Tell us a bit about yourself
I am just your everyday somewhat- normal brown child that has a kink for natural hair :) If I’m not lusting/blogging about natural hair, I’m hidden at UKZN studying in the Civil Engineering department, and generally bumming around with other engineering students (we don’t get out much XD)
How long have you been natural and why did you decide to return to your roots?
I have been natural for 2 and a bit years now, I can’t believe it’s only been that short! If you follow me you would be familiar with my “Gollum Phase”- after all the relaxing and GHD my hair was so thin I basically had five strands of hair on my head. As a child II had the thickest curly bush, and I knew something was wrong if that had thinned out this much! So after an overdose of Google, I found the natural hair community and life has never been the same since (naturals know what I mean!).
Why did you decide to venture into blogging?
It was a happy accident :) During my transition I realized that there wasn't a lot of South African natural hair bloggers who were reviewing products actually in the stores. I could only really get those because internet shopping and I don’t get along. I started experimenting and kept track of the ‘results’ via a blog just in case myself or another natural needed an honest opinion of the product. To date, even if a product is sent to me, I always strive to remain authentic and real because products are expensive and ain’t nobody got Rands to be wasting.
Take us through your hair routine
My hair has become my hobby so I’m always doing things to it. The basic weekly routine is a once a week wash and condition then LOC (liquid,oil,cream) while it’s still damp. The products change all the time because I have commitment issues but the method is always the same. Recently I’ve been leaning to more natural products, like using Bentonite clay and apple cider vinegar to wash.
What is your Holy Grail product?
Ooooh this is a hard one! Honestly I am a sucker for anything local. Umera Jamaican Black Castor Oil, The Perfect Hair, My Natural Hair and AfroBotanics are definite repeat buys. I can’t stick to one product for too long because my fro is petty like that, but it definitely responds best to homegrown goodness. In terms of international brands I buy Aunt Jackie’s and ORS Curls Unleashed often.
What, according to you, is the biggest mistake people make when returning to their roots?
This is something I went through myself and had to learn as I transitioned: Do not try to predict what your natural curl pattern will be. It’s all good to have #hairgoals, nothing wrong with some Instagram curl-stalking! Don’t set yourself up for disappointment when your curls are looser or tighter than your current hair crush’s. I had super tight ringlets as a child and that’s what I expected to return when I went natural.
Sean Tatum Moodley
Natural hair blogger
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