Like many of us, Danyelle Milton returned to natural because she grew tired of her hair being broken off and brittle from relaxers. Her go-to styles are easy to manage and are adored by her husband, who loves natural hair. Read on to learn more about Danyelle’s hair regimen and styling techniques in this week’s Flor Bella Hair Feature.
Name and where are you from?
My name is Danyelle, and I am a wife, college senior, and natural hair blogger from the Bronx, NY.
When Did you go Natural?
I went natural in 2011.
Did you transition or did you big chop?
I transitioned in December 2010, wearing braids to help grow my hair out. In July 2011, I was tired of the two textures because they were hard to manage. So I big chopped, with only about 4 inches of hair.
What prompted you to go natural?
Honestly, I was just tired of going through the process of getting my hair relaxed all the time. My hair had grown thin and fine after years of relaxing and not properly taking care of my hair, and I just got tired of all the breakage. It was an ongoing cycle of me experiencing breakage, then cutting my hair to chin length because of all the breakage. This was the cycle for months, and it was just annoying.
What is your favorite thing about being natural?
I love the diversity of natural hair. There’s so many styles us naturals can do—twist out, bantu-knot out, blow out, etc. We can easily go from straight to curly and I love it!
What is your least favorite thing about being natural?
I hate the time it takes to do my hair sometimes. Sometimes I don’t like wash days because they take so long.
Did you receive any criticism regarding going natural?
Surprisingly, no. People loved my natural hair! When I did the BC, I wore my hair in box braids again to help grow my hair out some more because I wasn’t comfortable with rocking a TWA (teeny weeny afro). I decided to wear my natural hair out at the start of a new job…in corporate America at that. And shockingly, they loved it!
What is your nighttime routine?
For the most part, my hair is always in two French-style flat twists, so that’s how I wear my hair. In the morning I can just wake up and go. If I’m wearing my hair out, I usually do a flat twist out using water, Cantu Shea Butter Leave in Conditioning Repair Cream, and coconut oil (in that order).
What advice would you give to the newly natural?
Learn your hair and love your hair. Don’t waste time trying to covet the hair texture and type of others because you will find yourself very disappointed when you try to emulate their styles and find out it doesn’t work the same on your specific hair type and texture. Your hair is beautiful, no matter what type or texture it is!
If you are married, did your spouse have any say in your decision to go natural?
I wasn’t married to my husband at the time, but he totally supported my decision to go natural. He loves natural hair, so he was pretty pleased with my decision to go natural.
Who are your favorite Bloggers/bloggers
I love Jenell Stewart of Kinky Curly Coily me, Yolanda Renee of Etc Blog Mag. I also love reading the Mane Objective by Christina. There’s so much more, but those are just a few of my favorites.
What is your regimen?
I usually wash my hair every one or two weeks, depending on how my hair is feeling. I also do a pre-poo with coconut oil with every wash as well deep condition with heat. I moisturize using the L.C.O method every couple of days. My regimen is fairly simple.
What are your favorite products?
I love Shea Moisture Products….point. blank. Period! My hair loves their products! I usually use their Moisture Retention and Yucca and Baobab line. I just recently started using their Jamaican Black Castor Oil Deep Treatment. I also love Cantu products. I use their Leave-in Conditioning Repair Cream, Coconut Curling Cream, and Deep Treatment Masque.
What is your go to hair style?
My go-to style is either a puff, two flat twists, or a flat twist out.
Who is your celebrity hair crush?
Janell Monae.
Who is your regular hair crush?
Taren Guy!!! Ugh! I love her hair!
Where can you be found on social media?
You can find me on Instagram: @napturally_dany, Twitter: napturallydany and Facebook: Napturally Dany. You can also check out my blog: www.napturallydany.blogspot.com.
Any big plans for 2015?
Yes! I’m looking forward to blogging consistently and really branding myself and my blog. I’ll be graduating college with a B.A in English in May, so I’m super excited for that. I’m just looking forward to a blessed, prosperous, and fruitful year!