For this week’s hebdo, Afro Alice has interviewed Febee, creator of Ô Natur’ Elle 509 and proud naturalista since four years.
1- Tell us about you.
I am Febee, also known as Fescar Bee on the web, 24, proudly Christian, Business Administration student and creator of the Ô Natur’ Elle 509 page on Facebook. I love everything about natural hair and I love meeting random natural women and learn about their natural hair journey.
2- When and why did you return natural?
When- I return natural in 2009 and did the BC after 6-8 months of transitioning.
I realized that I didn’t have to fit or conform to what society says is nice hair. I have always admired women with natural hair and I have always wanted to go natural but didn’t know how to take care of it until I did some Internet research and found the information I wished for.
Why- I had a few reasons for getting back to my roots: I have an extremely sensitive scalp and would always get burned while getting a touch up. I got tired of spending countless hours in a hair salon and being scared of the elements. My hair never grew with perms and has always been short and quite thin (growing and then falling out). Tired of my hair being over processed, I made the decision to walk away from chemicals.
3- How did people surrounding you react to your change?
Put aside my father who told me I look better with relaxed hair, people surrounding me reacted positively to my hair change.
4- Who supported you and how? Who was your inspiration?
Nobody really showed support to me. In my family, we are just two people being natural: my cousin and I. She didn’t even believe I would embrace so seriously my journey. My best friend thought this change was foolish then made up her mind.
My hair inspirations were Stephanie Casimir, a female Haitian actor and Michaelle Jean, a Canadian journalist and stateswoman who served as Governor General of Canada from 2005 to 2010.
5- What difficulties have you met along your journey?
The only difficulty I had to deal with was my hair having two textures. My crown is different from the remaining of my hair.
6- Tell us about ô Natur’elle 509.
Ô Natur’elle 509 is a forum dedicated to the love and awareness of natural hair & to the inspiration and motivation for women who want to go back to their roots despite the society’s negative view of it. It’s specially designed for my 509 natural sisters who decided to embrace their natural hair with pride. Altogether, we share our stories, routines, tips, advices and success of our journeys.
7- What is the best thing about being natural?
Wow! So many things! To name a few, I love the fact that I can be an inspiration to others. Also I have the freedom to do what I want with my hair; I love the process of learning how to care for my hair and what my hair likes. My absolute favorite thing about being natural is that I am finally the real me, as God designed me. I’m so thankful to no longer conform to what I grew up thinking was the way a woman should look.
8- What’s your regimen?
As I am lazy, I like to keep it simple! I co wash my hair weekly, which includes a homemade deep conditioning treatment. I clarify when my hair stops responding to my products. I detangle in the shower, then after my hair is fully detangled, I rinse it and put in a leave-in conditioner, I seal with oils or butters and style my hair. I wear a satin scarf or bonnet to sleep.
9- A message to the natural hair existing, upcoming and potential communities?
To all my nappy sisters, I want you to know that it requires strength and confidence to look different, so I encourage you to stay and remain strong. Some people may not like natural hair and you can’t change their minds; therefore, don’t make someone else’s opinion a burden to yourself. Remember you had valuable reasons to return natural. Don’t lose track of your motives. Nothing worth having is easy to achieve. Your natural hair is unique. Bear it with pride.
10- Do you have any upcoming plan?
Yes, we are planning to organize a natural hair meet-up in Haiti during the summer. There, we will have the chance to meet the members of our page living in Haiti. We will discuss the history of the page, the people who manage the page, and important subjects about hair. We intend to craft bracelets, shirts, buttons, and bags and we have a long term plan of opening a hair salon for naturals in Port-au-Prince!
Following is the link to her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/%C3%94-Natur-Elle-509/431714783578717?fref=ts
Afro Alice 