Interview With Natural Hair Advocate Wolfgang Lisborg

I AM AFRICAN, I AM EUROPEAN. Yet your apathy towards what I represent doesn’t effect me. For I stand transcended beyond your unacquainted appreciation for my culture.

Wolfgang Lisborg is that one guy in the back of the natural hair meetup cheering the loudest for all the women walking around rocking their natural hair proudly. He has been a part of the community for as long as I can remember posting dope pictures of his hair on social media and lending us little tidbits of advice in video format on YouTube and simple regimen talks on Instagram.

Additionally, Wolfgang is proud of his heritage and from the quote above he is very self-aware, which is a quality we can certainly appreciate from a young man.

In the below interview, we dived a little deeper with Wolfgang, asking him everything we could about his hair and regimen to the redefinition of manhood and his role as a natural hair advocate for women and what that means to him.

Check it out!

1. Can we talk about your hair, how long have you been growing your hair out and what is your weekly regimen like?

My goodness, it’s been so long since I’ve actually thought about that. It’s 5 years and 4 months of boomin’ growth since I’ve chopped my hair 3 times to achieve this look.

On a weekly basis, I’m washing my hair at least every other day or two days. Primarily because if I ever let my hair go over 8 days it’ll begin to get itchy day by day which totally kills me.

Usually, before I start anything I’m always incorporating strong hair stimulating oils such as; ORS Hair & Scalp Grapeseed* & Sweet Almond Oil*, ORS Hair Serum, Eden Peppermint*/Tea Tree Oil*, TGIN Honey Hair Mask, TGIN Hair Serum, Tresemme Shampoo/Conditioners, Fructis Conditioners, and a satin scarf.

Of course, I’m not using all of these at the same time but, I’m using them in a rotation. Whenever I’m aiming for an extremely soft feel for my hair the TGIN Honey Hair Mask comes first, I’ll even add some Peppermint*/Tea Tree* to it.

Other times if I’m not using that, I’m co-washing often. Since I’m not too particular about how my hair looks all the time, I usually just rock a bun with oils on my ends and throughout my hair.

2. If you were stuck on a island and could only bring 3 products with you what would they be?

Alright, so I’m most def bringing that ORS Hair Serum because whenever that’s in my hair combined with raw heat my hair becomes “SUPER” soft. I’m not sure what the reaction really is but trust me it works.

Next is…….dang this is hard, lol! Actually, ORS Hair & Scalp Grapeseed Oil*. Lastly, a good quantity of hummus and some Lebanese bread. It’s lit!

3. What’s your hair growth secret?

Funny thing is I really do have a secret, well it’s not gonna be much of a secret anymore after this. SIMPLY FORGET THAT YOU HAVE HAIR!? Wait, what? No, seriously that’s my secret.

Once the individual forgets about always being in their hair which we likt to call H.I.H.S(Hand In Hair Syndrome).

They’ll treat it like you would brushing your teeth, lotioning your skin, and eating. What I mean is simply, treat it like a daily task instead of making it something difficult.

Establishing this mindset is why my hair is so long because just as I remember to eat and drink. I nourish my hair’s thirst with a shower, hunger with oils, and keep it moving.

4. What was the reaction of your peers as you were growing your hair out? (touching on the topic of black men being looked at a little weird when they grow their hair out in comparison to Hispanic and white men)

When I was living with my father in Brockton, MA during my Junior and Senior year of high school, I was introduced to two different cultures I’d never come across; Cape Verdean and Haitian.

Up north, compared to down south where I’m currently residing in Greensboro, NC, my peers were extremely open with black men having long hair since many Cape Verdean and Haitian guys were already years in, growing their hair long.

Coming from a West African background where men were shunned for having long hair, I quickly adjusted to the most embracing atmosphere of culture up north. Now, when I moved down the south having long hair became a bit controversial in a ridiculous way in 2010.

In my experience in the south, there’s a stigma whenever a black man wears his hair out and it’s not predominantly in braids or a ponytail. He is considered very feminine.

This didn’t bother me simply because my peers in this state of NC weren’t hip to men embracing their naturally produced roots. I remember telling them that year, “you can go ahead and laugh at me now, but watch…. all of you guys will want to grow your hair out in like 4 years”.

Sure enough, 2015 came around and black men began started to grow their hair out. It’s so bad that now these same guys are asking me —“what do I gotta put in my hair for it to grow”. Lol!

5. As an influencer how do you want your natural hair journey to impact other men and other women who are struggling with their own journeys?

My journey is to honestly help bring a state of “identity” on how one can be just as powerful displaying what they’ve naturally produced (hair) since “birth”.

While staying true to one’s own potential in understanding self-appreciation, self-acceptance, self-awareness, so that confidence may follow in their hair journey.

6. There are still men out there who do not like their wives or girlfriends with natural hair, to the point where a woman would actually consider giving up and getting a perm.

What would you tell the guy?
What would you tell the girl?

I always wonder when silly things of this nature will diminish but this is what I would stress to the male; “you understand that for many years our race of people have been oppressed by individuals who stripped us of our identity, while forcing us to emulate their ways in order to make us forget about our own culture/ways.

But, yet you continue to demote your woman’s natural identity of beauty that has been stripped from her for many years since before her (wife) time.

So, I ask you are you a husband/boyfriend or oppressor?

As for the women: “hey have you ever thought about what your life would be like if your cultural roots were never forced out of your mindset?

What I mean by that is think for a second and really understand why you actually would want a “perm”. Has it never occurred to you that you may have inherited a trait of emulating someone else’s appearance rather than your own? See we are created in Gods image in so many ways, that even though our race of women was oppressed to portray another group of people’s customs/ways.

That does not mean that you don’t have a beauty of identity of your own. So, imagine the difference if you walked boldly representing your own roots as if your beauty was as equal and as astonishing like every culture would in the world?

7. Working in natural hair can take you in many directions, from brand endorsements to stylist, what is your ultimate goal? What do you want to achieve from your work in natural hair?

To remind women of color and the upcoming generation that they all have an identity of beauty that has always been established naturally since their birth.

And that, as a black man, I can encourage other black men across the globe to accept their natural alluring appearance as a person.

While showing them that I’m also going through the same journey just like them. Aiming to understand the ways of self-acceptance, self-appreciation, of oneself so that confidence can follow along my hair journey.

My other goal is to become a brand ambassador of a major hair supply line and create a product that can become a great asset to the natural hair community.

8. In your opinion is black masculinity being redefined as more men like yourself decide to grow their hair out?

Yes, that is the best question to ask at the moment simply because that’s really going on at the moment.

See guys similar to myself have realized that “growing lengthy hair” isn’t something that is just for just women we both share as humans that ability and that, in my opinion can’t be genderized.

I would always tell older women who detest my hair; “you understand that we both stem from a male and a female right? Whether it’s a boy or a girl we each have genes from both parents and if I choose to “let” my hair pass a particular length I am still who I am.

Because of this I have noticed that a lot of black men with long hair often choose locs which is more acceptable than loose hair.

9. These days everyone is pretty much an influencer especially with the power of social media, how do you stand out in the noise?

Personally, I don’t stand out just yet due to many circumstances revolving around me not being able to attend a major natural hair events and being able to speak.

At this point, I’m the guy who has a bunch of hair with hair knowledge that people are seeing but are unaware of where to place him in the community.

With that being said, on social media, I stand as the indistinct natural hair enthusiast people admire. That will soon break a barrier that no natural man will cross in this young generation of people.

10. If you could give one piece of advice to a woman or man struggling with their natural hair what would that be?

Despite there being so many products out on the market that make or break your hair. Always begin with the question to yourself, “what would I like my hair to achieve”? One main reason why I’m so successful in my journey is because I already knew I would gain “length”, so my only job was to get soft textured hair.

I would also say appreciate your natural appearance, never falter in giving up on your hair goals, and finally grasp that “GOOD HAIR” is actually “HEALTHY HAIR”!

Where can we find you on social media?

Instagram: https://instagram.com/westilllive/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/+WolfgangLisborg/about
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/wolfgang-lisborg/8a/89/28a