EBAN Pacesetter Crystal
By day, Crystal is a career educator and educational leader.
From serving young people and their families to supporting teachers and school leaders, she is professionally fulfilled.
She is a devoted mother of 3 beautiful children (ages 22, 19, and 9) who are at very different stages in their lives and are her real bosses. She is a doctoral student and proud nerd. Crystal finds balance nurturing her mind, body and spirit through movement, especially running and dancing. Joy for her is…connecting with family and friends, exploring, big belly laughs, silly stories, random hobbies, people watching and sitting outside.
Her plate is not just full from working multiple jobs, motherhood, and graduate school…it is overflowing because she prioritizes time for everything that feeds her spirit! Training for the RBC Brooklyn Half Marathon has added to an overflowing plate but also brings her overflowing focus, discipline, and release.
Hair Hair Hair…
Crystal is a hair girl! She loves caring for her locs and is not afraid to cut, combine or color her hair which has been natural for over 15 years. She absolutely HATES sitting under the dryer and keeps her hair simple, often down or in a pony tail. Crystal enjoys her wash day ritual of sitting on her bed, watching a good movie, and retwisting. A water based leave-in conditioner and light hair oil are her usual regimen in between washes…and some edge gel!
Inside Crystal’s Wash Day & Workout Challenges
“I asked Crystal to be completely honest about her hair. Before we started this 45-day journey, I wanted to know what her mirror saw and what her schedule felt like. Here is the ‘Before’—the raw reality of a Pacesetter finding her way.” — Ebané
My Current Routine: e.g. – “Right now, my hair life is dictated by my Sunday. I spend about 4 to 5 hours on a full wash, deep condition, and styling session. Because that process is so intense, I spend the rest of the week ‘protecting’ the style. I usually wear a high puff or a bun for my runs, but by Wednesday, the salt from my sweat has turned my roots into a literal ‘crunch zone.’ I try to co-wash mid-week with whatever I have in the cabinet, but it never feels like it gets the ‘gym’ out of my hair.”
My Primary Challenge: “The Mid-Week Itch”: e.g. “My biggest hurdle isn’t the 13 miles; it’s the Wednesday itch. By day three of training, my scalp feels tight and irritated from the dried sweat. I’m constantly stuck in this loop: Do I wash it now and lose two hours of my evening, or do I just suffer through the itch and the dryness until Sunday? Usually, I just stop running as hard so I don’t sweat as much. That’s the ‘Hair Math’ I’m ready to stop doing.
Will YOU Set the Pace Next?
Every movement needs a spark, and your journey might be the very thing that gives another woman the permission she needs to start. We are looking for heart-led women who are ready to embrace a personal challenge and show the world that our hair is never a reason to stay still.
