"Hey Lady!
Ok, I can't tell you how excited I am to be featured on your blog! Yipee skippy! I told all 5 of my friends who actually care about blogging..lol. I'm so serious tho. Oooh and I blabbed about it on my blog at http://fyre08.blogspot.com/"
NM: What’s your name how old are you and where are you from?
My name is RoRo, yeah, I'm from Long Beach, yeah and when you see me, yeah, you know I'm BEAT, yeah. go Roro, go Roro, go Roro...lol... I'm kidding. My name is Romneka, but I go by Roro or Rommie.
NM: Why did you make the decision to go natural, and when did you do it?
My decision to go natural for me was simple. Either go natural or go bald. My hair has always shed. Fact of life for me. It wasn't until I noticed that it was not only shedding but breaking off at the top/middle and thinning out did I get freaked out and concerned. So I decided during the summer when usually no one was at school to stop perming my hair. I knew how to braid so I kept my hair in braids. Micro's, mini's, kinky twists, w/e. I did that for a whole year and some change. Then when I felt like my new growth was long enough, I had my daddy cut off all my permed hair and shape my fro with his clippers. I shampooed my hair and have been natuarl ever since. That was April 2007 suring spring break. I was nervous. My daddy didn't like it but his sensibilities had been dulled by my mom and my sister. I was more afraid of what my boyfriend would say than anything. And true to form he hated it. He didn't come out and say it, all he said was "its really short. like, boyish short" and I know he hates when girls look like boys in any way shape form or fashion. So for a few days I was scared he'd break up with me. But then after talking with my sisters and my mom, and getting a few compliments from strangers, my confidence came back and I was ready for the world.
NM: What products/ingredients do you use?
For the longest time I didn't know what to use. I was always searching for advice. My best friend LeeAnah has been natural for years. And she would makes suggestions, which I followed while I had my fro. But after about 2 months, I realized having a fro was just as much work as having a perm. I was tired of working that hard for hair. Somy mother twisted me up using Organic Root Stimulator's Loc and Twist gel. I don't like intermixing brands so I stuck with that line of hair care products. Their latherless shampoo, the Olive Oil Shampoo and the Olive Oil conditioner.
It wasn't until I used a new locking technique did I decide to switch to natural products. The problem was, I couldn't find any inexpensive kind in Raleigh/Durham area. This area isn't really known for supporting women with natural hair but its coming along. It's way more "in with the times" than most people realize. But a coworker of mine was using Carol's Daughter and suggested I try that. So I bit the bullet and ordered the Loc butter. I was a skeptic, but after using it once, I was in love. It wasn't greasy like the other loc gels I had tried. It didn't dry out or flake up. It smelled good and was easy to wash off my hands.
NM: Could you describe your regimen?
Since I have dread locks, my regimen is more relaxed than most. I stopped tying my hair down with a scarf once I was fully locked. I shampoo my hair maybe twice a month or after strenuous excersice or the pool or sweating really badly. Depending on my weekend, I may have to wash it after going to the club. Hair holds odor. Which is why after being in a smoke filled room, I shampoo my hair. I use the lather-less shampoo after work outs. Washing your hair that much can really dry out your scalp which is what a lot of people with locs suffer from. But not me. After each wash I deep condition. Then use the loc butter to moisterize my scalp. I use a spray leave-in conditioner and I roll my hair to get it curly. I like how it looks curly as opposed to straight. The curls usually last for a month or two. When they fall out, its usually time to wash them again.
The only daily task I do is pick lint. Dreads are a lint magnet! I'm always pulling lint out from somewhere.
NM: What mistakes have you made in your natural journey that you've learned from?
That what works for one may not work for you. I started out trying what worked for my mom and my sister but after realizing we all have different grades of hair, I had to customize my regimen and change the products I used. The other mistake I made was when I had a fro I thought i had to wash my hair daily.... and I didn't. As long as it was moisterized, I really only had to wash it once a week, if that much.
NM: Where do you get style inspiration from?
I look for pictures on the internet of different styles. I have yet to try a pinup style, but for curls or waves, I hit google. I don't know any other girls with dreads that I could talk to. My mom used to have them so I always ask her for tips and advice.
NM: How does your hair work for your life?
I'm not gone lie, for a while I thought it was working against me. I thought that employers would see a nappy headed black girl and think "oh my.... is she serious?" But after a few interviews, that was shattered. Now, I feel like my hair is the essence of me. It's healthy, cute, funky and natual. It is, what it is...and that's exactly who I am. I am me, nothing more, nothing less. You either like it or you don't. I have to say that having my dreads give me more confidence as a person and as a woman b/c I feel like it sets me apart from a lot of my peers and counter parts. Well it used to anyway. Now, it's like having dreads is the new black. Everyone is growing them or has them. Like it's the trendy thing to do.
NM: Did it take long for your hair to grow out?
Uhm, it took me about a year and 3 months to get a 2.5 inch fro. My hair was scared to grow. At least that's what I used to say. But once it started growing, it didn't stop. Most people with dreads, relock their hair every 2 to 4 months. I can't wait 4 months. If I wait 3 months, it'll look like i'm growing a new fro. If I'm honest, I could relock my hair every month but that's alot of stress on my roots and I don't want my dreads to thin out...cuz that has happened before too. So I relock every 2-3 months. Stimulating your scalp helps with hair growth.... and I have a bad habit of rubbing my scalp.
NM: What's the best thing about being natural?
For me, the best thing about being natural is the cost. Although I go thru shampoo faster than most, I usually only have to buy a bottle once every few months. Same with conditioner. I bought some loc butter last year, I still have the same jar. I think I spend a total of $50 buck on hair care products every 7-9 months maybe. It costs more to get my eyebrows done in a year than it does to get my hair done!
NM: Favorite Quote?
"Life is a culmination of the choices you make. Stand firm in your decisions and choose wisely."
I came up with this on my own one day while talking to a friend about the choices we make in life. They asked me how I could live my life having nothing to regret and that was the answer I gave her. I feel like every choice I made was mine to make and there's no point in regretting something I actively chose to do.
****X-tra****
I have heard some of the absolutely funniest things while in transition and even now, fully locked. From "how do you keep it like that" to "did you do it cuz you a weed head!" Unless the person asks you has natural hair or been exposed to it... most people won't truly understand the growth and the changes that come with going natural.
I have to also say, that for those who think it will change anything, it won't. Your hair is just an extension of who you are inside. Just like your sense of style, choice in shoes, movies and drinks. But, going natural, forces one to truly focus on your definition of beauty, your definition of who you are and it forces you to decide who you are in a societal prospective.
No sense in denying, society has its rules of what's proper, right, how people should look, talk, act, think, etc. When you make the decision to go natural, you are telling society that you are going to be who you are no matter what and guess what? Society will not always agree with you, society will not always appease you.
But the inner strength, courage, patience, and tranquility you gain thru your journey will be something society can not take away from you.
Do not let things like corporate america, bf/gf, family members, naysayers, haters or w/e deter you from doing something you feel is right for you. Besides.... IT'S JUST HAIR!!! It will grow back! lol.
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