Please, introduce yourself.
Hello, my name is Lesley and I’m an accessories designer. I’m originally from Nigeria , but now make my home in Minnesota
What was your inspiration behind starting Ododo Originals?
I’ve always loved accessorizing and the romance of putting flowers in the hair. But when I started looking a few years ago, there weren’t any flowers that had quite the look I was going for. I started Ododo Originals because I saw a hole in the market for high quality, curl-friendly hair accessories. I played around with silk flowers for a short while before I finally settled on beads as my medium. All of my accessories are made by me by hand.
Since you are a natural girl too, would you mind sharing your hair regimen?
My old hair regimen (I’m currently locing) was a little all over the place depending on what styles I had. I washed 2-3 times a week when I wore my hair in twists, almost every day when my hair was in braids (sans extensions) or wash n’ gos, and only once a week if I was wearing a stretched style which was usually a blowout/braidout combo. My favorite product for wash n’ gos was Kinky Curly Curling Custard, and for the braid outs I really liked the big, fluffy look I’d get with Oyin Hair Dew.
How long have you been natural, did you big chop or transition?
I have been natural since 2002. I chopped with about one and a half months new growth and at the time had no Idea that transitioning was even an option. I can be impatient though, so I don’t think I could have transitioned for very long. I chopped again 2005 just to try something new.
I do! I try to be my best advertiser and I like to show off my work. As for which one is my favorite, I don’t know where to start! I love metallic shades, so I used to wear this all the time with “out” styles but now that I’m locing and my hair is natural all the time, I make up the same combo with three minis.
You mentioned to me that you are embarking on a loc journey, what inspired that?
After my hair got to a certain length (MBL) I sort of had a “now what?” moment. I have a lot of shrinkage, so to keep my hair manageable, I kept it stretched almost all the time. I’m also a serious runner and was in the process of training for a marathon. I had to figure out something convenient to do. I gave myself the option of doing extentionless mini-braids (as I’ve done in the past), or locs, which were new to me, but a style I’d admired on others. I was concerned about the permanence of locs, so I told myself that if I didn’t like it in 6 months, I could take it down. It’s been just two months and I love them. I feel like I’m in for the long haul though I’m honest enough to admit that I sometimes miss the length of my “out” hair (shrinkage is a mutha).
What makes you love your kinks and curls?
I like being myself and feeling that, in terms of my hair, I have nothing to hide. It’s just a part of me being all of me.
Is there anything extra, like words of wisdom that you’d like to share with other naturals?
I get a lot of questions about growing hair long. I know it gets tiring to hear, but less really is more. You don’t necessarily have to invest time in elaborate protective styles, but try for styles that involve minimal combing/manipulation and keep your ends up as much as possible.
Where can we find you on the web?
I tweet @OdodoOriginals and I’m also on facebook, here is the link.
How can we get our hands on your hair accessories?
I have a website http://www.ododooriginals.com that links to my store and to my show locations if you’d like to see the flowers in real time.
Post Title
→Captured Curls: Lesley of Ododo Originals
Post URL
→https://side-swept-hairstyles.blogspot.com/2011/11/captured-curls-lesley-of-ododo.html
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