Jana'e Holmes blogs about natural hair and plus size fashion on her blog Natural Kinky Curly and plans natural hair events, meetups and demonstrations as 1/8 of the Ladies of Untamed.
How long have you been natural?
I've been natural since February 4, 2011, so I'll be celebrating my 3 year Natural Anniversary in February 2014. I can't believe it's been 3 years already.
What made you decide to go natural?
About a year before I officially went natural I had been dealing with a lot of breakage. I tried everything to get my hair healthy again. From going to the salon at least 2-3 times a month, I wore braids and weaves but my hair just wouldn't grow. One side of my hair was healthier than the other but I just couldn't get it under control. I actually didn't know about the vast natural hair community at the time and didn't have a clue what the Big Chop was, but I knew that I had to make change. I think after years of getting my hair relaxed, my hair decided it was time for something different. After work on February 4, 2011 I stopped by a barber shop and asked for my hair to be completely cut off to remove all of the relaxed hair, thus my Big Chop.
Did you big chop or transition?
I felt that I had to big chop because my hair was so damaged. It was scary but it was one the best decisions that I made for my hair.
What was your families’ / friend’s reaction to you going natural?
It's funny, I really thought that I would have support from my friends and family, but everyone wasn't very happy with my decision and few people said some hurtful things. My husband was my champion! He has had locs for a while and wanted me to get them too, so when he saw that I cut my hair, he was super excited and supported me. My coworkers were more supportive than my family and friends which was completely opposite of what I thought would happen. I just knew that when I walked into work on Monday morning that I would get stares and questions, but no. Nothing but support from my work family.
What have you discovered about yourself and your hair since you've gone natural? Anything surprise you?
When I first did the big chop, my first discovery was that I could no longer hide behind my hair. It was gone and there was nothing that I could do about it. So, it helped to bring me out of my shell. I discovered a new confidence that had been hiding for so long. I felt amazing with my low hair cut and knew that it was the beginning of a new me. In the beginning, I was learning so much about my hair because I had been getting relaxers for so long that I didn't know my true texture. That's when I went online and notice that there was a huge natural hair community and gained so much knowledge and tips on how to care for and style my TWA (Teeny Weeny Afro).
How did you get start blogging?
I started blogging because I wanted a platform to document my natural hair journey. I also thought that it would be a great way to share my experience with my family and friends so they could see that going natural is a beautiful journey. I also noticed that there were not a lot of blogs and vlogs with natural hair that had my same texture and I knew that I wasn't alone so being able to reach woman with a true 4C texture or very kinky coily hair was my mission. I had a great response because so many women had my texture and didn't know what or how to care for their hair and my blog spoke directly to them. How long have you been natural?
What would you say to someone that is considering going natural?
I would tell them that it's been the best decision that I've made for my hair. In the 3 years since going natural, my hair is healthy, strong and hasn't been the length that it is since I was about 4 years old, which is when I started getting relaxers. Working with your natural hair is a process, but it's so rewarding because you will see health and growth, it's also better for your health wise because you are no longer putting chemicals in your hair.
What are your hair goals for the next 6 months to year?
My goals are to keep my hair healthy by properly caring for my texture. I plan to trim within 6 months and use protective styling to keep my ends as healthy as possible. I'm all about healthy hair and not necessarily length. I think that if you care for your hair and focus on health, then the growth will come.
Please tell us about your Ladies of Untamed?
The Untamed Hair Tour is a group of 8 women all with natural hair, but each with a different texture and experiences to share with the public. We each have our backgrounds that we bring to the table as well. The ladies range from Entrepreneurs, Chefs, Fashion Stylists, Marketing, film production, event planning and business. We host a range of events such as Natural Hair Demonstrations and meetups, styling workshops, business and marketing workshops/seminars, and event planning. Be sure to check us out at www.fabvab.com/untamedtour for tour updates!
What are your current goals for your blog?
My blog has evolved over the years to not only include natural hair, but we also talk about fashion within the plus size community as well as beauty tips. I want to continue to grow and reach audiences world wide. My blog will also be a platform to bring women together to give back to the community.
I want to host a Naturally Curly Kinky Volunteer day, where women from across the globe will volunteer in their local area wearing the NCK Signature Tee (coming soon) and post pictures so we can encourage everyone to give back to your local community. If we all did something to give back, can you imagine the difference we could make?
I also plan to use the blog to promote local Natural Hair meetups in the Los Angeles area to bring all of these local naturals together. Since I've entered the fashion blog world, I'm planning to travel and cover fashion events across the globe. I have big dreams for Naturally Curly Kinky and I try to take a step closer to fulfilling those dreams each and everyday.
Where can we connect with you online?
You can find me all over the social media scene, check me out at:
Blog: www.naturallycurlykinky.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/naturallycurlykinky
Twitter: www.twitter.com/CurlyKinky
Instagram: www.instagram.com/naturallycurlykinky
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/curlykinkygirl
Thank you to Jana'e for taking the time to interview with us. If you have any questions or comments for her please leave them in the comments below.