Naturally Obsessed

About me...My Name Is Keri! I am a student at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. I am a die hard lover of fashion I’m also building up my fashion empire slowly that is known as Yes! Natty. I’m a makeup artist, blogger, secret stylist and lover of life.

Where do you live? How's the natural hair/loc community there?
I live In New York. The natural/loc community where I live isn’t huge in terms of locs, fros or just big curly natural hair. I’m surrounded by a lot of latinos so that’s mainly what I see in the BX. However, When I venture into the city I see lots of locs and big curly luscious hair.

When and why did you decide to loc your hair?
Believe it or not I always wanted locs, literally. I would say when I was 11 I definitely knew that I would loc my hair sooner than later, I made many attempts to loc my hair and my mother would always say you better comb your hair because you aren’t going to loc your hair ha. I grew up in a household in the Caribbean where my father always played reggae music from Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Culture, Third World & my mother was in a reggae band so I would always see these musicians with locs ,I always had a fascination with them. I also chose locs because I never wanted to straighten my hair because I thought I wouldn’t know what to do with my hair, when it comes to my hair I am very simple, it’s either down, flip to the side or in a bun. Moreover, I hate to spend hours in a salon I have no patience ha ha. So all of those factors helped me to decide that locs were for me and it just goes with my personality,a free spirit.

Were your friends and family supportive of your decision? If not, how were you able to move forward?
They were because they knew that this was something that I always wanted to do, even if they were not supportive I would not have affected my decision. Many people asked me “Why would you ruin your pretty hair?” That would upset me at times because I wondered how was I ruining my hair. If anything I was protecting it from chemicals and the elements but to each his own and everyone is different, I am very happy with my decision 4 years later.

Describe your hair routine.
My routine is simple. I try not to use too much products on my hair because I don’t want my locs to have crazy build up that would attract lint and dust. When I wash my hair I’m sure to use a gel shampoo like Suave (their Shampoo’s smell amazing) something that isn’t white and thick that would get stuck in my hair. I do not believe in using shampoo that is specifically for locs. I rarely use conditioner because it always get stuck in my hair no matter how much I wash it out, therefore, I just eliminate that all together. I re-twist my hair with every three to four weeks however; I do touch ups on the front in between. I use Lets Jam! Shinning and Conditioning Gel Regular Hold, I swear by it I never get build up and it makes up for me not conditioning my hair because it keeps my hair moisturized. I oil my scalp with Jamaican mango & lime island oil. That is pretty much it. I don’t like to spend a lot of time on my hair so I keep it simple, I don’t want to weigh down my hair with a million products that are just not effective.

What are some of your favorite hair products?
My favorite shampoo is Head & Shoulders Smooth & Silky. I was searching forever for a leave in conditioner that would keep my hair hydrated between washes and retwisting, so I use Aveeno Active Naturals Nourish + Condition Leave-In Treatment. The product I have to have at all times is my Lets Jam Hair Gel, I would be stuck in a rut without it. I use it to re-twist my hair and do touch ups in between because I hate to see my hair looking all poofy, like a puppy that went through a wind storm Ha Ha!! I really love Carol's Daughter Tui Oil, it smells amazing and it keeps my hair soft and there is no build up which is important with locs that there is minimal residue.

Do you have any hair goals? What steps are you taking to achieve them?
I don’t have any hair goals, because I try not to obsess about my hair & focus on it too much. I just want my hair to be healthy and grow longer.

What's the biggest misconception about locs and those who wear them?
There are so many where should I even start? People always ask how do you wash your hair? Or people who have locs smoke, are Rasta’s, we have bugs living in our hair (Like Seriously)?!? People believe that we are all obsessed about being natural (which I'm not). Like we are hippies or something. A lot of people think that once they see someone with locs that they had to cut their hair to begin their locs, which is not true for everyone. I didn’t cut my hair to start mine, my hair was never chemically straightened and before I began my locs my hair was a little past shoulder length and curly. There are numerous misconceptions I’m sure someone could write a book about all of them.

What are some of your obsessions?
I don’t really obsess about things, but lately I can’t get enough of these...ok I guess that is a little bit of obsessing..
• Chipotle Burrito’s (yum!) there is something about these big yummy wraps of goodness that I need to eat every week.
• I LOVE accessories! Big, bold pieces. I would buy jewelry instead of shoes any day.
• I’m in love with trousers. Unfortunately, I cannot find the perfect pair :(
• I am in LOVE with printed fabrics. Ethnic prints/African prints/animal prints...It just gives any outfit more personality.
• Love nail art! • I adore wearing my hair up in a bun (not really an obsession but why not) • I am excited about wearing lipstick for summer reds, pinks, nudes all of them!

LOL!! Crack is wack!!

P.S. This site is not just dedicated to those who wear their curls loose. If you wear dreads/locs your are more than welcome to participate and tell your stories!!