Natural Beauty of the Week

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Lynesha Monet is originally from San Francisco and currently resides in Chicago. She enjoys working in the windy city as a Case Manager for homeless youth. Since relocating to the city, Lynesha has been pursuing her love of the arts: theater, television, and fashion. When she’s not watching reruns of The Golden Girls and spending time with friends she loves discovering new adventures.

Marita A: How long have you been natural?

Lynesha: I had my last relaxer in March of 2011, so I’m about 18 months in! I didn’t big chop; instead I opted to transition and just cut my hair as it started to grow out.

Marita A: What inspired you to go natural?

Lynesha: Initially, I wanted to start growing locs. In order to do that, I knew I’d have to go natural to get the best results. As my hair was transitioning I fell in love with its natural texture and decided to play around with it for a bit.

Marita A: Who are your YouTube or Facebook “hairspirations”?

Lynesha: These women are on YouTube and/or Facebook, they have been my saving grace when it comes to natural hair education: MsVaughnTV, MeechyMonroe), MakeUpByRachelO, BeautifulBrwnBabyDol, xGOLDn, and Kinky Curly Coily Me, to name a few.

Marita A: What was the most difficult part of transitioning to natural?

Lynesha: Transitioning during the fourth to fifth month was the most difficult for me. There was this weird phase where half of my hair was natural, and the other half was relaxed. Plus, it was the middle of summer in Chicago and I had no idea how to care for my hair with the crazy humidity; it was literally a “hot mess”.

Marita A: How did your family, friends, spouse or significant other react to your hair’s new kinky texture?

Lynesha: Overall my friends and family truly loved it! I had a couple of friends in Chicago who were natural and supportive through my transition. When I returned to the bay area to visit friends and family, they were pleasantly surprised with my new look. One of my cousins even commented that she liked my natural hair look over my years of relaxed hair 🙂

Marita A: What’s in your makeup bag?

Lynesha: It’s pretty standard with a few random items: Tea tree lip balm, eye shadow pallets, Visine, primer, eye/lip liners, lip gloss and lipstick, tweezers, makeup brushes and floss; life is too short to walk around with broccoli in your teeth!

Marita A: How did you keep your skin naturally beautiful?

Lynesha: Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! My skin gets extremely dry, so I try to
take care of it. In terms of cleansers, I’ve found that Witch Hazel and African Black Soap work exceptionally well on my skin so I go back and forth between the two. Genetics helps too! Shout out to my Mom and Grandma, their skin is incredible.

Marita A: Did you go through any kind of personal/spiritual transformation while going through the process of going natural?

Lynesha: Looking back, one of the most personal transformations occurred as I was going natural; a close relative was losing their hair to chemotherapy during this time. It’s easy to get caught up and think that you have it so bad when you don’t know what the next person is going through. Now we’re both on this natural hair journey together, despite the different paths that bought us here.

Marita A: What are some of your favorite hair styles?

Lynesha: I love twist outs. I’ve just recently started to switch up my style and use protective styles; my hair grew longer and is more versatile. This past summer I rocked Senegalese twists, they were a hit; I may get them again since winter is approaching.

Marita A: What encouragement can you give to someone who maybe considering going natural?

Lynesha: It may be difficult, but hang in there, kiddo! Over time, the rewards will surely outweigh the stress. Find inspiration through friends, family, and YouTube to get you through that transition period. When you have the support, it certainly makes a difference. I can’t believe I didn’t go natural sooner.