First, I would like to give a special thanks to our 10 lovely participants. You all are beautiful individually and collectively. Thank you everyone for your participation, input, comments, suggestions etc. throughout the series, it was greatly appreciated and I'm quite certain the Naturalistas were grateful as well. Overall, thank you for the love and support.

The goal of this series was to embrace natural hair care and give natural haired ladies the opportunity show off their pictures, regimens and gorgeous unique curls, kinks and coils thus; allowing others to understand their hair better, adapt new techniques, and learn about new products.

I hope the series was educational and it encouraged you to love and accept your hair more. Heck, it probably motivated transitioners to Big Chop...LOL. If that's the case, kudos to you!! I wish you all the best on your new journey☺

♥Sunshyne

What's your name and where are you from?

My name is Gabrielle Allen aka MsLizziA and I am from New Orleans,La.

Have you always been natural? If not, what inspired you to go natural? Did you transition? If so, for how long?

I was natural when I was a kid up until about age 8. My mom relaxed my hair much against my aunt's, who is my hairdresser, wishes. I wasn't really inspired to go natural the very first time. I was curious about how my hair would look with a texturizer so I grew my hair out with the purpose of getting a texturizer. I loved it but it became entirely too tedious to do so I just decided to put a relaxer over it which caused all of my hair to fall out. As soon as I got that relaxer, I hated my hair and I wanted the fullness back. The same month I put that relaxer in was the same month I decided that I would go natural and this time I would learn to take care of my hair. That's when I found Hairlista!

The first time i transitioned in 2008, I transitioned for a year. The second time I went natural I transitioned in Feb 2009 with braids for 4 months and then big chopped!


What is your hair type?

My hair type is 3c/4a but I really try not to get caught up on hair types.

What do you love most about being natural?

I love the versatility, the fullness, the fact that I can straighten my hair without chemicals! I makes me different and it makes me standout from everyone else. New Orleans doesn't really have many women walking around with natural hair so I like that I can be different from everyone else.


What are your hair goals for 2010?

My hair goals for 2010 are to get my ends healthier and to retain length so I can be APL in 2011.

Name a few challenges you are currently facing with your hair. Have you been doing anything different to overcome these challenges?

Currently the biggest problem I have been having with my hair is my ends. They have been taking me through it with everything from SSKs (single strand knots) to just being dry. I have started DCing by saturating my hair in my deep conditioner as if i were applying a relaxer and concentrating on my ends. I have also start protective styling more often.

What styles do you love to wear the most and why? How do you go about achieving this style?

I love braidouts because it's easy, it takes less time, and I adore the look. I do braidouts on wet hair, damp hair, dry hair, and blown out hair. Sometimes I ask my cousin to flat twist it for me and sometimes I just do individual braids on my own.



List the products that you use and how you use them. What is your current hair regimen? share what works for you!

These are my staples:

Coconut oil - Great for DCs and leaves my hair soft
Olive Oil- Wonderful for detangling and pre-pooing
Crisco - Yes, Crisco because it's a great moisturizer and it is what i have been missing in my DCs
Roux Porosity Control - Love love love LOVE this stuff. My hair never used to retain moisture prior to discovering this.It literally saved my hair. I use it before or after I DC
Wheat Germ Oil - The ceramides boost my DCs like you wouldn't believe
Jamaican Black Castor Oil - I use this for my ends when I twist or braid my hair
Suave Coconut Conditioner and V05 Strawberries & Cream - My cowash conditioners
Aussie Moist Conditioner - My leave-in conditioner
LeKair Cholesterol - I make my own DC so this is the base of my deep conditioner
Oyin Burnt Sugar Pomade - Great for my edges
Qhemet Alma Heavy Cream - This is my daily moisturizer even though i don't use it everyday. I used it mostly for when i bun my hair.
Eco Styler - My staple gel

I have my edges in micro braids right now and the middle of my hair is in a sew-in so I am PSing right now. As of now I just basically moisturize my scalp. I can't really wash my hair with this in because it will make the hair a tangled mess.

My regular regimen is pretty simple:
Cowash 2x a week
DC once a week
Moisturize and seal 2x a week
Pre-poo and Clarify every 4 weeks
Trim whenever I feel its needed

What products do you use to achieve soft beautiful curl definition?

Sometimes I just use conditioner and sometimes I just use eco styler. The key for me defining my hair has been applying the products and shaking my head once im done to put them all back in place. This method works really well for me.


How do you detangle your hair?

I saturate it in olive oil if its dry and detangle it from tip to root. If its wet, I just use conditioner and detangle in the same direction.

What product or technique would you say really helped your hair flourish?

I would say cowashing and has helped my hair flourish. The very 1st time I went natural, i remember always having issue with my hair being dry all the time so when I went natural the 2nd time, I started cowashing. Not only did my hair take off but it was actually moisturized!

Do you have any advice for other naturals?

Knowledge is power. Learn as much as you possibly can about products and how to care for your hair before you go run out and buy stuff. BE THROUGH . Just because someone markets a product as "made for naturals" doesn't mean it is. Know your ingredients, read reviews, and ask other naturals about their experience. Also, be patient with your hair and don't manipulate it so much. It will thank you for it later.


Where on the web can we find more about you and your styles?

You can find me on my natural hair blog, http://strawberricurls.tumblr.com, on twitter,http://www.twitter.com/mslizzia, and on fotki, http://www.fotki.com/mslizzia .
You can also find me on Hairlista, Longhaircareforums.com , NaturallyCurly.com and Curlynikki.com's forums.


Thank you Gabrielle Allen for sharing all that information with us!

So last night I was browsing through the Hairlista forums and a Hairlista Diva posted a discussion stating that our website, Hairlista.com, was featured in Black Beauty Magazine! We were ranked 2nd in the Top 5 Healthy Hair Care sites/vlogs. I was so shocked, excited and happy all at once! I had no clue that this even took place. It all started from a Youtuber by the name of PrettyDimples. She was also featured in the Magazine (Congrats girl!) and she posted pictures in her video of the magazine article.

Here are a couple pics:



♥ Sunshyne

I love to wear this style in the summer. It keeps my hair moist, this style is great for showing length (try it for yourself!), and my ends are kept in place and not entirely exposed to outside elements. It's a nice change from the "everyday bun". LOL

I always make sure I put an extra coating of oil on my ends just for protection. I normally do this style after I co-wash. I used ouchless ponytail holders and my headband is from Ardene Accessory Store.






♥ Sunshyne

What's your name and where are you from?

My name is Rene Syler. I grew up in Sacramento, CA but my television career took me to Reno, NV, Birmingham, AL, Dallas, TX and ultimately NY where I live now.

Have you always been natural? If not, what inspired you to go natural? Did you transition? If so, for how long?

I have been natural for just over a year and I LOVE IT! Being on air talent for various TV stations and ultimately CBS (The Early Show), I wore my hair in the style of most black anchorwomen, relaxed and styled into a bob. When I got to CBS, we experimented with my look a bit and I started wearing it curly. The problem was, it was still relaxed straight, then my staff hairdresser, EVERY MORNING, would blow it out and then hot curl it (you know, with the oven, not a regular curling iron). Along with that, I was getting it relaxed every 5 weeks (per another hairdresser’s suggestion) and coloring it too! It’s a wonder I had any hair on my head when I left in late 2006. I continued on with my over processing ways until November 2008. I cam down with asthmatic bronchitis and had to be hospitalized. They pumped me full of medication and when I was released two days later, I headed right for the beauty shop for a touch up. Well, my poor hair had had enough. It started breaking and falling out, most acutely in the crown where the hair was about ½ long. I had never, even in all the years of abuse, had an issue with my hair falling out. I was so stunned I didn’t know what to do. By this time, I was seeing another hairdresser who told me no more relaxers, at least for the next several months. I took her advice and then some. I used no relaxers, I didn’t even manipulate it much, it was all hats for me (perfect since it was winter in NY). By late December, I had about ½ inch of new growth and I was shocked by how beautiful it was! I had no idea because I was so busy beating the heck out of it , relaxing as soon as one little curl turned up. I had actually forgotten what my natural hair looked like! Lo and behold it was gorgeous and in that instant I decided, no more chemicals for me, I am a natural girl.

I transitioned for about 3 ½ months, checking out YouTube videos and my own daughter’s hair for inspiration


What is your hair type?

I guess I am a 3B with 3C around the crown but not really sure. I could be all 3C. But what I have discovered is I have a bunch of different things going on on this head, LOL. I have hair that is nearly bone straight right next to a corkscrew shape, tightly curled hair. I do LOVE the curl pattern near the nape of my neck and at times, wish I had a head full of that. This whole journey, as traumatic as the beginning was, has been a wonderful learning experience. I was a 45-year-old woman who had NO IDEA how to take care of her own hair, much less what my hair type was or the products I should be using.


What do you love most about being natural?

There are so many things I love about it. I love that this mass of curls totally fits my personality, wild and untamed, soft and surprising. Curly, straight, twists, I love the versatility, who knew I could do so much with my hair? I love that I have NEVER had a bad hair day since going natural. I love that God made my hair so unique and I now (after more than 4 decades of not) appreciate it. I love that it takes so little time for me to get going in the morning and I love that its like a new toy with me.. everyday is a new surprise.

What are your hair goals for 2010?

When I first cut my hair, all I could focus on was length. I now understand “if you build it they will come” in other words, the length is a byproduct of a solid foundation of good hair care.

I just want the kind of healthy hair that turns heads and makes people ask, “ is that a weave?” KIDDING!


Name a few challenges you are currently facing with your hair. Have you been doing anything different to overcome these challenges?

I would have to say I am blessed because I haven’t really had many challenges with my hair, once I stopped beating the crap out of it! But I suppose my main challenge would be retaining moisture. I baggy at least 4-5 nights a week, for the whole night and that helps immensely. I also carry around travel size moisturizers in my make up bag and will apply it at least once or twice a day, depending on the time of year.

What styles do you love to wear the most and why? How do you go about achieving this style?

I am really pretty much a wash-n-go girl. I use Hair Rules for curl definition, though sometimes I like the way it looks with just a little JBCO on the ends. I like twists as a protective style and I pull them back during the day but to be honest, I have not managed the twist out look for me as yet. My hair is still a bit uneven as the back has a looser curl and hangs differently. So when I do a twist out is resembles a mullet. I do roller sets about once a month.


List the products that you use and how you use them. What is your current hair regimen? Share what works for you!

Well the path I took to get here is littered with shampoo bottles and curl products, lol but here goes.

--I pre-poo overnight with olive oil then cleanse once a week using Organic Curl Maintenance shampoo that I buy at the health food store. It has no sulfates which I SWEAR by.

--Deep Condition with whatever is on hand. I like the Olive Oil Replenishing Pak by ORS.

--I have been around the horn on gels and crèmes and the like. I started with Miss Jessie’s, then on to Kinky Curly Custard Crème, Deva Curl before settling in on Hair Rules, which is my favorite. I like it because you use it in the shower and then let it air dry, or sit under the dryer. It pulls my curls together and minimizes frizz without looking wet or greasy.

--I baggy overnight 4-5 nights a week to help ends and retain moisture.

-- I use NO DIRECT HEAT, in fact, I used a flat iron only twice in the last year and one of those was an emergency TV appearance.

--I avoid like the plague sulfate shampoos and conditioners with silicones in them. My curls really started to pop after I did those two things.

--I co wash 3-4 times a week with VO5 conditioner (no cones) and dry hair with a COTTON (not terry cloth) T-shirt, which helps minimize the frizz.

And that’s it!

What products do you use to achieve soft beautiful curl definition?

I’ve tried a lot of things, but have settled on Hair Rules. I think you really have to find the thing that works best for your hair. I was not a fan of Kinky Curly and though I began with it, really ended up not being wild about Miss Jessie’s. I like my curls to look natural, like I just rolled out of bed, gave my head a shake and they tumbled into place. Some of the other products made my hair look wet or greasy and I was not wild about that for me.


How do you detangle your hair?

I use a Denman brush to detangle sometimes but mainly I just use my hands. I get the hair good and soaked with my cheapie conditioner and then use my fingers as a rake sort of and work my way through it. I like using my hands because I can get a feel for how hard I am working my hair and if need be, lighten up a bit.

What product or technique would you say really helped your hair flourish?

Wow, that’s a tough question as I don’t think there is really an easy answer. But it boils down to what I stopped and what I started. I stopped abusing my hair with chemicals, color and heat. But it really took off once I got the sulfate shampoos and silicone conditioners out of my regimen. The baggying helped me retain length and treat the ends well though I never had much problem with breakage (outside of the post hospitalization episode). Being consistent with the hair vitamins, exercise and drinking water have helped a lot too.



Do you have any advice for other naturals?

A couple of things I think are very important.

--For those who have just BC’d I’d say be patient and enjoy every stage you are at. I look back at pictures of me from last summer and think, oh look how cute that short hair was. Your hair WILL grow if you are good to it.

--Have realistic expectations. Yes, your hair will grow. No it will NOT grow three inches in one month. Expecting it too, watching with a tape measure will only create stress, which will not help. RELAX!

--Find the regimen that works FOR YOU! You will read about so and so tried this and her hair grew three inches in a month (no it did not) and you may run out and buy and try that regimen. Don’t be sucked into that cycle. Follow your own path.

--Be Flexible. You may need to make changes here and there. Products that worked for your hair while it was shorter may not be as effective as you get more length. Don’t be afraid to switch it up.

-- Be proud of your look! Others may not understand “why you cut off all that beautiful hair” but they don’t need to. This is a personal decision and you don’t need to explain your motives to anyone. Look in the mirror, repeat after me “ I-AM-BEAUTIFUL!”


Where on the web can we find more about you and your styles?

I update my progress on my own website at www.goodenoughmother.com, on facebook, I have a fotki page (need to update that too, LOL) and of course, HAIRLISTA.COM!

Thank you Rene Syler for sharing all that information with us!