Latest / The Tight Curls Project / In Its Element

Transcript

In Its Element · The Tight Curls Project

0:08
Hello and welcome to the Tight Curls Project podcast.
0:11
I'm Shadia and today I'm joined by a special guest.
0:15
Tiana Elame is someone who loves the outdoors.
0:18
Seriously, she's an environmental leader and strategist.
0:21
She's a founder of Environmental Answers, which you'll hear more about.
0:24
And she's also a lecturer at NC State with environmental project management.
0:28
In addition to that, she's also someone who has lovely, luscious Sisterlocks And I wanted to talk to her about her hair journey and all the stories she has about
0:37
Growing up till now so i'm excited to have you tiana.
0:41
Yeah, I'm so excited to be on this podcast.
0:43
It's really, really a unique opportunity for me to talk about my hair.
0:46
Like Shadia says, a lot of times I'm talking about the environment, climate change, different things of that category.
0:51
But today I get to sit down and talk about something that is also important to me, which is my hair.
0:56
Lovely, lovely.
0:57
Well, to get us started, Tiana, what is something you're loving now, something you can't get enough of right now?
1:04
You mean like outside of travel?
1:06
I really, really am enjoying traveling.
1:08
I'm actually getting ready to go on a trip with my 14-month-old to Disney, so we're really excited about that.
1:14
He'll be doing his first flight.
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So for me, something that I'm loving now and always is being able to travel.
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I love it.
1:21
I love travel too.
1:23
So safe flight and travel.
1:25
I hope you guys get lots of great time just with him and his experience on his first flight.
1:34
Well, let's just talk a little bit about you growing up.
1:37
I met you as an adult.
1:38
So, you know, and you've become a wonderful friend, but, you know, hearing some of your stories about Chadha does like there's there's stuff to talk about here.
1:45
Some of the things I really resonated with.
1:47
So what did you
1:48
What did school age little Tiana think about hair?
1:52
What were some of your earliest memories with hair?
1:54
You know, it's a great question.
1:57
I think one of my first and core memories of my hair was actually getting my hair silk pressed by a lady named Miss Woodard.
2:04
And I used to go after school.
2:07
Like my parents had me in school in DC.
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I grew up in the Silver Spring, DC area.
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So I lived in Maryland, but did a commute to DC every day to go to school.
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And for my hair, um Miss Woodard kept me slick.
2:20
Like she really knew how to use...
2:22
that blue magic to slay it down.
2:26
So I didn't really have to have um like a relaxer at that point in my life.
2:30
I had had a relaxer previously, like when I was younger, but I do remember like going and sitting down and Ms.
2:37
Waters shared she would wash my hair at the sink and then get me straight.
2:43
Was that something you look forward to or you're like, don't want to go?
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is something.
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like, did I look forward to it?
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I look forward to like what it looked like post.
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Like, because I always felt like I looked like a little doll.
2:55
I felt like the experience was sometimes like not always the best.
3:00
I have very thick hair, as you can maybe tell, and I've always had very thick hair.
3:06
And so in having thick hair, you know, a lot of times people sit down and are like, oh, man, this is going to be something to work through.
3:13
from a young age, I always knew that like my uh
3:16
My texture was different, especially like growing up, like my mom's hair texture is different, my grandmother's hair texture is different, being able to see all the different
3:24
textures and then having my hair being very tightly curled and also like super thick.
3:30
They were like, we don't know what we're gonna do.
3:32
So again, shout outs for those who were able to help me get slicked down, because I really enjoyed being able to have that like experience growing up.
3:40
Oh, yeah.
3:41
Yes, when you probably heard like, she's got a lot of hair, or maybe they start working on your hair and then it comes out.
3:48
That's that's been my experience.
3:49
So, to think about another stylist experience, is like not as great.
3:55
So like I said, I grew up in the DMV area and I had Ms.
3:59
Woodard that would straighten my hair.
4:00
But during the summer times, I would always come down to North Carolina, Raleigh, where I live now.
4:05
And my grandmother would look for people to also do my hair.
4:09
And I have a hair texture, least how it presents when it's in braids or looks, it looks a different way.
4:15
As in sometimes people think,
4:17
but my texture is one way and then they get it and then they dry it and they're like, hold on, wait, your hair is, you surprised me.
4:23
So I have this core memory of like going into the salon and I was like, yeah, I wish she'd be able to get her hair done.
4:29
But she did not know my hair was quote unquote virgin, like as in like natural, because I guess when it was in the corn roll style that I had, oh it didn't present that way.
4:38
to her it looked like maybe I had a relaxer or my hair had been, because it was blown out, you know, and it had like the oils, my natural oils were in it, so it looked a little bit
4:47
softer to maybe the texture presenting perspective.
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So there was a lot of energy around it.
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And I remember having to communicate to the lady like, you can't do stuff with my hair when it's dry.
4:58
So this is me being at a salon.
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I'm maybe like 10, having to communicate to her.
5:04
that if you do it this way, you're gonna break it.
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Like, literally, my hair needs moisture in it.
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So when you start to dry my hair, just put me under the dryer.
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Imagine someone washing your hair, it's in your virgin state, and puts you under the dryer and then wants to comb it out.
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I'm like, oh my God.
5:23
And this was like, you know, I would say...
5:28
For the most part, I could tell she probably does a lot of chemical treatments on people's hair, which I've had a perm at that point in my life.
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I was definitely familiar with that.
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And I could tell that my grandmother was doing her best.
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My dad's mom, she recently passed.
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She was, uh I think it's crazy now, my grandma was like 60 plus years in between us.
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There's a generation that could have happened before.
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She was more like a great grandma.
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So she was more so just trying to do what she could know.
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Like take you to a salon.
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They should be able to fix your hair.
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And at that time I didn't have a relaxer in my hair.
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So I know that it was something that she was more so just trying to make sure she was taking care of me that summer, which I really appreciated.
6:06
But I also realized the person that she took me to was like only used to working with people who had relaxers in their hair and wasn't expecting my hair to be natural,
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especially cause like in her mind, like you have braids in your hair, you're of age, you know, your mom obviously has a relaxer in her head.
6:22
No, not at that point, not at that season.
6:25
really interesting too two things one that you spoke up because I think sometimes even as adults when we're getting our hair done It feels like the wrong way there can be a lot of
6:34
uh I guess power that comes when you're in the seat where you feel like they should be the expert they should know okay
6:41
a tender headed person, right?
6:42
I've always been like, that's why I really appreciate about Sisterlocks for me.
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We'll get to that later.
6:47
Like I don't have to have anyone touch my hair for an extended period of time, myself included.
6:52
I can wash it, I can do that, no problem.
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But yeah, no, uh it was hurting.
6:57
And I was like, uh you obviously are struggling.
7:00
She was like, my goodness.
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And she said, thank you.
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It wasn't like it was poorly received.
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Okay.
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She did have a little bit of a tone hitting me with that virgin texture hair, whatever that meant.
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Again, that was a little bit cryptic for me to process at that time.
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I like, what does she mean?
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I'm like, huh?
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But like, yeah, it allowed her to do what she wanted to do.
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Because like once you added moisture back to my hair, it's easier to blow dry my hair if it's wet versus you putting me under the dryer and then trying to blow dry my hair
7:27
straight.
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Like, anyway, we've come a long way, you know, in hair since then.
7:33
I feel like
7:34
I don't know.
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I guess that may have been like the early 2000s, you know, where like, you know, natural hair was still like, if you weren't just wearing a fro, you know, or like it was still
7:45
developing its journey to where we are now.
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Definitely.
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I think it was not the norm.
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The default stent and still in that part was a relaxer.
7:53
she just assumed, you know, that you have that.
7:55
And I think it's also really interesting.
7:57
Yeah.
8:00
Yeah.
8:00
So I think a lot of, I probably a lot of people at that time are used to doing relaxers and some people got press and curls, but she sounds like she wasn't even in and used to
8:10
used to that.
8:11
So I think.
8:12
it.
8:12
I think it was just more so she assumed from the jump that my hair had a relaxer in it.
8:16
And then she was just functioning.
8:18
Yeah, she was functioning under that.
8:19
Because there were plenty of older women in that shop getting impressive curl, right?
8:24
But like, yeah, but like also you would know this better than me, but like, know, people's hair, I know something that came up when I was younger, it's like also training your hair
8:33
to be straight.
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Like my hair was not in a quote unquote trained state for it to even like be remotely.
8:40
Like I was, yeah, so it was natural and there was nothing, there was nothing.
8:47
Yes, exactly.
8:48
And then all of the spring, and I know that was like the year, I guess later was when my mom started doing two strand twist on my hair.
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And this is so funny.
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Like I was in fifth grade and I remember like my mom was doing my hair two strand twist, whether it was for economic reasons or just because she was spending more time.
9:06
I remember that time like being like, my mom's in my hair at home.
9:09
especially because it was something that I have as a fond memory of like, okay, every week I feel like we would wash my hair and then just twist it in.
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We did it that way that whole year.
9:20
And I do remember I had really severe breakage when I was in fourth grade.
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And I remember that's because I was getting relaxers.
9:31
My mom, think after that summer, my grandmother had said something and then my mom got me a relaxer to try to make things easier for everyone.
9:38
Yeah.
9:38
And then my hair started to deal with breakage.
9:40
So then she started doing the two strand twist as a solution.
9:45
And I remember the first time I was ever bullied about my hair was when I had these two strand braids.
9:54
And this is when people were getting the short box braids that were burnt at the end.
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That was the trend in the style.
10:01
And so a lot of people were getting their hair done in that way.
10:05
And I had two strand twists.
10:07
And that was not necessarily the norm or the standard at that time.
10:10
I remember someone saying, get out of my way with your homemade braids.
10:13
I will never forgive homemade braids.
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I was like, what?
10:18
Why are you talking about my hair?
10:20
What do you mean, homemade braids?
10:21
What does that even mean?
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But I'm like, you're just mad, because I am using my real hair.
10:27
So there is that.
10:30
Well, you had your did you clap back or is that an internal?
10:33
Was that was there exchange?
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and a person that will not be named definitely had a little bit of a roughy moment right there.
10:41
Yeah, I definitely can.
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yourself.
10:43
That's so interested homemade braids.
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I guess this is a time when getting in that salon.
10:49
Yeah, that salon style, that was cool.
10:52
I think that's interesting because ah you're observant at that time, even in what, fifth grade?
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Kids are paying attention to what they have and how you wear your hair.
11:02
would say that everyone had their own style and what was influencing you.
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think really quickly when we go into middle school, remember like Sierra was popular during that time.
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And I remember people were starting to explore with leaves or different things like that.
11:21
like, it's still, yeah, I still remember being able to have those drawstring type.
11:27
Like I would get my hair and I
11:29
like do some gel and then like put in a bun and then get my little drawstring, little curly hair in the back.
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Cause I just know I was cool and I knew I was cute.
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But look, those are like those memories that have so many core memories with hair.
11:43
So it sounds like you tried several different styles as a kid.
11:46
And then when did you start doing your own hair?
11:49
Was that around middle school?
11:51
um I had like two stints, like opportunities that like my mom was just like, yeah, you can go ahead.
11:58
think round 12 was when I first started doing and experimenting with my own hair.
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And then like, I think I went through the season of wanting to do cheerleading.
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And in cheer, they're very particular about at least at that time, how your hair looked.
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So I had to get these like almost like micro type braids.
12:17
And so then I started to get my hair done and braided patterns because I was doing cheer.
12:22
But um yeah, I would say that's when I stopped.
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like when like 12, 13, I had a duration of time that I was trying to do my own hair that looked like me like washing it and doing my best to blow dry it.
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And then I would make my little like either puff balls or I would do like a puff in the back.
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And you know, if it.
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If it met my mom's standard, could go out, which most of the time she didn't give me too hard of a time, you know, because like she allowed me to just do what I needed to do.
12:50
And then I think again, after I was done with cheer, so I did cheer ninth, tenth and part of my junior time.
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And then I stopped doing that.
13:01
And that's when I took the braids out and I started to do like individuals with my natural hair.
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I did twists with my natural hair.
13:09
I
13:09
to just free, like as in like washing my hair and letting it just be however it is.
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I would do braid outs, twist outs, all the jazz, so.
13:18
That's pretty impressive.
13:19
mean, it seems that you're a little ahead of the curve in terms of natural hairstyles and doing it yourself.
13:25
Did you have other friends or classmates who are doing this?
13:29
No, not as much at that time, you know, like at that time I was still like I didn't, how can I put it, life wasn't designed for me to be on YouTube like as I'm recording the
13:40
YouTube but like very much when early YouTubers were doing their hair in that way, was with them.
13:45
Like I was a part of the journey of like, I could have been a part of it because I was doing it because you know, I know that.
13:53
I had the chance to put relaxer in people's hair.
13:55
So I used to like do my mom's touch up or my grandmother's touch up when I was like in high school and stuff.
14:01
like, I didn't desire to do that with my hair at that time.
14:07
I think a lot of it had to do with my awareness of like the smell.
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I didn't really like it.
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Also like, I was just fine with just doing whatever I wanted to do with my hair.
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I didn't like the maintenance part of it as in like having to have someone else do my hair.
14:22
Cause again,
14:22
as a tender headed person, I controlled the tension.
14:27
Again, this was probably all like avoiding pain.
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Let's go back to like, the deep rootness of it might've been just not wanting someone else to like tug on my hair.
14:37
And I remember like when I would get braids, like, you know, sometimes I've had like multiple people doing my hair at the same time.
14:43
And I don't want to skip past, I did have those braids that I talked about at some point in my life, the braids with the burnt ends.
14:50
I did have my own season of that.
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them.
14:52
yeah, yeah, I had those.
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My mom made sure I had that.
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That was a little bit earlier than that time.
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I was dealing with it more so.
14:58
I remember in second grade, I have like a thought about me.
15:00
I have this like memory of being orange or yellow sweatshirt with my little braid on the side.
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I feel like, you know, not that I was going after Shanaynay looks on Martin, but like I had my little side little situation going on.
15:12
yes, my little side pony.
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And I just knew I was cute, so.
15:17
That's pretty, that's pretty cool that you're willing to try different things and do it yourself.
15:22
I mean, avoiding pain, that seems very reasonable.
15:27
Sometimes we do these hairstyles and we know it's going to be painful on the journey.
15:31
And you know, it's just the price you pay.
15:34
I don't know.
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is pain, but I was like, but could I try it another way?
15:38
Like, I try it myself?
15:40
Yeah.
15:41
to be?
15:41
Well, you shared some pictures.
15:43
Do you have any pictures you want to highlight from this time?
15:46
Okay, let's see.
15:47
The very first picture I see is of me and my brother and my cousin, who's my other brother.
15:54
And that's when my mom was just washing and blow drying my hair.
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My hair is in a little puff above that little crown, but that's little Tiana.
16:01
I have like, it's Zarek's first birthday.
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Zarek, look at you, your first birthday.
16:06
And I guess I was around four at that time.
16:09
And I remember my mom would just...
16:12
blow dry my hair, I believe, and put it up.
16:14
least that's how I remember that time in my life.
16:17
I do know that I got a relaxer very young though, so hypothetically I can't see in this picture that well.
16:23
There could be a relaxer in my hair.
16:25
I think that the older we get, or the more knowledgeable we are about hair, think moms are more hesitant to put relaxers in their daughters' hair.
16:34
But I feel like I was having a little relaxer my hair around three.
16:39
like the very first time or some type of texturizer to change it a little bit just to make it more manageable, which is the words that were used around my hair a lot.
16:49
Oh, we got to get back to that that word manageable.
16:53
Okay.
16:54
Yeah, so this is 07.
16:55
So this is me in high school.
16:58
I definitely had a relaxer, I think, uh before this uh hair.
17:03
This was 10th grade.
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um I remember I had like kind of, what is that?
17:08
The haircut that was short, tapered in the back.
17:12
I knew I was Halle Berry at some point, haircut, but I was growing that out.
17:15
And so this is where this haircut hair was at.
17:19
I...
17:20
I had a swoop bang, I'm doing the duck face of my time and I definitely did the duck face forever.
17:27
But anyway, oh yes, eh I got my hair done.
17:32
I didn't do this.
17:33
Yeah, that was fresh out of the salon hair style.
17:39
Straighten.
17:40
This is definitely a Mm-hmm.
17:44
and this is around the same time as well.
17:46
between situation.
17:47
I definitely still had something going on with my hair, like a relaxer of nature.
17:53
Um, but I think that I was pinning my hair up.
17:56
I remember really trying to make, um, it last again, avoiding that pain is thing.
18:02
my best to make sure that I was doing it.
18:04
I remember like the Chi flat, flat irons or a CHI or try, I don't know, whichever.
18:10
I just remember like having that flat iron it being like something that was really helpful for me.
18:15
Those are a big deal.
18:16
Flatirons, you know, people are spending $100 for them going all out.
18:21
And then.
18:23
This photo is actually one that's a little bit more of my time when I was in California.
18:27
And so this is the last time my hair was like loose natural.
18:30
I think it was like about a year before I got my locks.
18:35
So this is like I had taken some time.
18:39
I'm someone who really likes to color their hair.
18:41
I used to like color my hair a lot, had those back and forth.
18:44
this picture, I had intentionally taken time to grow out the color, take out the color.
18:51
because I knew that when I got my locks, did not want to necessarily color my hair within the first five years just to see one, allow my hair to just grow naturally, see what my
19:00
natural hair color is and stuff like that.
19:03
That's beautiful.
19:04
This is a great picture because you're by the Golden Gate Bridge.
19:07
You've got some heart shaped glasses on doing that duck face.
19:11
this like my little shots of just enjoying myself.
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I love a good pair of heart-shaped glasses.
19:17
I actually have a lot of those.
19:18
So if you ever are like, huh, something to get Tiana, some heart-shaped glasses could be on the list.
19:23
Noted and your hair this seems like is you just naturally dried it wash and go
19:30
washed my hair that morning.
19:32
I didn't really do very much to it.
19:34
I let it just air dry.
19:38
I really liked wash and goes, especially because I didn't pull on my hair and I wasn't trying to change.
19:45
Yeah, I do have hair.
19:47
Yeah, I do have a lot of hair and it's tight.
19:51
Yep.
19:51
then I'll just go back here to this is one where you did have blonde hair, I think in your youth.
19:58
And this is.
19:59
hair is not, in this picture it looks like I have my hair shaved on the sides.
20:02
I don't, it's just pressed back like I did like bobby pins.
20:06
was very interested in the frohawk.
20:09
That was like very much a part of my core identity.
20:13
Yeah, that's a frohawk.
20:14
That was very much it.
20:15
So I pinned my hair back and it was great.
20:17
Cause again, low pulling on hair.
20:20
I washed my hair and I slicked back the edges with like probably some jam, you know.
20:26
and like put the pins in and I just went.
20:30
And I was allowed to just let my hair be free.
20:33
I feel like this was a very expressive.
20:36
Honey blonde is the color in this, you know, if you're looking for the color in the box.
20:42
yeah, and I also box colored.
20:43
So I didn't, this was, I did the color myself.
20:45
So I box colored, I just did the box.
20:48
And this is like definitely like late high school, right actor type situation.
20:53
knew, was right before I did, um
20:56
AmeriCorps.
20:57
I know we talked a little bit about environmental being a big part.
20:59
I did not go directly to college after high school.
21:03
I did an AmeriCorps program and I did the Maryland Conservation Corps.
21:06
So this is what my hair looked like then.
21:11
Yeah, I like graduated from high school and then did the program and I had my hair like this and it was great, especially for like doing outdoor work, nature work all the time,
21:21
taking a lot of showers, wash your hair, put it in a frohawk.
21:24
Easy peasy.
21:27
I love it.
21:28
So I mean one of the themes that I'm hearing as you talk about these different hairstyles is really avoiding pain and just letting your hair be.
21:36
So is that something that was really important to you?
21:40
avoiding other people touching my hair.
21:42
Because again, I think something I talked to you about earlier is like other people's comments or judgment on my hair.
21:47
I don't really have time for that.
21:49
Like that's not necessarily the space that I want around me and anything to do with my person.
21:54
So I was very much like protective, I think, you know, maybe unconsciously, but like being able to just love what I have and...
22:04
keep it moving, because I'm not trying to have other people have.
22:06
That's really interesting that you came to that realization at such an early age in terms of wanting to love your hair and doing things that allowed you to avoid some of the
22:18
messaging that was not helpful on your journey to embrace your own hair.
22:23
for one very early, making sure to love my brown, as in like I am a black person and making sure from the beginning, the whole goal is to enjoy who you are.
22:33
And so that also extended to my hair.
22:36
um Yeah, and then in terms of, you know, the manageability, do you think that that was something that was tied to tighter curls and high density being more work or people not
22:48
knowing how to handle it or just seeing something that they maybe weren't familiar with?
22:53
Or what do you think that was about?
22:56
that a lot of the training in salon schools or like beautician schools is centered around hair that is deemed manageable, which looks less tightly curled or straightened.
23:10
Like, you know what I mean?
23:12
I really like, it was a weird transition for me when they started to have that chart, you know, like grades your hair like 4C and stuff because I had already had my hair and been
23:23
working with my hair.
23:24
but never had the language to articulate what hair you have and understanding grade and texturism and different things.
23:33
I think for me, the energy around my hair needing to be manageable left me with feeling a little bit like something was wrong.
23:44
But I didn't feel like something was wrong.
23:47
I knew that people did not know how to do my hair.
23:49
And there's a lot of reasons why people don't know things, right?
23:52
Yeah.
23:53
about it from when I think about the environment, a lot of times, like I wasn't necessarily upset or disappointed in the people not knowing.
23:59
I just knew that they didn't know.
24:01
And so, you know, it was my responsibility since it is mine to get to know it and what works best for me.
24:08
And that was just my approach and how I looked at it because it allowed me to have more, I guess, power and not feel like a victim of something.
24:15
Cause I didn't have to be, it's my hair.
24:17
You know what mean?
24:17
Let me enjoy it.
24:18
Let me figure it out as a part of like people figuring out other things.
24:22
body and other.
24:24
I love that.
24:25
think also, you know, I think that can be a journey that a lot of people are still on and the messaging can be really strong and it can be discouraging.
24:33
And then you mirror that with what you're seeing online.
24:36
And I think a lot of times that early people on YouTube and other places might have a totally different texture.
24:42
There's a lot of people who have really shiny hair.
24:44
So you associate that with the goal and then you try something and it doesn't work.
24:48
And then maybe your experience not knowing how to do it can make it feel.
24:52
unwieldy or too much, you know?
24:55
And I think what you did as you recognized, hey, they have this issue, that's not my problem.
25:03
And you didn't internalize it, but yet you decided, let me learn how to do this.
25:08
Instead of wringing my hands, trying to fit into something that wasn't really, you know, for you necessarily in terms of other people's expectations.
25:17
ever like leave this or not say like I had hard days of not understanding, but I think I had my hard days much younger.
25:25
Growing up with first cousins whose hair texture is very different than mine, like I was very young, being able to see like, man, their hair texture is quote unquote much easier.
25:35
um know, like just looking at and understanding my hair wasn't different and having to do their hair.
25:42
like having to help with or braid their hair and understanding, it made me aware of those different textures.
25:48
And this is mine and I need to learn it just like they're gonna have to have, you know?
25:53
So like, feel like because I, and so I would say, I remember like having what I would call like hair envy, especially when it wasn't as tedious to maybe do braids or, you know, um
26:05
being able to just wash their hair and make it slick and then not have to do too much to it, having to deal with that.
26:11
but it also helped me to realize I just have something different and it's okay.
26:16
That's amazing.
26:17
mean, it really is.
26:18
That's powerful to understand.
26:19
Different doesn't mean you have to put a value to it, you know?
26:23
And this might have different needs and different care and different opportunities as well.
26:28
You know, some of the styles that you can do with your hair, really thick hair is not style, same styles that some people who have very fine hair can do necessarily.
26:37
So I think that that's really powerful that you're able to understand that.
26:42
I think also,
26:44
You know, when I was growing up, a lot of people had relaxers.
26:47
So you didn't really see those differences till people started going natural.
26:51
And then they went natural.
26:52
And I think, you know, in the past 15 years, some people were surprised because then they did, and it's not what they thought it would be, or it's, you know, so even just having
27:02
that realization that there is a lot of variety.
27:04
If your hair has been straightened all the time, you might not even know what your curls look like.
27:08
Yeah, yeah, no, I think that that's a strong message and something to like highlight because as when I think about my mom's hair texture versus mine, you know, I was just
27:19
like, man, my mom's hair is so like.
27:21
She has a lot of hair too, I get my thickness from her.
27:24
But I feel like it's easier when she was dealing with her hair, she was like, Tiana, this is a lot.
27:28
You know what I mean?
27:28
And so you can be envious, for lack of better words, of someone's hair and they are sitting there having their own struggles that you don't know.
27:35
So that's why it's like know yours and love yours.
27:40
That's the message, know yours and love it.
27:43
Yes, wonderful.
27:45
So let's talk a little bit as you got older.
27:47
Do you wanna talk a little bit about when you started considering Sisterlocks?
27:53
And I'll bring it
27:54
going to talk about protective styling and different types of protective styling.
27:57
And that's how I view it.
27:59
I see like Sisterlocks, you know, any type of locks is a way to preserve, you know, your hair in a certain way.
28:10
I actually did something first, which were yarn braids for me to like actually see what it would be like to have locks.
28:13
So I remember when I was like, oh, like this would be something cool to try.
28:19
yarn was way cheaper than braiding hair, especially human braiding hair.
28:22
And yarn also, unlike some of the braiding hair that I had experienced, didn't necessarily get too tightly caught up in my hair.
28:32
So was able to braid it and I could unbraid it.
28:34
And it wasn't like, it was protective.
28:36
I then shifted to um what's like crochet braids.
28:41
So like the braids at the cornrows, I have one of my friends cornrow.
28:45
I never learned that, I'm still working on that.
28:47
oh I promise my future daughter I'll try to do it, but learn that if I did that, like before you come into the world.
28:52
So anyway, main point, I would have my friends, corn roll, find one of them, Celia or Deidre, I would hit you guys up and ask you to do some braids and I would then slide and
29:05
use the hook at the time was a big, yeah, here's one of the photos pulling up.
29:09
I had my two different ones like, and I always liked the like,
29:13
thick wavy pattern, I want it to be as big as possible if I'm gonna have the hair.
29:18
I want it thick hair.
29:18
So I was very into that right now.
29:21
We're showing an image of me.
29:22
I had blonde at the tips because I have always been interested in blonde.
29:26
I think that that went well with my skin tone versus I didn't do the red when it came to, especially if I was gonna do natural hair color, so I always did a blonde.
29:37
The tip, I think this was my 21st birthday.
29:41
And then the other photo, I had more of a reddish color and I tried that out.
29:45
It was like almost like brownish.
29:48
It's like a 30, like a B30, like a Coca-Cola red, not necessarily like orangey red, but more of like the, yeah, I think that's what it was.
29:59
It was a 30.
30:00
So anyway, I remember like having, cause I never did jet black.
30:06
I always did like one that was a little bit, had more of a color in it.
30:10
only because it seemed like it stuck out.
30:13
But yeah, I did crochet braids for a number of years because it was easy.
30:17
Braided down.
30:17
Again, do the cornrows and I could have these in for months at a time.
30:21
And crochet braids, feel like the longer you have it, the more natural it looks, especially if you got hair like this that's like a waviness.
30:29
um And I would wash it.
30:31
I had a technique for washing it to make it so that it looked more and more natural, with time.
30:37
So anyway, that's that.
30:40
I watched them too.
30:41
We talked about that in my braidscare episode, the first one.
30:45
So I think that's also something that you were creating too, because you could try different styles once you, with the different hair.
30:52
Yes.
30:53
To finish answering your question about the journey to getting the actual like Sisterlocks and when I first learned about Sisterlocks, I learned about them for the first time.
31:02
I remember in high school was my senior year.
31:04
I saw this young girl.
31:06
I was like, oh man, like her hair.
31:09
Like I've never seen locks that small and that neat.
31:14
And I was like, oh, I really, really want to like get something like that.
31:18
But at the time,
31:20
It was still definitely something that was moving, I would say, west to the east.
31:24
I would say like, you know, the founder or the person who patented this technology, she's in California.
31:42
um But I remember seeing this person when I was in high school and I was like, man, immediately, here in me, it's Locke's.
31:38
but it's not necessarily the way in which I've traditionally seen locs.
31:44
So that's the first time I saw it.
31:47
And then after I got married in 2020, in 2021, like I had wanted to lock my hair before I got married, as in for my wedding, but I wasn't able to do that because of the pandemic.
31:59
But after that, in 2021 in April, I found a loctician I lived in.
32:07
the Central Valley of California at that time.
32:09
It's almost like I went to California to get my Sisterlocks.
32:12
But like, I went and I was able to find a consultant that was local to the area and I reached out to her and we had a session where essentially she showed me, I told her that I
32:27
have a lot of hair, but I don't want there to be like, there's different varies of density.
32:33
Like you can get micro Sisterlocks.
32:35
which if I got micro Sisterlocks, I might've been dealing with closer to like a thousand plus locks and I was not trying to, uh the pain, know, like the amount of time, you know,
32:45
limiting.
32:45
I wanted Sisterlocks, but I wanted to also think about the amount of time and pain that I have to deal with.
32:51
So I was like, all right, you need to put them in, but also maintenance because when you get Sisterlocks, you know, it's still gonna, it's a locking message from the root.
33:00
So you're have to have the parting in the process of separating and.
33:03
making sure you have like a grid.
33:05
I think I gave you an image of that.
33:07
Like when I first, when you first get your Sisterlocks installed the first day, it's all about making sure that you have a very clean, defined grid.
33:16
So we spent a lot of time on making sure I had um that set up.
33:21
And that was a really big part of the conversation for my initial consultation.
33:25
I knew that.
33:27
I wanted to try out locks.
33:29
mean, you know, I think I'm going to have them pass the five years.
33:32
I'll be five years in April of 2026.
33:35
So that would be my five year mark.
33:36
But I definitely wanted a season where I tried out Sisterlocks.
33:40
I think for me, hair is just like a part of like self-expression, self-acceptance, self-understanding, especially in this time where I don't have to budget time for my hair.
33:53
I didn't say this at all yet, but like hair takes time.
33:56
yeah, this is the photo of the grid and the time and having the little tiny, tiny locks that were put in all over my head.
34:04
Something that was interesting about the lock journey also is that like...
34:08
I feel like the size that you see in this picture, they look smaller than what's currently on my head, at how I look at it.
34:14
so as your hair grows, more hair is coming in.
34:20
I felt like I had some healing that happened in the middle of my head, because I remember when I first got the install, I did have some hair loss in the middle.
34:28
And that has...
34:30
been fixed, I don't have that issue as much anymore.
34:33
But that is where like, it's funny, that's like where one of my thickest locs are because it came in later and how it was like put together.
34:39
But yeah, the sister loc journey is one that is also unique with understanding your texture.
34:46
Again, I think it revisits that because you might look online and you'll see someone's locs and you're like, it's because they have sister locs so then my hair will fall that
34:54
way or my hair will look that way.
34:56
But no, your locs are still like any other.
34:59
season of hair straightening and stuff like that is still unique to your experience.
35:03
So that's just something I wanted to know.
35:06
That's important.
35:07
I mean, you can see here in this picture.
35:09
So basically, your head's divided into grids, and there's sections, maybe like eight sections, and they've tied the locks into a bantu knot.
35:19
So you really can see your scalp here.
35:21
And there's a lot of locks.
35:24
And that's because you have high density hair, meaning an inch of your scalp, have a lot of hair follicles coming through.
35:30
And someone who has less density, they would not have as many hair follicles coming through.
35:35
it would look, we would see more scalp ah than what you would see, or maybe they would decide to do a different kind of grid, but.
35:42
ah
35:43
unique to like Sisterlux too, is that there's different like, I would say stitch patterns.
35:48
That's the best way for me to compare it to.
35:50
So depending on your texture, they might do a different type of pattern for that.
35:54
And that's a part of that, that technology.
35:56
Would you mind showing the other picture where they actually like took my hair out of the Bantu knots?
36:00
where you can see like how the tips of my hair look at that time,
36:08
I feel like it looks softer, but you can see all the lines, the perfectly straight lines and the size of the locks.
36:12
Again, if you look at my locks and you're watching this video, I feel like I have like a medium sized sister lock situation.
36:19
But when I got my Sisterlocks put in, they looked really tiny.
36:22
They were very little.
36:24
remember like, like when I pulled them out, I think I still have one that kind of resembles the thinness, but like.
36:32
with time they've gotten thicker and the more I have the more that they mature you know that happens.
36:37
I know another reason why that can be is that as soon as that period when my sister lock consultant told me I didn't have to band and braid and if you don't know what band and
36:46
braiding is is that when you first get your Sisterlocks in you have to before you wash them to make sure they don't slip you have to braid them and they typically recommend that
36:54
you band them at the end so that you can allow them to drop.
36:57
So that's why like people like who have Sisterlocks, especially in the early stage, it looks a certain way because the discipline of banding and braid is a part of the process.
37:06
As soon as they told me my locks had matured to the point, I was like, great, guess what I'm not doing?
37:11
Banding and braiding.
37:12
But I do know that if I maybe started doing that again, my locks could stretch out some, because what happens is your hair can bunch up.
37:19
So as a side note, I'm aware of that for those who might be like, but if you, yes, if you band and braid, it does help with elongating.
37:27
the locks themselves to make sure that there's less air space in between the locks.
37:34
Well, yes, because here in this picture, your locks are very small.
37:37
I would say like, you know, you know, those little hollow coffee stirs.
37:42
Yeah.
37:43
or like a cocktail straw.
37:45
You know, like not the one you stir, you don't sip.
37:49
And then today, yours are what would you compare it to in terms of uh diameter?
37:55
Like a pen?
37:56
Yeah.
37:57
like a pen, because I have one right here maybe.
38:00
like, yeah.
38:02
Or maybe the inner part of some pens.
38:04
Like this is another one, for example.
38:06
Like you have like, know, of the pen, the ink, the ballpoint pen, the little prop situation going on.
38:19
But, you know.
38:22
It's been a good journey.
38:23
For me, have like, I did have that time period when I first got my locs that I felt like I was like, my gosh, this does not look anything like what I wanted it to look like.
38:34
So I would say, I don't know if they call it loc regret, but like you have the stage where you're like, oh my gosh, why did I do this to my hair?
38:41
Especially because before my locs dropped, there was a period where it was like just like out and like they just like were just out.
38:48
And I was like, my gosh.
38:50
I need them to lay down because the whole point of me getting Sisterlocks was because I wanted it to look neat and laid down because I wanted it just appear that way and I was
39:00
struggling a bit.
39:01
But we've come over that hump.
39:03
I'm okay with it now.
39:04
I would say if I had a qualm, maybe it's like not all my locks are the same or something I also wanted to share on the locks, like about locks in general.
39:15
Wrap your hair every night, you know.
39:16
um
39:17
because lint is a part of the experience with locs sometimes.
39:21
You know, as it, and like, the more lint you have in a loc, the weaker the loc gets because it is not your hair, it's not locking to it.
39:29
So then I've had it where I've had locs break off.
39:32
Like, I think, so I've had three, two in the back.
39:36
Like, they're actually been mostly in the back and they're much shorter.
39:39
I'm showing at the nick of my, like, they're much shorter than the rest of my locs and that's because they broke off where lint had built up.
39:47
Okay.
39:48
you know, if you are like me, you don't want to pull on your smallest locks too.
39:52
Cause like I was pulling, I remember I pulled my hair up and I was like, oh, I broke off a lock in the middle.
39:57
And then I noticed that in that space, there was a good amount of lint built up.
40:01
And it's normally where I'm not the best at the nape of the neck, there has been built up of lint.
40:07
So that's just something I wanted to share.
40:09
Be mindful about reducing the lint and you know.
40:14
If you can come out with a technology on how to get lint out of locks for specifically Sisterlocks, I'm just letting you know, like we really need that solution because it's
40:23
like very difficult and the sooner you get that out, the better.
40:28
Okay, because you're wearing stuff, it gets caught on your clothes, you know, your shirt.
40:33
Yeah.
40:34
I have to be mindful.
40:35
I can't think of what creator, but someone put out content about what shirts not to wear, essentially, when you have locs, especially in the early stage, because it will get in
40:44
your hair.
40:45
Especially, you we wear scarves during the wintertime, and the material that's there will get into your hair, and you don't want that.
40:54
And I think if you're wearing your hair loose, that's something to watch out for because it's your ends.
40:58
When you're thinking about length retention, it's just rubbing against your shirt.
41:01
And I don't do much about that, but I know it's a thing.
41:05
Is it, well, I would say like, is a thing even with locks something to be mindful of?
41:10
something to be mindful of.
41:12
So if someone were considering getting locks or they ask you about it, what things do you think they should consider as they evaluate whether this work would work for them?
41:24
You know, if you plan to eventually do your locks yourself, that should be a part of your thought process, you know, because that takes time.
41:36
So like for those who are considering getting locks, I think it's really critical to consider that because, you know, it's much different when you have maybe 100 locks to lock
41:48
versus 300 or 400 or 600.
41:51
You some people have like a thousand, you know, like you get to the point where the amount of you have could also impact your choice.
41:58
Also take your time when selecting the locktician that does your locks because, you know, quality matters, you know, and I'm not saying that if you get what in, I guess the sister
42:13
lock community is someone who's still training to do your locks, you know, that's actually an opportunity to get your locks done for a more affordable price and oftentimes,
42:20
they still know what they need to do to do your locks.
42:23
But like, if you're someone who knows that you want your locks to be perfectly the same size everywhere, you might need to talk to multiple loctitians about like their technique
42:33
and style and how long they've been doing it and do they have a formula for getting it done.
42:37
Because I know even with the person that does my current reties, she's not the person that did my original install.
42:44
She's been doing my lock for the past three years.
42:46
I can tell.
42:47
from when she first started doing my reties to now, she has a system.
42:51
Like my loc experience has gone way faster from when she had learned how to, and she was already like, already like been doing locs or sister locs for a number of years then.
43:02
But I think, you know, like you're building a long-term relationship.
43:05
The person actually gets to understand your hair, your texture.
43:08
Like something that I make sure happens that not everyone does before they get their retie done is that I make sure she reties my hair wet.
43:15
Why?
43:15
Cause we're going back to me in pain.
43:17
And it reduces the pain of my hair when my hair is done when it's wet.
43:20
And it also is helpful for just like how my hair is.
43:24
I know that having that moisture, that being the time that we do it, it's really helpful.
43:28
That's excellent.
43:29
Thank you for sharing that because I know people are curious.
43:32
I learned a lot.
43:32
I didn't know anything about the dropping or yeah.
43:36
yeah,
43:36
Well, let's shift and talk a little bit about your hairstyle and how that's come to play with your work and your career and what you're building.
43:44
And I think there's some intention there that you put behind.
43:47
I think you kind of alluded to it before in terms of your time and the season of life.
43:51
Can you share with us a little bit about what you do today and how that your hair has been part of your experience
43:58
You
43:58
I think this is an excellent question because I think about like when my mom, when I first decided to get my loc, she had said something to me about like, now you have like a
44:05
signature look, right?
44:06
Because as someone who changed her hair a lot, I like never really had like one thing you would think about when you thought about Tiana, right?
44:14
But now a lot of people, when they think about me, they're like, Tiana, she has sister locs.
44:18
I was doing a Google search with myself last night, actually, typed my name into Google.
44:22
And I was trying to see like what was coming up because I always like to check out my SEO.
44:26
But anyway, what came up with the whole image now they have this way that they're looking at you and locks is now associated with me like literally like if you Google and like if
44:36
you look at the image it came up now they call dreadlocks, which I'm not someone who necessarily connects with that terminology for my hair as much but that is what some
44:46
people refer to like what I have in my head.
44:48
I don't necessarily a line or
44:50
identify with that, but it was cool that blocks are now part of something that comes up when you Google my name.
44:58
Google was able to see that's what's going on with her hair and it's a part of my signature look.
45:04
So as far as work in general with my hair journey, it has always been a very interesting thing because depending on where I was working,
45:11
People have their comments.
45:13
People have their comments about hair because they think that that's something that they can comment on.
45:17
I don't necessarily think you should comment on any part of anyone's physical opinion.
45:21
Like your opinion doesn't need to be shared unless it's positive.
45:25
And the goal is always to be positive because that's what people need.
45:28
They don't need anything else.
45:32
We can do the negative talk if we need to and we don't, but in our head, we have plenty of that, I'm sure, because everyone is aware.
45:40
that people were looking at them.
45:41
But main point, um with my hair, I have had various comments at work.
45:47
I remember like comments when like I used to get braids and maybe take them out, they're like, your hair chains overnight.
45:55
Like, you know, like those little like comments of like, wow, how'd you do that?
45:58
Or like, is that your hair question?
46:00
And I had that, I've had those.
46:03
Since I've gotten logs, I would say that
46:07
those comments are less, like as in like, it's kind of like, this is the standard look, her hair doesn't change because her hair doesn't change.
46:15
I do get comments from people who look like me, actually those that are a little bit older, that they assumed my hair was braids and not my actual hair.
46:24
So having to communicate to them that this is my real hair and it's not extensions and explaining that has been also like something that was unique and interesting.
46:32
which it came more like as a genuine question and not in the form of like criticism, just more so trying to understand because when they were coming up, they probably did not see
46:41
this type of lock or this type of, because like, if you don't know much about African-American hair and black hair, you may not understand what is happening with my
46:50
hair.
46:51
might assume, she has braids.
46:54
you know, like, like, trust me.
46:59
So like I've had more of like,
47:01
Curiosity is a part of it, I know.
47:03
And um I think for me, like, Sisterlocks or the style of hair has allowed me to have something that's signature to me and is growing with me.
47:13
I look back at some photos of me from like three years ago, like how different I look, although it's the same person.
47:21
It's just more so it's like a way to almost document my growth as an individual too.
47:25
So that's what I really like about my lock journey is something.
47:29
that has allowed me to do it in work spaces.
47:32
My sister-locks are professional because they're a part of me.
47:35
I'm a professional.
47:36
It's me.
47:36
It comes with me.
47:37
And so therefore it's professional.
47:39
No one can question that.
47:40
And I don't take those types of questions.
47:42
So there's that.
47:45
There's that.
47:48
And just having ownership over what it is, the time dynamic, I don't spend time on my hair like I used to.
47:58
I can style it, which I was thinking about doing that for the episode.
48:01
I will curl my locs.
48:02
normally, especially around the holiday, it's a nice look to have a curled loc situation.
48:07
It's fun.
48:07
You can do that.
48:09
I was exploring maybe doing, they do the braids and then a little knot at the end.
48:14
I haven't done that yet, but those are something that my friend Whitney was helping me with, thinking through that.
48:21
just enjoying it and having it.
48:26
has been fine for my professional journey.
48:28
I think it actually freed up maybe even brain space around like the stress that used to come with like, what am I gonna do with my hair?
48:36
I already know what I can do with my hair and I have more of the option of like, this is what I can do or I don't, right?
48:43
Like, so I can just wake up and it's already a look, but I can invest some time if I want to to add curls to it or if I wanna pin it up, I can pin it up, you know.
48:54
Excellent.
48:55
Well, thank you so much for sharing this about your locks.
48:57
I'm sure there's some people, I know a lot of people who are currently considering getting Sisterlocks.
49:03
So this is really helpful.
49:04
And just understanding, maybe for some people who didn't understand what's going on and maybe thought their braids, this is useful.
49:11
like, finally, I can know what's going on with Tiana's there, and I don't have to ask her directly.
49:17
to ask her what is going on.
49:19
How do you do this?
49:20
It's pretty amazing what our textured hair can do.
49:24
It really is.
49:25
And the beauty of that and the different styles and how even just seeing how it comes about is amazing.
49:30
And your hair is beautiful.
49:31
So thank you for sharing that with us.
49:33
Thank you.
49:35
Well, now I just want to talk a little bit about your you and how people can connect with you.
49:39
Do you want to share a little bit about what you're doing?
49:42
as you also have a
49:43
podcast.
49:44
Yes.
49:44
So yeah, um Tiana Elame, you can find me.
49:47
uh My preferred way of finding me is just Google me, my first name and my last name.
49:51
You'll be able to find either my hat of being a lecturer at NC State, or you'll be able to find my Instagram, It's a platform where I'm just trying to get out content around me and
50:00
mom and different things that I'm working on.
50:03
And then you can always connect with me through LinkedIn.
50:06
So if you are interested in environmental work and want to talk about it, that's cool.
50:10
Shadia graciously mentioned that I have a podcast called, EnvAns, environmental answers is the long form of that.
50:17
And the goal is to uplift the work that environmental leaders are doing, being able to share with them a space for them to uplift their work and look at environmental
50:26
innovation.
50:28
My three main projects that I'm working on, so I'm working on curriculum development, specifically aligning the curriculum to environmental industry partners, making a stronger
50:38
pathway for work.
50:39
I'm also working on a community-based project, is called Tots.Tech.
50:43
It's supposed to help families understand the tech behind the tech, but also using our environment as a tool for that.
50:49
So the first thing we're looking at is maps, making sure those zero to five understand how a map works, understanding Google, but also helping their parents have the opportunity to
50:58
ask questions about that.
50:59
And last but not least is the podcast.
51:01
So the Environmental Answers Podcast, and looking for people who are interested in just talking about their work.
51:06
A lot of work.
51:07
that comes with the environmental interest that people don't think about looks like aging in place is one of the episodes I'm looking forward to because that's a form of
51:15
sustainability.
51:16
So thanks for that.
51:17
And I really enjoyed being able to talk to you about something that I don't get to talk about, but something that's really core to my identity, which is my hair.
51:24
So thanks.
51:25
It's been wonderful having you.
51:27
And I just love just the attitude that you've had.
51:30
You can see it just throughout, and just celebrating and appreciating and taking agency and control over what you have, which is your hair, you know?
51:39
And I know that goes through a lot of aspects of your life as well, because you're really doing amazing things with environmental answers and all that you're working on.
51:47
So we're so excited to have you.
51:49
It's been a great conversation.
51:50
I can't wait till people get to see this.
51:52
So thank you again for coming, Tiana.
51:54
Shania, yeah, thanks so much for having me on the tight curls project.
51:58
This is really nice.
51:59
I'm really excited to see where it goes.
52:01
Awesome, we're so glad to have you.
52:03
I'm so glad to have you, Tiana.
52:04
And for everybody who's listening, please subscribe where you're watching or listening so you can find us next time.
52:10
You can send any questions or comments.
52:12
The links are below.
52:13
I'm on Substack, social media, and the Tight Curls Project is everywhere you're probably looking.
52:18
So we hope to connect with you soon.
52:19
And thanks again.