Alicia Archer is the founder of kinky | sweat, a lifestyle brand which gives you a peek inside her daily musings which comprise of fitness inspiration infused with beauty and style. Alicia hopes to pave “a life that yields self worth and empowerment through love and dedication”. She named her brand kinky | sweat to represent here hair (kinky) and her life (sweat). You can watch her contortion poses in action on her IG page @kinkysweat . Below we get to know Alicia a little better…
1. Why did you go natural? How long have you been natural?
I went natural in my senior year of high school. I knew upon entering college that my hair care would become less of a priority. And not that natural hair care is less important, but at the time, visiting the a Dominican hair salon every Sunday morning was something I did NOT want to do anymore. I did the big chop in 2002/2003, and it has been a learning experience ever since!
2. Can you summarize your current hair regimen?
I try to wash my hair once a week with a sulfate free sudsing shampoo. I also look to deep condition every 2 weeks, but I am terribly inconsistent (yes I’m a terrible naturalista!). And for styling, I usually do a wash and go!
3. What are your staple hair products? Which could you not live without and why?!
Before I wet my hair, I spray on the Aquis Water Defense Prewash to help maintain my hair’s pH levels. I love the Naturall Club Avocado Shampoo because although sudsy, it gets rid of my product buildup. I follow up with their Avocado Conditioner that has great slip. If my hair is ultra tangled before my shampoo step, I use the DevaCurl Wash Day Wonder to tackle the knots so I can use my fingers to detangle.
I haven’t used a comb in months! For styling, I use the DevaCurl Leave In Decadence and Super Stretch Cream. And for the leave-in, the Aquis Restorative Leave-In Conditioner for extra slip and moisture. Before I apply my styling products, I use the Aquis Hair Turban to absorbs the excess water, and it helps my hair dry faster with the product. Before I would apply my styling products on super wet hair, and it would take forever to dry!
I cannot live without my Jane Carter Solution Leave In Revitalizing Conditioner. I use that to refresh my hair everyday, and it’s something that I’ve repurchased for years!
4. Your photos in various yoga poses are inspiring! When did you first start practicing yoga?
Thank you! What I do is actually contortion: it’s a performance art versus a spiritual practice which is yoga. I danced my entire life, and have done a fair share of yoga. What got me into contortion was taking aerial fabric classes. After I was introduced to the circus arts, it was a wrap! I’ve been training contortion and hand balancing for about 5 years now!
5. Do you think your outer beauty is enhanced by your commitment to living a healthy lifestyle? If “yes”, how so?
Yes! In this day and age with our overwhelming wellness industry, healthy can mean several things. Ultimately, it’s how stress free you can live, which is I feel crucial to enhance ones’s outer beauty. I don’t stress about diets, or abs. I think about how I can be a better teacher, and my own training to become a better educator everyday.
6. Who is your celeb/influencer curl crush?
My influencer curl crush is Jewejewebee!
7. For many naturals, it’s a journey to fully understand their hair. 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)?
MAN! So many! My moment was realizing that I have thick hair, and I need to use a ton of conditioner. AND, I don’t need to use a comb. I was pulling that thing through relentlessly, and it was causing crazy breakage. Also, sectioning my hair for shampoo blew my mind. I feel now I’m actually washing my hair!
See more of Alicia…
Site: kinkysweatnyc.com
Instagram: @kinkysweat
YouTube: kinkysweat
