Friday 10 March 2017

Gal behind the Magicalmessyhair...

Hey there curlies!

This week I'm coming atcha with another beautiful gal behind the Magicalmessyhair! She is some Serious inspiration for Big Choppers! I love the fact that Maxine is just like you and I natties, (big chop and all) who is on her way to building her own business because she saw a need for her hair. She also tests them all out on herself first- business with integrity!

Meet Maxine everybody:)


 Please introduce yourself?
 Hi Natties , My name is Maxine Arnold and I'm repping the sunny city Durban, South Africa. I am a natural hair enthusiast and ambassador. My friends call me a "natural hair Nazi " because I WILL rehabilitate you (see what I did there? ) 



How long have you been natural? 
Hmmmmm, this is quite a tricky question, because my natural hair journey hasn't been a cut and dried case. I say this because I have fallen off the natural wagon a few times. I first returned to natural in 2006. I transitioned for 9 months before snipping off the remaining processed ends (man oh man, those buggers are pesky) I stayed natural for a year and gave in to the creamy crack…yes yes I did.  Simply because I did not know how to manage my natural hair. Don't get me wrong ...I LOVED my natural hair, but my hair had been relaxed from the age of 9 .. my natural hair, the very hair that naturally grew out of MY scalp... was foreign to me. This made me very uncomfortable, it made me feel almost as if I did not truly know myself. I mean, how could I, when there were certain aspects of myself that I did not completely understand? That sparked a desire in me to learn as much as I possibly could about my natural hair so that I could eventually successfully maintain it. I began reading natural hair blogs, stayed up till the early hours of the morning watching YouTube tutorials (between me and you, it's still an addiction lol) until I was confident enough to return to natural again. This time in 2014 I did the big chop (BC) and creamy crack has since become nothing more than a nasty mistake that never should have happened.



What or who inspired you to return to natural?
 Bob Marley said it best " emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds" I returned to natural solely for this purpose. I wanted to break free from that slave mentality that "nappy, kinky, coily, curly hair" is bad hair, and that it needs to be fried into oblivion for it to grow long, or lie flat in order to be considered beautiful and be socially acceptable. No honey, my hair defies gravity.... and that?.....that is beautiful.





Have you ever had a setback with your hair?
 Girl...yes!!! I like to describe my natural hair journey as an adventure...and whats an adventure without any surprises, both good and bad. As you already know, my first setback was just pure ignorance and lack of know how. My second setback was just denial lol!! I have to be honest with you here. I have very delicate hair around my edges, AND I KNEW THIS , but you see what had happened was, box braids had just made a huge come back and I caught a bad case of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). Needless to say, them braids done snatched up my hairline ..it was GONE!! POOF!!!



My most recent setback happened at the end of 2016. I had been playing around alot with colour. I dyed my hair plum; bleached it blonde, dyed it purple and then black again. So my hair really took a beating, and she wasted no time in letting me know that she was not having it! (She has zero chill) my hair began shedding like crazy and was just constantly dry....so I decided to do my 2nd Big Chop. I'm now 2 month's post BC and have decided to grow it out in a tapered cut. Do I regret any of my setbacks? ...no. it's all part of this beautiful adventure, and hair grows! It will grow back. Would I ever experiment with colour again? Yes Ma'am! I love trying out new cuts, styles and colour on my hair...the same hairstyle and colour can get boring, so it’s good to be adventurous and switch it up now and then.


What advice would you give to someone considering a BC?
 Since I have had the opportunity to transition and do a Big Chop, I can honestly say, when it comes to BC JUST DO IT!! From my experience BC'ing is definitely much easier than transitioning. It allows you to become quickly acquainted with your natural hair from the get go without the struggle of dealing with two different textures. I always advise women to BC when starting their natural journeys. Embarking on a natural journey requires a certain state of mind, a whole paradigm shift , and a clean slate is always best to get things started.


What do you love about your current hair journey?
I'm loving the extra confidence that rocking my natural hair has given me. I mean, I was a confident woman before I returned to natural...but now it's like, when I walk down a street,.... I own that street! Uyezwa wena gal!!!? There is so much power in knowing...really knowing yourself.

Describe your hair in one sentence?
My hair is Nappy as yo pappy, but ooooooh so happy!!



What are your favourite products that you can't live without?
My Almond oil: every low porosity natty should have a stash of this oil at all times! It is definitely a must have. I use it as my moisture sealant.
My leave in conditioner. I use Elvive extraordinary Oil leave in cream, and my hair loves it.
Lastly, right now because, my hair is super short, my Aunty Jackies Flaxseed Gel and Easy Waves curl activating gel are my go to’s to get them curls popping!

Do you have a side hustle/business or project that you'd like to share with us?



Once I realised that I had totally annihilated my hairline, I frantically and desperately tried to repair it..... I mean how was I supposed to flourish with my FINEAPPLE with no edges???? kanjani!? I used every product out there in an attempt to regenerate my hairline ...but DOLOLO!!! No luck. And well necessity is the mother of creation. I , together with my brother Bryce Arnold (super Seiyan , master potion mixer!!) began researching oils with restorative properties and together we formulated what some of the Natties who have used our treatment call "the magic potion." Within weeks of using the oil mixture, my hairline began to thicken and fill out again...much to my relief..I could confidently fineapple again.
Driven by pure passion and love for natural hair , my brother, Bryce and I co-founded the Facebook natural hair support group "Its All Natural! " where were we motivate, advise , organise natural hair meet ups and give great tips on how to care for your natural hair. It's an awesome place for a natty to be! If you haven't already .. Please join and feel at home in our natty family. Find the link below :
For more information on our Hairline Repair Treatment or to place an order drop us an email at: itsallnatural16@gmail.com or
Follow and PM me on the Grams @natural2themax
Brown child, you are enough!!Remember it's not a journey it's an adventure!
Peace and love!


Well curlies I hope you learnt a thing or two from Max and don't forget to check out her hair group  on Facebook for more tips and tricks-  its just a click away!

Thanks again for dropping by and if you would like to be featured on my blog drop me an email.



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