Hairstyle File: HGTV's Tanika Ray

TV personality Tanika Ray’s star is shining brighter than ever. This summer, the former Extra! star joined HGTV as host of their interior design competition show, “Design Star” — and as addictive as it is, we couldn’t help but be a tad distracted by her lush natural curls!

Here, we chatted with the gorgeous Spelman alum about design, HGTV and her natural hair journey.

ESSENCE.COM: Why were you the perfect host for Design Star?

TANIKA RAY: I’m a total design freak! It started in college — I couldn’t just move in my clothes and have bare walls. I had to freak my space! Your space is your sanctuary. It should reflect who you are 100 percent.

ESSENCE.COM: Your new show, “HGTV’d,” debuts in September! What’s it about?

TR: On this show, randomly picked fans get to have their homes redecorated by one of HGTV’s design stars! It’s been such a blast feeding off the their years of experience. It validates my own amateur design skills!

ESSENCE.COM: And now, on to what’s important… your hair! We’re huge fans! How long have you been natural?

TR: For about ten years! I got fed up with my hair and chopped it all off. When it grew out, I was like “Look at those curls… cool!” And I never looked back!

Check out Tanika’s hair gallery for more of her natural hair tips, tricks and product suggestions!