Older Natural Feature – Deidra

Dee at Loving Dee Naturally

1.  How
long have you been Natural?

I big chopped in stages.  My first
big chop was on May 21, 2012 so I’ve been all natural for 8 months.  You can read/see how that transpired here… My (transition to) Big Chop

2.  Why did you become Natural?

I became natural because I eventually got tired of perming my hair and I had
lost the desire to care for it in it’s permed state. I think I was bored with
it and deeply and desperately wanted a change. 
I began looking at Youtube videos for ideas on what to do with my hair
and came across such gorgeous pics/videos of women with natural hair.  I had never realized that our natural hair
could be so absolutely gorgeous and desirable.

3.     Was
it a hard transition?  How did you transition?

For me it was not a hard transition, AT ALL. I was so ready and my desire
for change and for my natural hair to look good like these other women I saw that I had no fear.  As a matter of fact
I was kind of disappointed that my husband wanted to cut my hair in
stages.  I wanted it all off at first but
I was patient and it eventually all came off. 

4.  Did
your age aid in your decision to go Natural?

No, I don’t think my age was a factor in it.  It was just where I was mentally/emotionally
in life and I was READY!

5.  Does your age make it easier or harder to be Natural?

I think the fact that I am older (over 45) and mature enough to be
diligent and consistent with my hair care makes it easier to be natural, I
guess.  I think that my desire was so
deep and my reasons for becoming natural were very real and strong for me.  That allows me to be able to stick with it and to be creative with styling or
cleansing as my hair gets longer and thicker and requires more time and energy
to care for.

6.  Do you see many Older Naturals in your area?  If so, what styles
are they sporting?

My mom and 2 of her sisters are naturals. 
My mom sports a short Afro style. 
My sister in law is all natural (cancer survivor) and she sports a
natural do, sometimes curly with gel, other times curly shrunken fro.  A friend from church wears hers in long Locs.

7.  How
do you primarily wear your Natural hair?

I currently primarily wear my hair in it’s naturally curly state.  I absolutely love my curls.  I’ve had chemically straightened hair for
over 20 years and I have no desire to straighten my hair even with a flat
iron.  All I want right now is curls
🙂   When I first became natural I did
the Curly Girl Method and then started experimenting with elongating my curls
with twists/twist outs. Right now I am experimenting with the Tightly Curly Method of defining my
curls and I LOVE it!  

8.  Favorite products and/or product line?

My favorite products are Tresemme Naturals Nourishing Moisture, Lustrasilk
Moisture Max Olive Oil Hair Mayonnaise w/ egg protein, Aloe Vera juice, Jojoba oil, Coconut oil and
raw Shea butter for MY hair.  I also make
my own homemade products using these products. (They can be found on her blog) 

I’m also transitioning my daughter out of her texturizer and my favorite
products for her hair are everything I use on my hair and just about anything
Shea Moisture or Nubian Heritage (Shea Moisture owns this also).

9.  Any words of wisdom or encouragement for other Older Naturals already
Natural or thinking about it?  

Well, I feel that I may not have that much
advice to give since I’m still newly natural(not even a year) but I’ll say
this:  

When I first became natural I
lived and breathed whatever I read in a book/Internet and or saw in a video.  I eventually realized that I had to do what
works for MY hair.  I had to get to learn
MY hair and what MY hair likes and what MY hair needs.   Learning, reading, researching (which I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to do) is fine but I had to learn to take what I learned and apply it
to my hair WITH KNOWLEDGE OF MY HAIR. Don’t get down or despondent if something
that you saw (method/product) in a Youtube video doesn’t work for your hair or
your hair doesn’t look like your hair crush.  
Just find what your hair likes.  

I
think that also goes hand in hand with accepting your hair for what it
is…

accept your texture/pattern/hair for what it uniquely is…

and that is
yours…then you go from there and make what’s yours the absolute BEST it can
be by giving it the BEST CARE that you know how to give it.  

You must be diligent and consistent and
gentle in your haircare regimen (cleanse, deep condition/condition,style) and
when you do,  I believe, you will see the
condition of your hair change.  It will look, behave better, and it will look
it’s best because you are giving it YOUR best.   I would also advise to try to use products as close to natural as you can.  Try
to minimize the chemically-laden commercial products and experiment and find an
all natural product (NOT expensive) that
your hair likes.  Also, you may want to
be creative and try different methods of styling/caring for your hair.  It really can be quite fun!!

I have to really thank Dee for sharing her story and her blog with us.  Her hair is gorgeous! I’m like Dee also when it comes to wearing my hair curly.  No straightening for me.  Did that for too many years and don’t miss straight hair at all.  She has some great advice ESPECIALLY about accepting your own hair and its texture and not looking for something that someone else has.  We can get all caught up in a curl, a look, a style and miss the importance of loving oneself and finding beauty in who we are.   She’s got some great tips and styles so check her out!

Any new takers who wanna step up to the plate and share??  I”m always looking for women over 30 and you can check out my Contact page for more info.

Love your yourself and that includes your hair Naturals,

Sabrina