Hair talk
Introduce yourself, what do you do?
Hey! My name is Alexandra, and I am a Natural Hair and Self Care Blogger. My Blog is called ‘Not That Kinda Curl.com’ and my Instagram ‘NotThatKindaCurl’ is an extension of that.
What’s the favourite thing you love about the work that you do?
I love all creative aspects of my blog, from the first point of conception, to the way in which I articulate my ideas in writing, to editing and publishing it…My writing style is very evident, in the sense that I literally write exactly what I think.
Equally, I write monthly reviews on my blog relating to the monthly TreasureTress boxes I receive; I find testing new products exciting and I love the honesty element in being able to capture my opinion in the form of a review.
Are you natural or relaxed? (is that your natural hair colour and texture)
I am completely natural in texture and have been for about three years. Prior to that I had a drastic amount of heat and chemical damage which massively impacted the texture of my curls. I tend to dye my hair irregularly, maybe once every four months, but that’s just to cover up any grey hairs (sighs). I match the dye I use with my natural hair colour.
What are your go to products?
I tend to find that products containing Jamaican Black Castor Oil or Coconut Oil very easily become my ‘go to’ products. I specifically love the JBCO Conditioner from Sunny Isle. I always use coconut oil when my curls are freshly washed out the shower, too.
My four favourite styling products are ‘Umberto Giannini Twirling and Defining Cream’ (my current staple hair product!), ‘Shea Moisture Coconut Oil Leave-In Spray’, ‘Twisted Sista 30 second curl spray’ and last but absolutely not least, ‘Shea Moisture Curling Gel Souffle’.
What is your all time favourite hairstyle?
I cut my hair into a bob in the New Year and found that I’ve been loving styling my hair into a side part. I think it’s quite a sleek look but also gives my hair some volume, which I like!
What are your 3 top hair care tips?
- Use an oil (my favourite is coconut oil) when your hair is damp, prior to applying any styling products. I find this helps to protect my curls, but also I never have bad hair days when I do this. If I forget this step, my curls become super dry and the styling effort is completely wasted.
- Always sleep with a bonnet instead of a silk scarf – they don’t fall off when you’re sleeping.
- Apply water to your curls when they’re dry, before applying styling products – your curls will respond better to the products if you do this, and our curls NEED moisture!
Do you have a hair routine?
Yes…I follow the LOC method (Leave-In, Oil, Cream) to style my curls when I do a wash and go. I’ve done written tutorials on this over on my blog, and similarly I do mini hair tutorials on my Instagram stories, so if you want to see how I implement this method then keep your eyes peeled for those!
I also always use a gel after I’ve applied cream in my hair, I find this helps to combat frizz throughout the day!
Describe yourself in five words?
Spontaneous, Driven, Passionate, Persevering and Spiritual!
What helps give you inspiration/motivation?
I listen to a motivational video on Youtube every morning. It helps to give me motivation when I lack it and equally sets a nice tone for the day. I love listening to Jada Pinkett-Smith in particular, she has a super maternal tone so she’s my go-to when I need a pick-me-up.
I tend to find inspiration in my surroundings, so creatively I’m most inspired when I speak with other creatives, or quite simply by re-visiting my previous blog posts for personal inspiration and motivation!
What are the top 3 things on your bucket list?
- I want to become a best selling novelist (I’m in the process of writing a fiction!)
- I want to feature on Jada Pinkett-Smith’s ‘Red Table Talk’
- I’d like to interview Tracee Ellis Ross, she’s a massive inspiration of mine!
What made you laugh this week?
I laugh at a lot of things…I’m pretty sure I’ve cackled over a couple of memes I’ve been sent this week!
Please see links to her contacts details.
Blog: www.notthatkindacurl.com
Instagram: notthatkindacurl
Have a happy hair day.
