The end is here, or is this the beginning? Thank you Dee for creating Nappturality, a home that has helped so many people, including myself. Because of you and others like you, I am brought by my love to a platform for change. I love my people and because of the strength we have within, that transcends generations, it’s not enough to like what we see, I want us to love and flaunt our true selves with the glory that was bestowed upon us.

Thank you Mireille and all of the sponsors for putting together the first pageant ever to celebrate the beauty of natural hair, the Ms. Nappturality pageant! I am happy that you chose a variety of natural styles and textures for this competition and that the last 4 contestants standing have very different hair types, Vee with a TWA, Sarah with locs, Erica with natural curls/big coils, and myself with no defined texture (C-Napp hair). All of the ladies in this competition have been able to show week after week how beautiful natural hair is so thank you all for giving us this opportunity.

This pageant has been very challenging but worth every minute. I have worked very hard to do the challenges and tried to represent who I am in only 10 short weeks. I love the versatility of my hair and am constantly changing up my style. About 90% of the time I wear my hair in a myriad of “protective styles” (braids, twists, etc), and 10% of the time I wear my hair “out” (in a Natural, twist-out, or braid-out).  I put my hair in a different style for every challenge of this competition in order to represent my ever changing looks. I wore a twist-out, braid-out, fro-hawk, finger coils, shrunken Afro, stretched Afro, a braided up-do, and more.

This competition has truly been a godsend for me. It has allowed me to take pictures that focus on the beauty of our hair and the feedback and comments that I got throughout were phenomenal and very much appreciated! They also really kept me going. It was wonderful to view the other contestants’ pictures as well and I never thought it would be possible but I love Natural hair even more now!

I was really happy with all of the products/accessories that we received from the sponsors. Thank you so much, the products were great, all of the jewelry was beautiful and the accessories were fierce! The one I liked the most was the Eden Body Works products, especially the hair milk because it smelled great and worked really well.

For me, Nappturality = Natural + Nappy hair + Spirituality. And I really wanted my photos to reflect these 3 principles so that is what I focused on. I even threw a little bit of nappy love in there because a woman, who is true to herself, will always be able to find a true a man.

I feel that there is no one hairstyle the fits Ms. Nappturality. One of the best things about our hair is that we can do so much to it! I chose to do a braided up-do for the hairstyle because I wanted to come full circle. My very first picture in the “about me” of this competition was a picture of me during my first year of my rebirth wearing this hair style. At the end of this month, I will have been chemical-free for 3 years! To go back to one of my beginning styles is nostalgic and really helps me to reflect upon my decision to go natural and how it’s affected my life. This journey began because I was fed up with chemical burns and letting other people define me and so far, it has been remarkable. I’ve used this opportunity not only to learn about my hair, but to learn about my culture, in order to redefine myself as a child of the Creator; everything is as it should be. I am happy, free, and if it’s willed, than I will be Ms. Nappturality.

Vote for Tiana! Thanks!