An Afternoon with Felicia Leatherwood

Hello lovelies,

For all of you that missed the Curl Talk event, or for those of you that need some tips from none other than the Natural Hair Whisperer herself, look no further! As I mentioned in a previous post, not only did I attend the Curl Talk event at Sankara, and the Workshop for Hairstylists at Amadiva Beauty Salon, I also had the privilege of chatting with Felicia on all things natural hair. Here are the 10 things you need to know:

1. All textures of hair are equally gorgeous; none is superior or more ideal than the other. Embrace your hair and love it for what it is. Equally, find YouTubers and bloggers that have a similar hair texture to yours. This will help you set REALISTIC goals for yourself and what you can achieve with your hair.

2. We naturals are not trimming our hair nearly enough. Ideally, you should trim your hair every time the seasons change (at leas every four months). This helps you to get rid of dead ends, making detangling far much easier and helping you to maintain a healthy head of hair.

3. When it comes to trimming, it is advised that you seek professional assistance in order to get the best results. Type 4 hair should NOT BE TRIMMED WHEN WET! You should lightly blow the hair out, and then proceed to trim the hair working from the back of the head to the front.

4. We naturals are not deep conditioning enough! We need to deep condition at least once every 7-10 days. The longest interval you should go without deep conditioning is 14 days. This helps maintain the moisture levels at an optimum especially for type 4 hair which is chronically dry.

5. Hair products (styling creams, gels and the likes) should not be applied on the scalp. They clog up pores which can lead to scalp irritation, product build-up and eventual breakage. Apply products to hair at least one inch from the scalp/root.

She is so passionate about her work, and generous with her knowledge. What a beautiful soul!

6. Oiling the scalp is the most important yet overlooked key to stimulating hair growth and a healthy scalp. Oil your scalp at least every 2-3 days (depending on dryness) to keep flaking and itching at bay. Great oils to use on the scalp include; Olive oil, Castor Oil, Argan Oil, Jojoba Oil, Tea Tree Oil and Coconut Oil.

7. Protective styles should not be worn for longer than 4-5 weeks. It is also key to protective style in intervals of two months to give your hair and scalp a much-needed break.

8. Leave-in conditioner is your best friend! Like seriously ladies, if this is not already in your routine after your wash and before your styling then you have it all wrong. Leave-in conditioner will completely change your hair’s life. Trust me! Especially for us 4c ladies out here, leave-in conditioning really helps combat dryness between washes.

9. When blow drying the hair, ensure that you use a comb attachment instead of using a blow drier with a separate brush. This keeps breakage to the minimum and ensures that less stress is put on the hair. Those with fine strands or hair prone to breakage, using the tension blow dry method can help with this.

10. When visiting a salon or working with a hair stylist for the first time, it is of utmost importance that you schedule a consultation with them first before allowing them to work on your hair. This allows you to establish a rapport with the stylist, as well as talk the stylist through your specific hair care needs.

Happy Nappy Hair,

Yvette Kemi