Natural Queen of the Week: Zannëta

About Me: Hey ladies! My name is Zannëta and I'm an RN, Freelance Writer, and the blog editor of A Girls' Guide to Naturelle-Chic. I've been natural for four years now, and have never looked back since my big chop.

Regimen: Honestly, I don't have a strict regimen. I wash/condition my hair once a week (I haven't found a shampoo and conditioner to adore yet). I moisturize with Giovanni Direct Leave-In Conditioner, shea butter, and StaSofFro Scalp and Hair Spray. What I do after I wash my hair varies greatly on the style I plan to wear that week, so it could be anything from twists on wet hair to a blowout and bantu knots. Either way, at nights I always cover my hair with a satin bonnet. 

Texture & Technique: I have 3c, 4a, and 4b hair. The middle of my hair is 3c and 4a, and this hair benefits from just a little leave-in conditioner, and basically obeys any texture I train it to do. The edges of my hair are 4b hair, and I struggle a little more with these areas, not because they are difficult to manage, but because its difficult to get it to mimic the look of the rest of my hair. It helps if i stretch that area by blow drying it before I style. Twistouts, bantu knots, or shingling are my three prefferred methods of achieving different textures.

Going-Natural Reactions: When I was going natural, I was determined to have a big ole fluffy brown fro. My mom tried to discourage me, telling me that upkeep would be difficult, and friends warned me that my hair might not be "good" enough to wear it that way. Being the stubborn girl I am, I went and did it anyway. I HATED my BC because I went to the wrong person to do it. I spent $80 to have the perm removed and my hair dyed brown, and when I left, my hair was still black and there were sprigs of perm sticking up all over my head. Disaster. In retrospect, I would've went to a barber and got a Chrisette Michelle-like edge. People said the cut suited my face, but I think it grew on them much more after I got a few inches and corrected the problems.

Natural Hair Queen: I wear my hair as if it truly is a crown. I'm proud of it, and I have to say that it does define me a little bit! I never quite feel like myself with a weave or a blowout as I do with my curls, coils, and kinks.