This week’s Grunty Crush is about Esosa E’s lovely locs, but let me backtrack…
I got caught up in a new web series called, An African City, a few months ago. It’s a series about five African women who spent most of their lives in the UK and the US respectively who return back to the Motherland and get readjusted to life in Accra as they navigate the dating scene and their career lives.
All of the women are super duper fly but I especially couldn’t keep my eyes off a character named, Ngozi, played by Esosa E. Like I said, Esosa has gorgeous locs, and a killer sense of style (all the women do) so I zeroed in on her and decided that I needed an interview.
After doing some research I discovered that she was born and raised in the United States but is of Nigerian heritage, she travels often, and not only is she a talented actress, model, writer and director, but she also has a blog dedicated to her raw food vegan lifestyle (Raw Girl in a Toxic World). I chatted with her about raw food, her acting career and her lovely hair and got so much information that I had to break the interview up. You can read about her raw food vegan lifestyle over at Ebony, the interview about her acting career is coming soon, but for now, scroll down to get the goods on her luscious locs and how she deals with having a unique natural hairstyle in a business where people can be extremely judgmental.
Before I chose to loc my hair, I kept meeting gorgeous men and women with locs. I thought I would wait until I was in my fifties or sixties but then one day I just said why not? In 2003, I went through the big chop where I had all of my relaxed her cut off and kept only my new growth. Shortly after I started my locs. It’s been a little over 10 years now.
No, I have an amazing hair stylist who is based in MD. I went to my salon and got it styled in two strand twists before I left for Ghana because I knew it would make it easier to style quickly. Once we were working on set we had a team of wonderful local women who helped with hair styling and would pin it up in different ways.
I learned it’s best to do hot oil treatments regularly to keep my hair from getting dry and to keep it healthy and shiny. I’m also sure my diet plays a big part in keeping my hair healthy.
Who are some of your loc crushes, aka, people you look to for style inspiration?
I don’t really have any. I tend to change my hair with my mood and what I’m feeling. I love to change things up and try something new and I’m grateful to have stylists who are able to translate what I want into reality.
How has having dreads impacted your modeling career? You’re obviously able to get jobs but have you ever dealt with people’s negative opinions of your hair as far as your career goes?
Yes I have dealt with negative opinions about my hair and dealt with reputable agents in the past not wanting to take me on because of my locs or asking me to please change my hair. Others have told me I could have more consistent work if I just cut my hair. The positive is that there are many clients out there who love my look and book me. I chose to continue doing my thing despite negative opinions because I love my hair the way it is, and I know there is a huge audience who would love to see more loc’d women and men represented in entertainment. I don’t intend to stop anytime soon.
Bonus:
Try avocado oil for an sumptuous hot oil treatment whether you have locs or not.