About me Silly, playful, quirky, flirty, friendly, feisty, sassy; a hint of shy and a die-hard romantic— that's me! All in all, I am at my best when actively embracing and inspiring folks to love themselves naturally and encouraging them to do the same for others. I do this with unconditional love, passion, and purpose.
As a mother of 3, I constantly encourage my children to look at their potential and to not dwell on where they are nor on their past—just focus on the greatness inside. The primary thing that matters along the way is their character. Be true. Be authentic.
Going natural I wore the classic 2 French braids hair style just about every day in middle and high school. In 9th grade, my mother finally let me get my first relaxer. I thought I finally 'stepped it up', with my new 'box perm'! (Cracking up!) I was married to the 'creamy crack' up until about 2 years ago (July 2008) when I did the big chop which finalized my divorce to all chemical processing.
I want to send my love out to all of the women on YouTube who helped me through my change, my liberation, re-education, transformation and self-evolution to embracing and loving my Afro hair. Though, many don't know, this change must occur from the inside out.
Hair regimen I co-wash weekly and I deep cleanse, to strip any build up, once a month. My hair is happiest this way. Never has it been so soft! I do not use any intense hair treatments or real deep conditioning. Since I always use leave-in conditioner after washing, I am usually okay.
After I wash and condition my hair, I usually set it in braids to dry overnight, or blow dry it and set it in braids for my curly style. After it is set, I take my braids out and finger style and go.
Trimming I trim my hair once every 6 months. I'm not sure if it should be done more frequently, but I haven't had any problem with lack of growth in the way I've been doing things so far. I trim just by piecing sections and looking for possible split ends. I do not trim to get my hair even all over as it can make styling, twisting, and braiding difficult. Leaving a bit of unevenness in my hair helps in managing the ends of braids and twists—they don't tend to unravel.
Heat Usage Since growing out my natural Afro hair, I have only straightened my hair out once. I used a flat iron. I wore it for a day and washed my hair. It felt weighted and "false" to me. I do use a blow dryer periodically. It really depends on how quickly I want my hair to dry on a particular day or if I decide to do a dry braid out or twist out. Doing these styling methods on dry hair give added length. There is more shrinkage when done on wet hair.
Color I do not use dyes or highlights. And although my gray is coming in strong now, I don't ever plan to!
Hair Tips Creamy moisturizers tend to work better on thicker hair. Thinner, more liquid-like moisturizers are better on finer hair.
Favorite hair products I love products that are all natural. However, cost can play a factor at times as to how regularly I can purchase such products. The following items must always be on hand:
100% African Shea Butter
(For regular use as needed and/or after washing hair)
Cantu Shea Butter Leave-in Hair Conditioner
(For co-wash and leave-in and leave-in after deep cleanse)
John Freda Smooth Frizz-Ease, Straight Fixation Smoothing Creme
(It's not all natural, but it does wonders for my curly styles!)
Favorite hairstyle Crimpy, curly from a braided curl set. Also called a braid-out. I often do my hair for myself. For film purposes, I am styled by my hair stylist, Christopher Burke at Salon Lofts in Columbus, Ohio.
Most prized hair tool My Denman brush!
For more on Riki's business, see www.wix.com/rikizzz/rikis-office.
Your hair is beautiful. Is the picture the result of your braid out? It's nice to hear of a simple routine, and I'm sure the kids have a lot to do with it. I two children under 5, and a teen stepson! All that extra stuff some women do, I just can't find the time for!
ReplyDeleteI feel you! Thank you so much for the compliment! I don't have the time for some of the styles either! You certainly do have your hands full! This was the result of a dry chunky braid out on stretched hair. Basically, after washing and conditioning (leave-in), I blew my hair dry to merely stretch it. Then I put big chunky plats in it (about 6 big braids on each side of my head) with my cream moisturizer (nothing water-based or too wet because hair will reshrink). John Freda (what I mentioned in my interview) is good for keeping my hair stretched. I let those braids stay in for two days because I wasn't going anywhere (I had a lazy weekend! Lol!). This is what I got when I took my braids out. If I want smaller 'crimps', I cornroll about 5 braids on each side of my head instead of doing the big plats.
ReplyDeleteI hope this helps!
Much love to ya, My Kinky/Curly Sista!
I love your hair - so full! You said "For film purposes, I am styled by my hair stylist..." Are you an actress - you look like a movie star. I look forward to seeing strong black women not afraid of being glamorous and natural. I think you'll be a triple threat!
ReplyDeleteThe best of luck in your career!