Beauty of the Week: Tabitha

waist length 4c hair

Tabitha currently resides in Melbourne, Australia and as you can imagine, there aren’t that many natural resources or products “Down Under”. That hasn’t stopped the founder of CravingYellow.com – she has enviable waist length 4c hair (kinky hair)! This Kenyan beauty has been growing her curls for 4 years. We just had to find out how!

Why did you go natural? How long have you been natural?

I went natural because I was moving to the US and had absolutely no idea how to take care of my relaxed hair on my own! I found the natural hair community on YouTube by pure flukes and I was ecstatic! It’s been 4 fantastic years of learning to love the skin I’m in and the crown on my head!!

Can you summarize your current hair regimen?

I like to keep things simple! When I started my hair journey, I literally had a 200-step regimen. Haha! Now, all I do is cleanse my hair once a week with Apple Cider Vinegar, I then deep condition with Hair Chemist’s Macadamia Deep Conditioning Treatment, I rinse out my hair with cold water, air dry, apply my Kinky Curly Knot Today Detangling Leave-In Conditioner and then seal with olive oil, all in that order. I wash my hair once-twice/a week and I do so in 6-8 braids. I henna once a month to strengthen my hair. I take a daily multi-vitamin with B-Complex Vitamins.

Is it difficult to find products in Melbourne?

Yes! I have yet to find an outlet store that sells products for naturals! I have a lot of hunting to do! There might be an individual reseller but there aren’t many independent manufacturers on Aussie soil! Sigh! I miss the ease with which I could get products in America. Hopefully, as the natural hair community spreads across the globe, more and more retailers will begin to carry niche-specific brands for naturals.

What are your staple hair products?

I absolutely cannot live without Apple Cider Vinegar, Olive Oil and Kinky Curly Knot Today’s Detangling Leave-In Conditioner!

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What are your favorite hairstyles?

I live in two-strand twists. I basically grow my hair in two-strand “locs”, meaning that I allow my twists to frizz up over a period of 3-4 weeks to maximize periods of protective styling. Two strand twists offer lots of hairstyling versatility and they protect against excessive manipulation. They’re my top secret to waist-length kinky hair! Sssshh!

Is there a strong natural hair community where you live? Or many naturals it’s a journey to fully understand their hair?

No, there isn’t a strong natural hair community in Melbourne! *Insert sad face* I’ve had a few comments on my Instagram pictures from naturals in Melbourne, but overall, there isn’t much of a “community”. I’m on a mission to inspire black women in Melbourne to go natural! Hopefully, we’ll have an army of naturalistas in a few years!!

It’s a process of trial and error. What was your “Curls Understood™” moment (the moment you felt like, “I’ve got this!” or any essential advice you wish you had known at the beginning of your hair journey)?

I’ve learnt, the hard (and expensive) way, that products do not grow hair, great hair practices do! As a blogger, one of my most frequently asked questions is which products best “grow” out our hair type! I always respond by saying that, generally, everyone’s hair grows, the difference comes is that not all of us retain our length. This is mainly due to our hair practices! The sooner we understand that our hair deserves to be treated like silk, the sooner we’ll see some length retention.

See more of Tabitha…
Site: CravingYellow.com
Instagram: @CravingYellow
YouTube: Craving Yellow
Facebook: Craving Yellow
Twitter: @CravingYellow

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