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Meet curly girl Christelle from Buckinghamshire, England. Christelle takes us through her journey of returning natural, ditching the harsh chemicals from relaxers and really honing in on the importance of scalp care!
What inspired you to return natural?
My name is Christelle and I’m from Buckinghamshire, England. After constantly relaxing my hair (every 3 months), I noticed that my hair began to lose its body (thickness), my scalp had sores from the relaxer and would become dry and itchy so much (when the wounds began to heal), my hair was thinning out and I was struggling with retaining length. So I decided to increase the months in between my relaxer touch ups to 6 months. I liked the way my hair felt; it had more body, was silkier and my edges were lying down sleek when I applied edge control.
After another 6 months, I noticed that I liked the thickness of hair my after not relaxing it and that I was only relaxing my hair to get my edges sleek — ridiculous right? So, I decided to try extending my relaxer stretch to 9 months! After the 9 months period, I noticed my beautiful natural curl pattern (that I neglected for numerous years) and fell in love with it but despised the relaxed ends! So, I took the decision to go natural by transitioning for 12 months and then big chop. However, after 11 months I was fed-up with the two textures and I could not handle it any longer so cut the relaxed hair at 9pm in the evening! I’ve loved my natural kinky hair since and have been completely natural for 4 years!
What were the challenges (if any) along the way of your healthy hair journey?
In the beginning, it was quite difficult to maintain my natural hair. This was because I had no prior knowledge whatsoever about porosity or hair type as well as using a healthy hair regimen and hair products with healthy ingredients that will help my hair to flourish. So I tried everything! Some products worked, some didn’t and some just made matters worse! And then there was the protective style issues which also contributed to the problem; broken edges, bald spots, thinning areas, etc. Although these challenges have been a handful, they have also been a blessing as they’ve helped me to go on a healthier hair journey by conducting more research on how to take care of natural hair — which has in turn helped me to discover my hair’s complexed identity, buy the better suited products and apply the techniques that my scalp and hair love.
What is your number 1 curl tip?
As a person who struggles with dry itchy scalp and dry high porosity hair, my number one curl tip is to treat your scalp with tender loving care! We often focus most of our attention on the lengths of our hair and neglect the soil (scalp) where the hair grows out of. So, I feel it’s important to clean your scalp with a good shampoo/cleanser like the Flora & Curl Coconut Mint Curl Refresh Clay Wash that has been a vital product staple in my wash day routine when I need a clean and healthy start! Additionally, moisturising my scalp daily and applying a light moisturising oil, gives my scalp the topical nutrients it needs to help my hair grow healthy, strong and long.
What made you buy Flora & Curl products? How did you hear about us?
I first saw Flora & Curl advertised on Instagram, I then Googled the company to get more information. Once on your website, I went straight to your About Flora & Curl page and I was drawn by your statement of:
“clean means no harsh, damaging or harmful chemicals. We believe that healthy curls start with healthy ingredients, and we believe that what you put on your hair and scalp is important.”
So much so that I wanted to explore whether your statement could actually be believed! I first bought the Rose Water Detangling Lotion and the Coconut Mint Curl Refresh Clay Wash to use as a test trial — I was very pessimistic about the brand and wasn’t ready to buy everything yet as some brands say lovely words but mean the opposite! Once I used the two products that I had purchased, I was completely won over and have since been a complete fan of yours!
How did you see your hair change after using Flora & Curl products?
My scalp felt sensational — the tingling went on for the whole day (this for me is a sign that the product is committed to continue working to take good care of my scalp even after I’ve washed it off — AMAZING!). By also including the leave in conditioner in my LCO step, the lengths of my hair felt less parched and more hydrated — high porosity hair is constantly thirsty for hydration.
Which Flora & Curl product is your favourite and why?
My favourite product is definitely the Coconut Mint Curl Refresh Clay Wash, as I previously mentioned, I struggle with dry and itchy scalp and it’s the only product that ticks all the boxes; clarifies my scalp by getting rid of product and dirt build up, conditions my hair and makes it soft and manageable to handle, and gives me a beautiful definition, thus, giving me an amazing wash day and the results last until my next wash day!
What is your current Flora & Curl haircare routine?
I first begin by; cleansing my hair and scalp with the Coconut Mint Curl Refresh Clay Wash (I leave this on for 15 minutes while I take a shower), I then rinse it off and apply the Rose Water Cream Conditioner and let that sit for 30 minutes under my heated deep conditioning cap. I then rinse this off and continue with the LCO method: Rose Water Detangling Lotion, Sweet Hibiscus Twist and Braid Cream and seal it all up with the Citrus Superfruit Radiance Oil.
What sets Flora & Curl apart from other brands/products on the market?
Flora & Curl is one of a very few brands that are 100% authentic and genuinely cares about it’s customers. The company is true to it’s ethos, this is reflected not only in the amazing product offerings, ingredient quality and packaging but also customer engagement and charitable works.
A huge round of applause for ditching the relaxer Christelle! Wow, we know it can be so hard to do it, but it really is worth it! We are also so happy that you get us! We always ensure we are making our customers aware of their scalp and how your scalp is just as important! You know what we say "happy scalp, happy curls!" Thank you for sharing this story, we are certain that this could help our soon-to-be curlies return natural!
Feeling inspired curlfriends?! Click here to read more Curl Journeys! Why not share your journey with us? Just click here to submit your story!
Naturally Yours,
The Team at Flora & Curl
