Hello, ladies, we are back with our weekly edition of “Share your natural hair journey” where each week you get introduced to one of our lovely queens sharing her natural hair journey with us in the hopes of inspiring and empowering you.
I hope you were able to read the previous features. If not you can check them out. kerone, Chloe, Leidy, Aneka. These beautiful ladies were all kind enough to share their stories with us. Make sure you comment and ask any questions you might have.
For our first feature of the year, I am pleased to introduce to you Isaly Holland from the blog Memories by Isaly .
Let’s see what Isaly had to say about her natural hair journey!
Tell us about you. What is your name and where are you from?
My name is Isaly Holland I am from Dallas, Texas. I am originally from Chicago though.
Are you fully natural or still transitioning?
I am fully natural, I became natural over 3 years ago.
What made you decide to go natural?
I just woke up one day and decided to cut off my hair. I was going through a lot of life transitions and decided to do the same for my hair.
Did you transition or did you big chop? Why?
I did the big chop and rocked short hair for quite a while.
How long have you been natural?
I have been natural for 3 and a half years.
What is your hair type and how would you describe your hair?
I am not sure of the hair type completely but I would say that it is 4C.
How has being natural affected your life (both personal and professional)?
My hair being natural has affected me in both my personal and professional positively. I have been able to feel like myself with my natural hair. I am an independent contractor and basically my own boss. Personally, it’s been liberating and made me feel more like myself and learn more about my body. I am more confident with my natural hair.
Give us an idea of your hair care regimen and what are your favorite products to use?
My hair care regimen is to wash my hair every Sunday with Shea Moisture products. Then I use a leave-in conditioner because I need to keep moisture in my hair. I also use safflower oil every couple of days. But, sometimes I’ll use a curl product like Shea Moisture curling gel. I braid or twist my hair every Sunday after washing my hair so that my hair can stretch and I can have a style for the week.
I braid or twist my hair every Sunday after washing my hair so that my hair can stretch and I can have a style for the week.
What is/are your favorite hairstyle(s)?
My favorite hairstyles are twists. love twisting my hair. I like having my normal 4C hair without much done to it. I also like puffs, and just keeping my hair in protective styles like box braids.
Which websites/blogs do you use for inspiration and advice for your natural hair?
The websites that I use for inspiration and advice on my natural hair are a few YouTubers like Disisreyrey, Angie Divina, Flaunt Your Fro, and many more.
Who is your favorite naturalista and why?
It is so hard to pick a favorite naturalista because there are so many great ones! But, I do like Deana Fierce because she is so versatile with her hair styles.
What is your hair goal for the upcoming year?
I am actually doing a hair challenge with my hair being in protective styles for a year. I want to grow out my hair a lot and start a vlog on my year.
Is there any advice you’d like to give to our readers currently transitioning or thinking about going natural?
The advice I would like to give to readers transitioning or thinking about going natural would be to research a lot about different products that you want to try out. That way you know what to get when you transition or do the big chop.
I also say to watch videos on people that have been through the path you decide on. Love yourself and remember you’re beautiful with or without the big chop.
What are your hobbies/passion outside of your natural hair?
My hobbies are blogging, reading, watching a great movie, museums and helping others.
Last, but not least tell everyone where you can be found.
My website is: Memories By Isaly
I can also be found on Twitter: @memoriesbyisaly Instagram: @memoriesbyisalyblog Pinterest: memoriesbyisaly
I would like to thank Isaly for such a great interview. Women like you are such an inspiration and I’m glad you kindly accepted my offer to participate in this series.
I hope Isaly’s story is as inspiring to you as it is to me. If you have any questions for her or me, please use the comment section below to do so. We would love to hear from you.
If you’d like to be featured or nominate someone to be featured, follow the instructions here.
In the meantime, don’t forget to hit the share buttons to share this story with your friends and family. Remember Sharing is Caring!
I’ll see you ladies next week for another edition of Share Your Natural Hair Journey!
I know quite a few women who just wake up one day and cut their hair off. I think that is so brave. I also love to watch videos of those on a similar journey to me, I get so many great ideas from them.
I think cutting it off is so much easier and fun than transitioning. Lol
I’ve had two friends to do the big chop! It was both liberating and scary for them both. I believe it was the critics that really made it hard for them both personally and professionally in the beginning. Both have surpass this stage and are loving being natural. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Daria. It definitely is a liberating experience.
Her hair is so pretty! I did the big chop, and I don’t think I could have done it any other way. I think it is time for me to take another hair risk.. I can’t wait. Great interview!
Thank you Eva. I can’t wait to see what your next big move is.
I transitioned for about 4-5 months & decided to big chop. I was extremely insecure with my short, kinky hair but after 5 years of being natural, I’ve come to a place of acceptance. I love my hair.
Glad you got it figured out now Rashida. I can’t wait to see my hair 5 years from now 🙂
I am so glad that I was able to do the interview (: Ladies doing the big chop is definitely liberating!
It was great working with you Isaly. Thank you!
Nice! She has beautiful hair. I have done both big chop and transition. I am not about hat transitioning life though…
I feel you KenyaRae. I started off transitioning but couldn’t keep it up.
I always enjoy hearing someones natural hair journey. We all do it for different reasons and have different experiences.
I agree Mimi. Thank you!
Great Post!!! I love reading about someone’s natural journey! I always wished I could’ve woke up and cut mine myself but I never had the nerve to do it!
Lol! That’s exactly what I did Carissa. It was scary.
Great article/feature. She makes it the transition seem comfortable and enjoyable. You got me thinking…lol She’s right we’re beautiful with or without the big chop.
She sure does. I wish transitioning was that easy for me. Lol!
I loved this. Thanks for sharing. I took notes about her regimen. I love her hair.
Awesome Ty! Thanks for coming by 🙂
I love natural hair. Before my hair fell out, I wore mine proud. Now both of my daughters wear their hair natural.
You can live through them Tanya 🙂
Always great to read about someone else’s natural hair journey. I’ve locd my hair now but her pics make me miss my fro a little bit.
Lol! I’d love to see your locs.
Her hair looks great! I’m it sure if I could do a year of protective styles but I’d like to.
Protective styles are definitely great while transitioning. Personally I can’t keep mine in over 4 weeks (that’s even pushing it).