Natural Me: "Nikki"

What is your name and where are you from?

My name is Nicolette but I also go by Nikki Billie Jean. I am from Maryland, the D.C. Metropolitan Area.

How long have you been natural or transitioned?

I have been fully natural since December 15th, 2011. I started transitioning October 2011.

                 Tell us a little bit about yourself and where you are in your life                    

Well, I have introduced myself as Nicolette or Nikki already. I am friendly and have a bubbly personality. I was born and raised in the D.C. Area but I am also from Nigeria. (#Team Africa). I am a junior at Penn State University and my major is Bio behavioral Health with a minor in Human Development and Family Studies. My dream is to go medical school to become a Pediatrician and to open my own practice one day.

 My hobbies include blogging, music and fashion. I have a blog on Tumblr.com. ---> Nikkibilliej.tumblr.com. I blog about whatever interest me. I am looking into creating a blog that is based on fashion in the future. I will admit it. I am a “Media Junky”. I am always online trying to find out the latest news, gossip, fashion, and music releases. I am also a big fan of Drake and Don’t Jealous Me aka T-Boy. I have also been lucky to meet them this year =). Music is my first love. My dad was a DJ and I always grew up in a house surrounded by music. I also played the piano for 10 years and I also want to become a DJ. I would also consider myself a fashionista because I love fashion. I love to dress up especially in vintage clothes. I love to wear clothes people do not usually see in the mall or online. I am also getting better at doing make-up by watching so many videos on YouTube, especially from the YouTube subscriber “BeautybyJJ”. I would not mind becoming an image consultant one day.

So as you can see I want to do so much in life. I go by the motto Y.O.L.O.  Just kidding. I go by the motto “Life is too short.”, so why not reach for the stars and beyond!

           

Why did you decide to go natural?

I decided to go natural because I was tired of perming my hair and seeing my lovely hair break =( . In college, I started getting weaves which caused me to leave my hair out and flatiron it on a regular basis. My hair started breaking because of college stress and flat ironing. I also think “my hair does not like perms.” Many people recently have decided to go natural, so one day I decided to do my research. I found out what perming actually did to African-American hair and the benefits of being natural. After my research, I decided it was the best option for me to go natural. Going natural is probably one of the best things I did to my hair.

What are some of your favorite Hair products?

I only use all natural/organic hair products. I decided since I am going natural why not use natural hair products so I can get the best results. When I was looking for hair products to use, before I became fully natural, I looked on YouTube and came across the subscriber “Naptural85”. She is awesome.  My favorite hair product would have to be my homemade hair oil. I love it because it is easy to apply, if you put it in a spray or applicator bottle. I also love it because you can use it as a substitute for baby oil. 

What is your current hair regimen?

When I fully became natural in December 2011, I only left my real hair out for three weeks. I decided to get protective styles when I was going back to school for the spring semester. It would be way easier for me to manage that way.  Since January, I have had single braids and kinky twist. I am fascinated with up-dos/pompadours and have done this to my braids and kinky twist.

I use my homemade oil probably every other day. When I wash my hair, I use “Terressentials Organic Hair Wash”. It is a Shampoo Alternative. It is not shampoo but a organic hair mud wash. Yes! I wash my hair with mud. It is a great alternative to shampoo because it leaves your hair feeling clean, full, soft and shiny like a regular shampoo. I also make homemade Shea butter products to use as hair lotion.

***I get all my current hair regimen from “Naptural 85” on You Tube.***

                    What is the toughest challenge you have had to face with your natural hair?

Shrink-age!!! I am so use to my hair being so straight and easy to manage. Being natural has challenged me because I am not able to see the true length of my hair without stretching it. It is also not easy to manage natural hair to. It takes a lot of patients to style and maintain natural hair.

Do you foresee any changes to your hair?

Yes!! I foresee growth and length in the future!! I cannot wait until my hair reaches “ Bra Strap Length (BSL)”. I will be able to do more hairstyles with my hair, when it reaches a longer length. I took out one of my kinky twist a few days ago and found out that I have reached Shoulder Length (SL). Yayyy!!                

Words of advice for natural out there.

-Keep your hair moisturized so it will grow in a healthy way!

-Use protective styles, like braids. It will save you time when it comes to styling your hair!

-Trim your hair so it can grow faster!

Where can we find you?

Facebook: Nikki Billie Jean Nik

Twitter: @NikkiBillieJean

Instagram: @NikkiBillieJean

Tumblr: www.nikkibilliej.tumblr.com

XOXO

Bella Joya