Where are you representing? Los Angeles, CA transplanted from NYC originally from St. Vincent and the Grenadines
How long have you been natural?All natural and chemical free since 1998.
Haven’t been natural your whole life? What caused/prompted the change?Janet Jackson’s album cover for Velvet Rope. I loved her curly style and wondered if mine would do the same if I stopped relaxing.
Have pictures of your BC,..what was the experience like? I didn’t do a big chop. I like long hair and was too chicken. I grew the relaxer out gradually over a period of 2 years. I did twist outs and braid outs to blend the two different textures.
Has anything changed in your life since you became all natural? Yes. Wearing my hair natural has affected my lifestyle. Since I started becoming aware of what I was applying to my hair and noticing the difference it made I soon began to make better choices when it came to my diet and body care products. I also work out more frequently because I don’t have to worry about sweating out my hairdo.
More About Hair:
How would you describe your hair? Long, thick and coarse.
What are your favorite hair care products and tools? Well of course Kinky-Curly products and a Tangle Teezer…I loved it so much I started selling it on my website.
What’s your hair routine? Mostly wash and go styles using the Curling Custard. When I have the time, I will do a roller set with flexi rods and the
Spiral Spritz. This allows me to change up my look from time to time.
Behind KCCC:
What prompted you to start Kinky Curly?
I traveled back to St. Vincent with my family and sadly had lost one of my bags that contained my cosmetics. I had no hair products to use. The local markets there only sold blue hair grease and relaxers. A friend of the family took me into her yard and cooked up some aloe and herbs and told me to use it on my hair. The mixture had looked horrible but it did the trick and controlled my curls. After my vacation when I returned back to the USA the compliments from all my friends & co-workers were non-stop. “Your hair looks thicker” “It looks so shiny” “what did you do to it?” right then and there I knew that it was the result of using natural ingredients on my hair during that two week span. From then I set my mind to recreate the concoction and make it available for sale. And that’s how Kinky Curly was born.
For someone who may not know about your company and product line, please explain what your products are all about:
We have 5 products that work as a system to create styles with your natural texture. Wash and go, two strand twist outs or braid outs can all be created with Kinky-Curly Products.
Come Clean Shampoo removes the buildup, Knot Today detangles and preps the hair for styling and the Curling Custard or Spiral Spritz creates the style. The Gloss Pomade will be your finishing product to un-scrunch the crunch.
We also recently added Midnight Miracle to the lineup. It is an overnight protein treatment for strengthening your hair.
An important note on Midnight Miracle. This is not your standard creamy deep treatment. For one it comes in a foam and it designed to strengthen – not moisturize. It is to be used overnight so that it penetrates the hair shaft without heat. When you rinse it out it wont give you that same feel that you get with creamy deep treatments that you slather on your hair but it does its job of strengthening your hair. You will definitely notice less breakage after using it.
A lot of naturals tend to want to achieve a curly look 24/7, what makes your product stand apart from others geared to do the same thing?
Kinky-Curly is made with all natural ingredients. Our products truly nourish your hair while creating the style. I see a lot of comparisons on the internet comparing Curling Custard to a certain drugstore gel that costs 1/8 of the price of the Curling Custard.
And yes while the end results may be similar, what is different with the Curling Custard is that our ingredients are completely natural and that will yield long term results of healthier hair.
Let’s say you are thirsty and you have a choice between a glass of Kool Aid or a glass of water. Yes both will quench your thirst and that Kool Aid may even taste better but the water will be more beneficial to your body.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not upset at these comparison videos because I think it is great that we have a community of natural ladies that share their personal tips and tricks. But at the same time it is important to state all the facts – while they may yield similar results, they are two completely different products that were formulated on different principles so they will be priced very differently.
Will there be any new products to expect in the future?
We don’t have any new product releases set at this time but we are planning on bringing back the Transitioner’s Tonic, an aloe based scalp tonic that we sold last year, but it will be re-named Root Remedy. Based on feedback from customers they felt that it was a great product that everyone could benefit from, not just women growing out their relaxers. They told me that the name Transitioner’s Tonic was confusing and suggested that only ladies growing out their relaxer could use it.
More about Kinky Curly
We believe in giving back. A portion of our sales are donated to Charity:Water to help build wells in developing countries. We use water every day and don’t have to think about it but there are 1 billion people on the planet that dont have access to it.
To date we have raised over $4000 and helped over 100 people get fresh clean drinking water.
Here is our campaign page www.mycharitywater.org/kinkycurly
Advice and Tips:
Creating perfect curly ringlets, how do you achieve the perfect look with KCCC?
The most important tip I can offer for creating a consistent curl pattern is to stay away from heated styling tools…more specifically the flat iron. The heat can and will ruin your curls and straighten them out permanently. I haven’t used a flat iron in about 5 years.
To get the best results with the Curling Custard I tell everyone follow the directions….please! Don’t substitute products from other lines when you first try it out. Learn what it does on its own, then feel free to mix and match if you want. Yes, I know it is a finicky product. It doesn’t play well with oils and butters. Don’t use a lot and you wont get crunch. I could go down to the lab tomorrow and make it so that it dries faster with less crunch and make it so that it mixes well with oils and butters but then it wont be all natural…..it wont be the same product yielding the same results.
Where can we catch up with you?
Website, Twitter, and Facebook
Is natural hair professional? Why or why not?
Why should the hair that grows naturally from my head not be acceptable in a corporate environment? I believe that any hair TYPE is professional as long as it is kept clean and groomed while certain hair STYLES are not appropriate in a corporate world. Straight Asian hair can be unprofessional if left uncombed or messy.
Just as the same way you select your wardrobe, I do feel that hair should be styled appropriately for the occasion. If I am going to a meeting I will style my curls more conservatively as opposed to going to a party, I will fluff out my hair for a fuller look with more volume. And on the flip side I wouldn’t meet with a store manager with my hair in cornrows and wearing jeans. I am all for keeping it real and expressing ourselves and our individuality but there is a place and time for everything.
I firmly believe that in order for this thinking (straight hair is more professional mindset ) to stop it starts with us. As black women we have to believe our hair is beautiful first if we want others to believe it. The self confidence we have will be projected outwards to those around us.
Any particular links/books/sites etc that you find to be very helpful?
I just read and really enjoyed Thank God I’m Natural by Chris Tia Donaldson.
~thank you so much Shelley for this awesome insight. And continue to make fabulous products! Stay blessed and Afroniquely You everyone!
