Category: Haiti

Queen Wendy ~ Queen Of Kinks, Curls & Coils® (Neno Natural)

24/8/2016

1. What's your name and where are you from?

Hi, my name is Wendy Joseph and I live in New Jersey but was born in Haiti.

2. What is your hair type?

I have a mixture of of 4A and 4B hair with 4A being more towards the middle and front.

3. When did you go natural and what made you do it?

I went natural four and a half years ago in September of 2011. I had an adverse reaction to an at home protein treatment leaving my scalp uncontrollable dry and my edges quickly deteriorated. My dermatologist gave me a foam for the dandruff and asked that I come back to have a biopsy of my scalp done. That was when I realized that I needed to change my lifestyle and really start taking care of myself. My first step was to cut the chemicals out of my hair. So I did! I secretly cut all of my hair off! One of my best decisions to date.

4. What was the most challenging thing about going natural?

Being afraid of not being accepted by societies standards of beauty. Initially, I had a rough time with my family accepting the fact that I cut all of my hair off. Their initial negative reaction led me to believe that that’s how everyone else would view me. Causing me to hide my hair under wigs and weaves for almost my entire first year. One day, something snapped and I no longer cared. I finally wore my hair out and everyone loved it. I realized that I never gave them a chance to see my hair short or properly educated them on the reasons why I went natural. They just assumed I went Britney Spears circa 2007 when she seemingly went off the deepend and shaved her head. Funny thing is, most of family are now natural.

5. What is your weekly regimen?

My weekly regimen has pretty much been the same for the past couple of years:

Split hair into seven sections in preparation to detangle: 3 in the front, 4 in the back
Wash each section with cleansing conditioner (Shampoo every 1-2 months)
Apply deep conditioner - (leave in for an hour or so then wash out)
Rinse & detangle each section with a conditioner and wide tooth comb
Apply Cantu leave in conditioner then either a protective style or add Eco Styler Gel for a wash and go

6. What is your daily morning regimen?

When wearing a wash and go: I leave my hair out while taking a shower so that water splashes the hair and it absorbs the moisture in the air.

Protective style: I wear a bonnet and shower cap while showering and use sheen spray to brighten up my locs.

7. What is your daily night time regimen?

I do not have a specific nighttime regimen other than to sleep with a bonnet or head scarf on. For my wash and go, I either put my hair in a pineapple or four big twist before bed.

8. Do you use heat on your hair at all?

I rarely use heat. I do heatless stretching methods and air dry my hair when doing protective styles. You can read more about this on my blog or view videos on my my youtube channel. My hair seems be very sensitive to heat causing extensive shedding and heat damage.

9. Do you braid your hair? If so, how often do you do so in a year?

I do braid my hair. About once a year I’ll get braids with hair added and a couple times a year I twist or braid my natural hair. Sometimes my hair just needs a break from constant styling.

10. Wide-tooth comb or Denman brush?

Definitely a wide-tooth comb! The denman brush creates a longer detangling process for me. I am able to get through detangling my hair fairly quickly with the wide-tooth comb.

11. Is your hair normally loose or in a protective-do?

My hair is usually loose for the bulk of the year. I love being natural and enjoying the hair that I’ve worked so hard to grow and keep healthy!

12. Have you ever had a hair tragedy? What was it? How did you recover from it?

You won’t believe this..but I did it again! Another horrific at home protein treatment last year almost left me with no hair! I mixed an egg, mayo, avocado, and coconut oil together and left in my hair for about an hour or so. I was at my friends house who didn't have enough conditioner for my wild hair. So, I rinsed out my concoction and went to bed. The very next morning my hair started shedding like crazy! So much so that I broke down in tears. This went on for months and months. I believe my poor rinse job led to this disaster. I saved my hair by wearing nothing but protective styles for almost four months.

13. What's your biggest tip for maintaining healthy or long hair?

Take care of yourself not just your hair! Drink plenty of water, exercise and make better nutritional choices.
Create a regime and stick to you. Patience is key. Just because you do not see results the first couple tries, does not mean your hair is not responding.
My natural hair experiences have taught me that simplicity is the best way to go. To me this means limiting your product usages. Just because something cost $65 doesn't mean it will grow your hair. Research your hair type and see what other people’s experiences are and what products have helped them. Look into those ingredients and I am sure you will find quality products with those same ingredients for a lesser price. You do not need an interchanging box of products. At the end of the day, no matter how great a product is said to be, it's nothing without your effort and commitment to your hair.

14. Where can we find you online? (blog, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc).