Candid Cinni: MANE-ly Speaking

Got another lovely MANE-ly Speaking feature with this gorge gal!

South Florida stand up! Take a peek into this model's mane story

Who are you?

My name is Nicole Arnold. I’m a 25 year old Mommy of a 3 year old little girl, and a LPN nursing student.

3 words you would use to describe yourself.

Social
Goofy
Dreamer

Why did you go natural?

For multiple reasons. Excessive blow drying and flat ironing caused tons of damage. So I looked for alternatives. I began to watch Taren916 and LoveIslandBeauty on YouTube and got my inspiration to go for it!

Was it difficult or easy to go natural?

It was pretty simple in the beginning. It didn’t tangle easily and it was usually quick to style (half hawks or mohawks). The downside was it never really looked good as a wash and go, so I spent hours twisting it every night. I went through an awkward stage at around a year I believe where my curls just weren’t acting right, but I’m loving the stage my hair is at now.

4 words to describe your mane.

Big
Frizzy
Fun
Unpredictable

Tell us a little about your regimen.

To be honest, I’m not too consistent with a regimen. I’m all over the place when it comes to products. It changes every other month. But currently my routine is wash day Sat or Sun, I shampoo with Pantene or Herbal Essence shampoo (I’m not picky with what it’s specific for… moisture, hair damage repair, volume..none seem to work better than the other for my hair), The conditioner I use is usually Pantene also. I slather that on my hair to do the initial detangling, rinse it out, then I put either Loreal’s Moisture Mask or Damage Erasing Bomb on to comb through my hair. I leave it on for a few hours, rinse it out and diffuse. As the days go on my hair gets bigger and bigger. With a little help from my pick and blow dryer. Usually lasts the week then it’s in need for some serious detangling.

What have you learned on your natural hair journey?

PATIENCE my dear, patience. I began with such unrealistic expectations, thinking my hair would grow over night and would be effortless every morning. Boy was I wrong. It took a year of crazy hair days and lots of long nights combing out my hair to get to where I began to be satisfied. Expect for a different hair day every day. Curly hair has a mind of its own. Just make it work for you (accessories are a big help). I’ve gotten the most genuine compliments since becoming natural. It’s an instant boost of confidence and such a fun playful look.

Candidly speaking..

Blow drying your roots does wonders!! I’ve gotten so much extra length from my curls by blow drying directly on the roots while gently tugging on the section I’m focusing on. It even works when the hair is dry. Every morning it takes me about 5 minutes just to style.

Tip: Pull up and out instead of down if you want BIG hair rather than just length & always use a heat protectant (like a light weight spray) .

Find Nicole on Instagram - @nic0le_chantal