Meet Trailblazer Abriana Gutierrez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Abriana Gutierrez.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Naturally Me Events 1st event debut in August 2018. I wanted to create an environment where naturals can empower one another and embrace their curly hair. My passion as a natural hair enthusiast started when I was transitioning from frequently straighten hair to being three years of heat free and wanting to bring more awareness on how to maintain healthy hair. My hair journey not only made me change how I maintained my hair but taught me that self-love was from within. I knew I wanted to spread this love for hair to others after realizing that my journey was deeper than just my hair. We are now approaching our 1 year brand anniversary and have had a few meet ups and events throughout the year and are planning more to come.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
As far as curating events, the first step to start is to just do it. Whether it’s host an event, producing, whatever it is, just go for it. My events are always a progression from the previous one because any mistakes I made are corrected moving forward and learn from it. As for my hair, my transitioning period was a very challenging time because I really did not know what my hair was doing. Somedays, it would be a great wash ‘n go day and others, I just wore a bun for three days straight because my hair was not in 100% healthy due to previous heat damage. I never gave up during that time and I’m happy I stuck with it. I can definitely see the benefits of limiting the use of heat on my hair and maintaining healthy hair regimens. I continue to deep condition weekly and get trims every 6-8 months.

Please tell us more about what you do, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I host events and meet-ups focusing on natural hair appreciation. I want to enhance our community with more events for naturals to be a part of. A guest that attend my events and meetups are gifted with free products to try for themselves, hair and product education, and curl friends to connect with even after our events. My goal is to one day bring a version of CURLFEST (popular on the East coast) to California. I am proud of the naturals who are transitioning and are committed to regaining the healthiness of their hair. I see everyone who tags the Naturally Me IG page and I’m overjoyed when I see my curl friends and the progress in their hair journey.

We’re interested to hear your thoughts on female leadership – in particular, what do you feel are the biggest barriers or obstacles?
Society paints a picture of what is acceptable and straight hair is usually the go-to image. There are not many models in society embracing their afro or curls. Naturally Me prides on being a group that encourages naturals to embrace who they are and their hair in its natural state. I enjoy creating content with various textures of hair because it is not seen enough. I hope one day the stigma behind having natural hair is removed. This barrier holds back females because we are made to feel like we aren’t enough the way our hair is. Naturally Me is here to help change that.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naturallymeevents
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/mykurlyjourney

Image Credit:
Capture Carrillo, Amesha Monique, Le Tresse Grissom

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