Natural Hair Stories Shivonne J

Hey ladies! For this edition of our Natural Hair Stories, I am pleased to introduce to you Miss Shivonne J whom I connected with through Facebook.

I hope you enjoy her story below.

Hi! Tell us about you. What is your name and where are you from?

Hey! My name is Shivonne Ntabeseng Jood, from the blog “Jewel in Vee”. I am also a BA, Psychology and Labour Relations Management graduate all the way from Johannesburg, South Africa. On my free time, I am a blogger who is passionate about God, music, writing and I am a firm believer in self-acceptance and loving your fabulous self! Besides that, I work for a natural hair company called The Perfect Hair.

Ok Shivonne, let’s talk about hair a little bit!

1- Are you fully natural or still transitioning?

I am fully natural.

2- What made you decide to go natural?

Well, in all honestly I embarked on my natural hair journey out of curiosity. I was at a place in my life where I desperately needed to find myself which resulted in me going through what I call a “self-love journey”. After many months of questioning God about why He made me the way He did, one thing that came to mind was to “give all of me a chance” and I recall saying to God, “I am going to embark on this natural hair journey and if I don’t like my natural hair, you cannot say I haven’t given myself chance” and clearly God knows best as I am still natural and embracing it.

3- Did you transition or did you big chop? Why?

I transitioned before I big chopped, for the reason that I was not sure whether I would actually go through with the natural hair process and I did not want to live with the regret of cutting all my hair off. I eventually decided to big chop after 8 months because I could no longer handle the two textures (relaxed and natural).

4-How long have you been natural?

1 year and 8 months.

5- What is your hair type and how would you describe your hair?

I am a type 4a/4b. I would describe my hair as unpredictable (like it’s owner hahaha) it never turns out the way I anticipate it to turn out, which in most cases it turns out looking pretty good but in others not so much.

6- Do you have low porosity or high porosity hair?

About a month ago, I discovered that I have low porosity hair. I did not think that porosity mattered but trust me it does, I now know which oils work for my hair and which don’t etc., and how to take better care of my hair.

7- How has “being natural” affected your life (both personal and professional)?

I have gained much more confidence since I went natural, so I would say that is really the biggest change that took place in my life since being natural and many people have noticed that too. Oh and it has obviously opened doors for me, I mean I am being interviewed on Miss Coily Hair’s blog hahaha.

Big laughs from me too! Lol!

8- Have you ever dealt with negative comments from others about your natural hair?

To be honest, I have not encountered any negative comments regarding my natural hair, I find that most people compliment my hair or just don’t say anything about it at all; perhaps they feel that it is best to keep their comments to themselves, which I am very happy about.

9- How would you deal the negatives if they were ever thrown at you?

I am not exactly sure how I would deal with negative comments; I most probably would want to let the person understand that their opinion does not matter and that they have to get over the fact that I am natural because my hair is here to stay FOREVER lol.

10- What are the pros and cons (if any) of being natural based on your own experiences?

Pros have to be the fact that my hair is versatile, I can do so much with my hair and especially at this point in my natural hair journey, I find pleasure in trying out new hairstyles.

A con would have to be the fact that it is time-consuming, I have to prep my hair the night before in order to slay the next day.

11- Give us an idea of your hair care regimen and what are your favorite products to use?

My hair care regimen is rather simple and common.

Wash day: I use a cleanser (The Perfect Hair CoWash), a conditioner by BlackPearlHair, Leave-in conditioner by Cantu (one of my favorites).

Oils: Oil blend by Afrobotanics, Argan oil, castor oil (for growth purposes and my edges) and sweet almond oil by Healthy hair essentials.

Styling: Fro: I use Afrobotanics growth cream and oil blend.

Curly looks: I either use design Essentials curling mousse or The Perfect Hair curl style.

Moisturizers: BlackPearlHair enhanced moisture hair juice and Design essentials daily moisturizing lotion.

Deep Conditioners: The Perfect Kinky deep-deep conditioning treatment or I mix my oils into my conditioner, heat it up, apply and leave it on for about 20 minutes.

I wash my hair with shampoo especially if I had gel on my hair, the other two weeks I wash it with conditioner only. Then, I deep condition at least three times a month (should increase it but time is not always on my side), use heat only when needed. I trim my ends once or twice a year depending on the necessity.

12- What is your favorite hairstyle(s)?

My favorite hairstyle has to be the Puff aka the pineapple lol and flexi-rod outs.

13- Which websites/blogs do you use as inspiration and advice for natural hair?

Mzansifro,

Jems of a natural,

Trophdoph (love her tutorials)

Igbocurls and

Natural sisters.

14- Who is your favorite naturalista and why?

To be honest, I do not have a favorite naturalista, I am however inspired by all the women whose blogs I follow (mentioned in the previous question).

15- What is your hair goal for this year?

Healthy hair! I want my hair to be full, healthy and moisturized that is my goal.

16- Is there any advice you would like to give to our readers currently transitioning, thinking about going natural or already natural but in need of encouragement?

I would say if you thinking about it go for it. If you are unsure about what to do follow blogs and ask questions. I find being natural rather empowering and I find pleasure in embracing my hair. I will say though that the decision needs to come from you. Do it because you want to do it, not because other people are telling you to do it; because it can get quite tough.

Read Going Natural, Is It Really For you?

17- What are your hobbies/passion outside of natural hair?

I am a blogger who uses her blog as a platform to inspire women by sharing her self-love journey (and natural hair journey). I enjoy singing, writing, reading, baking and I am a foodie lol.

18- Last but not the least, can you tell everyone where can you be found?

You can connect with me at:

My Blog

Instagram

Twitter

Facebook

Thank you Shivonne for granting us this great interview. It was pleasure connecting with you! You look beautiful. Your hair is gorgeous, and I wish you the best in your journey!

Don’t forget to check out her blog and connect with her on her social media accounts listed above.

Thanks for checking out another edition of our “Natural Hair Stories“. If you are enjoying our periodic edition of “Natural Hair Stories” and would like to share your own journey with us, send an email to vany@misscoilyhair.com for a chance to be our next feature. Follow and tag us on Instagram #NHStories

In the meantime don’t forget to check out our previous features. And read about my own story.

Until next time!