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

7/5/2014

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

My name is Marita D. Hills and I am originally from Steubenville, Ohio but currently live in Cleveland, Ohio.

2. What is your hair type?

My hair type is 4b/4c mixed.

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

I started transitioning in May 2011 and I finally did the big chop and was fully natural on November 30th 2011. I actually didn't plan on going natural at all, I was just at a point in my life where

I couldn't afford to get a perm and had other priorities that I needed to focus on. However,once a few months went by I was eager to get one because I never went longer than 2 months without a perm touch up since i was like 8 yrs old! I planned on getting a perm by that upcoming July 2011 but after watching videos online about natural hair (being curious), I was interested in knowing what my full texture would look like and what I would look like in the natural styles so I decided to hold off and not get a perm for that summer and just braid it up and wear a wig in the mean time.

After months of research and me having a hard time with the two different textures while transitioning; I decided that before Christmas and the New Year I was going to start afresh, new and natural by doing the big chop and I wouldn't change it for the world! I fell in love with my hair right away and my staple style was Bantu knots or twist outs!

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

I think for me it was the transition from the products and tools I was using on my permed hair to the products and tools I needed to use on my natural hair. It was so hard for me to figure out what tools and products to use on my hair for styles and for the care of my hair rather for when it needed to be washed, conditioned, detangled or just even for some hold without using products that would cause major build-up, dry it out or tools that would break it off.

5. What is your weekly regimen?

Currently I wash my hair every other week and on an as-needed basis, for example, if during the week I wore styles that used heavy products such as shea butter, gels, creams etc. back to back to perfect the style daily; then I know that I must wash my hair that upcoming weekend. Now if I didn't really use too much on my hair that week and I feel that my hair has no build up then I will maybe either just do a hot oil/deep conditioning treatment that coming weekend or i would go another week and just wash that following weekend but I will never go past two weeks without a wash.

I try to deep condition at least 2 times a month in the summer and 3 times a month in the winter. After my wash I will then continue by using the L.O.C/L.O.B method (Liquid,Oil,Cream or Butter) using leave in conditioner, coconut oil or castor oil then a creamy moisturizer such as Shea Moisture's Curl Enhancing Smoothie. Then I'll either band it or 2 strand twist overnight if I'm trying to stretch for the next style, or I'll just twist it for a twist out the next day.

6. What is your daily morning regimen?

I'm sometimes a lazy bird and I don't seem to do my morning regimen all the time but I try to make up for it at night if I do miss out. Depending on what style my hair is in that's what I will base on what my morning start will be for my hair.

If I have twists in for a twist out or banded for a stretch then I will not bother it much except to maybe oil my scalp or put shea butter on my scalp and edges. If my hair is just in braids or twists as a protective style with my own hair or extensions then I will take my spray bottle mix (water, tea tree oil and peppermint oil and sometimes I add a leave in conditioner to the bottle) and I spray my hair and scalp then apply a small amount of oil to my hair all over without taking anything down or apart to seal the moisture into my hair then I go about my day without covering it up.

7. What is your daily night time regimen?

My routine at night is very simple, I spritz my hair a little with plain water to reactivate what i may have put on it that morning then I put on my silk bonnet and I always have to make sure that I have a silk pillow case and sometimes even silk sheets too.

I never just leave my hair out for bed, not even under a bonnet so I make sure that it is either twisted, bantu knotted, banded or braided down although i have in the past and that was the biggest tangled mess ever!

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

Since I've been natural I've only used heat on my hair maybe 3 times. I have blown it out for a length check a couple of times and I have had a silk press at a salon by a natural hair stylist.

I prefer to only use heat on my hair for occasions or a couple of times a year and that is mainly in the fall before it's too cold and right after most the sweaty heat has passed. Although that will all change this coming summer of 2014 when I start my loc journey and discover new things along the way.

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

Yes I do like braided and twisted hairstyles either in my own natural hair or extensions. I hardly ever get braids or twist extensions, only about 1-2 times in a whole year when and if I do. Now when it comes to my own hair I twist, flat twist and cornrow it often as a protective style every other month. I especially do so if I don't want to be handling my hair for a while. I put it up without adding extensions so there wont be too much stress on my hair during that time.

10. Wide-tooth comb or Denman brush?

I use a combo of both myself, but if you asking which one I use more then i would have to say the Denman brush because it detangles my hair to perfection with ease!

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

I am a true believer of switching it up, I love to still be able to try new styles from time to time so I cannot say I normally wear my hair loose because I'm always back and forth from wearing wigs, braided extensions, crochet styles but most of the time I'm wearing my own natural hair in different looks such as twist outs, Bantu knots, wash-n-go's, mini twists, afros, fro-hawks and more! I do plan on getting my hair in dreadlocks very soon but even then I know I will find a way to still switch it up from time to time.

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

Yes! After i had my baby in April 2013 I suffered from postpartum shedding with my hair mainly around the edges, nothing huge or major but enough to notice. My hair also felt very thin out of nowhere and I assumed that because after having my baby he basically had taken all of the vitamins and nutrients out of my body and not to mention I was drained from labor during that whole first month post labor.

So I started taking the prenatal vitamins that I had left. I also got back to using JBCO (Jamaican Black Castor Oil) or regular castor oil within my regimen again then after about 1 month I saw results. My edges was growing back and my hair was gaining its thickness back plus the shine and moisture was insane!

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

Patience is #1 and learning to embrace trial and error because as our hair grows it changes what it likes and what it doesn't. Keep it simple with products as much as you can, use products in moderation that are as natural as possible. If you can read almost everything on the list of ingredients then its a winner and worth a try or just take the DIY route like I do most of the time especially if you're on a budget because it's way cheaper to just go to the kitchen to find exactly what you need to maintain healthy natural hair while promoting growth and that is to moisturize, condition, and detangle on a regular basis.

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

Feel free to stay connected with me and my journey on all of my social websites, i love meeting new people and learning from them as well!!