Re-Post: Having Naturally Curly Hair in Sweden
This post was originally posted in September 2012.
If you have been following my blog you know that I get ridiculously excited when I find a fellow natural hair blogger in Sweden (or anywhere else in Scandinavia). This time I was actually found, lol. Queen Moreen contacted me, and I was so excited by her blog and vblog. She's found her own niché by doing natural hair videos in Swedish! Because not everyone speaks English in Sweden this is brilliant! She was kind enough to answer my questions.
Three words to describe your hair:
Real ;-), beautiful, and unique.
Have you ever relaxed your hair? If yes, when did you decide to go natural?
I relaxed my hair the first time at the age of 9. My mother had no idea what a relaxer was. Her friend told her that she was going to ”tame my hair”... Of course my mother allowed it not knowing of the consequences. My mother grew up with natural hair and so did her mother and so on. My hair felt wonderful for three days, suddenly it started breaking of in weird patterns and places. I swore I would never relax my hair again. But, I did! 2007 I relaxed my hair when I was living in Hawaii. I took care of it and it grew but it never really felt like the real me. 2009 I started transitioning while I was at university. I tried a lot of different techniques before I got the hang of things. Summer of 2011 my hair was completely relaxer free and I have
never looked back ever since...
Which products do you currently use on your hair?
I have different regimens for my hair 1. braid regimen 2. natural hair regimen.
1. When I wear my hair in braids, I use African pride braid spray, Aloe Vera juice and Infusium 23 leave in formula as my mositurizers. I also massage coconut oil on my scalp twice a week. I wash my hair with
Tresemme Naturals shampoo or Mane n Tail deep conditioning shampoo once a week.
2. When I wear my natural hair, I use the Tresemme Naturals shampoo and conditioner. I use a homemade deep conditioner which consists of egg, avocado, and olive oil (leave it on once a week for three hours under a shower cap!!!). I use a homemade Shea butter mix which consists of Shea butter, Aloe Vera juice, coconut oil and Sweet orange essential oil as my mositurizer. I also massage coconut oil into my scalp. During the summer months I co-wash with a cheap conditioner 1-2 a week.
What's your favorite hair product?
My favorite product is conditioner.. any type of conditioner... well actually at the moment I am loving Tresemme Naturals conditioner. And my coconut oil!
Where do you shop for products?
I go to Taj Mahal, Ebony Cosmetics and a health store called Life .
What has (if any) been the biggest challenge when having curly hair?
My biggest challenge has been managing my curls as my hair gets longer. The detangling process takes a bit of work now that I don't have short hair anymore. I never imagined that my hair would grow so much. I only wanted healthy hair in the beginning but once your hair is healthy it starts to grow a lot!!! A second challenge, is learning how to wear my hair in the workplace. When you are a professional, you cant really rock an afro for client meetings etc. I learned to do a lot of protective up do styles for the workplace.
What do you like best about being naturally curly?
I love having naturally curly hair because it is mine, it is a reflection of my heritage and it represents so much when it comes to African beauty. My father always told me that as a young boy trying to court my mother two things stood out on her from the rest of the girls 1. her legs 2. her beautiful afro!!! My father encouraged me to wear my hair natural and be beautiful just like my mother. I do not need to hide behind wigs or weaves to feel beautiful. And that is a huge accomplishment for me. I just never thought that my own hair would make me feel so beautiful.
How you describe having naturally curly hair in Sweden where most people have straight hair?
Having naturally curly hair in Sweden definitely sets you apart from the norm. As a child I was ridiculed for having natural hair. During my teenage years, I felt a lot of pressure on me when it came to the typical beauty norms in Sweden. I always knew that my hair would never be like my classmates' hair. My Swedish friends always had the nice long hair... I was always the one with the funny hair...I tried weaves but it just felt like a lot of hassle and at the end of the day, my REAL hair was still underneath the weave (there was no escape). I decided to just embrace my hair after seeing a picture of my mother when she was young. I knew I was going against the odds when I took it upon myself to care for my hair in Sweden but in the end it was the
best thing I ever did to my hair. I truly believe my hair is thanking me right now for my decision and that is why I see so much good progress with it.
Another thing I wanted to mention was that once I embraced my natural hair in Sweden, other people (not just Swedes, but foreigners as well) started to admire my hair. It was a nice feeling... still is. I find it strange that people of African heritage find it difficult to embrace their natural hair, it is a part of your identity. It is what makes us unique.
What's your favorite hair style/preferred way to wear your hair?
I love to wear my hair in a bantu-knot out. I feel that this style gives me a touch of elegance, and has helped me a lot during my transitional phase.
Did you have any curly role models growing up? If yes, who?
I Loved Diana Ross!!!! she is still my curly rolemodel... I thought she was so classic, elegant and beautiful with her hair. Of course today I know she wore a lot of wigs but I still loved her hair. I plan on having my hair as hers one beautiful day. Never thought it was possible until I figured out how to care for my hair in Sweden.
What's the weirdest question you have received in regards to your curls?
I have had a couple of people who wanted to comb my hair. The look on their face when the comb glides through my hair is priceless. They never thought that they would be able to comb an Afro. Until this day, when I see them they still go ”hey remember that time I combed your hair... I can't believe I combed a black persons hair.” It is just such a weird thing and it makes me wonder how other people view our hair.
Thanks, lady!
If you have been following my blog you know that I get ridiculously excited when I find a fellow natural hair blogger in Sweden (or anywhere else in Scandinavia). This time I was actually found, lol. Queen Moreen contacted me, and I was so excited by her blog and vblog. She's found her own niché by doing natural hair videos in Swedish! Because not everyone speaks English in Sweden this is brilliant! She was kind enough to answer my questions.
 |
| Completely natural |
Real ;-), beautiful, and unique.
Have you ever relaxed your hair? If yes, when did you decide to go natural?
I relaxed my hair the first time at the age of 9. My mother had no idea what a relaxer was. Her friend told her that she was going to ”tame my hair”... Of course my mother allowed it not knowing of the consequences. My mother grew up with natural hair and so did her mother and so on. My hair felt wonderful for three days, suddenly it started breaking of in weird patterns and places. I swore I would never relax my hair again. But, I did! 2007 I relaxed my hair when I was living in Hawaii. I took care of it and it grew but it never really felt like the real me. 2009 I started transitioning while I was at university. I tried a lot of different techniques before I got the hang of things. Summer of 2011 my hair was completely relaxer free and I have
never looked back ever since...
 |
| Relaxed in 2007 |
I have different regimens for my hair 1. braid regimen 2. natural hair regimen.
1. When I wear my hair in braids, I use African pride braid spray, Aloe Vera juice and Infusium 23 leave in formula as my mositurizers. I also massage coconut oil on my scalp twice a week. I wash my hair with
Tresemme Naturals shampoo or Mane n Tail deep conditioning shampoo once a week.
2. When I wear my natural hair, I use the Tresemme Naturals shampoo and conditioner. I use a homemade deep conditioner which consists of egg, avocado, and olive oil (leave it on once a week for three hours under a shower cap!!!). I use a homemade Shea butter mix which consists of Shea butter, Aloe Vera juice, coconut oil and Sweet orange essential oil as my mositurizer. I also massage coconut oil into my scalp. During the summer months I co-wash with a cheap conditioner 1-2 a week.
What's your favorite hair product?
My favorite product is conditioner.. any type of conditioner... well actually at the moment I am loving Tresemme Naturals conditioner. And my coconut oil!
Where do you shop for products?
I go to Taj Mahal, Ebony Cosmetics and a health store called Life .
What has (if any) been the biggest challenge when having curly hair?
My biggest challenge has been managing my curls as my hair gets longer. The detangling process takes a bit of work now that I don't have short hair anymore. I never imagined that my hair would grow so much. I only wanted healthy hair in the beginning but once your hair is healthy it starts to grow a lot!!! A second challenge, is learning how to wear my hair in the workplace. When you are a professional, you cant really rock an afro for client meetings etc. I learned to do a lot of protective up do styles for the workplace.
What do you like best about being naturally curly?
I love having naturally curly hair because it is mine, it is a reflection of my heritage and it represents so much when it comes to African beauty. My father always told me that as a young boy trying to court my mother two things stood out on her from the rest of the girls 1. her legs 2. her beautiful afro!!! My father encouraged me to wear my hair natural and be beautiful just like my mother. I do not need to hide behind wigs or weaves to feel beautiful. And that is a huge accomplishment for me. I just never thought that my own hair would make me feel so beautiful.
How you describe having naturally curly hair in Sweden where most people have straight hair?
Having naturally curly hair in Sweden definitely sets you apart from the norm. As a child I was ridiculed for having natural hair. During my teenage years, I felt a lot of pressure on me when it came to the typical beauty norms in Sweden. I always knew that my hair would never be like my classmates' hair. My Swedish friends always had the nice long hair... I was always the one with the funny hair...I tried weaves but it just felt like a lot of hassle and at the end of the day, my REAL hair was still underneath the weave (there was no escape). I decided to just embrace my hair after seeing a picture of my mother when she was young. I knew I was going against the odds when I took it upon myself to care for my hair in Sweden but in the end it was the
best thing I ever did to my hair. I truly believe my hair is thanking me right now for my decision and that is why I see so much good progress with it.
Another thing I wanted to mention was that once I embraced my natural hair in Sweden, other people (not just Swedes, but foreigners as well) started to admire my hair. It was a nice feeling... still is. I find it strange that people of African heritage find it difficult to embrace their natural hair, it is a part of your identity. It is what makes us unique.
What's your favorite hair style/preferred way to wear your hair?
I love to wear my hair in a bantu-knot out. I feel that this style gives me a touch of elegance, and has helped me a lot during my transitional phase.
Did you have any curly role models growing up? If yes, who?
I Loved Diana Ross!!!! she is still my curly rolemodel... I thought she was so classic, elegant and beautiful with her hair. Of course today I know she wore a lot of wigs but I still loved her hair. I plan on having my hair as hers one beautiful day. Never thought it was possible until I figured out how to care for my hair in Sweden.
What's the weirdest question you have received in regards to your curls?
I have had a couple of people who wanted to comb my hair. The look on their face when the comb glides through my hair is priceless. They never thought that they would be able to comb an Afro. Until this day, when I see them they still go ”hey remember that time I combed your hair... I can't believe I combed a black persons hair.” It is just such a weird thing and it makes me wonder how other people view our hair.
 |
| Relaxer-free! |
To get to know Queen Moreen better find her online:
Facebook: Queen Moreens Afro-Sida
Youtube: queenmoreen
E-mail: queenmoreen@gmail.com
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