and to enjoy what you do! A follow me: www.thepeppymay.blogspot.com my facebook page www.facebook.com/thepeppymay Twitter and Instagram @thepeppymay

Hair Talk With Danielle

Firstly introduce yourself? Where are you from and what do you do? I'm Danielle. I'm a fashion and music blogger from Philadelphia, PA. My day job is as a sales rep for an Oncology company.

How long have you been natural? always

If all your life what kept you from relaxing your hair? The fear of damaging it kept me from relaxing it. My sister had a bad experience where all of her hair snapped off after relaxing it. She ended up with a 2 inch hairdo afterwards. I decided it would be best to let my curls be themselves!

What are your earliest hair memories? How did these memories influence your hair journey today? My earliest hair memories were struggling to accept my big curly hair. When I was 7 I begged my mom to cut my waist length curls so I could look just like the other girls at school. After lots of nagging she finally caved. I ended up with an enormous pyramid shaped afro which I hated. But the experience made me realize I was never going to have fine straight hair, and that I needed to accept mine for what it was.

What does having naturalhair mean to you? It just means being yourself and learning to love your hair for what it is. Natural curly hair has a lot of personality, and I've learned to accept mine as part of who I am. Now I really like that fact that I have wild hair.

How do you keep your hair looking so good? I try to process it very minimally. I don't dye it and have only altered the color about 5 times in my life. I trim it on my own every few months. I've switched to Loreal's sulfate free moisturizing shampoo and conditioner and use a moroccan oil deep conditioner about once a week.

What products do you use in your hair? If my hair is slicked back it's with Loreal's clean gel and Frizz Ease Moisture Barrier hair spray. When I wear my hair curly I start with Moroccan Oil Intense Curl Cream. Then I add Frizz Ease Weather Works Style Sealant Cream. I put dollop of Loreal Invisigel in my hair. Then I blow dry (without a diffuser although I know that's the normal recommendation for curls). I seal it all with Frizz Ease Moisture Barrier hair spray.

What are your go to hair style? I usually rock a slicked back braid for work. On the weekends or on night's out I either wear it in a high pony tail, a sleek top knot, or down big and curly.

How do you protect your hair in the winter months? Lots of conditioner and hats whenever I can.

Do you have any advice for women starting out on there natural journey? The best advice I can give is what hairdressers have given me: work to enhance your natural hair texture but don't try to change it. And stick with as little product as possible. You can always add more to achieve the desired look, but you can't fix it once you've already piled to much stuff in it.

Tell us about your style? I'm a little bit rock & roll, mixed in with some hippy and a tad bit feminine. My style varies by my mood.

What are your favorite places to shop? Shopbop.com, hautelook.com, Urban Outfitters, Forever 21, and Steve Madden

Any tips for young ladies trying to start there own business/blog ect? Figure out a name and purchase a .com domain before you get started. Pick something that makes sense for what you're writing about. And when it comes to font, less is more. Avoid bright colors and small prints- you don't want your readers getting a migraine when looking at your page! Build a following and some regular readership before approaching sponsors and trying to get affiliate links. And proofread, proofread, proofread!

You can check out my blog if you'd like! 

www.indieelectronicalternative.com