Nadya Stevens, 40

Hair Type: 3-C

Products:

M: What do you do?

N: I am the Senior Advisor to the commissioner at the New York City Department of Buildings.

M: Wow! I did not expect that! Well, talk to me about your hair. What products do you use and what’s your routine?

N: I use Camille Rose Curl Love as a hair cream, styling cream. And then I use Uncle Funky’s Daughter as a styling gel. And I use Biolage for a conditioner. I also use a Shea Moisture. It was pink, a ten in one, it’s discontinued but I would use that as a deep conditioner. My mom bought like 40 of them so we have a stockpile and then for a shampoo I use As I Am like the premium shampoo.

M: Yeah. How long does that take you roughly?

N: It takes me 90 minutes on a good day in the shower. Then the drama is that it takes another 90 minutes to dry which sucks. I can’t stand it. And I really need a better drying protocol. Ridiculous. I’m thinking about getting one of those standing dryers in the house and just having it roll into a corner. At least it can be done in 45 minutes. I do that twice a week. There was a time when I was only doing it once a week and my hair suffered as a result. My stylist told me that I need to do it twice a week and now because I have remote work I’m able to do that twice.

M: You have a stylist in New York City?

N: She actually was in New York City and she moved to New Jersey and I followed her but I only go four times a year so it’s totally cool.

M: Just for shaping or cutting and trimming?

N: Yup, trimming.

M: Only stylist you trust?

N: I use two stylists, and I’ve only used those two stylists for the past maybe 10 years

M: Have you always had your hair like this?

N: Since 2009

M: And before when you were a kid?

N: I had a relaxer. I started relaxing my hair when I was about 12.

M: Is that because of your parents bringing you up that way?

N: I would hot comb my hair and I liked it. I think [my mom] got tired of me having to hot comb. It was exhausting. So I asked for a relaxer, I begged for a relaxer. My mom made me promise that I would like take care of my hair and I wouldn’t wreck it and I would get it done every two weeks and I would relax it every six weeks and that’s what I did until I was about 26.

M: Then what was the final decision to like make it natural?

N: There was a time when a friend of mine and I were henna dyeing our hair. My friend said to use henna you have to leave it in for a day or two. So the color will stay. I’m like okay. So I did that with the henna for a couple times and then then I thought I was buying another henna because it’s said natural hair dye, but it was not… it was hair dye. I left it in for a day. And my hair was very, very dry. And I didn’t like the color. So I did it again with a different color. I left it in for another day and then my hair started falling out. And then I couldn’t style it I couldn’t make it like look good because there were like pieces like missing it was awful. It was really copper color. It was like noticeable. So I just like decided to just cut it off. And it looked awesome because they still had like these like relaxed like spikes on the top and it was like short on the sides. Over a few years it grew out and then I had to learn how to take care of it. It took a long time. It was a whole whole new education. But it’s worth it.

M: Given your workplace. Have you found trouble with “professionality”?

N: No. I shouldn’t say like ‘no’ just like a blanket statement, but I don’t care. This is my hair. There was a time when my mom was like, ‘Oh, well you know you’re going for this job interview. Are you going to like straighten your hair?’ I’m like no, like, this is what it looks like. They don’t want me they don’t want me. So I have not I have not had a problem that I have noticed. I have had bosses tell me like, ‘Oh your hair looks really professional like when it’s straight.’ I was younger than I didn’t know how to respond. No one has said that to me since I think it’s just become like a lot more accepted.

M: Any like specific comments or compliments that you get?

N: Everyone has a preference and they’re like, ‘Oh, I really like your hair straight’ or ‘I really like your hair curly’. No one asked you but I always listen. You know what this drives me crazy ‘oh, you wear your hair like 100 different ways.’ No, I don’t I wear my hair two fucking ways. Like, what do you mean? That drives me crazy. Like I don’t wear like hair weaves or wigs or anything, what are you talking about. But I think people are used to saying that to black women. Because I think a lot of black women do switch their hair up in different ways and put pieces in or whatever. And so they’ll just lump me in there that and that bothers me because I’m not doing that – on purpose. Very intentional.

M: What do you wish people knew better about black hair?

N: That it is for everyone. I hate that ‘Oh, natural hair isn’t for everyone.’ Yes, it is. This is your hair. You should know how to take care of it. And we need to learn from a young age how to take care of it so that you’re not 28 trying to figure it out for the first time. It’s crazy. I should’ve learn this when I learned everything else about myself.