My Hair Story - Irene

1. Introduce yourself . . .
Hello,i’m Irene, i live in the south east of France. I’m a wife and a mother. I work as an Auxiliary Aid for the elderly, the sick and the handicapped.

2. Are you relaxed, natural, texturized or texlaxed?
I am natural since i big chopped about 6 and 1/2 months ago.

3. What’s your story, how did you get to where you are?
To begin with I had locs for about 3 years while still in my homeland. But when I came to France I couldn’t keep up with the maintenance of the dreads.

Where I lived there were no salons for Africans, and to get my hair products I had to wait for them to be sent by post which became so expensive and tiresome. I got fed up and I chopped it all off.

I kept my natural hair for quite a long time, but I never used to see any growth. My friends had the same issues, complaining that it was the water that was different.

I decided to relax it but still no growth. The relaxer made the situation worse because my already fine hair became even thinner. My edges were all gone.

I also used to braid all the time and never let my hair breath. With the natural hair movement, I became aware of protective stylings and how to take care of my hair underneath. I’m also very pleased to learn about conditioning and deep conditioning* the hair. These are all new vocabularies to me but I am happy I discovered them.

4. What is your typical weekly regimen?
I use the indian powders to clean and condition my hair.I wash my hair once a week with my homemade solid soap(“melt and pour soap”+ shikakai). Before washing my hair, I do a hot oil treatment at night then cover with a cellophane paper, sleep over and wash in the morning.

I condition my hair with a mixture of my Indian powders. For example, neem, spirulina, amla, etc. I let it sit for 30 minutes, rinse off. I normally alternate with the powders.

I wash my hair and for my final rinse, i use a mixture of 2 teaspoons of Apple Cider Vinegar* with water.
I let it sit for about 10-15 minutes then rinse it off with cold water. I air dry my hair.
I put my favorite leave-in “Kinky Curly Today” . I don’t use a comb for now, I just finger detangle during washing and even styling.

5. Are you happy with your progress so far?

I am pleased with the results so far. My thining edges are slowly filling up. Ever since I started using the Indian powders, my once thin hair feels stronger and fuller.

6. What’s your signature style?
Since my hair is short, the TWA style.

7. How do you ensure that your ends are protected from the elements and your hands?
Once my hair is styled, I do not touch it. To maintain my style, I have a spray bottle with just plain water to give it moisture if it feels dry.

I do not use heat on my hair. I use a rat tail comb* only while removing my braids. If I really have to comb my hair, I use a wide tooth comb* and ensure my hair is not dry before combing. I love braiding my hair. It’s one of my preferred protective styles.

8. Do you have a goal length or are you more concerned about the health of your hair?
I am more concerned with the health of my hair first because with a healthy scalp and hair, length should come along with it.

9. Is there anything that you hair hates?
My hair does not appreciate heavy oils like jamaican castor oil, coconut oil or shea butter*. Unless im doing a hot oil treatment with these, I normally stick to lighter oils like grapeseed oil*, jojoba oil and olive oil.

10. Do you have any favorite hair products?
My favorite hair products are the Kinky Curly Knot today* and it’s gel custard. I also love the Giovanni leave in.

11. Where can we find you online?
my website is www.missynaturelle.com
Instagram: Missynaturelle
Facebook: Missynaturelle