You ever have a conversation with someone and they say something that makes you think something must be wrong with your ears?
The other day I was having a conversation with Whitney Barnard who is the founder of the beauty brand Purely Bias and she said she doesn’t use conditioner.
I was like, come again!?
She repeated her statement adding that she had not used it for over 5 years and honestly in that moment I couldn’t help but think there is no way this is even remotely possible.
You see we are conditioned (no pun intended) to always use conditioner and as I stared at over 1000 bottles of conditioner in my own cabinet I literally started to question my whole life! Could someone actually avoid conditioner and have healthy hair?
The truth is you absolutely can with a few things considered! Whitney’s hair, like mine and some of you, has no chemicals on it, not even color. She hardly uses heat and she is an avid protective styler and her products are 100% natural and vegan!
As you can imagine, I had to know more, so not only did I hop online and order some products from her to try this no conditioner thing, but I also asked her for a short interview. This is what she shared:
1.What made you decide to start Purely Bias?
Before it was a business it was a hobby. The hobby began as a way to help my, then 6-month-old, son with his severe eczema.
I was tired and frustrated with taking him back and forth to doctors who didn’t seem to know or care enough to help. So, I began researching and mixing things on my own to try. I got rid of his eczema and it just grew from there. That was almost 10 years ago.
2.Would you consider yourself a lazy natural? Why or why not?
Lol! Yes, I definitely consider myself a lazy natural. As long as my hair is clean, moisturized, and healthy everything else, like styling, is secondary to me.
I wear my hair twisted up a lot or a might have it out for a little while. In addition to that Headscarves, beanies, turbans, twists/braids are my only protective styles.
For me, relaxed hair was way more high maintenance than natural hair, not to mention I have saved a ton of money and time because I no longer have to spend all of those hours at the hair salon or worry about getting my hair wet.
3.What does your regimen look like?
For wash day I use Organic Liquid African Black Soap to get my scalp and hair really clean. I love it because it cleanses without drying it out or leaving a residue behind, which were problems I had when I first went natural and I hated it.
Sometimes I detangle before I shampoo, sometimes after, just depends on how I am feeling at the time. Once my hair is detangled and clean I part it into sections and moisturize each section using Kokum Bliss.
I do two strand twists all over my head and when I am done I wrap all the twists up into a bun. In between wash days I un bun the twists, dampen with water in a spray bottle, moisturize with Kokum Bliss or Bloom Oil, then put it back into a bun.
I will usually stay like this until next wash day. I have also never bleached or colored my hair. I also stay away from heat, the last time I got it straightened was 3 years ago.
4.How long has it been since you have used conditioner?
I stopped using conditioner in 2012. Like I said before I am a lazy natural. Having to go back and rinse out the conditioner after I had already washed my hair just always got on my nerves.
It was like starting all over again. One-day I realized I had a bottle full of shampoo but had run out of the conditioner. I was not about to go out and buy some more so I skipped the step and just moisturized my hair with shea butter (which I was still using back then) after I was done washing it. Nothing bad happened so I kept skipping the conditioner. I realized it was unnecessary, for me anyway.
5.What advice would you give to someone who wants to minimize the time they spend on their natural hair?
I understand that everyone’s hair is different but my first suggestion is to skip the conditioner. See how works for you and if it doesn’t you can always start using it again. My other suggestion would be to give it time and accept your natural hair at whatever stage it is in. Stop comparing.
6.What is your Hair type? — (fine, coarse)
My hair is thick and gets tangled easily. I have 2 different textures. The front is less coarse than the back.
7.Tell us more about your products?
Purely Bias, LLC products are organic, handmade, and multipurpose. Majority of them can be used from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet. Kokum Bliss and Bloom Oil are head to toe moisturizers.
They can be used on the whole family. This makes sense to me to save time, space and money. Also, I look at how everything on us is connected and interconnected so what sense does it make to use something to oil my scalp that I would not want touching my face? The liquid black soap is a head to toe cleanser!
I want to show people that men, women, and children can use the same products and that haircare and skincare products can be one in the same. It is a constant battle especially since every ad and tv commercial tells you that you HAVE to buy THIS for him, and THAT for her, and THOSE for the kids.
When I tell people that a jar of kokum bliss works for everybody and everywhere, I get looked at crazy or in disbelief. I am not giving up though lol.
8. For a natural who wants to start from scratch, what would you suggest they buy at first? — (What is the Purely Bias starter pack?)
Easy answer. Organic Liquid African Black Soap, Kokum Bliss, and Bloom Oil. Definitely those 3.
Pretty cool right? If you want to try some of the products from Purely Bias, click here.
