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

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

27/11/2015

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

My name is Alia and I'm from Chicago, living in Indianapolis for a couple months now.

2. What is your hair type?

I have dense, coarse, 4b/c hair.

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

I got my last relaxer in December 2013 and big chopped 5 months later. I went natural because I was bored with my hair and unsatisfied with the length. Its just seemed like it wasnt growing and never made it past neck/shoulder length. It was also constantly shedding. I wanted longer, healthier hair that was versatile.

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

The most challenging thing about going natural was learning how to retain moisture, and dealing with the thickness! At times it seems as if I have enough hair on my head for 3 people.

5. What is your weekly regimen?

I cowash my hair once a week. Before washing, I put my hair into chunky twists and tie the ends off with little elastics so that they won't unravel. After washing, I take down each twist, apply my deep conditioner, detangle, and split it into 2 twists. I do this all over my head then cover with a plastic cap. Sometimes I sit under the dryer, sometimes I don't. After rinsing out all the deep conditioner while my hair is still twisted, I put my hair up in a t shirt to air dry for about 2 hours. After that I do the LCO method on each twist, then split it into 2 more twists. I air dry for a day or 2 before unraveling for a twist out.

6. What is your daily morning regimen?

In the morning, all I do is separate my twists, fluff, shake and go.

7. What is your daily night time regimen?

I retwist my hair nightly, into about 13 or so chunky twists. I don't add any extra water or products unless my hair is noticeably dry.

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

I do not use direct heat (flat irons, blow dryers) at all but I do sit under the hooded dryer for deep conditioning treatments and to speed up the drying process occasionally.

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

I usually braid my hair about once a year. Its never planned, I just do it whenever I get the itch.

10. Wide-tooth comb or Denman brush?

Both! But I have been using my wide tooth comb a lot less lately now that I use a different method to wash my hair.

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

My hair is loose 90% of the time. I love big hair!

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

Thankfully, I have never had a hair tragedy while being natural. While being relaxed I had many unexpected cuts and bad relaxers :(

I learned that not everyone knows how to apply a relaxer. It IS a chemical! A dangerous one when not used properly. I got strict with who I let touch my hair, deep conditioned more often and tried to use heat less. My hair started to flourish again.

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

Moisture, moisture, moisture!! And it starts from within. You should always make sure to drink plenty of water, and deep condition regularly. Rinse out conditioners, leave in conditioners, and moisturizers don't penetrate the strand the way deep conditioners do and that's where the moisture is needed. Kinkier textures, make sure to seal that moisture in with an oil/butter of your choice.

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