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

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

My name is Shanell and I am from New York.

2. What is your hair type?

I actually have 3 different hair types. 3c, 4a & 4b.

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

I decided to go natural after a bad experience in a salon which left me dissatisfied with my relaxed hair. I made the decision to transition on April 13, 2011 and big chopped August 1st, 2011. The pursuit of healthy hair care made me take the plunge.

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

The most challenging thing about going natural was wanting to accomplish a hair goal after just chopping off all my hair. I was always used to having a decent length of hair and wanting  to achieve the same length after the cut was difficult. The main thing that saved me was experimenting with my hair and utilizing a lot of different styles and products. It totally took my mind off the waiting and I actually grew to love my short natural hair.

5. What is your weekly regimen? 

Sundays are my wash days. They consists of washing, conditioning, deep conditioning and styling. The rest of the week (Monday to Friday) consists of just moisturizing and refreshing my style of choice throughout the week. Weekends are rest days for my hair and that's when I break out my wigs. We all need a break sometimes and our hair is no different.

6. What is your daily morning regimen? 

My morning regimen is actually pretty simple: I always style my hair based on how my makeup looks and it helps to envision how I want to wear it. It usually consists of me taking down my twists and fluffing with my pick to achieve maximum volume. The bigger the hair, the harder they stare!

7. What is your daily night time regimen? 

I just refresh the style that I had initially done Sunday. So for example, If I did a twist-out on Sunday I would do twists again on Monday, but in larger sections to stretch my hair over time all the while keeping my hair moisturized. My Mango Shea Butter Moisturizing Growth Aid is my go-to product  each night! 

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

I can literally count on one hand the number of times that I've used heat on my hair in the last three years of being natural and it really isn't that many. There has to be something major going on for me to want to use heat. I always end up missing my curls not too long after.

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

I've never installed braids or twists, but I would really like to try some. I would love to give my hair a break, especially for the summer. I think I may just go with Senegalese twists.

10. Wide-tooth comb or Denman brush?

Both! The Wide-tooth comb is optimal for detangling and the Denman brush is awesome for curl definition. They both have been a great help throughout my hair journey.

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

Loose of course! I love to have my hair out and often find myself playing with my curls. Not having restrictions on how I wear my hair makes me appreciate being natural even more.

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

I've actually had 2! 

The first was heat damage when I blew out my hair for a length check. This is why I don't use a lot of heat. 

The second experience was breakage and until this day I still can't tell you what caused it.  The experience wasn't major for me because, hey it's just hair. It will grow back eventually. 

I recovered from the heat damage by cutting all the damaged parts off and "babying" my hair by doing a lot of deep conditioning and protein treatments.  I'm still in the process of recovering from the breakage and it's been going pretty well ever since I started using my Mango Shea Butter Moisturizing Growth Aid. It has 12 different oils and they all contribute to hair growth. Gotta love that stuff!

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

Find a regimen that works for you and keep it simple. Sometimes it's best to go back to the basics and use products that work for you. It can be difficult with all the new products that are thrown at us each month, but sometimes it's best to go with what you know. 

Keeping your regimen simple will also help to make sure you can maintain the health of your hair. Doing too much can have an adverse reaction on your hair and deter you from wanting to go through with it.

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

• Facebook: facebook.com/NaturallyNell
• Twitter: @NaturallyNellzy
• Instagram: @naturally_nellzy
• YouTube: youtube.com/naturallynellzy
• Tumblr: naturallynellzy.tumblr.com
• Pinterest: pinterest.com/naturallynellzy

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