Hair talk
Introduce yourself, what do you do?
Hi. I’m Janice from Toronto, Canada. I’m a natural hair blogger and social media influencer. I teach women and men how to love and care for their 4c natural hair.
What’s the favourite thing you love about the work that you do?
I love conversing with people from all over the world and learning about hair culture where they’re from. I’ve consulted with naturalistas as far away as Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and the Ukraine. I’m always amazed at where we are celebrating our hair.
Are you natural or relaxed? (is that your natural hair colour and texture)
I’m natural. People often ask me about my hair colour because of the deep red highlights, but it’s natural, too.
What are your go to products?
My routine is fairly simple and I don’t use that many products. My favourite one, however, is kaolin clay for cleansing my hair. I adopted a quasi no-poo method and so I mostly wash my hair using this healing clay instead of using shampoo. It’s super gentle and doesn’t strip my hair.
What is your all time favourite hairstyle?
I’m never without my two strand twists! Twists help to keep my hair stretched and therefore it reduces my hair’s ability to shrink and knot on itself. Mini twists, medium twists, jumbo twists, two strand twists, three strand twists…I wear them all!
What are your 3 top hair care tips?
First, tightly textured hair – hair that we often refer to as type 4 and specifically 4c – is very delicate. I would suggest using your fingers to detangle your hair as much as possible. Using your fingers helps to minimize breakage, which means that it increases retention. Retention is what you need in order to see longer lengths.
Second, I would suggest that anyone who is looking to improve the overall health of their hair needs to be consistent. This means that you need to develop a hair care routine that is beneficial to your hair. Determine when and how often you are washing it, detangling it, moisturizing it. Figure out which protective styles help your hair to flourish. Identify your trim cycle. Once you have this figured out, keep doing it. If you’re not consistent, you won’t get the results that you’re hoping for.
Third, patience is key. You’ll hear it all the time, but it’s so true. Hair grows on average ½ inch to 1 inch per month. For some people, they get less than ½ inch. If you’re a “slow grower” then it feels like your hair never grows or that everyone’s hair grows so much faster than yours. That can be discouraging, but if you remain patient, you’ll see your progress.
Do you have a hair routine?
My hair care routine is very simple: I wash weekly, I moisturize and seal using the LCO (liquid-cream-oil) method every 1 to 3 days, and I keep my hair in twists as much as possible. Sticking to a simple routine has kept my hair healthy.
Describe yourself in five words?
Fun. Introverted. Analytical. Discerning. Considerate.
What helps give you inspiration/motivation?
My children. Seeing the world through their eyes has been a wonderful experience for me. Not just as a parent, but I’ve been re-evaluating my priorities, learning about how to re-ignite my own inner child, and that sort of thing.
What are the top 3 things on your bucket list?
1. Travel more. 2. Learn German. 3. Learn to walk in heels.
What made you laugh this week?
- Watching my children dance; 2. Realizing how immature my husband and I can be with each other (we stayed up until midnight trying to beat each other in a Fitbit step challenge. I won!); 3. Sonic the Hedgehog (the movie).
Please see links to her blog and any other contact details.
Instagram: @fromato4z
Blog: www.fromato4z.ca
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/fromato4z
Thank you for your time
