Teyonah Parris of Mad Men Rocks Pompadour At SAG



Source: www.blackgirllonghair.com

 Too cute and too cool! Here is hoping that we will see waaaaay more celebrities rock their natural hair publicly on the red carpets of the world. I am looking to see what will happen here in Nigeria. Hmmmm . . . Check out more pictures on BGLH.



Source: www.blackgirllonghair.com




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

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

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

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

Pin Curls with Bobby pins - A video

The ends of my hair do not curl like this normally. I used pin curls on my twists to get this curl pattern

 I tweeted a while back about how happy I was with the pin curls I successfully achieved on my hair and I got a request to "show and tell". I finally finished editing a video on how to get pin curls. Yes this is O'Naturals' first public video. Okay O I am saying "sorry for the quality" in advance.

Go ahead and try the technique on your hair. Remember: don't be afraid to adjust the technique so that you get various results. Try it out on braids or do the pin curls on your whole head of hair and see what you get. It is the weekend so go ahead and try it out and rock it this weekend. And when you do, please don't forget to share your pictures! :D @DamiOyedele this one's for you! *wink*

Keep it natural!

Omozo

Twists curled with a curling iron

It is really easy to get this hairstyle. Here is how I did it:
1) Twists were a week old so I did not use new twists or freshly washed and conditioned twists;
2) Apply serum to the twists. I applied by sectioning the hair, spraying the serum on each section and then working it through the hair;
3) Use medium heat on the curling iron. If you see smoke coming out of the iron then you know it is too hot;

4) Take your section of twists and curl with the curling iron. I rolled the curling iron inwards as if tucking in the hair;

5) After you have curled your whole head use a holding spray. This should keep the curls for a day or two. If you are in a humid area (like Lagos Nigeria) you may not be so lucky. My curls barely made it to the end of the working day!

One very very important point: make sure you deep condition after using the curling iron on your hair. Frequent use of direct heat to your hair may damage your hair. There you have it folks. Try it out and let's know how it works for you.

Keep it natural!

Omozo

Chigozie shares her pictures

Chigozie has been following O'Naturals blog for the three years she has been natural and she has been gracious enough to answer some questions and share her pictures with us.For that we say "Thank you Chigozie and keep loving your natural hair!".

Thanks O'Naturals! Your blog is what has helped me stay the course, so it is an honor to share my routine on the blog.
 

 I wash my hair with  shampoo and conditioner biweekly or more. I use the Forever living Aloe-Jojoba shampoo and Aloe-Jojoba conditioning rinse. I'm just beginning to use leave in conditioners as well. Right now I'm trying out Olive Miracle by African Pride as I already use Organics Olive Oil as my hair moisturizer.

I go to the salon for my twists. I get my sister to do my cornrows and for anything afro, that I do myself. For most styles I use gels mainly olive oil based. I find I'm falling  in love with olive oil  for my hair.

I'm still natural because I love the fact I can do more with it. Your blog has also helped as mentioned earlier and I've always loved the idea of standing out from the crowd. Well standing out from the crowd didn't last for long, since more people are discovering the joy of going natural :)  

Keep it natural!

Omozo

Curls on locs

My friend's display picture showed her with curled locs and I asked her how she achieved it.

1) Wash and re-loc hair. I think you can do these curls on hair that is not re-loced;
2) Put in the flexi-rod hair rollers while hair is damp;

 3) Allow hair air dry then use a hand dryer to finish the drying process if necessary;

She did not use any gel or holding product and no holding spray. She said she will use holding spray next time so that the curls last longer.
 

There you have it. Try this out on locs (and "un-loced" hair too) and share your results please.

Keep it natural!

Omozo

Natural Haired Brides - this one is for you

More and more natural haired ladies are looking for ways to wear their beautiful natural hair for their wedding. I have met with many brides to discuss styling options for their wedding day. Some share how they have been told to "just relax your hair for your wedding" OR "fix a weave" and of course "you cannot wear natural hair for your wedding o!" Really people? REALLYYYYY? *sigh*

Munaluchi Bride has some help for the natural haired bride. Thanks Munaluchi Bride! Check out the article and pictures and be inspired.

Source: Munaluchi Bride

Keep it natural!

Omozo

Another slamming twist out!

Remember the last blog post about the 3 week old twists? Check it out here. So after rocking the revitalized twists for a week I took out the twists and here is what the twist out looked like.

Can someone scream D-E-F-I-N-I-T-I-O-N!!!!! I totally loved the look and decided to rock the twist out for another week. You guessed right I took it to work. And not a peep of complaint from anyone at work. They are learning *wink*

So this is how it "happened":
1) I washed and conditioned my hair as usual and used thread to stretch my hair
2) I did micro twists with my usual shea butter mix
3) After the 3rd week  I used gel to roll my hair with rollers (see post)
5) I took out the twists after the 3rd week and got this twist out.

We would love to hear your own stories of "Slamming styles" and pictures would be a bonus. Have a fab weekend!

Keep it natural (and slamming)!

Omozo

Spruce up old twists (or braids)

Okay! You have had your twists (or braids) for a long time: they are looking old but you are not ready to take them out. So what do you do? Put them in a bun or hide them in a scarf?




3 week old twists. What do I do to spruce them up?

 No need for that! Do you have rollers? Can you do bantu knots? If so, use those methods to spruce up your old twists or braids.




Aha I've got an idea!

 

How? Easy! Get your rollers ready. The size of rollers does not matter - the size of the rollers depends on how big you want your curls to be.

Wash, condition and seal your hair as you would normally do. While damp, put your twists or braids in the rollers (or bantu knots) and let your hair air dry (or use a dryer if in a hurry).





Small rollers on old twists. Use any size of rollers you want or have.



Take out the rollers or bantu knots and voila newer looking twists (or braids). Use a product that will give you some hold, like gel, if you want stronger hold or longer lasting curls.





Voila! Newer looking old twists. LOL


 I was able to rock the curls for an extra week before taking out the twists.



Styled for the office. Not bad I'd say.


Hope this helps. Have fun putting new life into old twists (or braids).

Keep it natural!

Omozo

A fade to remember

We were out and about and kept looking over at a lady sitting next to us. It was her cute fade that caught out attention. And she carried it with a simple, unintentional ... swag. (Read our quote of the day on swag here). At the end of the event we asked if we could take her picture, she hesitated and I think she thought we were lying about the blog at first. But she later agreed. Meet Jane Oriaku.

Keep it natural (with a hint of swag)!

Omozo

AMAA 2012 - Nse! Nse! Nse!

I was at AMAA 2012 (Africa Movie Academy Awards) and saw some natural haired ladies there. Read our blog posts on AMMA 2012 here and here. I did not see Nse Ikpe Etim. It was after the event that I was told that she showed up and SHOWED OFF her natural hair! I am so proud of her! It is the Didi hairstyle and her stance in the pictures that just make you go "Wow! She did it." And she did it very well I will add.

Source: www.bellanaija.com

Of course there are the "Detractors" (I used big grammar there) who have said her hairstyle was not "red carpet hair". What does that mean? American actress Viola Davis wore her TWA (Teeny Weeny Afro) for the Oscars in March. Talk show host Wendy Williams' comment? She said she does not want to see it on the red carpet. (You can read an article about this on Madame Noire) *Sigh* "They" do not want to see natural hair on the red carpet, "they" do not want to see it at the office etc. So I ask, where do "they" think is the appropriate place for natural hair to be worn or shown? Oh sorry I know the answer! Hide natural hair under something ... anything but not out in the open and "they" will be happy. Newsflash: You will be seeing more and more women wearing their natural / un-relaxed hair in various hairstyles. So here's a tip: Get used to it!

O'Naturals interviewed Nse in January (read the interview here). In response to the question: are you looking forward to wearing your natural hair out? Nse answered "I can't wait to finish the film, take off my hair and walk the red carpet with natural hair." She did just that on Sunday 22nd of April 2012 and she did it very, very well. Here's to you Nse.

Source: www.nollywoodmindspace.com

Keep it natural!


Omozo

AMAA 2012 - The Beginning

After jumping up and down and screaming, I composed myself and started wondering what to wear. Most importantly: how am I going to style my hair? I had just been told that I got free tickets to attend the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA). Yeah I know it is not the Oscars, so say what you like o, me I was psyched.

My ticket: "Regular Single" means we sat up, up (Nose bleeds section LOL)

Of course I was going to use the opportunity to go Napp hunting! I was interested to see how many other natural haired women I would encounter at the event. Surely after Viola Davis rocked the red carpet at the Oscars with her TWA (Teeny Weeny Afro), I could expect to see some natural haired ladies rocking it at the AMAAs. The next post will talk about that - right now it is about my hair.

I decided on a textured afro. Hmmm! What is that right? It is either a twist-out or braid-out or coil-out or Bantu knot-out that is styled into an afro. So it is not your regular normal afro. I dampened my hair with some water and twisted my hair in chunky twists. I used gel for hold: I knew that I was going to be moving about and would probably sweat so I wanted to get maximum hold and longevity and definition. I also put Bantu knots on the tips of each twist so that my ends would curl up a bit. Check out this blog post for more details. I did all this the night before and planned to take out the twists only when I was ready to dress up for the event. 24 hours should be enough time for my hair to dry and set.

Chunky twists with Bantu knots at the tips

Time to get ready! I took out the twist and quite liked the way my hair turned out. The definition was nice. I brushed in one side and was ready to go.

Some texture accomplished and my ends were curled and not straight.

Smile of satisfaction

Look ehn Lagos can be hot and humid even at night! Within about 2 hours my definition was puffing out and my textured 'Fro was turning into a "not-so-textured-fro". I mean come on! *frustrated tone here* What must I do to keep definition in this Lagos? Maybe I should have done smaller twists: not micro but smaller. Maybe I should have picked out the Afro more so that it was bigger and would have shrunk instead of loosing the definition. Thoughts.

So here is what my hair looked like at the end of the night. Trust me, that ain't no textured 'Fro! But one of the awesome things about being natural is that anything can be turned into a hairstyle. It was the not-so-textured 'Fro that got the most compliments! Figure that one out! *Cheesing*

Left: Textured 'Fro at the beginning. Right: Cousin of the textured 'Fro at the end

Keep it natural!

Omozo