Natural, Raw & 100% Certified organic 'Teurai'
"Well...how do you feel??!" asked my friend, Lani, better known as the popular Hair Consultant/Blogger Aphro Phro and one of the inspirations behind my decision to go 100% natural with my hair. That's a good question! Some will think it's only hair but it has so much meaning to me - to many women - and I have truly been on a rollercoaster emotional journey with my inner self, and my inner self is also deeply connected to my hair.
I'm not saying that I have started some fad here. There are so many women out there who have been rocking their natural roots for time immemorial and I salute them. I just felt the need to share my individual journey with you all. It might touch some women out there - even one - perhaps a young woman who may be battling with loving self in a tough society which bases a large bulk of its income on how one looks.
I'm not saying that I have started some fad here. There are so many women out there who have been rocking their natural roots for time immemorial and I salute them. I just felt the need to share my individual journey with you all. It might touch some women out there - even one - perhaps a young woman who may be battling with loving self in a tough society which bases a large bulk of its income on how one looks.
Me splashed with water & with my usual straight weave a few weeks ago. I will still have weaves now and again to give my natural hair a break.
When I was growing up, I always thought the black women with long, straight hair in the music videos looked waay cooler with their hair than the natural roots I had, which were often braided into flat cornrows or 'mabuns' as we call them in Zimbabwe, which is when your hair is twisted flat on your hair using a strong type of thread. I honestly used to think I did not look pretty with those styles and always dreamed of having what I saw in the music videos. But I never realised that I wasn't really loving myself as I was in my 100% organic state. I pretty much felt the same way throughout the whole of my 20's.
I have always been an advocate for eating natural, organic foods and exercising. I now totally believe that I can only feel as great as what I feed my body and mind. I'm now in my early 30's and with that, has come a shift in how I see the world and myself. I had a few difficult experiences whilst in Australia, including the loss of a long-term relationship and the death of my mother, that caused me to really reflect on who I was and who I wanted to become.
With age I have finally learnt to embrace my inner self more and not be afraid to happily show who I truly am and all the layers that I have. I appear shy and quiet but I'm just a normal, silly (hippie) as many would call me. I'm not afraid to dream and to follow my passions. When I see something I want to change, I will get up and do something about it. I believe in living life to the full and since the passing of my mother, I swore to myself that I would not leave this earth without having done all the burning things I feel in my heart and without having contributed significantly to the life of at least one other person because it's not all about self. What you give of yourself to others is what brings ultimate fulfillment.
I have always been an advocate for eating natural, organic foods and exercising. I now totally believe that I can only feel as great as what I feed my body and mind. I'm now in my early 30's and with that, has come a shift in how I see the world and myself. I had a few difficult experiences whilst in Australia, including the loss of a long-term relationship and the death of my mother, that caused me to really reflect on who I was and who I wanted to become.
With age I have finally learnt to embrace my inner self more and not be afraid to happily show who I truly am and all the layers that I have. I appear shy and quiet but I'm just a normal, silly (hippie) as many would call me. I'm not afraid to dream and to follow my passions. When I see something I want to change, I will get up and do something about it. I believe in living life to the full and since the passing of my mother, I swore to myself that I would not leave this earth without having done all the burning things I feel in my heart and without having contributed significantly to the life of at least one other person because it's not all about self. What you give of yourself to others is what brings ultimate fulfillment.
I'm now comfortable within my own skin and have emerged out of the 'Teurai' that has always been desperately trying to get out of what I felt was expected of me, of the things I did to please others and not disappoint them because I love them.
Due to my love for Health & Fitness and because raising awareness of it is a major objective of the Elizabeth Chanakira Cancer Trust, I decided to practise what the ECCT preaches and switch to using natural products on my skin. So I ditched all the products I used on my face which contain chemicals, went back to Mother Nature and began using products that are accessible anywhere in the world. My skin went crazy for the first month. I was riddled with breakouts - to the point where I was frantically messaging my sister Eden, who is a Natural Health Therapist, asking her what in the blazes I had gotten myself into! It turns out my skin just needed time to adjust and cleanse out all the chemicals.
And now, it's even better than when I used products with chemicals in them. After trying alot of natural products, I have found that pure coconut oil works best for my hair and skin.
Due to my love for Health & Fitness and because raising awareness of it is a major objective of the Elizabeth Chanakira Cancer Trust, I decided to practise what the ECCT preaches and switch to using natural products on my skin. So I ditched all the products I used on my face which contain chemicals, went back to Mother Nature and began using products that are accessible anywhere in the world. My skin went crazy for the first month. I was riddled with breakouts - to the point where I was frantically messaging my sister Eden, who is a Natural Health Therapist, asking her what in the blazes I had gotten myself into! It turns out my skin just needed time to adjust and cleanse out all the chemicals.
And now, it's even better than when I used products with chemicals in them. After trying alot of natural products, I have found that pure coconut oil works best for my hair and skin.
So with the progression to natural products for the skin, I started thinking about my hair. The weaving was beginning to tire me out. As a model in Australia, I also felt pressure to stick to weaves - sometimes from my own thinking and also from comments from agencies etc about 'not getting much work if I didn't have long, straight hair' (even having some draw gasps of air when I took off my weave).
But I have just come to such a peaceful place in which I know that I'm supposed to be in front of the camera for a reason, and that being organically me is not a disadvantage, but a benefit. If someone doesn't like my look as I am, that is fine - there are still many more opportunities where my purpose lies.
But I have just come to such a peaceful place in which I know that I'm supposed to be in front of the camera for a reason, and that being organically me is not a disadvantage, but a benefit. If someone doesn't like my look as I am, that is fine - there are still many more opportunities where my purpose lies.
I'm so grateful to Aphro Phro for teaching me and other women about natural products. I started on her Weave challenge and as I followed her advice on using castor oil and other natural oils, I seriously started thinking, if I can do this for my hair whilst it's under a weave why can't I do it for my hair when it's out?
The first day I took out my weave and rocked my natural hair, I honestly felt like I looked really unattractive (yes honestly, I did!) but with time I have seen more and more layers of myself than I ever did. I have been through alot but I'm so happy within because I have been able to turn any negative experiences to lessons which have fuelled me further and that is now reflected in my outer self. And what of your modelling you may ask? Well...I am getting even more interest because of my natural look. My first assignment with my natural hair will be taking place next week. When you just accept yourself as you are, it's not hard for others to do the same.
Whatever journey you are on, I send you love...and thanks for reading about mine.
**See more of my modelling work here
**Join Aphro Phro's NoWeaveAllMine movement here
The first day I took out my weave and rocked my natural hair, I honestly felt like I looked really unattractive (yes honestly, I did!) but with time I have seen more and more layers of myself than I ever did. I have been through alot but I'm so happy within because I have been able to turn any negative experiences to lessons which have fuelled me further and that is now reflected in my outer self. And what of your modelling you may ask? Well...I am getting even more interest because of my natural look. My first assignment with my natural hair will be taking place next week. When you just accept yourself as you are, it's not hard for others to do the same.
Whatever journey you are on, I send you love...and thanks for reading about mine.
**See more of my modelling work here
**Join Aphro Phro's NoWeaveAllMine movement here
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