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

17/4/2014

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

I’m Lola and I’m from Lagos, Nigeria. I currently live in the United Kingdom (London).

2. What is your hair type?

My hair types are 4a/4b. I’m 4a (coily) around my edges and nape area, with 4b (kinky) at the crown and majority of my hair. I get A LOT of shrinkage (from waist up above my collar bone).

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

I started transitioning to natural in January 2010 with my last relaxer in November 2009.
I decided to go natural after finding CurlyNikki.com and discovering lots of amazing naturals on YouTube. I was texlaxing my hair for the year beforehand and I liked my thicker hair! Natural was the next step for me at that point.

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

I decided I would transition for at least 2 years because I was too attached to my Mid-back length hair. I had waited too long for that length to cut it all off! My family weren’t too thrilled with the decision but they did come around eventually – it only took 2 years, lol! Caring for the demarcation line between my relaxed hair and natural growth was hardest when detangling, aka wash days.

5. What is your weekly regimen?

I co-wash my hair once a week with Tresemme Naturals Vibrantly Smooth Conditioner or one of my homemade mixes and finish with an apple cider vinegar rinse. I leave some conditioner in my hair before the final rinse to keep it soft! I oil and finger-detangle my damp hair and install a protective style like two-strand twists or flat twists. I deep condition or do a Rhassoul Clay mud wash treatment every 2-4 weeks.

6. What is your daily morning regimen?

In the morning, I remove my satin scarf and bonnet and moisturize with a water and Aloe vera juice spray and seal with a light oil!

7. What is your daily night time regimen?

I moisturize with my moisture spray mix and lightly oil before covering with a satin scarf and bonnet. Simple!

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

I don’t use any heat on my hair. I air-dry my Curlformer sets overnight (takes around 5 hours to dry). Bantu knot-outs take forever and a day to dry (I may start using a hooded dryer).

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

I use two-strand twists as a protective style for most of the year. I rarely braid my hair. If I have loose twists, I keep them for 1 month maximum. With flat-twists and two-strand twists, I re-do them every 2 weeks and remove after 1 month total.

10 Wide-tooth comb or Denman brush?

Neither, lol! I have found the Denman pulls too much on my hair and I’m too much a fan of finger-detangling to go back to the wide-tooth comb. I recently bought a new hair brush from Bellebene at a hair event in Paris. It has no back so the combs are more flexible. They also appear to be seamless. I will reserve it for once a month thorough detangling before a curly set.

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

My hair is usually in a protective style. However, I am experimenting more with curly sets to free it! Lol! I want to enjoy my length and thickness whilst being able to throw it in a bun when needed.

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

I can’t think of a hair tragedy. I guess before my hair journey it seemed like every salon visit was a tragedy (the dreaded trim that’s really a cut) but I can’t think of any during my journey so far.

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

My biggest tip is to learn to style your hair yourself. Get one go-to style you can do with your eyes closed. That way, you will never feel like a victim of bad hair days! This allows me to keep going with my regimen and still look cute! If you don’t feel confident about your hair, you will give up just before you’ve achieved the results you want. Be patient whilst perfecting this style though - my flat twists took almost 2 years look great.

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