Were you a slow transitioner or a Big Chopper & why?
I’d say I was an in-betweener. My hair was breaking off from the relaxers and wasn’t growing past my shoulders. I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try out a new ‘do AND get my hair back to a healthy state. I decided to cut my hair into a short bob (a la Rihanna) and slowly let it grow out naturally while continuing to cut off the relaxed ends.
Had you always embraced your texture?
I never really thought about my texture growing up until I got to high school. My mother and grandmother both had naturally silky, fine hair so they kept my hair in braids or ponytails throughout elementary school. It wasn’t until I got to high school that I realized that the other girls were getting perms and I wanted to try one too. I liked how easy it looked to maintain and the silky, straight look it created. My mom was really against me getting a perm and I should have listened. Mama ain’t always right, but she was then!
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How did family and friends react to your decision to go natural? How did they react to the new you? What was your response to them?
My friends have always been really supportive. They loved my hair from the beginning. I got mixed reactions from different family members, but my mom and dad have always supported anything positive in my life so they warmed up to the curls quickly. My dad more quickly than my mom. If you asked her she’d probably prefer my hair straight but she doesn’t mind the big curls. She is happy I don’t use perm anymore, lol. I was blessed with a good support system.
Describe your hair (fine or coarse, thin or thick, highly porous, low, etc.)
My hair is thick with low porosity. If you’re a hair typer – I’d say I am mostly a Type 3B/3C. It gets dry really easily, but once moisturize penetrates my hair and scalp, it holds pretty well.
What’s your current hair routine? How often do you wash, condition, and style? favorite products! Deets!
I am a wash and go girl! I like little manipulation and time consumption. I shampoo every other Sunday (twice a month) to remove product build-up. I co-wash and detangle every 2-3 days with Herbal Essence’s Hello Hydration Conditioner and a big-toothed comb. Because my hair is so dry, I need heavy moisturizers to tame my frizz. I end up using deep conditioners as moisturizers. I’ll either use Camille Rose Algae Deep Conditioning Mask or Shea Moisture’s Deep Treatment Masque. I seal with organic shea butter or castor oil and follow up with Kinky Curly’s Curling Custard. I let my hair air-dry because I hate heat. In the winter I will take my showers at night so that I don’t have to use heat or run a diffuser just at the roots to help it dry faster.
How do you maintain your hair at night?
I “pineapple” my curls and sleep on a silk pillowcase.
How do you maintain healthy length?
I get my ends trimmed about every 5-6 months and make sure I concentrate on taking special care to seal my ends. I seem to get a lot of fairy knots when my hair is too dry, and I have a bad habit of throwing my hair up in ponytail holders that knot up my hair. I also don’t manipulate my hair much. I just let it do what it wants to do and leave it alone.
What’s the best thing about being curly?
EVERYTHING! I love that I can make my curls very sleek or very wild depending on my mood. I love that I can straighten my hair and then when I get bored throw some water on it and make it curly again. Curls can be very versatile.
Where can folks find you on the web?
You can find me on instagram: @Marennanicole.
And I just started a natural hair blog because I was oversaturating my personal blog with natural hair stuff, ha!: thelazynatural.tumblr.com/
