MEET LaNoya
How long have you been natural? And if you haven't been natural your whole life, what prompted you to make the change?
I have grown my hair naturally without chemical for about 5 years now. My hair had endured nearly every style ever lol. As an artist, I've always been fond of different creative ways to wear my hair, most of which would make maintenance easier (love doing other peoples hair, my own, not so much lol); this applies to perms, press, braids, weave, etc...all method of style for minimal maintenance, which is something for those unnatural to consider as a determining factor in why we do what we do to our hair. For me, this was and is my main reason for going natural via locs...I wanted to maintain a hairstyle that did not require excessive daily attention, yet would take form naturally and is most of all FREE (figuratively and financially, since I do my own hair 🙂 )! Ultimately I wanted to free myself of all hair conformities and serve the utmost goal of being naturally me through hair style and maintenance! I did the fro thing and loved it, but truth be told, my hair is super thick and can be more than a handful...locs are just perfect for me, and was the only hair experience I hadn't tried...saved the best for last I suppose 🙂 if I ever cut them I'd prob fro, but if that became a headache all over again, I'd loc again.
Do you feel that anything changed in your life (i.e. Boost in confidence) when you became all natural?
There is definitely a boost in confidence in knowing that your hair is noticeably beautiful and is all natural, the way God gave it to you, to naturally grow and be in all its unique curls and coils, I just love it! Again, its just so freeing, which alone makes it an entirely new life and spiritual experience via your hair.
Can you describe to us the loc'ing process?
The overall locing process is pretty amazing to me! To watch my hair transform NATURALLY was truly an exhibition of power and strength. No two strand twist or fake pieces or combs (other than for parting if necessary), just simply twirling hair with fingers in circular motion until it coils completely...thus the beginning and maintenance of locs! Its really that simple folks, no excuses lol :-p
What's your current haircare regimen: (how often you wash, what products you use, retwisting locs,etc.)
I've dabbled in a few random products and would love to experiment more with natural products, but currently, I wash and retwist my hair probably once a month with "Creme of Nature" shampoo and condition it with "Jamaican Mango and Lime" products, which both have worked pretty well for my hair. The good thing about locs is that you can wash them as often as you like, but I wouldn't recommend more than twice a month so that u won't risk unlocing and slowing down that process. And u always want to make sure ur hair is fully dried after washing and/or retwisting to avoid mildew and smelly locs (eeww lol). I usual use "Dark & Lovely Naturally" citris sheen, which is something I randomly started using since my grandma had given it to me and I just stuck with it. It smells great and definitely conditions my hair without making it too oily. I actually started my locs with the same company's t-tree loc and twist butter which has a very light consistency that I like. I've tried different gels and waxes, but I've been pretty consistent with "Jamaican Mango and Lime" locing creme wax.
What do you love most about having natural hair and locs specifically?
I love the fact that I can wake up and go without worrying about my hair...and even when its due for maintenance, it can still be tamed and styled effortlessly for the most part. I do like to keep my locs neat so I don't go for to long without retwisting, but I do dabble in the rasta feel sometimes or tie all kinds of scarves around if when I don't feel like retwisting it. Most of all, my hair has grown longer and healthier than its ever been and seemingly faster, all while being its utmost natural! Its just a beautiful thing to embrace ur hair in its natural form freely and without restraint or strain. Once u just let it be, the results are amazing!
Any advice you would like to share with those who may be considering getting locs?
All of my friends will tell you that I am such an advocate for locs. Its the most freeing hair experience, especially for you and having to do something to it everyday. And for those who are thinking about locing but are afraid of permanence, remember, ITS STILL hair, and no, u won't be able to press it (which we wanna avoid anyway), nor fro it out, but there are tons of styles in between that you can do. I often look at locs like permanent braids lol...and I LOVE braids, used to do and wear them all the time, maybe that's where my love for locs come in. Don't be scared of freedom my people, embrace it! 🙂
(You can connect with LaNoya on Twitter: @LaLaNoyaLand )