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Disclaimer

The hair tips, advice and recommendations given on this blog are given based on the experiences of the authors. These tips may not work for everyone and every hair type and it is important to acknowledge this since we are neither hair specialists nor trichologists.


Also many pictures on this blog belong to the authors but there are others that we do not have ownership for and thus we do not claim ownership of the ones that do not belong to us.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Holiday hair

We had Thursday and Friday off for the Muslim holiday. So I decided to try something different with my hair. I wore a side bun for two days.





And then on the third day I wore a curly fro.


I kind of like the way it turned out. I achieved this style by putting my hair into about ten twists and rolling the twists with rollers. (I actually do not use rollers. I just use strips of cloth to roll my hair) I slept with the twists in my hair and the next day I took them out and divided the twists. And the above was what i got. I really liked this style. Next time I try it I think I need to use a product to give me more hold.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Detangling Hair

How do I detangle?

So basically, I had been loosing wayyyyyy too much hair and I could not figure out why. After reading about some naturals who used finger detangling. I was able to come up with a detangling method that works for me. I attribute this to divine inspiration because I do not understand how I could be natural for 8 plus years and still have no clue about how to leave hair on my head when I detangle. 

 


My method is like this:

When I take out my twists, I simple do a pre-wash conditioning treatment then I wash my hair. Sometimes I wash by putting my hair into big plaits but lately I have not been doing this. I just wash my hair loose and it works for me. I think making a choice to wash your hair loose depends on how long your hair is.


It is important for me to do a deep conditioning treatment before I detangle.


After I rinse out the deep conditioning treatment and remove excess water from my hair using an old shirt, it is now time to detangle.


I take little sections of my hair, put some shea butter in it and use my fingers to separate the hair. Then I detangle the section using a wide tooth comb starting from the tips and working my way to the roots. When I’ve combed through my hair, I twist it up. When I’m all done I can go to sleep with the twists and  the next day my hair is stretched out enough for me to style.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Fake versus Real Coconut Oil

I only just discovered that real coconut oil will start to 'solidify' when it is in a cold room. But the coconut oil I bought from Ojota market recently does not do that. Hmmmm, I think my coconut oil has been mixed with another type of oil. I'm not happy at all :(

For those of you who buy your coconut oil from the market, watch out for the fake stuff.

Monday, November 23, 2009

Hair Interview with Ibhaze


Name

Ibhaze Uduehi


Where are you from?

Edo State


What do you do?

I work as a Business Development Officer in an Information and Communication Technology firm in Abuja.


So I know that in secondary school you wore your hair natural but afterwards you tried relaxers and texturisers. Tell us why you decided to go natural again?


I was in France for a while when I noticed my relaxed hair had started breaking off and it was getting more and more difficult to maintain it. Of course, in the small city I was living in, there were only 2 African hair salons and they weren’t cheap, so I had to beg a friend to help me relax my hair whenever she could(she was studying law so that was almost never).


So, one day, I walked into one of the African hair salons and noticed a framed picture of a black woman with a glorious natural mane. That was actually the 2nd time I cut my hair.

The first time was after Oghomwen came over, I saw her lovely long hair and wanted to do a transplant. So some months later, I woke up one fine and cut all the relaxed hair off. Since then, I tried jehri curls and baby curls for the “mixed” look but it just never felt right.

So I cut my hair early this year and I’m back to my natural wiry kink for good!



What’s your natural hair regimen?


I’m actually at the “obsessive” phase of my hair so this is the point where I’m trying anything and everything that’s claimed to be gold for natural hair. So far, I’ve been using Oghowmen’s shea butter mixture with essential oils, castor oil and glycerine as hair cream, Dark ‘n’ Lovely Ultra Cholesterol Deep Conditionning which I leave in overnight with my hair in a wrap and any basic oil spray to soften and moisturize my hair.


So far, so good! Now onto the famous coconut oil and I’ll be trying the Organic Mayonnaise Conditioning to see if it’ll make my hair softer and even healthier than it is right now.


I’ve had my hair in braids for a couple of months now with barely any intervals between braids so I feel it needs to breathe and be nurtured. So I’ll be doing a lot of deep and leave-in conditioning and try to make it a habit.


How do people react to your natural hair? Are they positive or negative?


People are actually very positive about my natural hair. Random strangers walk up to me and ask if it’s my hair that I’ve twisted or did I put something in? Then, they touch it and wow at it and go on to tell me why they could never do what I’m doing cos their hair’s too this or too that. I used to believe that I had the worst hair texture in the world as it’s really wiry (hairdressers never fail to stress that) and it’s not that full. But I’ve and am learning to maintain it and am loving the adventure!


People sometimes ask, with amazement on their faces, why I’m keeping my hair natural. A male friend though recently advised me to relax it for people to see the length. That was funny.


Comment about natural hair in the work place. Do you feel awkward about wearing your natural hair to work?


Not at all! And I’ve never been brought to book on my locs, twist/twist out or whatever style I had on. People compliment and also generally mind their business otherwise. As long as I look good and presentable, there’s no problem at all. It also helps to have a mouth that puts them in their place when they start voicing opinionsJ.

**bisous**

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Digging for Gold


It’s easier to strike gold if you’re digging. Only once in a while do you hear about people who actually stumble upon something of worth when they weren’t looking for it. Sometimes, you hear about people who stumble upon something else while searching for another thing. For example, you may be digging for gold but then strike oil instead. Either way you were digging.


Occasionally, when you’re digging for gold you may not find anything at all. That’s life. You win some and you loose some. Digging is never a waste of time though, because digging helps you develop strong muscles. So if ever you decide to stop digging and start building something, like a pyramid for example, at least you would have had some practice in hard labour.


At other times you may find that while you are hard at work shoveling and grunting, somebody significant stumbles upon you.  After inquiring about what you are doing, he or she may decide to employ you to dig for them on their own land where they are sure that there is gold. The decision of whether to keep on blazing your own trail or abandoning your territory to blaze the trail for another is entirely up to you.


There is also the possibility that you may be digging in the wrong place or with the wrong tools which is why you are not finding anything. Since we are only human, we make mistakes like this. However, a knowledgeable spectator may decide to let you in on the secret that you are digging in the wrong place or with the wrong tools. Then at least you would have acquired the knowledge you need to correct yourself.


At this point I will add that this same law applies to fishing, cooking, sewing, and many other professions. You are definitely more likely to catch something if you are fishing. Just like you are more likely to make a garment if you are sewing.


In case you missed it, the translation for digging is W-O-R-K. By work I mean you need to be doing the activities that push you forward and move you closer to what you want to achieve. In summary, you are more likely to succeed at something if you are working. You need to work to actually make something happen. If you are not working but instead loafing about, you are definitely on your way to achieving nothing. Dreams don’t just happen; people actually work to make them happen. Careers don’t just materialize, instead everyday people with the same abilities like you and I wake up every morning and spend hours of their day putting the pieces of their careers together. Businesses don’t just start by themselves. Nope. People make them happen. One reason why successful people are actually successful is because they decided to get up and work. So, pick up your shovel and start digging.


 

Oghomwen