Teneya Gholston, brand manager for Creme of Nature Professional

Teneya Gholston, brand manager for Creme of Nature Professional shares with Modern Salon the struggles as well as the solutions women with coarse or excessively curly hair face. Gholston, a licensed cosmetologist, gives her insight in developing products for professionals and consumers while knowing how to spot popular styles and new trends.

Modern Salon: What struggles do women face when it comes to maintaining course or excessively curly hair?
Teneya Gholston: The complexity of African-American hair starts with the varying hair textures. From curly to wavy, coarse to fine, we have many hair types and there's often more than one texture per head. The denser cuticle results in a thicker, curlier or kinkier texture. This makes it more difficult for the oil secreted from our scalps to reach the ends. Excessively curly hair can be tightly coiled like a spring and the natural oils never fully travel down the entire hair shaft. This leads to dry hair, which is more prone to breakage. The key to maintaining healthy hair is to apply a daily hydrating moisturizer and conditioner to protect against thermal damage, and the effects of daily styling.

Modern Salon: What's the best way to coax natural curl out of a client's hair?
Teneya Gholston: Use a relaxer. This process permanently changes the hair strand and requires a new-growth touch up every six to eight weeks. For a less binding solution, thermal straightening is a great alternative. This
process is temporary and can be achieved with a blow dryer or flatiron.

Modern Salon: What is it you like most about working with multicultural hair?
Teneya Gholston: Multicultural hair has so many different textures and hair types that make styling possibilities endless. I like to experiment by creating straight looks as well as naturally curly looks all while educating consumers about the importance of maintaining healthy hair.