"Having locs makes a lot of sense for me" - Interview with Bibi

My "Napp radar" went off one day while on a work assignment with a colleague. And that's how I accosted Bibi. Bibi allowed me to ask her some questions about her locs and her natural hair journey. And at some point Tinu, my colleague, also got into it! Bibi is a business owner and she owns and runs "Be Dazzled Events" in Lagos Nigeria. Her email address is: bedazzledng@gmail.com. We had so much fun with her that we ended up being late going back to work! Ooops! Enjoy.

Please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your hair

My name is Bibi and I have had my locs for 3 years and 5 months. I decided to grow locs because I prefer natural hair and I don't like going to the salon. I don't do my hair myself. I am too lazy for that! I have a friend who has had locs for 8 years and she says I should do my locs myself and I say "Nah I am too lazy for that!" My hairdresser is really good. His name is Jato. He is in Surulere off Adeniran Ogunsanya. He is pretty good. But I hate that they put me under the dryer because I hate the dryer. But they have to put me under the dryer so that my hair can dry after re-locing. 

Bibi on misconceptions, starting locs, and hair growth

When I was in university, there was this stereotype that if you have dredlocs you must be un-serious and smoking weed. So I waited until I finished school. Just before I went to serve in the NYSC, I started my locs.

You see people get it all mixed up and wrong. There are places where you get your locs started and they put a lot of rubbish in your hair! You hear of toothpaste, Gulder, Stout. They mixed a lot of rubbish and put it in my hair and I hated it. There was no difference between me and a bum: my hair was smelling horrible! And then you have flies following you. It was horrible! And then you find out that the best things for your hair are the natural things. Shea butter that’s all. You don’t need all that rubbish. Just Shea butter. 

You know all these guys are always trying to tell you that they will make something for you. “It will make it grow faster”  and all that. Then you ask “What’s inside that stuff?” and he says “It is a special thing” and then I say “You know what? I am not in a hurry. I am enjoying it. It will grow when it is ready to grow." And I like short hair. It will grow when it is ready to. So it started growing by itself. 

Bibi on stages of her hair growth

The best part was when it started standing. Then it started falling because it was growing. Then it started dropping. 

Tinu, my colleague: But right now your hair is very long. I don’t know. I know it is full. I can’t see the back so I don’t know how long it is. I show her the picture of the back of her hair and she smiles.

You should have seen me when I started packing it. I was feeling so cool with myself when I could pack it in one! I would put it in a Mohawk. Sweep it up to the side and pin it. I had so many pins. I would put my locs in a Mohawk. I was so cool. Too cool for school!

Bibi on why she has locs

Having locs makes a lot of sense for me. People ask me “Don’t you get tired of it?” People cut their hair because they get tired of their locs. That’s not me. What’s my business with Yaki and Brazillian and Peruvian and all those things.

Tinu: You save a lot of money

I do my hair once a month. Do you know what that means? I spend money once a month, one day a month to do my hair! I can swim anytime. I can pour water on it anytime. I can do anything I want to do at anytime and I don’t have to spend N150,000 (approx. $900) per week, times two, for serum and all that. You women have wahala (wahala is Nigerian slang for problems/troubles/issues/difficulties)!

Bibi on products and hair routine

My friend says that there is a particular brand or product apart from Shea butter that I can use but I don’t pay attention to all that. I keep it simple. I use Head and Shoulders. She says I shouldn’t be using Head and Shoulders. But I use Head and Shoulders because that it the only thing I know that fights dandruff and that’s all. Head and Shoulders, Shea butter and maybe once in a while I put in some Organics hair spray.

Bibi on what her family thought when she started her locs

What did they say? They said I was mad! Then my cousin said she wanted to get locs too and then they said to her that one mad person is enough per family!

And one more thing

Going natural is a mind change more than anything else. Going natural or getting locs starts with a mind change first before a "hair" change. If you don’t want to play with your hair all the time get locs.

 Keep it natural!

Omozo