All Things Natural Hair & Box Braids with Tierra Lee
All Things Hair: Explain your natural hair journey. What inspired you to make the change? Tierra Lee: I’ve never been committed to hair. For many years, I maintained a relaxed bob-shoulder length look. Then all of sudden, it was in a pixie, then a bowl cut. At one point I shaved the sides of my head and wore a mohawk which was also very cute but drew an insane amount of attention, (I couldn’t walk down the street without people approaching me for a photo or to offer a compliment…which are both super nice but at that time, I couldn’t handle it. It overwhelmed me) so I shaved it all off lol and not much changed. What’s your favorite natural hairstyle? My favorite, hands down, is Tigrai braids. The styles are extremely beautiful and artistic. Specifically the finely braided styles, which they call gilbich. What inspired you to wear box braids? I shaved all of my hair off a few years ago and found myself in an awkward midi-fro stage, which I just could not pull off. My mom did hair for a very long time and once I had enough length to twist my coils, she’d moisturize and braid my hair up every month. It was more so about me not having to mess with my hair so that it can grow healthier and faster — and obviously, the get-up-and-go factor didn’t hurt at all. Walk us through your natural hair care routine? Many people think that because I have box braids, my hair is exempt from a weekly wash and condition. NO, lol. It does work for some, but I personally can’t manage — so what I do is wash my hair weekly (making sure to gently scrub each part), I then apply a deep conditioner and put my hair in a bun. & then rinse after 10 minutes (sometimes more depending on how much time I have.) Once that’s done, I wrap my hair in a towel to soak up some of the water (but not too much – the remaining moisture is necessary for your leave-in treatment), apply my leave-in treatment, oil my scalp and depending on how long I’ve had my box braids, I may have to tie it up with a silk scarf so that my loose strands aren’t all over the place. What’s your favorite natural hair care tip? I think a great conditioner and a routine that promotes scalp health will take you far. A good conditioner gives you that envied shine and bounce that everyone wants and for the braided girls, it keeps our scalp very healthy. Name the one product or line you’re interested in adding to your arsenal. Honestly, everything Nexxus. I have friends who swear by it. I hear Nexxus Humectress Moisture Restoring Masque is really special. So once I run out of what I’m using now – I’d love to give it a try. Hair trends or natural hairstyles you totally want to try out next? Gilbich style, for sure. I see that and I think “Woman!” It’s such a powerful look.
