I am a huge admirer of the delightful Lola, founder and creator of Lola's Green Hair.com and was so excited when she agreed to allow me to share her story with Curly Chics readers. Click here to read my previous post on Lola. Without further adieu –
Meet Lola
Your site is such an innovative idea and you have definitely cornered the market on it! Tell me about the birth of Lola’s Green Hair.
The idea and inspiration behind Lola’s Green Hair grew from personal need. I’ve been natural for about 10 years, and had been a severe product junkie for the majority of those years. It has only been in the last couple of years that I became serious about caring for my hair and finding the staples that I could depend on, rather than hopping on the latest bandwagon or new product that was being raved about.
That was all fine and dandy, but here I was “stuck” with a ton of products that I had only used once, if at all. I needed a way to get rid of them, but somehow wanted to re-coup at least some of the money I’d spent. Shortly after, LolasGreenHair.com was born.
I am a frequent flyer on your site. I check it out daily and I have even posted a few ads J. For those who are not as familiar, share what the site is and its purpose.
LolasGreenHair.com is an online resource for buying and selling nearly new hair care products. There are some sites that allow members to exchange products with other members, but these postings only reach as far as the members who frequent those sites. LolasGreenHair.com provides a centralized, seamless and secure way for buyers and sellers to connect.
As a single mom who works fulltime, I can attest to the fact that time is a luxury! Running a business is not easy. How do you balance your home life and your professional life and still have time for great hair?!
It’s challenging to say the least. My husband and two girls are first in line when it comes to my time. After that, there aren’t many hours left, which translates into a lot of late nights and early mornings. I don’t get as much sleep as I’d like, but I love what I do so most mornings I wake up ready and stoked about taking on the day’s work.
Your blog pumps out awesome information on a regular basis. Your topics are never typical, which I love. How do you continuously come up with quality content?
It’s impossible to blog about things that have never been addressed. Even with something as “new” as natural hair, most topics have been covered ad nauseam. I blog about these same topics, but I try to approach them from a different angle. Sometimes I’ll come at a topic from way out of left field, and even as I click the “publish” button I’m thinking I probably shouldn’t post this. But then I’m pleasantly surprised when readers are actually responding and commenting. That’s an awesome feeling.
Then there are times when readers will email me directly to say how offended they are about something I posted, or how I worded something in particular. While my intentions are never to offend, right, wrong or indifferent I love when something I write illicits a reaction.
About your hair:
One would assume based on the title of your site that you consume mostly, if not all, natural hair products. Is this the case? How do you feel about products with less than green ingredients and their affects on natural hair?
For the most part, I do use natural hair products because my hair responds best to these. As much as I can, I purchase from manufacturers with sustainable business practices. However, it’s just as, if not more important to me to purchase from manufacturers with Fair Trade practices. We have access to so many great natural products. Unfortunately many of them are obtained at the expense and exploitation of the world’s most impoverished countries.
Your hair looks extremely healthy. How did you learn about healthy hair?
I learned most of my practices by hanging out in hair care forums---there you will find ladies who have been doing the natural thing for years and are eager to share their experience. That, research, and good ol’ trial-and-error is how I learned about my hair and what it needs. My challenge , however, is discipline. I know what I need to do for my hair, but it’s easy for me to get lazy and fall into bad habits. For example I’ve developed the most annoying habit of plucking out the single-strand knots—but only on the left side of my head. I’ll do it while I’m reading, driving or whatever. I know this is a bad thing to do, but I can’t stop, and I am beginning to see where the left side is slightly shorter than the right. It sucks.
With a site that buys and sells products, that must mean you have a ton of products in your arsenal! What are your staples?
Quite the contrary, actually. The few products I keep stocked are: Trader Joe Nourish Spa Conditioner, Aubrey Organic Honeysuckle Rose, aloe vera juice, coconut oil, olive oil, castor oil, and wheat germ oil. I sample products here and there, but I always go back to these staples.
Like you, I did not always embrace my coils. When I initially took the natural route years ago, I flat ironed my hair almost daily. It took me several years to stop ignoring my curls. What made you start loving your curls?
It was the economy of all things. I had been working in a very corporate, straight-laced environment. Then the economy went kaput and the department I managed (including my position) was outsourced and downsized. Fortunately I received a good severance package and had the luxury of taking a good amount of time off before going back to work. During that time, I just let it all hang out. I snipped away the heat-damaged hair and rocked a short wash-n-go for the 6 months I spent “finding myself.” My new employer was very liberal and relaxed and could care less how I wore my hair.
How do you combat the negativity surrounding natural hair?
There is certainly negativity surrounding natural hair, but the good news is that there is also an amazing amount of love, support and fellowship. The drama that pops off every so often can be fun to watch, but I try to keep my distance and my mouth shut.
As a newbie blogger, I am anxious to learn from seasoned writers who have achieved some success. What advice would you give to someone like me on maintaining your site and gaining readership?
I’m far from a seasoned writer, but my advice would be to stay true to you. Not all writers make good bloggers, and not all bloggers are good writers. But at the end of the day you have complete control over your style and voice. Everything under the sun has already been blogged about—the difference will be in how you tell the story.
Awesome advice!
Freestyle! Anything else you would like to share – about hair or any topic?
Shameless plug---just want to let your readers know that they can post ads FREE on LolasGreenHair.com using coupon code LOLAFREE.
SHOP->SELL->SAVE-> Lola’s Green Hair!
Curly Chic
If you would like to stay connected to the lovely Lola:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/LolasGreenHair
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