Paige Nelson, better known as @love_your_natural on Instagram, is a twenty-five-year-old native New Yorker. Originally from Queens, she is currently attending Queensborough College and majoring in childhood development. With a passion for music, her true talent shines through her Instagram page, which follows her natural-hair journey. Nelson shows followers the day-to-day of converting to the #naturalhair trend. #beauty #brains #inspiration
Nelson sat down with Virgo Girl Media to share what motivates her to inspire others.
What inspired you to go natural and when did your journey begin?
I actually went natural by accident. I had no choice but to do a big chop after my mother gave me a perm and all my hair fell out. I had previously colored my hair blond at the time, which thinking back I should’ve known would cause my hair to fall out the way it did. Devastated, I went to the barbershop and had the barber shave all my hair off. It was June 26, 2012, that I decided to go ahead and big chop!
Tricks and secrets for a beginner . . .
The secret for beginners I would recommend is to do protective styles. In the beginning of my journey to protect my hair I wore wigs, which was the best thing I could have done because I kept my hair moisturized and braided underneath, allowing my hair to grow full and healthy, because I wasn’t combing and styling my hair every day (which causes breakage). This allowed my hair to grow to its full potential. Some people aren’t comfortable wearing wigs. If this is the case, then you can wear box braids, Havana twists, faux locs. These styles are get up and go and are great protective styles for naturals.
You use IG as a platform to not only share your #naturalhair journey but to provide inspiration to other people. What inspires you?
What inspires me is actually my Instagram followers. Their comments are uplifting and the features I get from other natural-hair pages inspire me to continue taking care of my hair. The love and support they show me keeps me motivated to keep on expanding.
Your page @love_your_natural is continuing to grow and be a trending page for beauty. What are you doing to create the buzz and how are you handling the success?
Great question. Honestly, I had an idea one day to create an Instagram account focusing on my natural hair. I wanted my page to be a platform for women to get some natural-hair tips while spreading inspiration through my photos. I didn’t think a few months later I would reach almost 10,000 followers. What keeps the buzz surrounding my page I would say is I don’t just post photos, I make sure I’m constantly speaking life to my followers. I constantly write inspirational thoughts in my captions to reach someone. I’m handling the success of my page very humbly. It almost feels unreal because I never thought my page would make a stamp in the natural-hair community. Seeing my vision come to fruition is just amazing, and I honestly still can’t believe it.
What are the top five beauty products to use?
The top five beauty products I use are argan oil eco styler gel (I use this product on my wash and gos; it’s amazing for defining your natural curls), TRESemmé Naturals conditioner (my hair feels more manageable and soft every time!), argan oil and jojoba oil, (I use these for my scalp to stimulate growth), and finally Cantu curling cream (I use this for my twist outs and braid outs).
Who is your hairspiration?
My hair inspiration has to be the Glam twins. I’ve been following them on YouTube since the beginning of my natural-hair journey; I just love their hair. We have the same hair type so I would often get my natural-hair tips from watching their videos in my early stages of going natural. They remind me a lot of myself and the length of their hair is my future hair goal!
You are also very focused on getting healthy and getting fit. Is this a journey you plan to share as well? What are your thoughts on getting healthy? Do you feel getting healthy has become a trend that will fade or are people sincerely trying to be healthy?
Getting healthy is not something I was interested in until I noticed I was gaining a lot of weight over the summer. I started feeling tired, my clothes didn’t fit as flatteringly as they used to, so I made the decision to do research to get fit and healthy. I just started this journey a few months ago. I do plan on documenting my journey. I’m very excited; it won’t be easy but I want to be a source of inspiration to some of my followers battling weight issues and share fitness tips that will promote healthy living. I do feel this is a trend that I’m eager to be a part of. Being healthy is so important. What you eat can cut your risks of health disease up to fifty percent.
Share your advice to young girls who are on social media but could be the victim of depression because they don’t look like the girls/women they see on Instagram.
To all the young girls out there that feel as though you’re not attractive because you don’t look like these girls on Instagram, understand that God did not make a mistake with you. You were personally crafted in God’s image of you. Everyone has something they would like to change about themselves, but we don’t always get what we want. Be confident in your skin! You’re unique; no one is perfect. I’m not the prettiest girl in the world and I’m okay with that because I have more to offer than my looks and so should you!
Do you have any plans to build a brand/business behind hair and/or beauty? If so, please share what they are.
I do have plans to expand my brand in beauty and hair. I will be creating a YouTube channel soon that will include hair tutorials, makeup tutorials, natural-hair tutorials of course, and much more! How do you empower other women?
I empower women by constantly letting them know they are Queens (which is how I refer to my followers). I let them know every chance I get because I do have followers who struggle with insecurity and depression. The power of a simple “Good morning Queens, don’t forget how beautiful and strong you are. Remember you are qualified. You can do it” can really change a person’s attitude toward life. My mother is the reason for my wisdom and confidence so naturally empowering women comes second nature to me.
VIRGO GIRL’S 5 THINGS TO ASK
What would you tell your 21-year-old self?
I would tell my 21-year-old self to not be so sensitive, that life isn’t always going to go your way. That you need to have thick skin because life isn’t fair.
I start my day with . . .
I start my day with prayer. I have a strong relationship with God. After I pray I feel a calmness in myself. Prayer is what keeps me going.
If you could invite any woman to dinner, who would it be?
If I could invite any woman to dinner I would definitely invite Beyoncé, I would invite her so we could have a one-on-one conversation about life and for her to give me advice. She is all for female empowerment just like me so I could only imagine how great our dinner would be. She’s so inspiring!
Best advice you have received?
The best advice I have received is to remain humble because as fast as God gives blessings he can also take them away. This helps me to not take anything for granted.
Life motto you live by?
I could do all things through Christ who strengthens me is the motto I would forever live by.