Hair Talk With Danielle

Firstly introduce yourself? Where are you from and what do you do? I'm Danielle. I'm a fashion and music blogger from Philadelphia, PA. My day job is as a sales rep for an Oncology company.

How long have you been natural? always

If all your life what kept you from relaxing your hair? The fear of damaging it kept me from relaxing it. My sister had a bad experience where all of her hair snapped off after relaxing it. She ended up with a 2 inch hairdo afterwards. I decided it would be best to let my curls be themselves!

What are your earliest hair memories? How did these memories influence your hair journey today? My earliest hair memories were struggling to accept my big curly hair. When I was 7 I begged my mom to cut my waist length curls so I could look just like the other girls at school. After lots of nagging she finally caved. I ended up with an enormous pyramid shaped afro which I hated. But the experience made me realize I was never going to have fine straight hair, and that I needed to accept mine for what it was.

What does having naturalhair mean to you? It just means being yourself and learning to love your hair for what it is. Natural curly hair has a lot of personality, and I've learned to accept mine as part of who I am. Now I really like that fact that I have wild hair.

How do you keep your hair looking so good? I try to process it very minimally. I don't dye it and have only altered the color about 5 times in my life. I trim it on my own every few months. I've switched to Loreal's sulfate free moisturizing shampoo and conditioner and use a moroccan oil deep conditioner about once a week.

What products do you use in your hair? If my hair is slicked back it's with Loreal's clean gel and Frizz Ease Moisture Barrier hair spray. When I wear my hair curly I start with Moroccan Oil Intense Curl Cream. Then I add Frizz Ease Weather Works Style Sealant Cream. I put dollop of Loreal Invisigel in my hair. Then I blow dry (without a diffuser although I know that's the normal recommendation for curls). I seal it all with Frizz Ease Moisture Barrier hair spray.

What are your go to hair style? I usually rock a slicked back braid for work. On the weekends or on night's out I either wear it in a high pony tail, a sleek top knot, or down big and curly.

How do you protect your hair in the winter months? Lots of conditioner and hats whenever I can.

Do you have any advice for women starting out on there natural journey? The best advice I can give is what hairdressers have given me: work to enhance your natural hair texture but don't try to change it. And stick with as little product as possible. You can always add more to achieve the desired look, but you can't fix it once you've already piled to much stuff in it.

Tell us about your style? I'm a little bit rock & roll, mixed in with some hippy and a tad bit feminine. My style varies by my mood.

What are your favorite places to shop? Shopbop.com, hautelook.com, Urban Outfitters, Forever 21, and Steve Madden

Any tips for young ladies trying to start there own business/blog ect? Figure out a name and purchase a .com domain before you get started. Pick something that makes sense for what you're writing about. And when it comes to font, less is more. Avoid bright colors and small prints- you don't want your readers getting a migraine when looking at your page! Build a following and some regular readership before approaching sponsors and trying to get affiliate links. And proofread, proofread, proofread!

You can check out my blog if you'd like! 

www.indieelectronicalternative.com