The future of beauty is personal—shaped by real stories, individual expression, and communities that celebrate every texture and style. Cyrene Tankard is a lifestyle, beauty, wellness, and fashion influencer, as well as a member of the Cantu Curly Crew. She has built a platform rooted in authenticity and inspiring others to embrace their natural beauty. From her experiences on camera to discovering confidence through her textured hair journey, Tankard understands the impact of seeing yourself represented and celebrated. We spoke with her about creativity, collaboration, the evolving beauty industry, and how she uses her voice to empower others to step into their curl confidence.
Can you start by sharing a short introduction about yourself and your current role within the Cantu Beauty team? What does your day-to-day look like in this space?
Hello, my name is Cyrene Tankard (@cyrenelovette). I am 30 years old. I just moved out to Los Angeles and I am a lifestyle, beauty, wellness, and fashion influencer. I am currently a part of the Curly crew for Cantu Beauty and I love every part of it. As part of the Curly Crew, my role is to help show what thriving, textured hair looks like in everyday life with Cantu products – whether that’s through showing my BTS from wash day to styling, or just showing how I’m able to step into my curl power and go through my everyday routine. My day-to-day just looks like taking care of my hair, taking care of my body, my skin, making sure that I’m moisturized and have everything that I need to show up as my best self.
What was your personal journey into the beauty industry, and how did it eventually connect you to working with Cantu Beauty?
My personal journey in the beauty industry–I have always kind of been interested in and involved from a very young age. My mom is definitely a beauty girl, so I was always meddling in her belongings, but I would say that my real journey probably started around 2011-2012 when my family was picked to be on a reality show called Thicker Than Water on Bravo. We had three seasons. It’s now available on Peacock, but you know, being on set and being on the show required me to consistently have my hair done and my makeup done. So I think that was where it kind of started and then I think as I grew up, got to college, went to Howard University, and was finally able to be around my other brothers and sisters, I was kind of awakened because at the same time, the natural hair movement was happening. So during this time, I started to explore. I’m from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, which is not a very diverse place, mostly white, and so being able to be around my other black and brown brothers and sisters and be edified and be told how beautiful my curls were and how I should wear them more and then, you know, trying to figure out the perfect product, the right combination. And that Cantu Curling Cream, me and that go together real, real bad. So I think just having the opportunity and being encouraged to just explore my curly hair is what eventually brought me to Cantu Beauty.
When you think about your creative voice, how would you describe it—and how has it evolved since joining the Cantu Crew?
I think my creative voice is authentic, it’s transparent, it’s real, it’s relatable, but I also try and present it in a neat and, of course, digestible way. Since joining the Cantu Curly Crew, I feel like my voice has just continued to become more and more authentic and, you know, my hair journey is something that I’ve really shown openly to my followers and I’ve been honest about how Cantu has really made a difference in my routine and how I feel about my hair and the confidence that I carry through my hair.
Cantu has a strong legacy in textured hair care. What does being part of that legacy mean to you personally and professionally?
Being a part of this legacy professionally and personally is an honor truly to me because as I mentioned, where I come from, I come from a place where I used to want to straighten my hair and only wear straight styles or, you know, not really embrace my curls. So to go on my own personal journey of learning how to appreciate my hair, learning how to do my hair and learning just to be loved for it and now to be getting asked questions and, you know, being able to help others along their journey is truly an honor both personally and also professionally.
What’s something you’ve learned while working on campaigns or initiatives behind the scenes that most people wouldn’t expect?
Something I’ve learned while working on campaigns and initiatives behind the scenes is just the importance of storytelling, the importance of really connecting with your audience, and making sure that not only am I staying true to my voice but also sharing something that I know that my followers would want to see and something that they could also use for themselves. So if I’m sharing a piece of content or showing, oh my goodness, look at the results of this look, I want to make sure that I’m walking them through the process so that they could also try it and implement that same look and ideally be able to have that same confidence that the product and the styling gave me.
How do you approach storytelling when representing textured hair and the diverse experiences within the community?
I approach storytelling definitely from an authentic space and I think, again, going back to my background, working in television where I did mostly do weaves or straight hair, and then to be in a space now where I honestly probably get more compliments on my curly hair and I honestly feel more like myself with my curly hair. So I think being in this space and having the textured hair and learning how to love it and how to treat it with care and honor is something that I really think highly of and something that I enjoy when it comes to storytelling. Because I know I’m not the only one with this story and I know that there are other little girls or even grown women out there that are still trying to come to terms with their textured hair.
What does collaboration look like for you inside the brand team and how do you make space for different perspectives during the creative process?
Collaboration for me looks like taking a bit of myself and also taking a bit of the Cantu aesthetic and trying to merge the two and make a beautiful marriage of it – still representing the brand properly but also making sure that my voice is clear in the communication and in the storytelling. And I think, you know, creating spaces for different perspectives is important as well. Of course, this being my personal page and my personal story, I get to tell my personal story but I do know that everyone’s story is different. Some people have been embracing their curls from the womb, some people maybe in their teenage years and others for the first time in their adult life. So I’m just happy to be on that timeline and to share love for curls and care, with other creatives and other followers and people that support it.
Is there a project, launch, or moment with Cantu Beauty that felt especially meaningful to you? What made it stand out?
I think the Cantu Curling Cream is really what got me addicted to Cantu and I think it’s kind of what got other people addicted to it, at least for my followers because I really was able to get the best braid out and honestly sometimes even Wash n’ go’s. And then just the moisture that it provides plus, just being able to kind of create that fluffy curly look is probably what stands out to me the most. The Curling Cream, it made my curls just look so good.
And recently I got to team up with Cantu again to help introduce their new Ultra Moisture collection. What I really love about it is that it’s designed to deliver up to five days of nonstop moisture, so there’s no second guessing, no last minute check – you can just do your routine and know that your hair is staying hydrated. And as someone who can have a pretty busy schedule, that’s something that I’ve really come to love is having a collection that allows me to do my hair and then go out the door.
How do you stay inspired creatively when trends shift so quickly in beauty and social media culture?
I stay inspired by sometimes taking a step away from social media, taking a nice walk away from my phone, and just taking time away – going into the city, people watching, observing, looking at other creatives. It’s a myriad of things that kind of inspire me and then I also try and kind of take inspiration from my own experiences and going with the flow of how do I feel and how do I want to present myself today.
What’s a personal ritual, habit, or mindset practice that keeps you grounded while balancing creativity and work?
Something that keeps me grounded is definitely moving my body, prayer, journaling, and meditation. I’m big on affirmations too so just speaking life not just into my brain, my emotions, and my mentality but also into my body and my hair. My hair is an extension of my body so you know “my hair is healthy, my hair is beautiful, my hair helps other people,” and you know some people may look at that like “how can your hair help other people?” Representation, that’s how. Representation and letting people know that, hey, this is attainable too, I think is really, really important especially for the younger generation or for those who do not have that representation.
Outside of your role, what influences your perspective on beauty, culture, or identity the most right now?
What influences my perspective on beauty, culture, and identity the most right now is probably me. I have so much going on. I’ve recently moved from Washington DC after 14 years to Los Angeles to essentially start over so everything in my life right now is new. My location, my apartment–everything is new and so I’m drawing just a lot of inspiration from this newness and just keeping an open heart and an open mind to everything around me.
If you could give one piece of advice to emerging creators or professionals entering the beauty space, what would it be?
If I could give one piece of advice to emerging creators I would say be consistent, find your flow, don’t be afraid of no, don’t be afraid of falling short or maybe a piece of content not performing the way that you want it to. Find your niche, find where people really connect with you most because I think sometimes people think that they’re more impactful when they have bigger followers or bigger numbers but no, you’re actually more impactful when you’ve been able to really create a niche group that is looking to you specifically for something, when they’re getting fulfillment from you directly, even if it is a group of a thousand people – that’s a lot of people that are commenting and engaging on every single one and letting you know how much of a difference that you’ve made in their lives.
