Naturals in the City meet-up - The Flyer is here!

*Stumbling over* The Flyer is out! The Flyer is out! We have more details about the meet-up on March 10th. The excerpt below is courtesy of Screwy Haired Girl.

 

Naturals in the City 2
Saturday, March 10, 2012
1:30 - 5:30 p.m.
17, Maduike Street, off Raymond Njoku Street, off Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos

Exciting!

The excerpt below is courtesy of Screwy Haired Girl.


After the November meet-up, Natural Nigerian and I got a lot of questions about hair care, with most of them leading to one particularly frustrating topic: hair loss. This will therefore be the main theme of this March meet-up. Despite what we were taught as kids, our African hair is delicate; preventing the frustration of breaking hair is must-have knowledge for all black women who want fabulous hair.

There will be fantastic and well-respected professionals such as nutrition consultant Sherese Ijewere, "Hair Whisperer" Aislynn Adewale, esthetician Rita Aiyeniko, and image consultant Ifeoma Williams as speakers for the day, in addition to your blog girls Natural Nigerian, NatMane, Screwy Haired Girl, AND ME Omozo from O'Naturals either speaking or doing demos (see next highlight). The day's activities will be M.C.'d by the lovely and funny Chigo Otefe-Edebi.

There will be a how-to styling demonstration by ME! So please join us on Saturday March 10th. 




Keep it natural!


Omozo

... but this is a twist-out

I posted yesterday that I got wavy twists that people thought was a twist-out but it wasn't. Check out the blog post here.

This is not a twist-out. Wavy twists.

 Anyway, I finally took out the tiny twists and got a really really nicely defined twist-out. I think that is the nicest twist-out I have had in a long time. I liked it so much that I slept face-down for 2 days to maintain it! The camera does not capture the definition well.

This is a twist-out

The back of the twist-out

Trust me. You would not be smiling if you have not slept properly for 2 days!

By day 3 I had lost most of the definition so I accessorized a bit to jazz it up some more. It was fun though while it lasted.

Last day of the twist-out. Very little definition left.

Keep it natural!

Omozo

This is not a twist-out

I put my hair in tiny twists (that took about 4 hours to do) and kept the style in for about a week.

I got the tiny twists wrapped nicely for work so that I would not have to bother with it during the week. See, I am trying to reduce how frequently I manipulate my hair! Check out the Length Check post here.

 I felt I was due for a trim because my ends were not looking healthy. So when the week was over, I trimmed my ends very carefully. Remember I am trying to grow my hair which means a trim is a trim not a hair cut.

After that I put some coconut oil on my hair and bagged it so that I could give my hair a much needed moisture and conditioning boost (see post on bagging here). I did the conditioning and bagging for another 2 or 3 days. After conditioning, before bagging, I would put the twists in big braids.

When I took out the big braids, I got wavy twists which I was not expecting at all. A pleasant surprise I must say! I had not put any thought into what would come out of braiding the twists.

This is not a twist-out

I had the wavy twists for another 2 or 3 days. People kept asking if the wavy twists were a twist-out and in true Omozo style I would excitedly say "No" and proceed to explain how I got the look. I enjoyed the style (*whisper* and the compliments too!). If you try it out please send us pictures and let us know how it looks on your hair.

Keep it natural!

Omozo

Natural and NYSC

On Wednesday I posted a collection of some of the hairstyles I wore during my NYSC year. Check out blog post here. While I was serving I met some ladies with natural hair. Some wore their hair out while others used weaves and various forms of braids. Here are some pictures of my fellow natural haired Corpers.

Everyone loves a lil bling on their hair

Kinky twists for easy maintenance

Cool, relaxed and confident in this TWA

Bantu knots to celebrate completing NYSC

Real or fake?

Loving her locs and proudly showing them off

Recently did a big chop

Natural hair underneath those kinky twists

She was at the passing out parade and was so excited

Keep it natural!

Omozo

My Various NYSC Hairstyles

From March 2011 to February 2012 I was a Corp member of the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC). We are popularly called "Corpers". The idea of the programme is to get young Nigerians to interact with one another by posting them to various parts of the country. It was through the NYSC community development requirement that I started my reading club at a high school in Lagos (check out blog post here). As glamorous as the programme sounds, most of us cannot wait to get it over with. The NYSC programme has lost most of its pizzazz but that is a discussion for another blog.

So I had to spend about 52 weeks serving my country Nigeria. As my service year rolled on I started taking pictures of my hairstyles. Now that I look at the pictures I can see some growth in my hair length. I also noticed that I was not too adventurous with styles. You will notice that twists pinned at the back featured frequently. And there is the style that makes me think "What the ..." I'll let you pick which one it is. Anyway, enjoy this blast from the "recent past".

Hello NYSC! Peace out and Good bye NYSC!

The curls are courtesy of the ever reliable Bantu knot

Okay so I was adventurous twice!

Twist it and pin it back. Oh and add a hair pin for effect ;)

Keep it natural!

Omozo

The 'Baggy Method' Explained on BGLH

Many of us natural ladies do this. We put a plastic bag, shower cap or plastic wrap over our heads for a period of time (from a few minutes to several hours) to keep in as much moisture as possible. Sometimes we do this after washing and conditioning while some do it overnight. I use this method when I feel my hair is dry and I am not ready to "wet" my hair by washing or conditioning it. I'll spray my hair lightly with my home made spritz or I apply the oil of my choice then take my plastic shower cap and cover my head and go to bed. It is not the sexiest thing but it works!

The BGLH article here gives us a more rounded discussion of this practice. As always, your results may differ from another person's results. It is important to observe how your hair and body respond when you try something because that will determine whether you continue it or scrap it.

Keep it natural!

Omozo

Naturals in the City Meet-up on March 10th 2012

Yaaaay! The date has been set: March 10th 2012. The theme is Hair Loss. Check out Natural Nigerian's blog for more info. *Warning: cheesy line coming up* Be there or Be square!

Keep it natural!

Omozo

Tammy's interview - Mommies & Babies Series

Name?

-My name is Tammy Huggins.

 

 Where are you from and where do you live?

-I'm from Lethbridge, in southern Alberta [Canada].  My dad was Nigerian and my mom is Ukrainian/Hungarian.

What do you do?

-I am a social worker but for now I am home full time raising my 3 kids.

How long have you kept your hair natural?

-I'm a newbie to natural hair. It's been just over a month. 

At one time you had your hair relaxed. Tell us why you decided to go natural?

 -I've been relaxing my hair or wearing extensions since I was 14. I am now 33. I just got so sick of always hating my hair and having to spend so much time and money on it. I just want to be really authentic inside and out. I was never really happy with my hair anyway, so I decided, "what the heck what's there to loose."

How did you go natural? Did you transition or did you do the big chop?

-The BIG CHOP! I just went for it. Go big or go home! 

What’s your natural hair regimen?

-I'm still learning a lot about my natural hair. I'm watching lots of videos on Youtube and experimenting with product. I usually just wash'n go. Lately I've been co-washing, then a bit of leave in conditioner and gel. I use a sponge in a circular motion to define my curls (learnt that on Youtube).

Products you cannot live without?

 -So far, Gel and leave-in conditioner. (I'm not totally committed to a brand yet b/c I'm still experimenting.

You have two daughters whose hair you are keeping natural too?

 -Yes, I have beautiful little girls. They are strikingly different from each other. My 7 year old, Eden looks like me and has tons of thick, curly hair. My little Anna (20 months) has brilliant orange hair. No that wasn't a misprint, I said ORANGE hair. She is fair like her dad and although her hair is curly, it's more like her dads.

Why have you decided to keep their hair natural?

-I spent my whole life trying to change my hair. It took me 33 years to finally appreciate the beauty in my natural curls and hair texture. I would be ashamed of myself if I encouraged Eden to relax her hair.   I want her to spend as much time as possible with her natural hair and teach her to appreciate how beautiful it is . God knows, when she's a teen, she'll go through hair experimentation all on her own. It's so much more beautiful natural. Girls today already have so many pressures to change how they look to fit someone else's idea of beauty. No way am I going to contribute to that by changing their hair.

Did you ever relax their hair?

 -No. I used a Chi to straiten Eden's hair once for fun. It was weird. We went back to curly the next day.

Do you and your daughters use the same hair products? If not, what products do you use for them?

 -We use the same leave-in conditioner. The more I've been learning about my own hair, the more I'm starting to do with Eden's hair. She's just starting to pay a little more attention to doing her hair and trying things herself. Anna's still just a baby so I don't do much with hers other then piggy tails.

What hair regimen and techniques do you use for them?

 -Like I said, with the baby its mostly piggy tails for now. With Eden, during the school week we mostly keep it braided up. Sometimes cornrows. This makes our mornings much more enjoyable and minimizes the drama.

Do you make their hair or do you take them to the salon?

-I started taking Eden to the salon for hair cuts when she started school. It's tricky here in Lethbridge because there is hardly anyone trained to work on African hair. Sometimes I just do it myself.

Challenges in caring for their hair – Do they cry / do they dread "hair days" or is it a great time all around/ do people pass negative comments?

-Eden hates getting her hair combed out. She usually cries and yells at me. I try to saturate it very good with leave-in conditioner. Someday's are worse then others. If I let her "do her own hair" one day, then the next day is a bit of a nightmare to get untangled because she doesn't really comb through it all the way. Today while I was combing her hair, she said to me with clenched teeth, "It's not that I want strait hair and it's not like I don't like my hair, but sometimes I wish I had it so it wouldn't be so annoying to brush."

Are you teaching them about their hair?

Mostly that it is beautiful and a part of her. We talk about how lucky she is to have such curly hair and how many great things she can do with it. Because she is 7, I try to let her do her own hair every couple days so that she can learn to manage it herself. Like I said, it usually means more work for me the following morning but what can ya do? She's 7.

 Right now were working on keeping moisture in her hair. Teaching her to keep her cap on at night and introducing her to Shea Butter.

What are you learning as you care for your hair and your daughters' hair?

I'm really learning to appreciate the uniqueness and beauty of my own hair. I hope I can pass on the pride and confidence that I now have to both of my girls.

What do you say to other mothers about caring for their daughters’ natural hair?

 -Youtube. There are hundreds of videos on all aspects of caring for and styling natural hair. I've learnt a ton and I'm still learning.

What do you prefer for mother – daughters time: crafts or manicures and pedicures?

-I would prefer mani/pedis for sure! But for now, we do a lot of crafts. I'll give the girls a few years to appreciate being pampered rather then gluing and painting ;-)

Uwa's interview - Mommies & Babies Series

Meet Uwa and her lovely daughter Etse. Enjoy!

 Name: Uwa Imhagwe.

 Where are you from and where do you live: I am a Nigerian currently living in Australia.

 What do you do: I am a working mum.

 You have a daughter whose hair you are keeping natural: Yes.

How old is she: Etse is 3 ½ years old.

Why have you decided to keep her hair natural: Well, it is two things really. First, I am not a big fan of using relaxer on young children. Second, Etse turns ‘hair making’ days into such a big production, I figured why put myself through that twice, with relaxer and then plaiting? As it turns out, I absolutely love her hair as is.

Did you ever relax her hair: No, she has been natural since birth.

Do you and your daughter use the same hair products? If not, what products do you use for your daughter: No we don’t use the same hair products. Etse’s hair is natural, mine is not. For Etse’s hair, I keep it very simple. I use shampoo; rinse out conditioner, olive oil moisturizer and detangler (which I absolutely love).

What hair regimen and techniques do you use for her: I wash out Etse’s hair once in two weeks (just as it starts to look not-so-neat); usually during a bath. Rub in some conditioner and try to comb through (I figure the conditioner starts the detangling process); I rinse out, then towel dry. While her hair is still damp, I section her hair into smaller parts, rub in the olive oil moisturizer (I like this one coz it does not leave any residue). Spray on the detangler, comb, and style into big braids or twists. Sometimes, I use rubber bands/ribbons at the base of her hair, other times not. I have found that when I use the bands/ribbons, her hair gathers dust around it.

 Do you make her hair or do you take her to the salon: I make her hair myself.

How do you come up with the styles? They are very creative. I just go with it. Sometimes, I think of it first, and how I want it (her hair) to look. Sometimes, it comes out the way I imagined, other times not exactly. And it also depends on how receptive, or not, she is that day. If we are having a good day, I am able to make the style smaller and add a little extra touch. If not, then they come out big and not very fancy.

Challenges in caring for her hair – Does she cry / does she dread "hair days" or is it a great time all around/ do people pass negative comments: Oh my! She cries!! So much so that I used to dread hair days, but not any more. I have developed thicker skin or blocked ears – whichever. Now I no longer tell her what is about to happen: thinking preparing her mind would be easier didn’t help. So now I just do it. One minute we are drawing, the next there’s a comb in my hand. Another thing is that there are not that many salons in our neck of the woods, and since it’s nothing too complicated I do it myself. As a result, Etse’s hair styles are usually very simple. Big braids, twists or the occasional cornrows and she always loves the finished result as do I.
So far, we get great comments from people, and she has a great time showing off her latest ‘do’ at daycare.

Are you teaching her about her hair: I tell her she has beautiful hair. Teaching ... mmhh not so sure. I feel she is still young. However, I do explain to her why I have to wash her hair, why I have to comb it, and why it’s not such a good idea to put sand in our hair. So far, I think she gets it.

What are you learning as you care for your hair and your daughter’s hair: Oh lots, and I am still learning. Most important thing I have learnt so far is that just because hair is natural, does not mean it requires less care or attention or even less products! For a long time, I only used Johnson’s baby oil!!. Thank God for the versatility of natural hair.

What do you say to other mothers about caring for their daughters’ natural hair: Dear mums, keep it simple: you can hardly go wrong that way. Keep it neat: your daughter will love her hair and so will others. It doesn’t hurt: really it doesn't hurt. And there is so much to do with natural hair; it can be styled to look amazing.

What do you prefer for mother – daughter outings: ice cream or the movies: The movies; where everything and anything goes …. Including ice cream ;-)


Keep it natural (and simple)!

Omozo

Christy's Interview - Mommies & Babies Series

Meet Christy and her daughter: Mom's hair is relaxed and her daughter's hair is natural. Enjoy! 

 Name: Christy Adelaja.

Where are you from and where do you live: I am a Nigerian and I live in Lagos Nigeria.

What do you do: I am a Banker.

You have a daughter whose hair you are keeping natural: Yes.

How old is she: 2 years old. 

Why have you decided to keep her hair natural: I really think kids should look like kids and not like adults!

Did you ever relax her hair: No.

Do you and your daughter use the same hair products? If not, what products do you use for your daughter: I use Herbal Fruit Shampoo and Damatol mixed with baby oil for her hair.

What hair regimen and techniques do you use for her: I  wash her hair thrice a month and weave (corn rows). No attachments (extensions) for now!

Do you make her hair or do you take her to the salon: We do " home salon". *wink* I do her hair myself at home. It encourages her to stay through the whole washing, drying and weaving (corn rowing) process.

Challenges in caring for her hair – Does she cry / does she dread "hair days" or is it a great time all around/ do people pass negative comments: She hardly cries. Motivation: beautiful beads, biscuits, apples and Caprisone drinks! People always appreciate her beautiful hair.

What are you learning as you care for your daughter’s hair: Natural hair is beautiful, great, and the best!

What do you say to other mothers about caring for their daughters’ natural hair: Keep it neat and beautiful always.  

What do you prefer for mother – daughter events: watching a movie or going out together: Going out and watching her enjoy her freedom away from home!

Keep it natural!

Omozo

Iyobo's Interview - Mommies & Babies Series

Here is the second instalment of our Mommies & Babies Series. Iyobo, the Mommy we interviewed below, does not have natural hair but has chosen to keep her daughter's hair natural. Enjoy! 

Name: Iyobo Innih.

Where are you from and where do you live: I am a Nigerian and I live in Lagos Nigeria.

What do you do: Asset management.

You have a daughter whose hair you are keeping natural: Yes

How old is she: 18 months


Why have you decided to keep her hair natural: My mum did that for my sister and she had beautiful hair before she relaxed it. I want the same for my daughter. 

Did you ever relax her hair: No. And I don't intend to anytime soon.

Do you and your daughter use the same hair products? If not, what products do you use for your daughter: No we don't. I use kids organics or organics conditioning shampoo. When I leave her fro out for a day, I use Miss Jessie's curly meringue and when we braid we use the baby buttercream by Miss Jessie as well.

What hair regimen and techniques do you use for her: I wash her hair every 2 weeks to prevent her scalp from drying out due to over washing. I moisturize her hair and scalp when I wash and every other day with a braid sheen to maintain her braids and keep them looking fresh for as long as possible.


Do you make her hair or do you take her to the salon: I do it myself. I am not ready to have anyone else do her hair yet. Salon visits tend to be stressful for kids. Don't want to bother her with that yet.

Challenges in caring for her hair – Does she cry / does she dread "hair days" or is it a great time all around/ do people pass negative comments: She hardly cries. Even when she does, once I pop Barney into the DVD player she sits still although grudgingly. 


What are you learning as you care for your daughter’s hair: Natural hair on a child isn't easy to maintain. Also, I am learning how to braid hair which I never thought was possible. 

What do you say to other mothers about caring for their daughters’ natural hair: Most important thing is to understand your daughters' hair texture and learn to buy the right products for her hair.

What do you prefer for mother – daughter events: dancing or singing: Dancing (Omozo says: especially when she carries her daughter on her hip and does this winding thing. Her daughter loves it!)

Keep it natural!

Omozo

Prof Mom's Interview - Mommies & Babies Series

So we kick off our Mommies & Babies Series with O'Naturals very own Prof Mom. Enjoy!

Name: Osayomore Ossuetta (aka Prof Mom).

Where are you from and where do you live: I am a Nigerian and I live in Lagos-Nigeria.

What do you do: I am a medical doctor.

How long have you kept your hair natural: 8 years.

What’s your natural hair regimen: Right now I have dredlocs.

1. So I wash my hair every 2 weeks. After washing, I use Shea butter mixed with sulphur cream. Then I leave it to dry naturally.

2. I steam my hair once a month. I use Shea butter alone at the roots/scalp to do this.

3. I alternate between hair conditioner and shampoo when washing my hair.

You have two daughters whose hair you are keeping natural too: Yes.

How old are they: Samantha is 5 years old. Stephanie is 3 years old.

Why have you decided to keep their hair natural:

 1. They are too young, in my opinion, to use the relaxers and straighteners;

2. Natural hair in the long run is much easier to manage;

3. I am their mother and so what I say goes!

What hair regimen and techniques do you use for them:

1. Wash their hair once in 2/3 weeks;

2. Use a mixture of rosewater and glycerin which works very very well. This mixture retains the moisture and keeps their hair really soft and supple making it very easy to comb;

3. After washing their hair I do not dry it all up. I leave it damp and use the rosewater-glycerin mixture;
4. Then I style as is fit. Either weaving (corn-rows) or braiding.

Do you make their hair or do you take them to the salon: I used to make their hair myself. But now we get their hair done in the salon.

Challenges in caring for their hair – Do they cry / do they dread "hair days" or is it a great time all around/ do people pass negative comments: They cry when their braids or weaving are being taken out. Then we move on to looking forward to getting a new hair style. 
Yes, people pass funny comments. I hear a lot of "Relax their hair so it will be fine” and “Ah natural hair!!! It will be difficult oh." 

Are you teaching them about their hair: Honestly no. I just tell them that they have to wash their hair so it won’t smell and keep it clean always. 

What are you learning as you care for your hair and your daughters' hair: Patience and knowing what works.

What do you say to other mothers about caring for their daughters’ natural hair: We all need patience to care for their hair. Added to the fact that it is better to keep their hair natural for as long as you (MOMMY) have control. Explain to them as they get older about the benefits of keeping their hair healthy and clean.

What do you prefer for mother – daughters time: movies or manicures and pedicures: Movies! I can sleep through the movie without them noticing me. Except when I snore during the movie. :o



Keep it natural!

Omozo