Mad.Mane of the Week: Camylle

Introduce yourself: I am Camylle and I am 20 years old.
I was raised in the Bay Area in the City of
San Jose, California.

What do you consider your hair type to be? Putting my hair into one of those categories has always been the hardest thing for me! This is because the front of my hair needs a whole lot of love!! It doesn't curl like the back of my hair, it's more of a wave and this is because I used to pull my hair back into ponytails for track and spent more time straightening the front. I'd say the back is 3b and the front is so limp and barely curly so it's 2c. 

When and why did you decide to go natural? I have been natural all my life, but I had decided to be more conscious of wearing it in it's natural state my freshman year at Hampton. My teammate wore flat twists to practice and so I decided to try it as well. I loved how her curls were so
uniform and perfectly twisted! I just wanted to see if my hair could do it, I tried it and flat twists became my staple hairstyle for the next few months until my hair was trained to curl.

BC (big chopped) or Transitioned? Thanks to my mother I was never addicted to the "creamy crack." I do admit that, even though I never had a perm, after the age of 13 I used to
 wear my hair straight all the time. My hair was trained to be straight. The summer going into my sophomore year, I decided to cut off all my straight ends and wear a short hairstyle.  So I guess in my own way I did the big chop.

If you were stuck on a deserted island and got to have have three hair products, what would they be? An endless supply of Miss Jessie's Curly pudding. It defines my curls, but it can make my hair pretty dry and crunchy, and leads to the next product, olive oil- it takes the crunch out of my hair makes it more bouncy, shiny and gives it movement. Personally, I don't like stiff, ramen noodle curls. But that's just a personal preference. Suave almond+ shea butter conditioner is the best co-washing conditioner I've found. If is very cheap, and I love to use it because it is thick enough to feel in my hair even after I've rinsed it out. 

What is your washing regimen? I co-wash every other day with either suave + shea butter conditioner or tresemme naturals. I only was with shampoo after my hair has been straightened or if I used a lot of gel to slick my hair down. 

What hairstyle do you enjoy the most for yourself? Right now, I'm really enjoying the halo style. I got it off a video that Summer Kelsey made. It's soooo easy and elegant. But what I love the most is that once you take it down, you can wear your hair curly because the twists set your hair. 

Your three hair don'ts? Number one is DO NOT EVER comb your hair starting from the top. Always start from the bottom and work your way up! Never compare your hair to others. People can get caught up in other people's curl texture and size they forget about their own curl! The whole idea about being natural is to embrace the hair on your head. Have confidence! Show it love and learn new ways to love it! Build a relationship with your own hair, because the grass is not always greener on the other side. Like Big Sean said, the grass is green where you water it. Lastly tdon't sleep without protecting your hair. Sleep with something satin either on your head or your pillow. Because I have so much hair, and I am somewhat forgetful I use a satin pillowcase. I don't use a satin bonnet, because when I wake up with smushed helmet looking hair! A satin pillow case allows my hair to be free. 

Who are your favorite natural hair Blog or Vloggers? Summer Kelsey, Sun Kiss Alba, Mahogany Curls, Shameless Maya, PGneiicey, and Taren Guy.  

What do you enjoy most about being natural? I enjoy all of the different styles! There's always something new to try, most of which you can't achieve with straight hair. Curls add dimension to existing hair color, and give you a carefree personality. The thing I love most, is the fact that you don't have to worry about every strand of hair being in it's place. The beauty of a mad mane is its originality! Stand out, be you and stay true (: