Omozo of O'Naturals featured in AIT report on natural hair in Nigeria.

Natural hair in Nigeria is getting some "screen time" in Nigeria. Check out the report aired last Saturday (August 3, 2013) on AIT in Nigeria. The clip with Natural Nigerian and I was recorded at the last Naturals in the city (NITC 6) and I had just finished talking on how to select a hairstyle. Oh did you see African Naturalistas' products? And Natmane who styles hair in Abuja is in the report too. The momentum can only get better and it will!

Yeah they got my last name wrong! And why was I speaking so fast?


Enjoy!

Keep it natural!

Omozo

NITC 5 On April 6th 2013 in Lagos

NITC 2

It has been announced! The 5th Edition of NITC is taking place on April 6th 2013 in Lagos Nigeria.

Be there o no say we no tell you! ;)

Here are pictures from

NITC 1

NITC 2

NITC 4

Check out Natural Nigerian for more details on NITC 5.


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

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

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

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

Naturals in The City 3 - This Saturday!

Hailings people! It is here again! Lagos (and I dare say Nigeria's) foremost natural meet-up is here again.

Date: Saturday (tomorrow) June 30th 2012
Venue:  Omenka Gallery, 24 Ikoyi Crescent (Now Folorunsho Alakija Crescent), Off Osborne Road, Ikoyi Lagos
Time: 1:30pm - 6pm (PROMPT)

I am so proud of the organizers who are committed to bringing you this quality event consistently. As usual, O'Naturals will be there and would love to connect with you our followers and readers. We will be mingling, laughing, cheesing widely and answering those troublesome natural hair questions. We are soooo excited! See you there!

Keep it natural!

Omozo

Spotted: Natural Haired Model in Complete Fashion Mag

For those in Lagos Nigeria, this month's edition of Complete Fashion features a natural haired model. She has a TWA and looks great in the shots and in the free fashion spread insert that comes with the mag. Thumbs up to them for using a natural haired model. We want to see more models with natural hair in magazines and on the runways please!

Keep it natural!

Omozo

AMAA 2012 - The Event

The Red Carpet was supposed to start at 5PM and the awards at 7PM. We reckoned that since we did not plan to walk the red carpet (would we even be allowed to?) we would get there in time to be seated before the awards began. As my cousin and I bade farewell to my parents, my Dad yelled "Walk the red carpet o!" Daddy really?

We picked up a friend and headed to the venue. It was about 6:10PM when we got there. Another cousin joined us there. That was the Cookie Crew! My plan was to find a few natural haired women, interview them and go inside for the show. When we got there, the other half of the red carpet was just being rolled out! Literally! Then a guy announced "The Red Carpet is officially open!" And so it dawned on us that it was going to be a long night! The Red Carpet must have lasted three and a half hours because the award show did not start until about 9:30PM. WTH! *Yeah, that's what I thought!*

Left of the picture: The red carpet is being rolled out. Osarieme (my cousin) does not seem impressed

I turned on my Napp radar and went to work. My Osarieme and Irene (my friend) went star hunting. Ebele (other cousin) and Nosa (my Bro) hung out looking cool. The Celebrities we saw were really gracious I must say. They took time to shake hands when we stretched them out. They posed for pictures with us and they also said "thank you" when we were done. I was / am really impressed. All this while we were outside the venue. The bottom of the red carpet was really crowded and you could not tell the celebrities from the journalists and the fans.

Who is the Celebrity and who is the Fan? Everyone is on the red carpet!

We finally got into the venue after passing 4, count them, F-O-U-R security points. The fourth and final one was at the door to the hall. That part was kind of funny. Only one door was left open creating a bottle neck. I guess when people saw this they thought that seats were full in the hall and so folks started pushing to get through. And some celebrities started sneaking in people without tickets! Ha! Ha! Comedy o! One lady announced before going in "I beg I be married woman o make nobody press my body!" With that, people gave her some space, she went in and they started pushing in again. We got in and saw the hall was not near full. SMH.

The stage was nicely done. The hall was nicely decorated. The sound quality was good. Food and drinks were available for purchase which was a good idea. You sure do not want a hall full of hungry (and angry) people! We did not stay till the end of the show because some of us had work on Monday. We saw Yinka Davis perform: she is superb I tell you! We also saw some awards presented and we left there just after 11PM. They really need to work on better time management and that is all I will say on that matter.

For the most part, it was not bad. I hope the organizers are people who aim for excellence. If they are, then next year will be better. If not then ... Next few posts will feature some of the natural haired ladies I interviewed. Enjoy the pictures.

Mai Atafo of Mai Atafo Inspired and Fashion Editor for Genevieve Magazine

L-R: Irene (my friend), Eku Edewor of Studio 53, Osarieme (my cousin)

L-R: Cousin Ebele, Irene and Osarieme (The Cookie Crew. Don't ask)

My Bro (Nosa) and I

Segun Arinze being interviewed and I think he was "The Voice" for the awards

Ireti Osayemi-Bakare

Gbenro Ajibade who plays Soji on the show Tinsel

L-R: Osarieme, Tee Mac and Irene

Osarieme and Tomi Odunsi who plays Shalewa on the show Tinsel

Abiola Atanda also known as Madam Kofo and her signature Gele (headpiece)

Chinedu Ikedieze (aka Aki)

Uche Jombo

Lydia Forson. Our napp radars went off at the same time and she gave me the peace sign. I fainted then woke up to take this picture. She is so cool!

 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

It Finally Happened!

I have been back in Nigeria for over a year and it finally happened. I have been wearing my hair naturally in Nigeria and it finally happened. I have been working at a bank for over a year and it finally happened. I have been attending interviews and it finally happened. It has finally happened o!

See the hairstyle above? That is how I styled my hair today for a chat with the GMD (Group Managing Director) of a Nigerian Bank. I thought it looked decent. *Shrugging* So when it was finally my turn to "chat" with the Boss, I was asked to go into his office by a lady. I sat down and a few moments later the lady sat down beside me. I was not introduced to her and, silly me, I did not ask who she is. So we chatted: I was asked questions and I asked questions.

Finally, Sister Lady sitting beside me said "I am going to give you some personal feedback and promise me you will not take it personally" Interpretation: "I am about to insult you but you will not be able to insult me back because you are trying to impress us." In my professional and accommodating way I cheerfully responded "I welcome feedback" *Smh*

Sister Lady: Blah. Blah. Blah ... In this environment, some people will judge your appearance before you can show them you are intelligent
Me: I don't understand
Sister Lady: The way you present yourself
Me: *smiling* I am sorry I don't understand
Sister Lady: It may be okay 'over there' (as in abroad) but you have to understand the environment you are now in
Me: *I look at the Boss and give Sister Lady a blank stare*
Sister Lady: The way you wear your hair may be acceptable over there but it may not be acceptable here.
Me: Oh! You mean my natural hair? It is not relaxed
Sister Lady: Yes
Me: You think I should relax it
Sister Lady: Yes
Me: *Colgate smile* Thank you for the feedback.

Now there are so many things I feel I should / could have said to her like "Sister Lady you are gonna get some education tonight!" OR "That's just BS talk!" OR "For medical and dietary reasons I cannot permanently alter the state of my hair. I cannot braid with extensions or fix a weave or use a wig because I saw in a dream that all fake hair is made from snakes!" OR "Are you speaking on behalf of __ Bank?" OR "Who did you say you are again?" I did not say any of these things: fortunately or unfortunately.

So many professionals face this sort of unnecessary "feedback" from colleagues and employers. How dare an employer or colleague tell you or me to use chemicals to permanently alter the texture of our hair? Sadly it happens daily, and women are forced and pushed to either HIDE their natural hair under some fake hair or worse; get their hair relaxed. I had heard stories about this sort of thing and now I am experiencing it for the first time in all my 14 years of working! It is unprofessional, unethical and just plain stupid to make women feel that their natural hair, worn naturally, is unacceptable in the workplace. Is it clean? Yes. Is it neat and tidy? Yes. Then what is your problem?

So Sister Lady, your feedback is one that I WILL NOT be implementing anytime soon. And who did you say you are again?

Keep it natural (for life)!

Omozo

Thread as a hair styling tool

It has been 12 days since our last post? Really? How did that happen? And in my mind I had created so many blog posts o. We are sorry for the silence.

My sis and I have been experimenting with the threading technique. It seems to be making a comeback. Well, I think it seems to be getting recognition outside the areas it is commonly found in. So the Americans and British are discovering it and are talking about it. However, it never left Nigeria. We have been, and still are, using the thread technique in this country. Also, the majority of the Bloggers and V-loggers use thread to stretch their hair. Here in Nigeria, we actually use the thread to style our hair. So we can keep in a thread hairstyle for a few weeks.

Using thread to make (or "plait" as we in Nigeria say it) is quite common in Nigeria. You have basic styles and you have some psychedelic styles too. I am hesitant to say that you find more children using thread than adults in Nigeria. I hesitate because I did a rough count last week and noticed just as many adults wearing hairstyles with thread. The thread technique is simple. Basically, you take some thread and wrap it around your hair. You can wrap up the whole section completely with thread or you can leave some gaps in the sections so it looks like twists.

Cornrows in front and Chinese thread used to wrap the back

Types of thread
In Nigeria, threading hair can be done with Chinese thread, or rubber thread or wool.

Chinese thread needs a bit more skill to use. This is especially true when, after the hair is thread, you want to style it by twisting and bending the hair. If care is not taken, the already thread hair can come loose and this means you have extra work of re-doing the hair.

Chinese thread

The rubber thread looks shiny after it is done. The rubber thread is less expensive to buy. 

Rubber used to thread hair also known as Polyvinyl tube (alibaba.com)

Wool seems to be the new kid on the block. Using wool to thread hair is getting more popular than using Chinese or rubber thread. A ball of wool costs about N100 (One Hundred Naira), which is less that $1, and can be used several times. Of course the amount of use you will get from your ball of wool depends on the length of your hair and the size of your sections. In fact, wool is being used for a lot more than threading hair. It is also used as extensions to twist and braid hair. It is also easier to manipulate wool after threading your hair with it.

Wool (knitpicks.com)

Some Tips
I hear that using the wool to thread hair can be painful. If the Stylist has "a painful hand" then you might be in for double pain!
*When getting your hair styled with thread remember to keep it properly moisturized before styling or else you can loose a lot of hair when you undo the thread.
*Also pay attention and encourage the stylist not to thread too tightly especially the front and nape areas. It might help to hold the base of the section of hair when it is being thread so that you are able to reduce the tension a bit during the hair making process.
*Make sure you use leave-in conditioners on your hair when it is in thread so that your hair does not get too dry.

Wool used to thread the hair at the back and small braids in front

*If you are a Newbie to using thread on your hair as a styling option, you may want to try it out on a weekend or when you won't be seeing too many people or going to work that day or the next. Just in case it does not work out! (You know what I mean right?)
*If you are using a Stylist to thread your hair for the first time, consider taking a painkiller before or after your hair is styled. This is because you will be going through a new hair making experience and your hair will be tugged and pulled in new ways so you may feel a new type of discomfort.

And of course, be creative and make this technique work for you. It is a nice way to add some variety to your styling  arsenal.

Keep it natural!

Omozo

Naturals in the City 2 was a Natural Success

All smiles because the event was so much fun!

It felt like we were among old friends. And I will be so bold to say that we were. There were many of us yelling "It is good to see you again!". And of course your usual tirade of questions and comments like: "Wow your hair has really grown" / "What did you use to get your curls so defined?" / "How long have you been growing your hair?" / "Why can't I get mine to look like that?"


Our Compere (I beg no call am MC!), Chigo, is a natural. All the presenters did a fantastic job: nutrition consultant Sherese Ijewere, "Hair Whisperer" Aislynn Adewale, and image consultant Ifeoma Williams.

Natmane of Deepbrown & Kinks did not disappoint with her styling tips. I thought I knew how to use hair pins until I saw Natmane in action. She also showed us different ways of wrapping / tying our hair. My styling session was fast and easy. I demonstrated how to do the Cinnabun bun. You can check out our "how to" blog post here.

Natmane demonstrating how to tie a turban

Ibhaze my model! Her hair after my Cinnabun bun demonstration

 I want to give a special shout out to the ladies from my BB Group African Tresses. They came out to meet-up and support and they all looked super fab. Yes o, they were the ladies in RED (black, grey and brown). Thank you ladies.

The baby had his little 'Baby Hawk' happening

 Oh! Genevieve Magazine's Editor, Vanessa Banigo, was there to check out the event and interview the Organizers. Genevieve is published monthly in Nigeria, so make sure you keep checking to see the write-up and more pictures. Subscription is available for readers abroad. Contact them via their website.

L-R: Screwy Haired Girl and Vanessa Banigo (Editor of Genevieve Magazine)

Natural Nigerian (she is camera shy)

Big and loud snaps and applause to the organizers: Natural Nigerian, Screwy Haired Girl and Sherese Ijewere. You have raised the bar again. Well done and I cannot wait for the next one. Hugs and hi-fives from me. Here are more pictures from the event. Enjoy.

African Naturalistas (http://africanaturalistas.blogspot.com/) and Natmane's fingers giving the peace sign

Ms Fizz of LITK (http://www.leaveinthekinks.com/) and her fly up-do

Keep it natural!

Omozo