via Global Couture, LLC

Hello! My name is Aubree Brown. I am from Baltimore, MD but I currently live in NY. I spent many years prior to my transition damaging my hair with relaxers. My hair would break off and thin out so badly. On top of that, I would flat iron my hair all the time, which of course caused heat damage.

How long have you been natural?
I started my transition to natural hair about 2 years ago, but I got my final cut a year and a half ago.

What motivated you to go natural?
I was frustrated with how my hair looked and how it was being treated. I was embarrassed to wear certain styles because of the thinning and the shortness of my hair. One day I was looking online and came across Solange with her natural hair and I fell in love! It made her look so edgy and her hair looked so full and healthy. After I decided to go natural, I realized it wasn’t going to be as easy as I thought. The transition phase was the hardest because of the multiple textures my hair formed and the relaxed ends tangled a lot! For a protective style, I put in a weave so that I wouldn’t tamper with my hair and damage the new growth. The weave saved my hair tremendously from breakage. It was a life saver! I wore my weave until I was comfortable enough to cut the rest of my relaxed ends off. I’ve been rocking my Afro textured hair ever since!

How would you describe your hair?
My hair is very thick, full and Afro textured for the most part. There are a few sections that have a looser curl pattern (mainly in the front).

What do you love most about your hair?
I love how versatile my hair is! I can style it in so many different ways that I could never achieve with a relaxer.

What has been the most memorable part of the journey?
The most memorable part of my journey was chopping off the rest of my relaxed ends. That marked the day that I totally committed myself to being a naturalista. I was excited and scared at the same time! I was new to this whole experience and I didn’t know how family and friends would accept it. After awhile, I had to realize that this was something that I wanted to do for me. If you continue to worry about the opinions of others, you’ll hinder yourself from doing what’s right. Luckily, most people fell in love with my new look just as much as I did!

What is your favorite hairstyle?
My favorite natural hair dos are the frohawk and the puff! I rock my frohawk majority of the time because it’s very edgy and it’s an easy style to achieve!

What has been the most memorable part of your journey? Has it been easy or difficult or both?!
I remember the first time I told my mom I wanted to go natural and she had this look on her face as if she wasn’t so sure of how it would look. She knows me very well and she knows how picky I am when it comes down to my hair. She didn’t want me to disappoint myself. When I showed her the pictures of Solange she fell in love too! After that, we started sending each other pictures all the time of other stylish naturalistas. My grandmother is also a huge fan of my hair! Back in the day, she rocked her HUGE fro and styled her hair in so many ways. She’s another one of my natural hair inspirations!

What is your hair regimen (including fav products)?
I have tried so many different products in my hair, but the ones that worked the best are the Cream of Nature Argan Oil Shampoo and Conditioner, Elasta QP Curly Pudding and Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie. I usually wash my hair every 2-3 weeks with both shampoo and conditioner. I know that sounds like a long time between washes, but I’ve heard that your hair grows faster when it’s dirty! In between that time, I co-wash because shampoo can strip your hair of moisture if you use it too much. Most nights, I use one of the curly puddings to do a twist out on my hair. To get a more defined curl I do small-medium twists. The next day, I take out my twists and use a pick to create that full look! I love big hair!

What are some of your favorite hair websites, YouTuber’s, or blogs?
My favorite YouTubers are BargainPrincess and MyNaturalSistas. They recommend great products and share some very creative style tips! They also throw in some great make up tutorials! I’m also a huge fan of Curlbox and Natural Hair Daily! I love getting ideas on styling from so many different natural girls who have gone through the same journey I have. They helped make this journey a lot easier.

Anything you want the readers to know? Inspirational words?
Embrace and love your hair! Don’t get caught up in trying to look like someone else. If you do, you’ll be left disappointed. Rock what you have and love what you have! Confidence shows your true beauty.

Where can we find you on social media?
Follow me on Instagram!!! @aubz1291