Feature Friday-Men's Edition With Franklin Terry
Ahhh today I am soooo excited! I've been looking forward to today all week! My first Feature Friday- Men's Edition. I've been wanting to do this for awhile but kept putting it off because it's so hard to find guys with natural hair with the look and personality I actually like. But then this week a friend of mine told me that I should feature men on here because he doesn't really know what to do with his natural hair and "doesn't want to use a blender to mix up mayonnaise and avocado and all that just to do his hair," haha! I realized that the fellas are pretty neglected in the natural hair world so I decided to really look into this. So I looked up the hashtag #naturalhairmen on IG and after searching, searching, searching I finally came across today's feature, Franklin Terry. I basically stalked him and he responded instantly saying he'll gladly share his tips and advice. So that's how we have today's awesome feature with him to help the brothers out! I really think both men and women will enjoy reading this. He has some advice for you ladies too! ;). Enjoy!1. Tell us about yourself!Name: Franklin TerryLocation: Originally from Winston Salem, NC. Now I split time between NC and ATL.Occupation: Actor/ModelHobbies: Videography, Television Production, Editing, Flag Football, Working Out, Traveling, Gambling , Events
2. So it’s not as common to see men with natural hair. Most just cut it off and have a low cut or fade or whatever. What made you decide to grow yours out and how long has it been grown out?I really didn’t decide to grow it out. It was kind of accidental. I would put some type of styling product on it that would make it curl all the way up & shrink. After awhile I picked it out and it was a fro. I had no clue what to do with it so I would wear it in a pony tail everyday for at least 3-5 years. In 2010 I worked on BET’s ‘The Game” and met The famous Kim Kimble. She would tell me, "please take that hair out of that pony tail." I told her if she told me how to do it I would wear it out. Sometimes on my down time I would go to hair & makeup and let her do whatever she felt like doing to my hair. She taught me how to wear it and gave me products to use and showed me how to make it look the way it does now. I haven’t worn it in a ponytail one time since then. She changed my life with showing me how to manage my hair. Before her I was lost and had no clue what to do with it.3. How would you describe your hair?I would describe my hair as a tangled group of thick curls that ladies love .
4. Who cuts your hair? Do you go to a barber or a salon that specializes in natural hair?My cousin trims it in her kitchen whenever it starts to get crazy. I haven’t been to a barbershop in over 7 years. I cut my own facial hair. Best thing I ever taught myself lol. NO salons unless I'm being used for a hair show or a shoot where the client wants to do something to my hair.5. Do you have a hair regimen? If I have something to do then I will wet/wash comb through it the night before so it will be fresh looking in the morning. I try to comb through it every 3-4 days or it turns into knots. Conditioner & wetting is a must to comb through it. I usually wash it once a week or after I play in my flag football games on the weekends. If I let it go past 4 days products become useless and the only thing that can save it is H20.
6. What products do you use?1st Kim Kimble's "Bounce Back” while my hair is wet. 2nd I use Shea Moisture's Smoothie and sometimes coconut oil. Then Shea Moisture's Curl Milk on a daily basis.7. How do you style your hair?While my hair is wet I use Kim Kimble's Bounce Back, then the curl smoothie and let it air dry over night covered of course. Then in the morning I use curl milk--pulling, shaking and lifting my hair up to give it more length.
8. What challenges have you had with your hair?The biggest challenge would be finding a product that keeps it from looking dry & frizzy. I'm a dude so I would always ask females and have them bring me products that they thought would work and let them try to solve the problem. Lol nothing ever worked.
9. Would you ever cut your hair off? Why or why not?I can’t cut it at the moment because all of my photos and portfolio have me with hair. Plus it is what sets me apart in the Acting/Modeling industry. I'm convinced that I book 100% of my jobs because of my hair. I'm def not mad at that. Big curly hair on a man is hard to match so it will be around for a while. Plus the ladies go completely crazy over it & taking that away would make no sense. I think they like my hair more than they like me lol.
10. What is your view on women and natural hair?I'm a fan of beautiful women in general. Honestly, I just recently started noticing the natural craze on Instagram about a year ago. I'm a huge fan of the women with big curly hair. I like the confidence & passion that natural women have in their hair. But I don’t discriminate-- if it looks good then I rock with it. Just wear it with confidence.
11. Is there a website/IG/Youtube we can find you?Instagram- Frankofamerica2Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/frankofamerica2Twitter- Frankofamerica2 Youtube- http://www.youtube.com/user/frankofamerica2
12. Is there any other advice you’d like to leave for the fellas? Or hey, for the women even! Ask Ask Ask questions and find what works for you. People's hair growth and products are never the same. Each persons head is different. Don’t give up when you can't find the right products. I have closets full of stuff that didn’t work. Last but not least, fellas chicks dig the hair even on its worst day they still love it. That alone is all the advice you need lol.Sidenote--I take a lot of crap from people on a daily basis about my hair. People who don’t understand it look down on it. Mostly guys when I'm playing sports. They say it look gay & frown upon me having my hair the way it is. It was an adjustment at first until I started getting paid for having the hair I have. After I gained my confidence in wearing it it's easy to laugh at the crazy comments I get on my hair. But it was tough at first because I'm not the type to let people just say what they want about me especially my appearance.
Ahh what did you guys think!? Wasn't that awesome!? I loved it ! I truly enjoyed reading it. He's so dope. I really hope both you ladies and gents enjoyed this feature and got some great advice and tips from it. XX,