THANK YOU & HAPPY NEW YEAR!

To all our followers and supporters we humbly say a heartfelt "THANK YOU". Honestly we could not have gone through 2012 without you. I know it sounds cliche but it is true. This is the end of another year and it had its share of positives and negatives. But you know what? We made it! And for that we are thankful.

We pray that the year 2013 will be better than 2012 for all of you and for us. Better hair care, better hair growth, better health, better relationships, better careers, better character, better bank account. A better year all around!

So have a joyful, prosperous, goal accomplishing, healthy, loving and lovely  new year!

Keep it natural!

Omozo

Funmi Iyanda's TWA at 2012 Ovation Red Carol

Funmi Iyanda did the big chop a while ago and it is cool to see her rock her TWA at a red carpet event. Natural hair is not so "out of place" these days. It is great to see some of our celebrities embracing their natural hair. And who can forget Nse at the 2012 AMAA Awards?




Source: www.bellanaija.com





Source: www.bellanaija.com

 Keep it natural!

Omozo

4 Reasons NOT to Trim Your Hair - Courtesy Jc

Would you believe you would ever hear this? Trimming is an important technique used to get rid of split ends and those stubborn knots you can not detangle with your fingers. Jc of The Natural Haven explains on BGLH why there are times you should not trim your hair.

In summarry you should not trim your hair if:

1. You trimmed it last week

2. You notice one side is longer than the other

3. Your ends appear thin/ see through but you regularly do search and destroy trims



4. Your ends are dry or do not curl like they used to but you cannot see split ends

What say you?

Keep it natural!

Omozo

Hair Rant - Cabella

We have to deal with so many mis-informed stereotypes and misconceptions.

Why is it that you automatically start talking about messy, unkempt, dirty hair when we are talking about natural hair? As if relaxed hair cannot be messy, unkempt, or dirty. Why do we natural haired women have to defend our choice to wear our hair in its natural form? How did we get to the point where natural hair, worn in its natural form, is considered unacceptable? Shouldn't the question be 'why are you relaxing your hair?' NOT 'why don't you relax your hair?'

Oh how about in the work place?! Why is it that no one challenges a woman when she wears a fake afro, a fake twist out, fake locs or a fake afro puff but when I wear exactly those hairstyles on my natural hair you start to talk arrant rubbish?! Yes it is rubbish! Ah and when the 'half caste' woman walks in with her natural hair as is, all of you start cooing about how lovely her hair is. *insert long hiss here!*




Source: Memegenerator

 Natural haired women talk about "taming" their hair for the workplace yet one woman walks in with a long , big and straight weave and that is okay. No taming is required there abi? Come on people!

It is so messed up! The worst of all of this is that people see nothing wrong with it. And they will sit down, stand up in their self righteous tone and 'explain' why straight hair is better or why BLACK natural hair is not.






Source: The Angry Black Woman


You see the issue is not the hairstyle. The issue is that I am styling my natural hair in its naturalness. Like I said above, if I go to the office with a fake twist out I will get compliments and be asked where I got the fake hair from. Enter me another day with my natural hair in a twist out and as soon as they know it is my natural hair, I will start getting useless and unsolicited advise from people. The message is HIDE your natural hair and all will be right with the world. *insert an even longer hiss!*

Why is MY natural hair YOUR business? Mind your own business and leave my hair alone!

If people heard that I was not hiring people because they wear weaves will there not be an outcry? Yet folks think it is okay not to hire or promote a woman because she is wearing her natural hair in its natural form. No be one kind madness be this?

Imagine a dark skinned person being told to "lighten" up for clients. Or a tall person being told to "shorten" down for their job. How about someone with light brown eyes being told to "darken" those eyes to look more professional? The point is, those attributes are natural and why should they be changed whether permanently or temporarily?

What is vexing is that I am constantly being 'advised' to PERMANENTLY OR TEMPORARILY ALTER THE TEXTURE of my hair. Like permanently alter your skin colour. My hair is coily, kinky, nappy, natural - whatever you want to call it. That is the texture and I ain't changing it!

*dropping mic and kicking soap box*

Cabella

5 Warning Signs of Bad Natural Hair Products

We always wonder what products will work those miracles we hear other natural haired women talk about. One tells you that she started using product a and all the frizz is gone. Another tells you that she started using product Q and now her hair is suuuuuper sooooft. *SIGH* There are no miracle products o!

However, there are some tips you can follow to keep you from buying products that will do more harm to your hair than good. Thanks to JC of Natural Haven, we have some tips here. Check out BGLH for details. So products to avoid include:

1. Any water based conditioner which does not list water as the first ingredient


2. Any product with fragrance in the first five ingredients

3. Any shampoo which does not contain an oil or silicone

4. Any product which is not a leave-in and contains mineral oil in the first five ingredients

5. Any product with an ingredient list that is missing or incomplete or too short

So what do you avoid when buying your hair products?

Keep it natural!

Omozo

Capital Naturals 1 in Abuja Nigeria - Pictures

Here are some pictures for those of us who could not be in Abuja for the first ever Capital Naturals 1. Check out Deepbrown Kinks for more. Enjoy!



Courtesy Deepbrown Kinks




Courtsey Deepbrown Kinks


Keep it natural!

Omozo

Take Out Your Locs - Courtesy Z of LITK

So I never believed you could take out your locs until I saw this post by Z of LITK. Z took out her locs and returned "Poofy" to the fro! At first I screamed "WHYYYYYYYY!" But then I was intrigued. I saw her with locs and then with the locs picked out. Unfortunately there is no video on how she picked out the locs. However, it is great to know that it can be done and you do not have to cut your hair. Check out the post here and see what her hair looked like after she took out the locs.

Here is the video ofZ talking about taking out her locs.

Here is a You Tube video showing you how to take out your locs. Lots of work but worth it.

Keep it natural!

Omozo

NITC4 - Pictures

Hailings!

Check out some pictures from NITC4 (LAGOS). You can also go to Natural Nigerian, Love, Ifeanyiwa for more pictures.

Share pictures and stories with us if you attended.



NITC 4: Courtesy www.naturalnigerian.com



NITC 4: Courtesy www.naturalnigerian.com



Keep it natural!

Omozo

Capital Naturals 1 - Abuja Nigeria

Abuja folks here you go! Natural Nigerian, Deep Brown & Kinks, Bibi Naturals brings you a natural hair meet-up in Nigeria's capital city -ABUJA.

For more details check out the links to

Natural Nigerian

Deep Brown and Kinks

Bibi Naturals

And if you do attend send us your updates, pictures e.t.c. so that we can feature it on the blog. Have fun y'all!!

NITC4 This Weekend in Lagos Nigeria

Come on folks let's make it a great event by attending!

Date: Saturday November 17, 2012
Time: 1:30PM - 6PM Prompt o!
Venue: OMENKA GALLERY: 24 Ikoyi Crescent (Now Modupe Alakija Crescent), Off Osborne Road, Ikoyi Lagos.

Come yourself, or bring your posse but COME!

Keep it natural!

Omozo

Petaled Loc Fro - Thanks Chescalocs!

I got a tweet from a lady asking about various ways to style her los. I gave some tips but sense that I was not very helpful. Thankfully, I stumbled on this video by Chescalocs showing how to do a Petaled Loc Fro. Too cool I say!

So for our sisters with locs, here is a cool hairstyl to try. And you can do it at home. When you do try it please send pictures.

Keep it natural!

Omozo

Uneven hair - Long here short there

Twisted my hair and took a good long hard look at it. It is glaringly obvious now that the back of my hair is much longer than the front and sides. Hmmmm ... I know that the back grows faster than the rest of my head (hair?) but now it seems to be very obvious. I thought about cutting the back to match the rest of my hair and decided against it. And here is why:

1) If my "back hair" grows faster than the rest then cutting it will not stop it from growing faster than the rest of my hair. Sure for some time I may have even hair length all over my head but that will change because my back hair will just outgrow the rest of my hair

2) Who says I have to have even hair length anyway?

3) It kinda looks like a mullet hair cut *cringe* with the twists in but in a twist out or Afro, it looks fly!

4) Finally, my hair is growing so what's the fuss? *shrug*

I say all of the above to say this: it is always good to question some of the assumptions and beliefs we have about hair (and life too). Now that I have thought about it, there is really no reason why having faster growing hair on one part of my head should be an issue.

So good people, some of the expectations we have for our hair (and selves) are just baseless and not necessarily beneficial (some things are permissible / allowed but not necessarily beneficial). When these baseless expectations are made the rule, whether knowingly or not, we become stressed over nothing. So chill out on the "my hair is not soft" or "my hair is not tightly or loosely coiled" or "my twists don't hang like that" or "my hair shrinks too much" or ... Get my drift? Just stick to the "good hair practices" and you will have healthy hair. And trust me, healthy is better than anything else.

Keep it natural!

Omozo

Halle Berry on the cover of Interview Mag

So here is Halle Berry with an afro looking delish on the cover of Interview Magazine. Can she ever look yama yama? Even when she cried while receiving her Oscar, she looked cute! Loving the BIG AFRO. Maybe I'll rock a BIG Afro this weekend. #justthinking




We see you Ms Berry



The Shoes? The Dress? The Chair? The Sunglasses? All cool!

Keep it natural!

Omozo

Pop of colour

Some employers require that their employees dress in neutral colours. This does not have to be a sentence to a "colourless and boring" existence. I suggest you add some pop of colour by using colourful hair accessories to spruce things up a bit. This will make your hair interesting, add some colour to your dressing and honestly it will make you feel so much better too!

In Lagos Nigeria, hair accessories can be purchased in most salons, hair product shops, markets and neighbourhood stores. Of course there are also accessory stores like Diva House of Accessories (Palms Shopping Mall Victoria Island, Lagos) and Accessories 2 Die 4 (Adeniran Ogunsanya Shopping Mall Surulere, Lagos: where you have Shoprite store). There are a lot of Nigerian entrepreneurs making their own line of hair accessories also and these pieces are usually unique and one-of-a-kind.

Here are some pictures for inspiration.

  

 

 

 Oh if you are not keen on colourful hair accessories, pop in some colour through your handbag or shoes or jewelry!

Keep it natural!

Omozo

African Naturalistas Product Line - Nigeria

Hair Butters, Shampoos and Rinses Oh My!

(okay you can indict me for not being original :D)

African Naturalistas Deep Conditioning Mix

Where are the Nigerian natural haired Sisis o!?! This one is for you. African Naturalistas has added some goodies to the hair butters she has been selling. She has painstakingly researched and experimented and all of that has resulted in the addition of more products to her growing product line.There are shampoos, rinses and lots more.

So no more complaining about not being able to find products that you can use for your natural hair. African Naturalistas presents you with an all natural product line. SO CLICK ON THIS LINK FOR MORE DETAILS AND PLACE YOUR ORDER QUICKLY because, as you know, these goodies will not last for long. And to the sisters with relaxed hair: you too can enjoy the products in this product line! There is something for everyone.

Keep it natural!

Omozo

Naturals in Complete Fashion

This month's issue of Complete Fashion (Agbani Darego is on the cover) got me grinning from ear-to-ear right from the second (or third?) page.

First, it was the General Editor, Franca Chiedu (Nee Asindi). Her profile picture has her sporting really cute short twists. I have seen Ms. Franca in a TWA, in weaves and braids. And now these tiny twists. It just goes to show that keeping your hair natural and un-relaxed does not mean your hair experience has to be boring. Go ahead and spice it up a bit! Thumbs up Ms France for rocking your natural hair. You look fab in it!

Then there is the spread with the model with the really short cut that looks almost like a fade. The shots are so close up you feel like you can touch her hair. If I could, I would have touched her hair (after getting permission of course! ;)

The icing for me came when I flipped and saw a full page spread with a natural haired model whose hair was styled in a Cinnabun style. So cute! I felt really proud. LOL! Weird huh?

I have to give Complete Fashion 4 thumbs up (I borrowed thumbs for that)! I don't know if they are consciously using natural haired models for their spreads. If it is unconsciously then I encourage them to be more intentional about featuring women with natural un-relaxed hair. We are here, we buy the magazine, we are "Fashionistas" too and it would be great to see representation on their pages.

This is a great start though and I look forward to the edition that will make me hoot, hollar and hop on one foot! Till then ...

Keep it natural!

Omozo

"Is this your hair" cartoon

I have been asked this question so many times! No one has asked if I am mixed though. Hmmmm ... Anyway, it still amazes me that some people believe that natural un-relaxed and / or black folk hair cannot grow long. FYI: It can grow to the length you want it to grow.

Check out our blog post about my encounter with a lady who did not believe my natural twists are real. She thought I had extensions in. What was outrageous to me was that she had locs in her hair! I know: weird right?! *SMH* Maybe she thought her locs would stay stubs forever. I tire o!

Source: Hairgetskinky.com

Keep it natural!

Omozo

Ituen Basi Rocks Natural Hair At 2012 MTN Lagos Fashion & Design Week

I think that is the longest blog post heading we have ever had!



Ituen Basi in one of her designs



Anyway, I am a fan of Ituen Basi firstly because I saw her Ankara helmets. I promised myself I would get one and ride on Okada (commercial motorcycle in Nigeria) and take a picture of me. :D





Ituen Basi Ankara Helmets at Arise Fashion Week 2011 *Image from Popafricana.com*


Then I saw her designs and enjoyed them very much. I still do. I think she is the one who brought back the Oleku buba and short wrapper. I plan to own an Ituen Basi piece of clothing. *Nothing wrong with setting goals* She also comes across as modest and not "noisy" like some other designers. Let me explain: you don't see her everywhere on every red carpet attending every event. She keeps a low profile. Plus no be she wey introduce colour blocking ankara style?




Ituen Basi designs




Ituen Basi Dolls


Then I saw she rocks her natural hair too! *sigh* What a lady! Check out the honey brown colour on her TWA at the just concluded 2012 MTN Lagos Fashion & Design Week. She also won the 2012 Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Africa – Africa Fashion International Awards Designer of the Year.




Ituen Basi is the one in the middle with the TWA. Image from Bellanaija


So there you have it friends. I am an Ituen Basi fan *taking a bow*


Keep it natural!

Omozo

Protective Styling



Twists



So here you are with your hair: short, long and in between. And maybe it is even a mix of relaxed and natural hair. Or maybe it is relaxed hair. There are many things you can do to your hair to keep it healthy. Protective styling is one of those things. 

The objective of protective styling is to limit the frequency with which you manipulate your hair. By manipulating our hair I am referring to when we pull, stretch, tug, roll etc our hair and when our hair is subject to frequent snagging from our clothes or jewelry. The more we manipulate our hair the more likely we are to damage our hair and loose the hair length and hair health we have built up over time. So less manipulation is better for hair health and growth.



Twists




Kinky twists



Bantu Knots

How much manipulation is too much manipulation? That is a tough question because I cannot say the ideal is to manipulate once a week or twice a week. I have talked to a lot of women who have healthy hair and I noticed that they manipulate on average weekly or every two weeks. So they wash, condition and style weekly or every two weeks. This is not a rule. The principle is to reduce how often you subject your hair to "stresses" and "tension". Intro Protective Styling. When protective styling is used, the wearer is then restircted from excessive "touching" of the hair. And that is the idea! No touching. Not touching. No touching for a period of time so your hair can rest.

Braids

 


Corn rows with braids in front



Twist and pinned twists



Corn rows with bantu knots on the ends



In my opinion, the common protective technique natural haired women use is twists. However, there are many other techniques like: braids, corn rows, African threading, flat twists, coils, bantu knots, bunning etc. You also have weaves, yarn braids, kinky braids and other styles done with extensions. And of course you can also use a wig. I usually recommend that you keep in extensions for four to six weeks maximum. I heard the loud laughter! It is my recommendation ;D





Braids with extensions





A wig

 
And people get creative with these protective techniques and that's where "styling" meets "protective". I have mixed corn rows and twists, corn rows and African threading, twists and bantu knots to get some interesting styles. The point is: be creative. Yes, you want to keep your hair healthy but it doesn't mean it should be boring all the time!

Corn rows and African threading

So what is your favourite protective technique and how do you style your hair with it?

Keep it natural!

Omozo

A twist on African Threading

Threading is a way to protect your natural hair and stretch your hair without using heat. Read some of our blog posts on threading here and here. Thanks to BGLH I came across a cool way to style your hair using thread. Here in Nigeria, people come up with funky ways of styling hair with thread.

That's me with a combination of cornrows and threading

This variation below of styling hair using the threading method by Barbara L made me smile and has given me some ideas. It is a flat single strand twist intertwined or wrapped with thread. Sounds deep ehn? It is not at all.

Hmmm ... feel like taking out my twists and trying it out. I shall be patient and maybe try it for my next hairstyle. Check out the video to see how it is done and get inspired.

Keep it natural!

Omozo

Naturals in The City 4 - November 17 2012

The date has been set! 

Natural Nigerian, Screwy Haired Girl and Sherese Ijewere are back at it. They will be bringing to you another fabulous platform for natural haired people and lovers of natural and healthy living to meet, share ideas and products, make new friends and generally have a great time. So come out and join us on November 17th 2012. The venue and programme of events will be set and communicated soon so watch this space or check out this link for NITC4.

NITC3 at Omenka Gallery Ikoyi

Keep it natural!

Omozo