Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Coily Curl Feature: LaCoCoBella



Dry Bantu Knot-Out

1.     Where are you from? What is your name? Age?(If you want lol)
What’s up?! I’m Lauren and I am originally from California…the Valley, yes I’m like totally a valley girl lol but I currently reside in Maryland. I’m 27 years young :o)

2.     How long have you been natural?did you big chop or transition?
I’ve been natural for 7 years, since ’05. I transitioned for about 4 months by wearing a weave, braids and straitening my hair. I couldn’t take dealing with all that for too long so I said forget and chopped all my hair off! I had about an inch of fresh curls.
3.     Why did you go natural?
I was so tired of my hair breaking and being damaged, let alone having to pay to get a relaxer every 3 months or so. I had some friends who wore their hair straight but it was so thick and healthy because they pressed their hair out, no relaxer. Although I seldom wear my hair straight, I liked that I still had the option to….when the weather is so daggone humid out here on the east coast!
 Bantu Knot Out-Twist out

4.     What obstacles socially did you face from friends, family, co-workers, classmates about your new decision? & How you got past them
When I first cut my hair off, I think it shocked almost everyone because it was so unexpected. I was in college and was the “token Cali girl with long strait hair” lol so it was a huge change. I even had people think that I was having a life crisis or something and cutting my hair was a means of rebellion, I don’t know! My mom didn’t really like it much at first, I think it’s because she had seen me with a relaxer my entire life.
When I first BC’d, I was a bit insecure with how I looked, I didn’t want to look like a boy! I always wore cute earrings and a little more eye shadow lol One thing I thought was very interesting, not that this is important or matters because men don’t determine what is beautiful or desirable, but I got less attention from guys! Haha when I would go out or wherever, I noticed I became more overlooked. I was like dang, whatever lol. But overall, the majority of friends/peers really liked it. I think it made me stand out and allowed me to exude a confidence I didn’t know I had. After I cut mine, I noticed a lot more short-haired curl girls popping up around campus ;o) I know it is cliché but confidence really can make anyone beautiful.
5.     What is your current Regimen?
My regimen consists of a) pre-pooing with a heavy oil for a few hours or overnight b) washing OR and ayurvedic treatment c) deep condition d) style. I do this every week and just maintain the style throughout the week. As far as detangling, I finger detangle almost every time I do something with my hair meaning I “detangle-as-I-go”. So if I am doing twists, I will gently detangle as I am separating my hair and applying product. This works and is quick because I am keeping my hair as detangled as possible as much as possible. Maybe once a month on wash days, I will use my modified Denman brush (I took out every other row of teeth).
Twist out


Wash n Go

6.     What are your staple products?
Water :: The only thing the moisturizes hair!
Shampoo :: I really love shampoo bars. Henna Sooq and Bobeam are my fav brands. They have pure, all-natural ingredients and don’t strip my hair plus they are fun to use lol
Ayurvedic Powders :: Amla, neem and brahmi have worked miracles for my hair and scalp. I use Hesh brand from my local Indian market (always check the expiration dates on these!)
Conditioners :: Oyin Handmade Honey Dew, Shea Radiance Maximum Moisture, Shea Moisture Purification Masque and Aubrey Organics White Camellia are all AMAZING. They all have nice slip and really replenish any lost moisture back in my hair. I can use any of these as a deep conditioner as well. I just leave them on under a cap for about 30 mins.
Oyin Handmade Whipped Pudding…I LOVE this stuff for twist-outs. It seals moisture and gives hold for days.
Oyin Handmade Humectant Pomade…use it to seal my ends EVERY time I do a twist-out.
7.     What is your staple style?
I am not very creative with styling lol so I opt for a twist-out most of the time with a few wash-n-go’s scattered here and there. I love wearing my hair out, the bigger the better!
Wash n Go


Twist out

8.     Words of the Wise(tell a natural something you wish you would have known before you went natural)
If you are newly natural, stay encouraged! Don’t give up, I know the road to growing out your relaxer can be rough and unpleasant at times but keep learning, keep experimenting and learning to love the true you! Have fun with it but don’t become obsessed with how you look or trying to keep up with the next natural curly. Find what works for you and go with what you know :o)
9.     Any Last thoughts
You can find all my other thoughts on the places listed below :o)
10.  Where can we find you? (Tumblr, Instagram,Twitter, blog etc.)
I love this lol,this is her logo.
Instagram :: @lacocobella









(I LOVE her site, and she was so generous to share her hair story with the blog, go over to her site and show her some LOVE, remember to be featured all you have to do is CONTACT me.)
-BHay













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