Today’s Curly Girl Convo is with Leyander, a friend I’ve known since forever. She currently lives and works in New Zealand.

How long have you been wearing your hair in its natural state?

I have been natural since July 2016, almost 2 years now.

When did you decide to do this?

From a young age my Mom used relaxer on my hair, to make it “manageable”. I always wanted curly hair but my hair was super straight because of the relaxer. Wanting to have curly hair for quite some time, I thought to myself, maybe I should give natural hair a try. This was accompanied with me having to shave my head and I was not ready. It remained a thought for a long while. I tried different ways to obtain curls though and I was tired. From thongs to braid outs and failed attempted curly perms…blah, blah, blah. My sis shaved her head (being a hairstylist it was a surprise) but her hair looked to healthy, shiny and curly. Then one of my sister’s friends also shaved her head and I totally loved what I saw. So having gone through some life changing experiences, I decided I needed to shift my focus from everything that was happening and I wanted to try new things. Things that I never would have done and this was one of the many things I did not think I would ever do but now I am crowned a queen by my different kind of curls.

Did you do the big chop of transition?

I did the big chop. I must admit, before this I went crazy with my hair. It didn’t just happen, it was a work in progress. This was the steps leading to my “baldness”

• Relaxed it for the last time
• Coloured it with permanent colour (which I always feared)
• Mohawk (another bold step)
• Very short – just below my ears (was in the below my bra strap)
• Then the clippers…hehehe

How did your friends/family/partner react to your decision?

They were surely shocked.

What is your current hair regime?

I wash my hair at least once a week and on a good week I style it at least twice. I use different oils: coconut, olive, argon and carrot oils. I do a protein treatment (2 eggs mixed with olive oil) that I massage into my hair, cover for  1 – 2 hours and rinse. I then heat up 2 table spoons of coconut oil, apply it to my wet hair and wrap my head in cling wrap – overnight. This I do once a month. I don’t like the smell of coconut oil but I love the way it makes my hair feel. I also try to deep condition my hair every second week with Elvive colour mask. I wash my hair with sulphate free shampoo – I shampoo with every wash because of my dry scalp that gets flaky easily. I apply my conditioner twice, Moroccan Argon Oil conditioner and then Aussie 3 Minute Miracle treatment and try to comb through. Just kidding, the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle treatment really detangles my hair so it’s a super soft texture after my wash.

Any favourite products that you use? (where can we find it?)

I like the Aussie range. Back home a I saw it at Dischem and here in NZ I buy it at Postie. The products, including the shampoo and leave-in conditioner are a bit pricey but I am happy to say, IT WORKS!! Coconut and Olive oils one can purchase anywhere but the Argon Oil I buy at the salon. Shea butter I buy from a lady from Africa that also resides here in NZ. Styling gel…any at the moment – mixed with a little with of olive oil for my wash and go days. Ecostyler is also a hit, you can find it online.

What is your biggest challenge?

I would say my biggest challenge is to find suitable products for my hair as I mentioned I’m currently abroad. Back home I used Aunty Jackie’s range and that also worked well with my hair as it took care of everything. (So if anyone is heading to NZ soon, hook a sister up *wink, wink*) Luckily I’ve found a range that does wonders for my hair over here. Thank God for Aussie!

What do you love most about your hair?

I love that I can get away without combing my hair that much, I can do just about anything with it. I even have my blowout days. When it comes out of any style, I get to do a wash and go and it looks like a fresh new style.

Do you have a natural hair icon? Local or international?

No one specific. Just have a lot of love for my fellow naturalista sisters.

Where can we find you online?

Instagram: curly-lele

Hope you enjoyed the post.

Till later.