Forever Natural Blog : Girls who ROCK: Nelly in Paris

I was drawn to Nelly because of her simplistic beauty and gorgeous up-do's. Her effortless style is also one to be admired. Not to mention that she lives Paris! How cool is that!? Read all about her experience being natural in Paris and how she creates her fabulous up-dos. Enjoy!

1. Please tell us about yourself:

My name is Nelly, I'm an accounting student, from the Ivory Coast and am currently in Paris. I'm passionate about fashion, decorating and everything related to beauty.

2. Why do you ROCK?

I'm not trying to look like anyone else. I accept myself as I am with all my flaws. I try to make good use of all that God has given me and I get involved in things that are important to me. That is why I rock!

3. What inspires you to create such beautiful hairstyles?

Thank you April. My hair is an accessory for me. I may be the most well dressed, most well made up but if my hair isn't right then my general appearance takes a hit! To me, our hair makes us feminine and sexy. I try not to spend a lot of time on my hair, but I take care of it every day. My go-to style is a twisted up-do which, is fast and effective. No one really inspires my styles. I just try to figure out different ways to create twisted up-dos on my hair.

4. What's it like being natural and living in Paris?

Things are changing gradually over the issue of wearing natural hair. You do see a few girls wearing their hair natural. More and more girls are wearing their natural hair and are trying to enjoy it. In addition, there are debates about black women and our hair. These debates play an important role in our culture since they are creating more awareness about natural hair. Things are not progressing as fast as in the US, but we are on the right track!

5. How long have you been natural?

I've been transitioning for 1 year and 10 months. I plan to cut the permed ends off next February, for my two year natural hair anniversary.

6. Any advice for other naturals?

Listen to your hair, it will tell you what it needs. Know what works for you. This might mean you have to test, test, test and test again! Be patient. It's also important not to follow trends. If you like to wear it long or short, do it! If you want to switch back to a relaxer, do it. It's your hair!