Tammy Is Naturally Glam!

Tell me about yourself!
My name is Tammy and I love my hair! When I stopped relaxing my hair, I only wore two strand twist until all of the relaxed hair was gone.
I used to go to a stylist, but decided to save money and manage my hair on my own.

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Were you a transitioner or a Big Chopper? What was your journey like?
I was a transitioner. Ten years ago I didn’t know about any blogs or websites to help me with that move, so it was rough. I went to a salon for two strand twists and they looked horrible. Since my hair was full of relaxed hair, it looked like a thin scraggly mess in the beginning. Every month the stylist would cut off about an inch of the relaxed hair. As my roots got thicker, I started to enjoy the journey.

Had you always embraced your texture?
No. I was raised with relaxers since I was thirteen years old. When I was in my twenties and I started traveling, I would often get braid extensions. I started to positively think about my real texture when I took out the extensions and my hair would look and feel “fro-ish”.

How did family and friends react to your decision to go natural? What was your response to them? 
My family and friends were generally supportive. But on my first day at work with my new scraggly thin twists, a male co-worker asked, “What happened? Did you have a fight with your hairdresser?” I wanted to hide under my desk for the rest of the day.

Describe your hair (fine or coarse, thin or thick, highly porous, low, etc.)
It is fairly fine and highly porous. I have to give it plenty TLC.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done to your hair? 
See my wedding hairstyle. I got married during the week of Hurricane Sandy. My stylist had big plans for taking out and styling those cornrows. But on my wedding day, she had no electricity and since all the gas stations around us were closed, we couldn’t get to each other. I opted for the partial braid out, There were many things going on that day. I couldn’t even focus on my hair.

What’s your biggest hair related regret?
I regret that I didn’t embrace my natural texture when I was much younger.

What’s your current hair routine? How often do you wash, condition, and style? Favorite products! Deets!
I don’t have a strict wash schedule, although I should. My favorite shampoo is Terressentials Lavender Garden Pure Earth Hair Wash. My weekly mid-week routine is to detangle my hair by putting it into 16 sections for two strand twists. I spray each section with water, apply coconut oil, and Cantu Shea Butter Leave In Conditioning Repair Cream. I keep it twisted until Saturday or Sunday, then I wear a twist out. I’ve been experimenting with hair wraps lately. During the summer, I often wear my twisted out hair in a high ponytail.

What’s your favorite hairstyle? Where do you get hairstyle inspiration?
My favorite hairstyle is the twist out. Aside from Curly Nikki, I follow other hair bloggers such as Naptural85.

Who is your curl crush?
Lauryn Hill. I especially love her styles from the late 90’s.

How do you maintain your hair at night?
I use a satin scarf and a satin pillowcase.

How do you maintain healthy length?
It isn’t as long as I’d like. But since I have been following the routine described above, I can see that it is growing.

What’s the best thing about being natural?
I love giving and receiving compliments and hair tips with all the other natural ladies I meet. I love the sisterhood!

Where can folks find you on the web?
Facebook: Tammy Lane Martin
Twitter: @MrsTammyLMartin