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

13/2/2015

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

My name is LaToya (1BlessedNatural), and I am from Newark, New Jersey.

2. What is your hair type?

My hair type is a mixture of 4A, 4B, and 4C.

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

I began transitioning in November of 2010. I big chopped on March 3, 2011. I went natural because my hair was severely damaged from a perm, and I was tired of the scabs and hiding my roots.

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

The most challenging thing about going natural was finding a regimen that worked for my hair. It took me a while to find the right products and techniques for me.

5. What is your weekly regimen?

Every week, I thoroughly finger detangle my hair and then do an Apple Cider/ tea tree oil rinse. Afterwards, I wash my hair with a prescribed seborrheic dermatitis shampoo and deep condition it. My hair is detangled with a wide-tooth comb right before I wash out the conditioner. Then, I band my hair to stretch it.

6. What is your daily morning regimen?

My daily morning regimen almost always includes moisturizing and sealing. If I am wearing a puff and flat twists, I will untwist my puff section, moisturize, and seal it. Then, I will grab a stretchy band to create a puff. If I am doing a twist-out, I will apply coconut oil to my fingers and unravel my twists. I apply a moisturizer to the perimeter of my hair, and then put on a headband.

7. What is your daily night time regimen?

My night time regimen usually consists of me moisturizing and sealing my hair. Sometimes, I will use water as my moisturizer and an oil (usually coconut oil) as my sealant.

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

I use a heating cap when I am deep conditioning my hair.

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

I braid my hair 1-2 times a year.

10. Wide-tooth comb or Denman brush?

Wide-tooth comb

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

My hair is normally loose.

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

I’ve had 3 hair tragedies that included protein overload, moisture overload, and heat damage.

Two years ago, my hair became heat damaged from attempting to flat iron it. I recovered by deep conditioning and cutting off the damaged ends.

Last year, I did too many protein treatments in a short amount of time. This caused protein overload. I recovered by trimming my split ends and avoiding all hair products with protein. However, I went too long without using any protein treatments, and I began to experience moisture overload. My hair was very mushy and soft. It was also fragile. I did an Aloe Vera rinse and began using my hair products with protein until my hair was back to normal.

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

My biggest tip for maintaining healthy or long hair is to keep it moisturized.

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