GlossMagazineOnline (GMO): Let’s start off by asking how long have you been natural?
Angela: I have been natural for two years on January 24.
GMO: What was your reason for going natural? Did you transition, or did you do the BC?
Angela: My daughter was the reason. I wanted to show her natural beauty is enough. During my pregnancy I was transitioning and when she was ten days old, I did the big chop. Best decision I ever made!
GMO: Were there any people who were against you going natural? Did you have a lot of support?
Angela: No. My family and friends didn’t understand why I was doing it. I got many stares and back handed comments. People were saying natural did not look good on everybody. My family and friends accept my hair now, but my family still doesn’t understand why I did it.
GMO: There are many reasons why women decide to go natural, some do it as a life changing event, and others because it is just a style for them. Why do you think it is important to go natural as a lifestyle change versus just being a style for the moment?
Angela: People should understand what it means to be natural. They need to make a conscience decision when going natural. It’s the image you give out. It’s connecting with your culture. I think too many people think it’s a fad, and I hate to say that. When you go natural, you will get the stares and comments… I still get the stares, but when you go natural you have to stand by that decision. Also, you have to feel beautiful and confident on the inside, if you are hiding behind your hair or using it as a shield of confidence, I suggest doing some genuine self-esteem work before embarking in the Natural journey. Lastly, be resilient while on your journey and remember what your mama and grandmama told you “anything worth having is hard to come by” and trust; self-confidence, self-worth, and self-esteem are all worth having!!
GMO: What does being natural mean to you?
Angela: To me, throughout the transition and negativity, it made me really appreciate and accept who I was! It makes you dig deeper for the beauty on the inside. It is self-acceptance, self-love, and self-discovery.
GMO: Your group Gem City Naturals on Facebook is a place where naturals can connect with each other, giving each other tips and tricks, products reviews, and so forth. You also have meet-ups for various workshops. When is your next meet up and what is the goal for your workshop?
Angela: The next meet up is called Product Making 101: Discovering Your Inner Mixtress. I wanted to do this because I wanted to bring everyone together to help discover what will work for their hair. What will work for one person might not work for the other person. There are many natural butters and oils that are good for different people but many people don’t know how many things you can do with Shea Butter and the different oils that you can find in your local health food store. I wanted this meet up to be an educational gathering.
GMO: You are 23-years-old, and you have started a business with your mother: selling natural hair, body care, and aromatherapy products. What inspired you to start your business, Be Beautiful, and how did you decide the name for your products?
Angela: Zaina, my daughter was the first name of the products and the logo was her face. Zaina means beautiful, so I just replaced her name with the meaning of her name and we have Be Beautiful. Hair care products were expensive for me, being a single mother and being in school so I started mixing products to see what would work. Once I began getting positive reviews from my family and friends, I decided to create something from it. The goal is high quality, all natural products at an affordable price.
GMO: How does your products add to the collections of other natural care products?
Angela: Our mission statement is to restore inner and outer beauty because we want everyone; women and men who buy from us to not only feel good on the outside, but on the inside as well. This is why we have aromatherapy candles. The scents are tranquil, peaceful, and you want people to be able to distress, restore, and feel beautiful inside and out using our products.
GMO: As a Natural Health and Wellness consultant who studied at A Life of Peace, what is one of the most important lessons you have learned?
Angela: I learned that the cause and the cure to a disease are the same thing. The number one prevention from disease is lifestyle changes and it’s not only dietary, it’s holistic. That means mental, social, spiritual, and emotional health has to be in balance. For example, if someone suffers from diabetes because of high sugar and a low exercise lifestyle, then the cure would be a low sugar and high exercise lifestyle. The cause and cure is exercise. Another example would be if someone is having a pattern of relationships going awry because of their anger, that person would need to take that anger and find the root of why it’s there. Once you find it and are able to work on that, in essence you have found the cure to your relationship problems.
GMO: How has what you learned influenced your life for the better?
Angela: When I look back on the past three years, and what I’ve been through….an abusive relationship becoming a single mother and I say in these three years I’ve learned more and grown more than I would have if I didn’t face these adversities because having gone through that I was able to find myself, who I really am and from that I have been able to accomplish a lot. I was able to discover my self-esteem, my self-love, and my self-acceptance.
GMO: On your Facebook status January 22, you commented, “People always tell me I work too much. I say, I don’t work enough… I got so much to accomplish! I’m focused!” What do you want to accomplish in 2012?
Angela: Graduating in October this year with my Bachelor’s Degree. This year is my year to accomplish what I have been putting in place, growing my business, networking more, and constantly working on myself. Change is good; it’s always worked for me. My daughter is at the age now where she can see what I am doing. People told me that I couldn’t and wouldn’t do it. I want to show her and empower her that she can do it. I’m not stopping or slowing down anytime soon.
To learn more about Angela Allen, visit her website http://www.naturallymebeautifully.org or http://www.bebeautifulnaturalproducts.com
You can also follow her on Twitter: @BeBeautifulNP
