Joyous Curly : Iknowlee

Hi, Iknowlee. Please Introduce Yourself!

My real name is Helecia and I am 24 years young. I am a Houston Native.....a city girl! The name IKNOWLEE originated from my nick name "Lee Lee." I always had trouble with people mispronouncing my name and that nick name was not only common but memorable.  People almost go to the point where they never learned my real name and they would say, "Oh, I know Lee Lee!" It just stuck so I came up with the youtube channel entitled IKNOWLEE.

What does your current hair regimen look like?

My current hair regimen is actually very simple. Its the products that get people confused.  I wash and deep condition my hair weekly. I always apply a leave in and usually do a twist out. Then I retwist my hair every night and sleep with a bonnet. 

How long have you been natural? Did you big chop or transition?

 I have been natural two years and two months. I hit my two year mark on May 24th, 2012. I wanted to transition but I didn't have the patience. I wore weave for about two months just to let my perm grow out. Once I took the weave out, I decided to just do a big chop. I ended up with about a half of an inch of hair. 

Why did you decide to go natural? How did people react to your decision to go natural?

My sister encouraged me to try something different mainly because she was going natural.  I loved changing my hair so I took the risk and just went for it. When I told people that I was going natural, they didn't really respond at all until I actually cut off all my hair. People were extremely shocked and I mostly got extremely negative responses. 

What advice do you have for transitioners and persons that are curious about natural hair?

Natural hair is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get! Go for it! If you want to go natural just try it and if you don’t like, go back to a relaxer. Be patient and give it some time to adjust.  

Do you think that there are DO’s and DON'T’s for maintaining YOUR natural hair or natural hair in general? 

Absolutely NOT. Everyone's hair is different so different things work for different people. You can set rules because in some cases they might not apply. The only DO is to keep it moisturized!!! 

How has your natural hair changed/affected you?

My natural hair has helped me gain self esteem and accept who I am.  Until I went natural, I didn't realize how society viewed natural hair in general. I had to accept what I had and work with it to the best of my ability even if others didn't view it as socially acceptable. For a while I was outcasted because of my hair. Because I rocked it with confidence, people began to accept it and also love it. 

Where can people connect with you?
 You can check my YouTube Channel or like my Facebook Fan Page.