Teen Mom 2's Chelsea H on bad boys, good hair & the future

Since becoming a high-school parent in 2009, Teen Mom 2's Chelsea Houska has earned a spot in fans' hearts as the girl everyone can relate to: She's sweet, crazy about her kid, loves her some big hair and has a thing for bad boys. We touch base with the South Dakota native for a good ol' gabfest about exes, getting girly and — of course! — her daughter Aubree.

SheKnows: When we first met you on Sixteen and Pregnant, you were dealing with an unexpected pregnancy that — in the beginning — your boyfriend Adam didn’t even support. Does that seem like a million years ago now?

Chelsea Houska: Yeah, that seems like it was so long ago! I feel like I'm so much older and I've matured so much since then.

SK: I think it’s safe to say Adam won’t be winning any “best boyfriend ever” awards for his behavior over the course of your time on Sixteen and Pregnant and Teen Mom 2 — you guys had some pretty epic fights. Are you ever going to let Aubree watch the footage?

CH: I’ve thought about this a lot, and I would rather [she] not, but I don’t think there’s anything that's going to be able to prevent her from seeing it… so I want her to be old enough to understand that we were really young and immature.

SK: No judgment here, because we have all had that guy that gets under our skin, but what was it about Adam that kept you going back to him time after time?

CH: Well, it doesn’t show up a lot on the show, but he — when we first met — was really funny and fun, and at that time, I was going out all the time before I had Aubree. We had a lot of fun together, but then once I got pregnant, I grew up and he kind of stayed the same, so that’s when things started to go bad. But then I just wanted our family to be together and so it was… I don’t know, it was just hard. But when we first met, he was funny and fun and he wasn’t such a jerk!

SK: Oh yeah, we all know how “those guys” are...

CH: They hook you by being funny and nice in the beginning, and then once you get stuck on them, that’s when they go bad.

SK: Naturally! Well, doing a 180 on the subject, we adore your pops! Were you surprised that Randy, or “Randylicious” as you call him, became such a hit with viewers?

CH: No, I was not surprised, because all of my friends have always been in love with my dad! I was not surprised at all.

SK: We’ve watched you struggle on the show with trying to study for your GED while Aubree did her best to distract you. You're now at Black Hill Beauty College studying makeup application and hair design. How do you balance school and being a mom?

CH: Well, it’s hard. I don’t really have much of a life right now — it’s pretty much school and taking care of Aubree, so that’s all I do now.

The cast of Teen Mom 2, including Chelsea Houska

Teen Mom 2's Adam and Chelsea

Teen Mom 2's Chelsa Houska and daughter Aubree

SK: Let’s shift gears with some totally girly questions: You are constantly changing up your hair, and it always looks cute. How do you keep it healthy?

CH: Product! I use a lot of product. I am always putting a lot of stuff in it, because when I went blonde, I damaged it really bad. So I use a lot of products on this head of hair!

SK: I’m the least adventurous person with my hair, but I often feel like I’m in a style rut when it comes to my hair. What are some easy ways that I can update my look?

CH: When I don’t have a lot of time, I throw a braid in or pin it back some way cute. That’s kind of my go-to style when I’m running late — an easy way to make it look cute.

SK: Does Aubree let you try out different styles on her hair?

CH: It depends on the day. Sometimes she’ll let me French-braid it, but that’s rare. Sometimes she doesn’t let me do anything. Brushing it is the worst! But she wants it really long so when — hold, on, she’s yelling… hold on, Aubree! — when I’m brushing it and she’s complaining, I’m always like, “Do you want me to cut it off?” And she stops fussing, because she wants to keep her hair long.

SK: My little girl is 21 months old and would rather go to the dentist than let me put her hair in pigtails. Any tips to make toddler hairstyling easier for moms like me?

CH: I guess it depends on the day and her mood. Sometimes I’ll give her my phone — something that she doesn’t have a lot, so then she can focus on that. I think that it doesn’t really hurt them, they just act like it does.

SK: Being that you're a beauty junkie, I bet you know all the best products! What’s always in your makeup bag?

CH: I use a lot of MAC makeup products — they have the best mascara.

SK: When did you know you wanted to pursue a career in the makeup and hair industry?

CH: I was pretty young. My mom went to cosmetology school when she was younger, so growing up in our house, you basically had a room that had the washing bowl and the spinning chair and stuff — I used to do my friends’ hair and stuff. That was when I was in middle school, so that was kind of when I decided it was what I wanted to do.

SK: I don’t think people realize how rigorous a program like the one you're in at Black Hill Beauty College can be. My sister is currently enrolled in the Paul Mitchell program, and I was really surprised how demanding it is. With everything else you’ve got on your plate, do you ever just get burned out?

CH: Yeah, definitely! And it’s funny because a lot of people don’t understand how hard it is, they just think, “It’s cosmetology school, how hard can that be?” But, I mean, you’re dealing with people every day and changing the way they look, so it’s a lot of pressure. And you have to be there all the time, and we have homework. People just don’t get how much it is!

SK: What big plans do you have for the future?

CH: I want to finish school and then I want to open my own salon. A lot of my friends are cosmetologists too, so kind of what I have for my plan for the future is opening up my own salon with them here.

MTV's drama-free mama