Natasha Betty

“Texture on the Runway” was a phenomenal experience. I expected the production to be nothing short of amazing, but the show exceeded all my expectations. I expected to see multiple textures on the runway from kinky hair, to curly, wavy and multi textured hair. That was exactly what I saw — and more.

The show was broken out into segments by different salons and their interpretation of texture on the runway. Hair Rules was inspired by the 70’s and 80’s diva glam style. Think Diana Ross (who ROCKED it at the Grammy’s!).

Dickey did a fabulous job at creating a special style for each of the models to really showcase their hair on the runway.

Miradi Color, Matrix Family and Curls Unleashed all did a fantastic job of portraying multiple textures on the runway. I saw straight hair, teased and crimped for a bigger effect. I thought that was genius!

Needless to say this event was original and absolutely exceptional! Taren and Michelle did a spectacular job of hosting the event and keeping the audience involved in the showcase.

After the event we kept the party going with lots of conversations and Whitney Houston singing/dance tributes. Thank you to the Texture Media and NaturallyCurly team for allowing me to be apart of this event! I truly believe that this is just the beginning of seeing texture on the runway. Let us continue to celebrate our kinks, curls and coils in the most fashionable way possible!

Texture on the Runway Slideshow

Going natural has proved itself to be more than just a fad. It has become a movement that women across the world are plunging into. From radical transformations, like doing the “big chop,” to slower transitions in becoming natural, it has become a concept that will be forever embedded in society.

The natural hair movement is important to women and society not just because of its undeniable benefits, but because it has created some much needed camaraderie among all women. We are now all connected by this journey to unleashing our true selves and knocking down modern society’s standards of beauty and “looking good.”

The natural hair movement appealed to me because it reminded me of my true beauty and appreciation for my God-given natural hair. No longer did I feel compelled to harm my hair with chemicals and permanently change who I was to fit into a mold of beauty. This movement was a powerful and positive change in the right direction for not just black women, but all women.

Natural hair is slowing making its premiere on the runway because just like natural hair, the runway has many trends of which seem to now include a lot of minimalism. I see more natural hair to come on the runway from all ethnicities. Designers seem to be going with more simple, carefree styles for the upcoming season. I’m excited to see this come to fruition!

For me, getting to go “Texture on the Runway” is an opportunity of a lifetime for which I am forever grateful! I look forward to bringing the NaturallyCurly.com audience all the latest and behind the scene action live from the event by getting all the details directly from the models, stylists and industry leaders themselves.

Go team natural!

Unlike most of my friends and cousins my age, I got a relaxer relatively late in life. I begged my mom for a relaxer from the moment I started middle school, but she denied me the “luxury” until I was about 15 years old and going off to high school (I would later thank her for what seemed like punishment).

I can still remember getting my first relaxer and being so captivated by how my hair had made a complete transformation from big, thick, wild and unmanageable to silky, smooth and long! My days of having a relaxer were actually pleasant. My hair seemed to take to the chemical and it’s straightening properties. I never suffered much breakage or damage and my hair was actually growing even longer.

When I turned 17, I was again at the age where another hair request was being made to my mom; this time the plea was for highlights. At that age, every single girl I knew had highlights and I felt left out without them. After much deliberation, my mom agreed to the highlights, and my hair was now streaked blond. This fascination with color was short lived, because a year later, when I turned 18, I decided to get a permanent color over the highlights to make the bleached color disappear.

After getting my permanent color, my hair was never really the same. The relaxers didn’t stop, and the damage began. My hair proceeded to fall out in clumps right before my eyes. With each relaxer, it got thinner and thinner, and soon my thick ponytail was a stringy clump of hair in a hair tie.

It was then that I decided to cut my hair to a short bob right below my chin before I went off to college that summer. I thought this cut would help in allowing the horrible color to grow out. Nine months later, my hair story would forever be changed.

I went to Atlanta for spring break and went to my sister’s salon, and the stylist convinced me that I didn’t need a relaxer anymore. Her homemade honey treatment and pressing techniques blew me away, and I never looked back.

It’s been almost four years since I’ve been completely natural, and I must say, my hair has never been healthier. It was a difficult transition in the beginning because I had no idea how to do my own hair. But soon, everything became routine, and through the process of elimination, and tons of practice, I found what worked best for me.

Researching and finding natural hair platforms for encouragement was what kept me going throughout the process.