Dalal travels, writes and takes pictures in total freedom! Her hair is also free: curly, voluminous, it is her signature...
So Dalal, tell us, who are you?
I am a young woman of 31 years old. I left the office life after 8 years of career to travel, write, photograph and... live! I currently work as a freelance content creator. Whether it be for my blog Just Dalal or for brands. With my husband and partner, we also launched Shoot Your Stay where we offer video and editorial photography.
How did you get here? What has been "your journey"?
If by "there" we are talking about this career turnaround, it's mostly because of blogging and the internet in general that it happened. I love blogs so much that I ended up creating one where I can tell my life stories. Reading blogs still inspires me a lot and has made me discover a world where everything is possible and where our dreams can come true. We live in an incredible era thanks to the internet as a resource and as a job market.
How do you feel when you travel alone?
The times I have traveled alone, I will never forget! Those are the times when you push yourself and come back feeling more confident and independent. The only part of traveling alone that I don't like is... finding my way. I am terrible at orientation and fortunately I have a life partner who compensates. But I have learned to accept this little flaw. Getting lost from time to time can lead to some nice surprises. So it's not so bad in the end. Now it's a little less complicated with all the applications available.
Does being a woman play a role in your travels?
Yes it does! When I travel alone I take twice as much care. I choose my accommodation and its location carefully. Especially after a small incident in Turkey where someone from the staff of the hotel where I was staying came knocking on my room in the middle of the night! The good thing is that people help women more easily. Also, when you are alone you are much more accessible and open to meetings.
And tell us a little about your hair? What is it like? Do you have a special relationship with it?
I have voluminous, curly hair. Like most women, I have a love/hate relationship with my hair. Like most curly women, I have sometimes wished I had straight, manageable hair.... Just like most straight-haired women dream of a curly head of hair :-) But I've come to believe that like us, our hair has its good and bad days. I love my curly mane, which I added bangs to this year. It's kind of my signature look as a blogger.
I've had a lot of mishaps in the past trying to straighten them. Especially when I first started working. In corporate circles, curly hair isn't very well seen. Even more so in Morocco, surprisingly. My hair is often more appreciated in Europe than in Morocco where the cult of straightness is rampant.
Do you always keep it natural or do you play with it
Since I left the office, always natural!
We have our 3 favorite questions...
Do you have a #hairtop?
After cutting my bangs a few months ago.
A #hairflop?
My last straightening in 2009 that damaged my hair so much I had to cut it off!
A #hairtips?
A little advice from grandma... Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! Oil baths, masks, and I style my hair with a glycerin body cream. And most importantly, let your hair air dry.
