MANE-ly Speaking

Who are you? Where are you from?

Bonjour!! My name is Noémie, I'm 19 and I'm from Paris. Music is what makes me alive. I am studying engineering in order to work in aviation later :)

3 words you would use to describe yourself.

I am very sensitive, maybe too curious, definitely goofy.

Why did you go natural?

Technically ... Ive always been natural. And I used to have almost waist-length hair. When I was a child my mom (who is white) did the only thing she was able to do with my hair: braiding it ... Growing up I was tired of looking childish, but same dear mom always refused to give me a perm. At age 14 I found an alternative which is ... FLAT IRONING! Worst decision ever for my hair. For about two years i savagely straightened my mane everyday single day and was hit by ... SERIOUS HEAT DAMAGE :( my curls had COMPLETELY disappeared, and my wash and go's were looking like flat ironed hair after a rainy day (perhaps even worse than that). On a fabulous day 3 years ago, I was lookin at myself in the mirror and thought "how ridiculous..", grabbed the scissors and chopped it all off without saying to anyone. That was my best hair decision for sure :)

Was it difficult or easy to go natural?

In my case, considering being natural as not flat ironing anymore... It was not difficult to go natural for me. At first my West Indian dad went crazy when he saw I had chopped it all off, and boyfriend was really surprised BUT afterwards all of my friends and family thought it was best for me to rock my curly fro that was clearly ressembling who I really am on the inside.

4 words to describe your mane.

I would say it is light as a cloud, very versatile, kind of exotic, completely messy.

Tell us a little about your regimen.

My current regimen has to be very simple for timing reasons. Therefore I co-wash my hair only once (or sometimes twice) a week, and use a sulfate shampoo about once a month. I do love wearin my hair out and I found that wash and go was what was working best for me, so what I usually do is co-wash my hair with any Tressemme moisturizing conditioner, then apply my leave-in (I LOVE Cantu Shea Butter and Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie) and seal my ends with raw shea butter. For rainy days or sometimes fifth day hair I usually wear a high bun, or my top-afro puff that my friends are used to calling Noémie's Palm tree. I also deep condition with Hair Mayonnaise every 3 weeks. I refresh with my oil and water spritz in the morning.

What have you learned on your natural hair journey?

Ive learned that patience is the key!! I learned how to be gentle with my hair and to listen to it in order to achieve my shoulder length goal :) Im trying to stick to a regimen that seems to be working for me, and I've been seeing noticeable growth lately. Next step is bra-strap length! :D

Candidly speaking.. (anything else you would like to add)

Well... For sure it is only hair... And it is of everyone's choice to relax or keep it natural. But I wish I saw more fros hanging out in the streets! To me accepting your hair in its natural state is being thankful and loving what poppa and momma gave you. Ain't nothing wrong with that. We should not let anyone fool us about that. Gotta love ourselves!!

And thanks to gorgeous Cinni!!