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

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

26/12/2016

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

Hello! I'm Cherise from a small city in Pennsylvania.

2. What is your hair type?

I believe my hair type most closely matches a 3C curls type with some 4A curls. I've noticed since big chopping my curls have tightened up a bit.

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

The very first time I went natural was in high school. I had been relaxing my hair for years and noticed a ton of breakage. This, mixed with stylists who felt I needed a perm every 4-6 weeks, didn't help and I lost a ton of length. So I transitioned. By senior year I was completely natural and had most of my length back. I decided to go into the military after high school and relaxed my hair. I was worried about being able to care of my natural hair while in training. My worries were simply that; I actually wore braids and took care of my hair no differently than when my hair was natural. Fast forward a few years and I was natural again but wanted a change. So I got a short, relaxed, cut. The maintenance on this cut proved to be too much so I again transitioned for the final time. My hair was finally healthy, long, and very curly. Of course I had to ruin it! Spring of 2015 I decided to get an ombré. I went to a professional and thought my curls would be fine. Unfortunately, the lightened ends straightened out my curls and it was a mess! I tried everything to get my curls back, to no avail. July 2, 2015 I decided to big chop and rocked a tapered cut until it grew back out. Now I'm about halfway to my original length!

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

Definitely finding the right products. First, there weren't very many natural hair products in the market. This made it hard, and costly, to try products and find what works. I also found styling difficult. In high school I rocked Afro puffs because it was the simplest thing I could do. I also dealt with being "different" since natural wasn't a big thing in 2003-2007. Most of my peers wore relaxers and weaves. I did occasionally straighten my hair and loved the results. Without the relaxer my hair had more bounce and my wrap was much thicker.

5. What is your weekly regimen?

Currently, on Sundays, I deep condition with Berry Curly Naturals Berry Mint Deep Conditioner. I leave this on for about thirty minutes to an hour with a self heating cap. Then I wash with As I Am Naturally Coconut CoWash. Lately I've been loving separated chunky curls. I use the LOC method with the Berry Curly Naturals Line. First I use the Strawberry Pineapple Leave In on a medium sized section of hair. Then I use the Wild Berry Growth Oil and the Berry Bliss Butter. I finger curl the section and move on. I'll let it air dry for the rest of the day then sleep with a bonnet at night. In the morning I add a little bit of the Wild Berry Growth Oil to separate the curls. I find this combination gives me a ton of moisture and hold.

6. What is your daily morning regimen?

I shower in the morning to allow the steam to loosen my curls/style. Then I add a little oil to fluff with my hands. If needed I'll also use a pick to fluff it out. The bigger, the better!

7. What is your daily night time regimen?

At night, I just sleep in a bonnet and on a silk pillow. For now, I don't need to retwist/braid. When my hair was much longer, if my hair was too frizzy I would wet it down and rebraid/twist it. Pretty simple!

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

Since big chopping I've straightened my hair twice in the last year. I did this because I needed a trim and mini chop to even out my grow out from the tapered cut. When the weather cools down I'll probably straighten again for another trim and length check. I typically don't straighten in the summer because if the heat.

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

In the last year I've worn crochet braids and braid outs. I've done a number of braids outs and one set of crochet braids. I wore this set for about 3 months.

10. Wide-tooth comb or Denman brush?

Tough one! I have to go with old faithful, the Denman brush. I use it for everything!

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

With my current length, it's been loose. Once I get to the right length, I'll be bunning! That's honestly what I miss most about long hair.

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

YES. This is what led to my big chop. Stay away from bleach my loves! At least for me, it's a huge no no. If I want the ombré style I'll just buy a wig or get a sew in.

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

Honestly, what's worked for me, has been consistency. When my hair was long, I protected my ends. I wore buns often to do this and kept them moisturized. In growing out my hair this time around, I've noticed the more consistent I am with my regimen, the quicker it's grown back. My curls are much healthier and tighter. I also believe this is due to me big chopping instead of transitioning.

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