"Being natural: for me it means freedom" - Interview with Kofo

I met Kofo last year. What intrigued me about her is that she has 2 grown up daughters who have never relaxed their hair but Kofo has been natural for about 2 years! We asked for an interview and she obliged. Enjoy!

My name is Kofo and I live in Lagos and I am an environmentalist. My hair has been natural for the past two years. After having relaxed my hair for many many years I found that it had become so damaged that I could wait no longer and decided to cut it all off. It was entirely my decision and I took my daughters’ when I had the big chop.

I did consider buying a wig but decided against it as it would just be too much bother. People were very surprised and it took a lot of people time to get used to my new look. Some said it made me look younger, which in African terms is not always a compliment as women are supposed to have a ‘mature’ look about them.

Even though my hair was relaxed, I refused to allow my daughters to relax their hair when they were young. This is because I feel that putting hair relaxer on a small child is almost like some form of child abuse or mutilation. And the same goes for over elaborate hair dos which take hours on very small children, unless its for a very special occasion like a wedding.

It was difficult keeping my daughters' hair natural because they seemed to be the only ones and there was a lot of pressure from people and hairdressers to let them relax their hair. I told them that when they became adults they could relax their hair if they wish to. But now, they realise that having natural hair is the best thing.

I wash my hair myself weekly and condition it but after attending the natural hair event at The Life House I think that there is a lot more that I can do to look after it. I love products that contain Olive oil, Shea butter and Cocoa butter.

I do not feel awkward at work because the atmosphere in the office is very ‘relaxed’ and we are also promoting an environmentally friendly green style of living and natural hair supports that kind of ethos. It is great not having to waste hours at the hair salon every week and being forced to befriend salon staff so that your hair gets done on time. There is nothing at all I dislike about being natural, for me it means freedom.

I would encourage anybody contemplating it to take the big leap. It is immensely liberating and there will be no regrets about not having to shop around for those awful boxes of relaxers and all of the paraphernalia that goes with it. I would encourage mothers with young girls to persevere and not allow themselves to be influenced by what other people are doing or saying. I would love to see a natural hair salon open in Lagos, it would be momentous.

My ideal weekend would be spent quietly at home with my family, with as little time spent in the kitchen as possible, trying to get through some of the many things on my “things to do” list, reading and watching television.          

Keep it natural!

Omozo