3 years ago I asked you to join me on this journey and you did. Now, 59 posts, 9,588 views, 447 likes, 2582 visitors, 318 subscribers, and 193 comments later, I just want to ask “how are you?”
Through the inconsistencies, growth, and silence, you stuck with me, and the blog. I am surprised to have had any views at all this year since I posted last in January. It has been a rollercoaster because there were times I wanted to give up, and let go of the blog but I realised what I was doing was beyond me, beyond you. It’s something that would not only matter to this generation but generations to come.
I would like to share an email I got from one of the readers last year which spoke to my heart. It spoke to the purpose of this blog and why even though there might be inconsistencies, giving up is not an option.
I want to particularly thank you for sharing in this journey, and taking your time to read, share, like, and comment.
We are going to begin another journey together but this time I am inviting you to be a part of the progress. The time has come for the blog to evolve and take things up a notch.
I am sure you would have seen certain changes to the blog, especially as regards the new name and blog title which is Natural Hair Africa. The domain name is set to change but I would like this post to be the last for Anu’s Hair. I am so emotional right now *crying a river*
There is a lot I would love for us to do since we have one thing in common: Natural Hair.
I would want the vision to be the same as always: Helping people out with their natural hair and hair journey. Whether you have relaxed afro hair or regular afro hair, you are welcome to be a part of this amazing new journey. Without you, this new journey would be futile.
Joining us on this journey is Favour Uche, an extraordinary content writer whose articles you are sure to enjoy. If you would love to be a part of the team, kindly reach out to naturalhairafrica0@gmail.com. We would love nothing more but to grow with you and likewise you with us.
I would like to implore you to please follow @sleeknaturalists on Instagram to get the latest updates and see what’s going on in the hair community across Africa.
I was scrolling through my gallery and happened to come across a length check I did in April, 2021. In comparison with 2 years ago, the growth is actually round the bend!
The first was April 2019 and the second is April 2021.
2019 vs 2021
Presently, my regimen is just leaving my hair alone.
So on to you! When was your last length check? How are you reaching your hair goals?
You can read my other blog posts to know the not so secret formula to growing out your hair. I explain extensively on hair breakage, healthy hair journey and others.👇🏼
Hair breakage is one of the many causes of unhappiness amongst men and women. There is no way sadness will not erupt when you notice you have lost some hair or a part of your hair is gone. Hair breakage leaves your natural hair stagnant and reduced. Your hair retention and strong strands become redundant due to hair breakage.
cc: istock.com
I welcome you to the lazy natural hair series where I will be showing you tips on how to go about natural hair breakage in the easiest possible way with no stress at all! It’s impossible to avoid hair breakage but it can be taken care of. Hair breakage is one of the leading causes of stunted hair growth. It is natural to have hair breakage as some follicles of hair have to fall out for new hair to grow. Weirdly, it works that way. Hair breakage can be managed and minimized. I have struggled and had to deal with hair breakage over my 6 year hair journey. In fair judgement, it is the worst thing to deal with.
Why Your Natural Hair Is Breaking
1. Lack of moisture
If your hair is not properly moisturized, your hair is more prone to breakage. A natural rule is do not comb or detangle dry hair, never ever. Always use a leave-in conditioner and water or water and oil. This would also help you prevent alopecia.
2. Environmental stress
The stress from you and your environment can cause breakage. You do not need to do a lot of everything in the “natural hair knowledge world” to grow your hair. An example of an environmental stress from you is constant hair styling. Take styling breaks to stop breakage from constant hairstyling. Recently, I had to take a break from braids because I was experiencing so much abnormal breakage. Now, I experience very little breakage because I decided not to stress my hair anymore. Anything can be stressing your hair, once you figure it out just pause it for a bit, take a break.
3. Prioritizing hair length over hair health
taking care of your natural hair can never go out of fashion. When you treat your hair well it makes your hair healthy and stronger. strong and healthy hair will lead to overall hair growth. Be patient enough to let your hair grow in health as Rome was definitely not built in a day.
How To Stop Your Natural Hair From Breaking
1. Detangle your hair properly
Detangle your hair with your fingers first instead of a comb. Most times combs are not needed. Your finger detangling works perfectly fine and your hair is legit combed without a comb. If you’re going to use a comb, a wide-tooth comb is highly recommended. Don’t detangle dry hair. Always moisturize your hair with water and oil or water and leave-in conditioner. Dry hair only leads to more breakage.
2. avoid tight hairstyles
Avoid hairstyles that encourage your hair to break. Find a style that works for you and reduces breakage. It is good when you can also take breaks from constant hair styling as this would help you retain hair length.
3. Use natural oils
They help strengthen your hair over time and give you great hair texture. Your hair gets the strength it needs from the natural oils it produces, adding other natural oils can give your hair the extra strength it needs.
4. stay healthy
Eat healthy, drink lots of water and stay nourished. Healthy habits will help reduced hair breakage and lead to overall hair growth!
5. Avoid Hair Straighteners
Constant use of hair straighteners could lead to hear breakage as your hair follicles begin to thin out. You could rather opt for the African threading hairstyle. It is painless and helps you grow out your hair faster while also letting it get straight.
I am rooting for your hair growth and cannot wait to see you rock your healthy afro hair!
Hey Lovelies! It has honestly been a while! Geez! I have missed this space and missed writing. Well… missed writing my actual thoughts and not forced thoughts like my school essays. I have literally been drowning in so many assignments coupled up with writing my final year dissertation. It has not been the easiest.
You see my screenshot! I feel like that every passing day! I just can’t wait to be done with school, I’ve been held down for way too long, please. I need a release! A vacation in the Maldives would not be that bad 😢
NEW LOOK
30 secs reveal clip
Yoo guys! I dyed my natural hair with a semi-permanent dye! All by myself! And just because I can! To be candid, I was extremely scared to do it. I have been natural for so long with black hair and I really just wanted a permanent look with another colour. Initially, I was going to dye all of my hair but I had a rethink because of the videos I watched on YouTube. I was going to upload a video detailing the process but I thought about it again and realised how much I enjoy writing to talking.
My process:
The initial plan for me was to dye all of my hair but after watching YouTube videos on how bleach changes texture, I decided to bleach the tip of my hair using an activator and bleach powder. Special thanks to my friend, Zainab and her mum. They made this process easy for me! I followed the instructions given concerning bleaching the hair.
The Dye I used is Adore, Burgundy Envy, 79.
Eventually, I managed to burn my hand while rinsing off the dye 😭. It was my mistake to have slightly touched the bleach mix then rinse the dye off without gloves. I was shaking my hands so much gosh! As if fire was burning me. One reason why I must make Heaven! Can’t imagine how hell must be.
How I feel
Great! I’m in love with my new look! I’m ready for hot girl summer and more than ready to step some necks!
How my hair feels
The texture of my hair definitely changed the ends are dry as expected because of the bleach but it’s not as bad as I thought it was going to be. It’s something leave-in Conditioner and water can take care of.
Kindly share your thoughts with me in the comment section. I’m yet to get reactions. Tell me what you guys think! P.S. I’ve shared this post on my family group chat. LMAO, my mum’s definitely going to freak out. She’s probably reading this anyway, I love you mum!
Share your thoughts on this in the comments. If you have questions, ask away! ❤🤝🏼
Hey! Welcome back to Regimen series! If you’re new here, this series helps to showcase and teach other naturals on the hair care regimen and routines from fellow naturals. It has been interesting so far and this is the second interview! If you missed the first interview, don’t fret I got you covered. The post will be right at the end.
Enjoy, comment, share, ask questions! Regimen series continues!
Izehi is a fellow natural hair sister who is passionate about Natural Hair. She is an Instagram creator who gives tips on natural hair to help out on the hair journey. I paticularly can relate to this interview I had with Izehi because our journeys are almost alike.
A: Who’s Izehi?
I: I am currently a student and I like to read novels, I am also a writer. I am really excited about natural hair, I believe it should be the norm among black women. I also like to play dress up.
A: Amazing! How long have you been natural for? Was it a transition or big chop?
I: 5 years. The secondary school I went to made low cut compulsory. So after I completed my studies, I just decided to grow out my hair. As at that time I didn’t know what natural hair was or what it looked like, I kept expecting my hair to grow to a point where it would fall across my neck. Didn’t know it was relaxers that makes it that way. I just let my hair grow out from that point.
A: 5 years is a lot. Did you have a hair care regimen during this period?
I: When I started. I didn’t really have one and most of the natural hair products weren’t available. I barely applied anything to my hair.
A: Oh wow and your hair grew well right?
I: Well yes, but at some point it started breaking. It was dry.
A: How did you treat the dryness?
I: It lasted for a long time. Until I bought my first leave in conditioner when my hair was about 3 years old. I still dealt with dryness and breakage for a while. Then, I only washed my hair and applied leave in conditioner and oil. I didn’t feel the condition or even use a regular conditioner.
A: Presently, do you have a regimen to grow out and keep your hair healthy?
I: Yes. I do. I try to wash my hair weekly. I don’t use a pre poo because my hair is usually very oily. I wash my hair with warm water and apply a deep conditioner. I have been deep conditioning over night recently and my hair feels better. I rinse out the deep conditioner, wait for my hair to dry a bit and then I moisturise with leave in conditioner and oil before detangling. Sometimes I do protein treatments.
A: This is interesting. Does the weekly wash not get tiring? Every week seems like a lot.
I: Well, I put my hair in protective styles.So this weekly wash is just for a period of time.
A: Cool. In your own words what would you say a regimen is? Does it really help in the hair journey?
I: Of course it helps. A regimen is a total of all your hair care practices. It includes everything you do repeatedly to care for your hair.
A: Agreed! What is/has been your biggest hair challenge? Were you able to overcome it with a regimen? How?
I: My biggest hair challenge is dryness. Getting my hair moisturised and keeping it moisturised. Well, I think I have come a long way, my hair generally feels better now. A lot less dry and it doesn’t break as much but I am still in search for the right products. And yes, having a good regimen does help. Because I wash my hair regularly, I am able to get rid of dirt and product build up that may be preventing moisture from penetrating.
A: That’s good! What is your favourite protective hairstyle and why? I:Box braids.They are beautiful and versatile, low maintenance and they help me retain length.
A: What products are in your hair product list?
I: I use Aunt Jackie’s fix my hair deep conditioner, “As I am classic” leave in conditioner, Crème of nature shampoo and Hair wonder hair oil.
A: Where can we find you on the internet space?
I:Only on instagram for now. My handle is @strawberry.natural
A: Anything else you’d love to add?
I: Choose to love your natural hair, don’t think about how much easier it was when your hair was relaxed. Accept everything, the time and effort you put in, see it as how it should be. Fall in love with the process of caring for your hair, see it as a form of self care.
If you have questions, you can reach her via her handle or comment and a reply will be given. Or if you feel the need to have a one on one conversation you can always reach out via this contact form.
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Hello there and welcome to the beginning of the regimen series. If you are new here, my name is Anuoluwa and I am a Natural Hair Enthusiast meaning that I’m all for all things natural hair. I’m super excited to start this series and why is because it will shed so much light on natural hair, the uniqueness of each naturals hair journey and challenges that have been overcome. It’s honestly a great avenue to learn and also improve on one’s hair Regimen.
The first guest is Oluwadamilola, a beauty creator. She has the best hair styling DIYs on IG! Oluwadamilola recently went from this to this in less than a year (2020).
My interview with Oluwadamilola sheds light on so many things. I’m not a fan of spoilers so read and enjoy! It is interesting and I’m certain you will learn a whole lot cause I did too!
A: Who is Damilola?
D:I’m a creator that specializes in all things beauty and self care and we all know hair care plays a special part in self care so I’m a natural haircare enthusiast as well.
A: Amazing! How long have you been natural for? Was it a transition or big chop?
D: I’ve been natural for four years and I had to do both a big chop and transition as well.
A: That’s interesting, a big chop and transition. So the transition came before the big chop right?
D: No actually, I was fed up of the state of my scalp and just tired of having long hair the last week I relaxed my hair and gave my Mum a scissors to chop off all of my hair. So it was a low cut at the time and I wasn’t planning on growing it out. In fact I knew nothing about natural hair or how to care for it. One time, my sister returned home and suggested that I let my hair grow out. I started with just washing my hair more often and using the coconut oil she left me. Also, research on google pushed me to fall in love with the idea of being natural and I decided to grow my hair out. That was how I transitioned. I transitioned for about a year and chopped off the remaining relaxed ends in February 2017.
A: Oh wow, the whole process must have been something. You mentioned not knowing anything about natural hair at the transition stage but after the big chop, what was your regimen like then?
D: After that, I switched out all my hair stuff for the safest things I could find where I lived. I used to live in Niger state. During that period, even the biggest supermarkets didn’t have the right stuff for natural hair which lead me to a lot of DIYs. I was convinced for sure that I wasn’t meant to use shampoos that would dry out my hair, like those with sulphates, parabens, mineral oils and so on. So I used to make my own black soap shampoo mix with raw black soap, peppermint oil, coconut oil and as many more great oils I could find so the black soap wouldn’t strip my hair. I think I got this recipe from a big natural hair DIY Instagrammer and YouTuber at the time, @naptural85. For conditioning, I hadn’t dived into the whole deep conditioning idea yet so my rinse out conditioner was one Olive Ors one, it wasn’t the best but it was what I could find that was safe. To moisturize I continued to use water and oil mixes alone. Eventually I found online vendors and got myself better products. DIYs were still a part of my regimen but just minimal and for deep conditioning or doing protein treatments. I also avoided heat and stopped visiting salons unless I had to make my hair for school.
A: I love how easy your regimen is but has it changed since then? Presently, do you have a regimen to grow out and keep your hair healthy?
D: Oh yes! it has changed a lot. This is where I bring up the fact that although I knew the harmful things to not do, I still had no clue about what I was doing. Though I thought I did. My first mistake was assuming that I had low porosity hair and getting lost in trends and everyone’s tips and advice. Some of them also used to say, ‘do what works for you, learn to understand your own hair’ but I just assumed using the pricey product suggestions and following what they did was all I needed. My hair did grow but I was barely retaining any length or keeping it as healthy as it could be. Other people around me thought my hair was flourishing which made me think so too, but I didn’t know I could do a lot better. It was only until some time in April 2020 that I decided totake the health and growth of my hair very seriously. I became consciously natural then. I figured out my hair porosity and realized it was actually high porosity this entire time and a lot of the things I assumed I was doing right were just so wrong. I had to go back to the basics and incorporate more moisturizing products and ingredients into my regimen. I have dry and brittle 4chair as well so I looked for things that had a lot of slip, researched ingredients thoroughly before buying products and then incorporated more proteins into my diet and my regimen. For example I started using rice water which really reduced my breakage and helped my hair become more strengthened and manageable. Then fenugreek seeds had a great slip when I made a paste to form a deep conditioner and used the tea as a rinse to also fight breakage alongside my diet and other products I used. My hair grew rapidly and thickened a lot with time. I no longer battle so much with breakage and I’ve managed to come up with a simple and beneficial regimen for my hair. I wash my hair at least once a week with a moisturizing shampoo and clarify one every month with bentonite clay. I do protein treatments once every two weeks. I deep conditioning every time I wash my hair. I massage my scalp with my growth oil mix every 2-3 days and I use the LCO method to seal in moisture to battle dryness and sometimes when my hair isn’t in a long term protective style, I moisturize once every 3 days.
A: This rice water regimen has caused some heartaches to a lot of people but I’m glad it helped your hair. Are there specific steps you took for it to work for you?
D: Okay so before I started, my friend was the one who put me on so she made sure to give me very helpful tips. At the beginning, I used it once every week because she was doing a rice water challenge on her instagram page, @rhnaturalle and I was told to deep condition every time after I used it. After the one month challenge, I realized it was really helping but my hair didn’t need it too much, so I started using it only once every two weeks, and I made sure to still deep condition and moisturize properly after using it. It never dried out my hair because I always moisturizer properly right after. It just helped strengthen it.
A: You are trying with washing your hair once a week. From your experience with washdays, how do you cope honestly? I wash mine every 4 months or if I feel it’s dirty. I personally dread wash days.
D: 4 months 💀!?. I’d probably have to shave all of my hair off if I ever tried that 😂. My scalp would be way too itchy. Okay so my every week wash day is only possible due to motivation, discipline and me liking water. Motivation because if I don’t, I’d be itching my scalp until I finally do. Discipline, because I know it’s essential that my scalp is always clean and healthy to ensure length retention and healthy hair. Also, being under the shower for a long time really helps me reflect and relax, my legs may hurt but I enjoy it 😊.
A: Nice one, I really admire how motivated you are. In your own words what would you say a regimen is? Does it really help in the hair journey?
D:Okay I’d say a regimen is a set up routine to do something that a person ensures they follow no matter what. Which is where discipline comes out. My current hair care regimen is set up to ensure that I care for my hair in certain ways and using certain techniques. I believe that if somebody aspires to have healthy hair and reach certain hair goals then there needs to be a hair care regimen put in place to ensure that happens. It is advisable to make it a very simple one so that it can be carried out easily and with minimal stress. Therefore making it is very very important.
A: Couldn’t agree more to the statements above! What is/has been your biggest hair challenge? Were you able to overcome it with a regimen? How?
D: Not being able to retain moisture or length, and then my dandruff and itchy scalp. There was a time I thought my hair had even stopped growing or that I had lost like an entire year of growth because like I said, I thought I was doing all the right things but my recent hair care regimen has helped to overcome that. Plus my hair hasn’t been dry in months, just because I’ve found everything that works for me and I’m using the right techniques along side following my set up routine. Which lead to why my scalp is in a better state. Towards the end of 2020, I decided to do a proper scalp and hair detox with bentonite clay and then wash my hair, really focusing on my scalp once in three or four days. If I wasn’t washing with a moisturizing shampoo, I was using a co-wash and immediately after I would massage my scalp with my growth oil and then moisturize my hair and put it in a protective style. That entire month, I oiled and massaged my scalp in the morning and night and as soon as it felt itchy again, I would wash, then rinse and repeat the same process. After some weeks my scalp was able to last a whole week without being itchy as long as I oiled and massaged it frequently, then I started oiling and massaging every three days which would be at least twice a week and that was working as well. Now, that’s a permanent routine in my regimen so I can avoid the itchy mess and dryness.
A: What is your favourite protective hairstyle and why?
D: Definitely twists! Over time I’ve learnt that it’s the number one protective style that doesn’t make my hair shed so much after I take it down. Also, because I wash my hair so often and I’m very big on protective styling, it’s super easy to do and it’s the fastest one to put my hair in so those are the reasons why.
A: I feel you! What products are in your hair product list?
D: Some of the products I use at the moment I use: The TGIN- MiracleRX shampoo, MiracleRX protective leave in, honey miracle hair mask and daily moisturizing butter cream, Shea moisture raw Shea butter restorative conditioner , Fruit of the earth 100% Aloe Vera gel. My diy oil mix and a hair growth oil and moisturizing butter from Borahorganics, a Nigerian brand. For styling purposes, sometimes I use my olive oil eco styling gel and the shine n jam extra hold conditioning gel.
A: What advice would you give to someone who is trying to figure out their Regimen?
D: I’d say the first step they take is to find out what their hair porosity is, that’s what helps to know what ingredients to lean towards and which ones to run away from. then next to do is research, google is free lol 😂 and there are tons of youtubers and people on Instagram that dish out free advice so pick the advice that relates to your hair porosity and the goals you plan to reach concerning your hair. Lastly, don’t be like me and do everything everyone says, do the ones that sound reasonable and try one new thing at a time, it might not work for you so you drop it immediately. It doesn’t mean it’s not good, it’s just not for you.
A: Where can we find you on the internet space? ☺
D: @damilola.ipadeola on Instagram, I don’t have a YouTube channel yet so I’m always here to answer everyone’s questions.😊
A: Anything else you’d love to add?
D: Oh just one thing, please be patient with your hair growth, I mean it took me about 3 years to figure it all out. Also, take a lot of pictures. If not for pictures I wouldn’t have had solid proof that I was actually on the right track and I was gradually reaching all of my hair goals 😊.
If you have questions, you can reach her via her handle or comment and a reply will be given. Or if you feel the need to have a one on one conversation you can always reach out via this contact form.
Till nextweek! Where I bring in another Natural head doing well in their journey! Stay blessed! Virtual hugs from me to you!🤗
I had an interesting hair convo with my floor mate -a very lovely and energetic damsel – who said to me, “you are consistent, keep it up”. It made me recall the beginning of this my hair journey.
Di’ja and her Afro in 2015
I had taken wanting Di’ja’s Afro so personal that I mentally just registered it. I didn’t know how I was going to get it, I just knew I wanted it. If I told you my regimen fell from heaven landing in my mind, would you believe me? Because it really did! And I’m not joking! I just happened to be regimen conscious because I was suffering greatly from alopecia. May affliction not rise again! Amen! Anyways, my mental Dija’s Afro picture and my Alopecia regimen had an intercourse and birthed what I have on my head today.
Prior to the Regimen series nextweek, the “not a do or die affair” is a prelude so we can all get regimen conscious. I’m excited to start and share the regimen series, it will feature a lot of interesting regimens from natural heads who are moving well in their hair journey and I also can’t wait to learn too.
To the business of today!
Choke Your Natural Hair Before It Chokes You
The natural hair journey can be really overwhelming. Infact crazy overwhelming that you feel as though you are being choked by the journey. It never ends but you can be in control of the situation rather than it being in control of you. There are many things such as alopecia, stunted hair growth, dandruff and so on that feels like they are not going away anytime soon and you feel overwhelmed and sad. Happens to the best of us, just know you are not alone in this and that there are ways you can overcome it. My recent struggle is different from the aforementioned, I used to and sometimes still struggle with the overwhelming nature of my voluminous hair and shrinkage wasn’t making it any easier. The moment I became aware of my hair volume increase I started wearing my hair out often and it caused me more stress than I bargained for. Now, I choke my natural hair with protective styles to relieve myself. This is me being in control of my natural hair. Easily I was falling into hair depression just going about my natural hair in it’s natural state. Currently, I am happier having my hair in more protective styles just because it’s easy for me to maintain and grow my hair out at the same time. Choke your natural in the healthiest way you know is best possible, I have articles that you can read on how you can be less stressed by natural hair. Check the articles at the Menu button above and click on “Let’s talk Hair”
Who dey breet? Definitely not Your Natural Hair
Consistency is very key in this hair journey. So be consistent enough to not give your natural hair room for unnecessary breakage. Consistency and your hair regimen should be like 5&6. Do not overly concern yourself with your natural hair that it starts to make you worry. Relax and find an easy regimen that helps. A basic regimen includes: protective styling, essential oil and a leave in conditioner as a basic starter kit, moisturizing your scalp and hair, regular hair massages, shampoo and conditioning and a good hairstylist. This is the most simple regimen and very basic to all natural heads.
Do am, E easy
Halle X Chloe
Regimens are simple and easy to follow. It’s less stressful following a regimen and more stressful trying a combination of regimens. Everyone’s regimen differs, so come up with one by browsing through a varieties of regimens and pick what suits you.
Finally! Comparison is the thief of Joy in this natural hair journey. There’s a fine line between healthy comparison and unhealthy comparison. I would recommend not to compare at all and just know that you will have the hair of your dreams someday. It will happen!
Vocabulary
Who dey breet? -> A twitterNG pigin slang asking “Who’s breathing?” to connote the essence of a paticular thing being immense.
My school just resumed after letting its students wait home for about 10 months due to covid and the national federal universities strike. It has been a really sad something. Well the good news is that we are back to school but it is virtual, hoping that things are normal in a way. This particular post is 2 weeks old in my mind so enjoy!
Purchasing right hair products can be daunting at times. Extremely daunting I must say and this is because sometimes you are limited to certain products and other times the products are limitless on the aisle. I have encountered both scenarios and the least daunting is the latter where the products are limitless. There’s an offer of varying products with brand choices and an avenue for you to try different brands. I really had gone out to buy provisions for school but as the spirit would lead me, it lead me right into the hair section and my dears! It was as if I entered a whole new zone. I hadn’t budgeted for it so I had to sacrifice part of my provision to get hair products and to be honest I didn’t spend as much as I thought. So here is what I got:
Shampoo VO5
This would be a new try. I usually would go for the shampoos that have essential oils in them but I wanted something different. The name grabbed my attention mostly as per since it’s ocean and I would use with with water it would make a perfect balance, Right? If you know me, you know I dread wash days but I paticulary look forward to my wash day with this shampoo just to see how it feels. I’m gassed about the ocean vibes.
Cost : N800 ( $2.10)
Suave Conditioner
I have tried the bigger bottle of this as my mum who is also a fan of coconut bought the shampoo and conditioner of this product in it’s largest size. It is a good conditioner and the shampoo is even better. I definitely would recommend for anyone really. It’s a great product
Cost: N750 ($1.97)
Motions Oil Sheen
God knows I judged the book by it’s cover and I’m actually quite sad it doesn’t smell as nice as my previous oil sheen which had a bubblegum smell to it. I got it because it being an oil sheen infused with argan and coconut oil made it really attractive. I buy oil sheens to help make my hair smell nice incase it has any funny smell especially since I carry protective styles for a long period of time. It’s a good oil sheen anyways and the spraying is seamless , you need not press it so much before it fleets out on your hair. I definitely enjoy that part of it. It was the only sheen that had the mix of essential oils I use to look for in products. Oil sheens are recommendable for long term protective style carriers. It’s your hair’s perfume. Instead of spraying an actual perfume on your hair, oil sheens already are made for perfuming your hair.
Costs: N1100 ( $2.89)
Kuza hair lotion
Can I just say that if I regret a buy I most definitely regret Kuza. And to think it’s the most expensive one I had got out of all the products. Because I’m currently on a long term protective style, I wanted to see it this lotion could act as a better long lasting moisturizer for my hair but alas I was wrong. It barely could last till the next day before I felt my hair pulling me again. I had to later on use my coconut oil which keeps my scalp moisturized for about 2 days. Well my money cannot waste so I will try it out as a leave in conditioner till it’s finished. The quantity is not a lot so it has to be managed and used properly.
N2300 ( $6. 04)
Showercap
Usually used for steaming hair really or taking a shower. I’m a fan of showercaps because I prefer showers. I barely do any steaming by the way. The ones I do once in a while, I do with a mint scented product or conditioner. The way my sclap opens up with forever be a thing for me. It’s a heavenly feeling to be honest.
Cost: N150 ($0.39)
Eco Styler Gel
I’m shy to be back at eco styler but here I am. Like I said in the very first product review I wrote, it’s actually a great moisturizer. But this particular Olive Oil gel as a hair gel is a yes for me. Really great hold and light weight too. I have had the opportunity to try the coconut gel and the Olive oil gel and I would choose the Olive Oil gel over and over as a gel. If you’re looking to moisturize your hair, the coconut eco styler is a good match to that.
Cost: N1000 ( $2.63)
Bonnet
I had to buy a bonnet because I fancied it. Actually crazy I barely use it to sleep unless it’s needed. By the time I wake up its off my head because I made it lose. I didn’t see a point using it but you can. It’s a fashion item for me anyways. I only really would use it if I wasn’t combing my hair the next day so as to keep moisture locked in.
Costs: N 500 ($1.32)
N – naira $- dollar
Total cost in N= 6600
Total cost in $= 17.63
I think this is a very fair price for products purchase. I got them at wholesales price by the way. For hair products I would usually budget N5000 – 10 000 depending on the store. Really safe to say that hair products are not as expensive as one might presume it to be.
Well till next time my dears🤗, I really do hope to be consistent with the every 2 weeks post updates. School and Work has really taken it’s toll on me but will definitely survive.
😊🤗 you can also contact via this form here
PS: if you live in Ibadan and want to buy hair products, you can check out Pinnacle Dugbe and thank me later.
Making one’s hair definitely adds to one’s beauty. With Afro hair, you have the luxury of switching and changing hairstyles to what suits your liking. It’s like you’re a whole brand new person with every switch.
CC: istock.
There’s always that mental process that comes before you opt for the hairstyle you want and you’d always consider these: How much does it cost? Will I sit long hours or short? What’s its review from others who have tried it? Will this style suit me?
The most important for anyone really is the suitability of the style for one’s head. Below is a review on protective hairstyles that are good for any type of hair whether Natural or Permed.
THE BEST PROTECTIVE HAIRSTYLES FOR NATURAL HAIR
1. Crochet
Its early trend started in the 1990s however, it started as a throwback trend in 2017. Everyone I knew then was interested in crocheting their hair. If there’s any hairstyle that’s good for short and long term, then it’s crochet. It’s one style that’s easy or do and super simple. It is indeed very versatile and has a lot of styles in majorly twists, twist outs and braids. You could even do it on yourself, it’s that easy. I usually help my mum out with hers. She does her cornrows and I crotchet for her. It’s definitely its simplicity for me. It’s more like having a wig on only that your cornrows have to carry a light load. A pack in Nigeria ranges from N 1000($3) – 5000 ($13). For a full head you’d need 2-3packs depending on the style you get. In my state(Ibadan) in Nigeria, its hairstyling service cost N1000($3)- below. It’s indeed time friendly and cost effective.
2. Crochet Locs
Locs is an all time favourite. I particularly love seeing people who have had it from birth and also people who loc their hair permanently or temporarily. For those of us who belong to neither of the categories, we are lucky to have it in extensions. People have now improved on new ways to crotchet their hair without having to do a cornrows and make it seem as if they had braids on. I like to call the style “one one” or “crotchet locs” because it is mostly predominated by faux locs usage. It’s one that you carry for long term. You could go for 3- 4 months if you’re big on lasting protective styles. The rougher it gets the more attractive it looks. I’m not necessarily a fan of it and would recommend for people who have shorter hair like neck length or shorter. A pack of it ranges from NGN 2500($6) – 20 000($50) depending on the locs to be purchased. It’s service in my state(Ibadan, Nigeria) range from 2500($6) – 3000 ($7).
3. Cornrows
This one is my all time favourite. It suits anyone and everyone, Male or Female. There’s this power of beauty that cornrows adds to a person’s face. It most definitely has a raw and authentic look on an individual that gives off a vibe of natural beauty. Cornrows are versatile for use and are the best bet for anything especially when using wigs. Cornrows done with one’s natural hair doesn’t require a lot of time or money. It could last for 2-3weeks depending on how well it’s done. Honestly its everything that comes with the hairstyle for me. Services for this range from free- ($1) in any state in Nigeria.
4. Classic Braids
Classic braids is actually a good protective style. It’s easy to maintain and could be carried for a long period of time. It gives off a full like look and is actually heavy depending on it’s length. Maintaining this braids is the core of it’s beauty. A good maintenance routine would protect your hair from damage. The cost for classic braids depends solely on the length and size you want to do. Anyways 2-3 Rich Expression/Darling braids extension should be enough depending on your hair’s fullness too. Services for this in my state(Ibadan) differ depending on the hairstylist but it ranges from NGN2000($5)- 4000($10)
5. Knotless Braids
First off let me thank God and bless him followed by praises and cheers to the person(s) who brought the idea of Knotless Braids. If you’re looking for a painless and easy to carry hairstyle then it’s knotless. It’s super light and easy to style. There’s barely any pain that comes with this beauty. The feed in nature of this braids is a win for me. It makes ditching classic braids very easy. Once you get into it you can hardly go back to classic braids. It would definitely always be knotless braids for me. It is also time friendly depending on your hairstylist. It has varying sizes. I would recommend medium sized ones to begin with if you’re thinking short term. For long term like 3 months you can opt for small sized ones. I usually always go for medium anyways because I’m too lazy to take down small sized ones. You can also have it in big sized braids. It’s recommendable to use 3 Ultra Braids or 2 Rich Braids and 1 Ultra. I would recommend 3 Ultra Braids instead. Services for it ranges but in my state(Ibadan) in Nigeria it’s NGN3000($7) – 5000($13).
6. Ponytails
Yes and many times yes. Although, this hairstyle is not so recommendable because it can damage your edges if you constantly do it. Regardless it’s a nice hairstyle when it comes to normal fashion. Everyone looks good in a ponytail. It surely does enhances one’s beauty. Indeed time and cost friendly. You can even do it yourself. The prices for getting ponytail extensions range from 1000($3) – 20 000($51) depending on many factors like retail, hairstylist, texture and so on.
Wrapping up
For the Cons of these protective hairstyles it solely depends on your hairstylist. Your hairstylist could determine if the hair goes bad or good for you. I always recommend choosing your hairstylists carefully. Especially if you’re a natural head because not many hairstylists know how to handle natural hair.
This year has been my busiest year so far. I really felt the weight of the whole year on me. Above all growth seems to be this most outstanding. This being the last day in the year is just as normal as normal could be. I’m paticularly curious to see what 2021 has in store for the world generally. It’s meant to be the year of the Vaccine. I think one thing that’s for certain is that we’re never going back to normal.
Anyways these 7 are my natural hair highrants for 2020.
1.
If I had a dollar for everytime someone said this in 2020 I would probably have enough to relocate to Canada by now. Everyone wants me to wear my hair out often but I’m not even that person. I do know they mean well. Shrinkage first of all is a mini demon. Where do I even begin with my tales. The whole Coachella Event that comes with leaving out my hair is a nightmare on it’s own. At times when I leave my hair out in it’s natural state, I always almost immediately plait it back. I most times hammer on being a lazy naturalist but realized that I am not. I’m just less motivated to stress my hair out. This helps me especially in retaining length. I’m more of the bonnet, wigs and protective style girl. I mean I love seeing my natural hair but I love it more when I’m not stressed by it.
2.
Washday is a dread day for me. It’s one of my worst days in the year. I can aptly say I have had 5 washdays in 2020. I think my most craziest washday would be when I used only a Lux bar soap to wash my hair. No shampoo, no conditioner just a bar soap. And it didn’t feel bad, it didn’t feel like I betrayed the natural hair society, in fact it felt great because I went out to make braids that day. I don’t overthink Washday. It’s natural I natural, I didn’t kill anybody. Shoutout to naturals who look forward to Washday, honestly just admire you guys a lot. I mean it’s God’s strength.
3.
I’ve been screaming in my head that I want to try out Deep Conditioning and Pre poo but omo x 10000000. I just haven’t had the time to. And maybe I never really will. Yes I’m a sort of a fan for DIYs but I’d rather just not overthink it. It will happen in due time. Hopefully. For now we moveeeeee.
4.
Twist outs shamed me this year o. Not gonna lie. I can’t get my hair past the first taking down stage. The second stage always has me in premium tears.
This particular one below did not shame me because I refuse to be shamed. I just left it as I loosened it. Later at night I re-did the twists back, I still have them on presently.
Although I give up now, I shall try again in the nearest future. Oh yeah and this was my Christmas hair. Seeing that Bone Straight hair did not agree with my Bank account. 😏
5.
For the first time I had my “natural hair is expensive” moment. I usually just buy products when I see them but now it’s almost as if the price of everything just skyrocketed. I’m not even feeling fine to be honest because the worst part is my hair is drinking these products like a fish. I’m honestly just too lazy for a DIY but let’s see how things go in 2021.
6.
Me and my mum on her hair growth for the past 6 years
If there’s someone growth I’m proud of this year then it’s hers. I mean I need this level of patience in my life but it wasn’t even about the amount of years. It just took 2 months in this year for her hair to actually grow out visibly. The lockdown had helped and because we were at home for the better half of this year I turned into a part-time scalp massager and protective hairstylist. I made her hair and massaged it everyday for the 2 months. I now sometimes use that as a bribe to get what I want. 😊
A natural reminder that you can never get it wrong with the right protective style and regular scalp massages.
7.
Honestly grateful for the blog’s growth this year. I wrote more articles because of this lock down thing. The blog got nominated twice, I went on my first natural hair live, I actually nearly almost conquered my fear of public speaking, God blessed me this year with new friendships, new visions, unexpected help and gifts from people I barely talk to, Consistency became my sort of bestie, I started a business. On the down side I lost someone dear to me, failed relationships, almost lost focus. Well, All is well that ends well.
And on that note! I say a big thank you to all those who read and engage with my posts here, Instagram and WhatsApp. You all are amazing. I love and appreciate you hairy much❤
On the last day of 2020, Anu says goodbye, see you in 2021❤💃🏽
There’s quite a crazy obsession in the natural hair world and that has to do with long natural hair. As a beginner in the club, I was definitely obsessed with long hair. I always admired naturalists who had same texture as mine and had super long hair. In the natural hair community, there are so many hard fast rules to growing out ones hair. In fact too many to count such as rice water, hot oil treatments and the likes. While the hard fast rules may work for some, it doesn’t work for many. I try not to get too carried away with the hocus pocus going around and just face my regimen.
Friendly reminder that you should not believe all those videos or blogs that say you can get from 0 to 100 in a week or two and those that tell you to take hair supplements(drugs). They are scams. Hair growth is a long time taking process that requires months and years. It’s not abracadabra. It could take a lot of years for you to reach your desired growth and at the same time it could take a few years short. So here are some general and very necessary tips that require no stress and apply generally to all types of hair.
Tips
Re assess your hair care routine:
Having good genes can only take you so far. You need to have a smart hair care routine. Your hair care routine can be likened to your regimen. The races with the longest hair, the Indians and Chinese do not only rely on genes. They have smart hair care routines which consists of scalp massages, herbal treatments and the likes. The main ingredient to a hair care routine is actually having healthy tips that grow out the hair, reduce breakage and promote length. So is there anything in your current regimen that you feel as though needs to change? Something missing? Something needs to switch up or down? If your hair grows longer there’s definitely a need to fine tune your regimen as you can’t always have a constant regimen. So re-assess your hair care routine.
Massage your scalp with essential oils
This helps greatly in growing out one’s hair and reaching desired lengths. Scalp massages can be done on protective styles and normal hair. If there’s the abracadabra to this growth thing then it’s regular scalp massages. Combining this with the right oils will help your hair grow immensely well.
Essential natural oils
Oils help penetrate deeper and faster into your scalp which in turn helps promote growths. I always recommend getting essential oils that are 100% extra virgin. It is highly recommendable that you make these oils by yourself. Click here for more info on essential oils.
Wear your hair out less often
Try as much as possible to carry protective styles for 4-8 weeks. Wearing your hair out less often protects it from breakage and excessive shedding. You can also wear wigs to protect your hair if you’re experiencing hair loss.
Protective styles
Protect your hair as much as possible. Do protective styles that actually help you grow your hair and not break it. There are certain styles I try to avoid that break my hair such as cornrows and crotchets. I avoid doing them all the time as I noticed that I lose more hair than gain. So do protective styles that actually help you grow your hair and retain length. This is very important. And also when it comes to taking down protective styles, you have to take them down properly. Click here for more on taking down protective styles.
Moisturize your hair
Water, oil and Leave-in-Conditioner (or any natural hair product of your choosing) help to keep your hair moisturized and retain moisture in your hair for a while. Sometimes a product can change your hair texture and not just temporary but permanently if there’s a constant use of it. I used “motions” only once and my hair texture never remained the same. My hair became softer and easier to detangle. Moisturizing your hair will also help reduce breakage.
Listen to the language of your hair
hair speaks, always listen.
The Natural Hair Demons
If natural hair had its own village people then it would definitely be these: Hair breakage Alopecia (hair loss) These village people will not let you retain length as your hair grows.
Breakage is not a normal thing so do not let anyone make you feel as though it’s normal or as though yours is better than theirs. I have had experiences first hand and one thing I always keep reminding myself of is that I refuse to experience breakage in any way or form. Honestly, this has worked for me so much that when my hair eventually breaks off it is minimal compared to when I thought it to be normal. Your hair was not created to break off instead it was created to shed. So make it a goal in this life to avoid breakage as much as possible. Less combing of the hair and more finger detangling especially when taking down a protective hairstyle will help reduce breakage greatly.
Alopecia in many cases can be normal but in some cases caused by extreme breakage it is not normal at all. This one has its own special type of village people that made it such in a way that it is believed not to have any cure. I experienced this first hand and I overcame it. So it’s possible to survive alopecia. You’d definitely need a lot of patience when handling this condition. Rest assured that there is nothing God cannot do.
Then there are your real village people, people who would tell you it is impossible to grow your hair out so long, people who would discourage you, people who would tell you you’re wasting your time, people who will want to put you down in anyway. It is not as if they necessarily mean it. It’s just that they lack the ability to see how far you are seeing. It’s more of a vision problem on their part. So do not let anyone discourage you or try to tell you that you can’t reach your goal. You can and this solely depends on you and not them. So push out the noise and feel the music of your soul. You can and you will.
It’s all about mindset naturalistas. So free your mind and choose not to let negativity cloud your positivity.❤
The end!
I do hope you’re having a great time this detty December. Remember to stay safe and wear your mask! See you same time next week as I round up the posts for the year. YaY!
Do not forget to rate the blog and drop your comments!
It’s a horror movie based on hair. I had a mini phobia for wearing weaves after seeing it. I just can’t can. It’s got a nice storyline. It mirrors how society works in line with white washing and cultural cringe. A very well written satire and relatable to the African society. The inferiority complex portrayed in the movie tells a lot on how our community and society is now. I wouldn’t want to go into all the details but it’s definitely a must watch. Many questions bug me as I still see that this is the reality of “white washedness” we live in.
Why can’t I carry my afro hair in the corporate space? Why is this nappy hair tagged as unkempt and unfit for use? Why does my browser show me natural hair as unprofessional? Why has my culture become more of an alien entity rather than my identity?
I particularly like that people are embracing natural hair now. Although, we still have a long way to go in Africa considering there’s a whole lot of learning and unlearning to be done.
Hair Moments
I feel as though I lived a decade in one year. This year was full and long. I paticularly struggled with length retention this year. Out of sheer frustration, I kept pulling out my knotted ends instead of detangling. Thanfully the knotless braids I did helped me regain some lost length. My goal for this year was waist length but seems like it would come by 2021 or 2022. Rip to the lost hair.
Also, I learnt something new as my hair grew and fell and I wasn’t able to retain length with my regimen. I had noticed that once my hair got used to a certain branded product it would reject the consistent use of it and want to try another. So I have been trying new brands and other oils asides coconut oil.
I also realised that I need more patience with my hair because as it’s growing it’s bound to entangle more and frustrate me even more. So I’m putting in more patience, getting new natural hair products, constant moisturising and minding my business in general.
Product Review
Everytime I go out to buy a Leave-in Conditioner I always get a new brand to use. Cantu seems harder to find in stores in my locality. I went to about 4 stores till I found Biocare. Although, I was very skeptical about this leave-in because of the honey and protein in it. My hair is not a fan of honey, as I’ve noticed. So I just decided to gamble on my options. It was a choice between Biocare and Mega growth leave-in-Conditioner. I decided to opt for Biocare and just make do. So far, It’s an okay product. There’s barely any white residue when used on hair. It mosturises the hair nicely and has a great scent. It doesn’t have any slip. A small amount of it goes a long way. On the down side, it doesn’t help retain moisturise on hair for a long period.
It has a minty like smell which is nice. It’s a basic Leave-in-Conditioner. I’m not a fan but you could give it a try.
Benefits
•Intense Detangling with Long Lasting Conditioning
•Apply daily before brushing, combing and styling
•Excellent before blow-drying to better protect hair from heat damage and moisture loss (for transitioners)
I followed this through at least to the end of this year. Crazily thought I wouldn’t be able to but the pandemic and lockdown contribute to me having more time to take care of my hair. Next year I plan to carry more protective styles for a longer period most especially knotless braids.
How was your 2020? Did you meet your growth and health goal plans? Are there successes and struggles you’d like to share?
Is it just me or the air is dry these days? Lipgloss and Body lotion are my besties now. I’m glad November is almost over. The month is literally fast! And I think I’m the only one smelling Christmas. It’s probably because of the change in weather. I honestly don’t know how I can explain this but regardless of what has happened this year I’m definitely looking forward to Christmas.
So it’s the harmattan and Winter season and I just thought to drop these tips by
For the love of Knotless braids
*plays no stress by Wizkid* If you’re looking for a go-to hairstyle with zero pain and literally no stress then it’s knotless braids. It’s so light, easy to style and painless. Doing regular braids now seems like living in bondage. Definitely a go-to braids style. I over recommend for this season😁
Oil your scalp regularly
I do this every single morning before going to work. The air is actually so dry that I feel it on my hair. Oiling my scalp helped me greatly with regular hair massages. My hair feels more moisturized and I feel more relaxed. I haven’t skipped a day since I got my braids done in October.
Wear your Satin Bonnets and Wigs
If you’re not going for any protective style this season then satin bonnets and wigs should be your go-to protection thing. Don’t forget to moisturize your regularly too.
Go easy on Wash Day
I would recommend not washing your hair this season but if you must then wash your hair at night instead of morning or day time. The air feels sort of normal during night time.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST, ENJOY THIS SEASON💃🏽 , CHERISH THE MOMENTS SPENT WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS❤
Thanks for joining me! I love my hair because it’s a reflection of my soul. It’s dense, it’s kinky, it’s soft, it’s textured, it’s difficult, it’s easy and it’s fun. That’s why I love my hair.” -Tracee Ellis Ross Some of you were made fun of, others castigated and some “just let’s get a perm”.…
Hi guys, it has honestly been a while. So much had gone on in the past month. I was mentally and physically not in a good state to make any hair post because of the whole thing that had happened in Independence October so do pardon my inconsistency. In the newness of this month, I wish you a Happy New month and pray that this new month brings you all the joy and happiness you need.
The “God when” phrase has become quite an interesting trend not just in Africa but worldwide also. It is uncommon these days not to hear that term. In that tiny little phrase which is just meant to be some sort of “cruise catcher”, it holds a much more deeper meaning to speaker. The Natural Hair Community is defintely no stranger to that phrase. There genuine moments where we really want to know what one does to grow their hair and we want to do the same but then there are other moments where we lack the ability to be real with ourselves to know if we can handle this journey or not. And that’s fine cause everyone’s hair journey is different.
First thing I’d like comment is that a lot of times most of us cannot handle the God Whens we see. It takes a lot to be honest. Sometimes I scroll through my Instagram explore page and see a lot of beautiful long afros. I admire them and check out their pages. A few times I’m like God When and then most times I’m like “God! how is this easy for you please?!”. The latter question comes because not only am I in the position they are in but I really do wonder how they’re used to having it. I always just comment “you have beautiful hair”. Recently, one of my friends commented that I have so much hair and yet I wear wigs and braids. She continued that if she were the one in my position she’d be rocking the Afro in different styles. I honestly just laughed out loud and smiled. I told her the truth which was, she cannot handle doing that but yet she was insistent that she would do it. I did like her optimism but like I said earlier on people don’t always want to hear the truth and truth is she’s likely to even wear more wigs than I do. As easy as natural hair looks or seems, it is not as easy to maintain.
I miss my short Afro more times than I enjoy having long hair. I really miss being able to actually carry my hair in mini puffs or small afros without worry. If I had my short afro, hell yes! You’d see me in different styles but “omo” it hits different when it’s long and that’s why I commend and admire people who style their natural hair all the time, it takes a lot of mad effort!. Then again hard fact is that most of your fave hair influencers actually wear wigs 70% of the time than their actual hair. They would rather have a wig that looks like their exact hair and wear it. It’s not as if they do that to intentionally deceive you. Some even tell it as it is. It just helps them save time and energy and is more cost effective.
Natural hair is easy when it’s short or at medium length. In actual facts the best time to enjoy your natural hair are in those moments. The longer the hair, the harder it is to maintain in its natural state. You’d need wigs and protective hairstyles to maintain it well so as to avoid breakages and hair depression.
The God When
⚀It could leave you thinking that your hair isn’t growing whereas it actually is. You would constantly compare your growth with others. At times this can be in an healthy manner but could turn sour real quick. Hair depression is real so just healthily always “God When”.
⚁This life no truly balance especially when it comes to hair. Some people are genetically wired to have hair and have it in abundance while the rest of us who aren’t have to do certain things just so the hair can actually grow well.
My main advice would be, let healthy hair be your main goal. Your goal for a longer hair will fit just in when your healthy hair goal is being achieved. You never know when you would become someone else’s “God When”.
⚂God hears you all the same. He knows our every desire and his desire is that our desires are met satisfactorily to his taste which is more than ours.
So yeah God actually does listen to your God Whens. You just have to be patient. Patience is actually the first and foremost step thing in reaching that God When. That said, I’m very much an active member of the God When geng. God would even be like “Anu When?”. Knowing my lazy and unmotivated self, “Anu When?” helps me retract my thoughts knowing that God already heard and now it’s my turn to actively work towards the “When Moment”.
I haven’t been able to garner thoughts to write because of the ongoing issue in my country. What had started as a peaceful protest against the ills of the Police Force has now turned into a blood bath. The Government is now killing it’s own citizens. I am deeply saddened and broken by the events of the past few days. I write this with great heaviness in my heart as Lives are still being wasted. The Evil Nigerian Government has continued to fail it’s people. The question is What have we done to deserve this? All we did was asked for our basic human rights to be respected. The evil and greed potrayed by the Nigerian Government is truly appalling. My fear is that a Civil War looms. The question then is, Are the Citizens ready? I know I am not. Now it’s not just about surviving 2020 but surviving Nigeria. On the streets there’s no safety, in our homes no safety. I am honestly just tired. God help us.
To support the injured and those still unlawfully put in custody, here is the Link for Donations.
You can also help in whatever way you can by tweeting and retweeting about it. Till next time, please stay safe and keep your mental health in check❤✊🏾
Your Hair is your crown and should be treated as such. Taking Down A protective style is one of the easiest yet takes the longest of time. Why we tend to lose hair or feel that our hair isn’t growing is majorly caused by excessive breakage. You tend to shed a lot of hair when taking down your protective style which is normal. What is not normal is the breakage you experience. You have to be careful and mindful when you want to take down your hairstyle. Here are some steps you can follow to take down your hairstyle.
⚀Step 1 Don’t take down when you have a busy day. Choose the freest day you have. It could be a weekend or a free day during the week. Relax and watch a movie while you do so too.
⚁Step 2 You’d be needing a wide tooth comb (small and big), leave in Conditioner/Oils of your choosing. Sometimes water is needed but not neccessarily.
⚂Step 3 Take it down one by one and finger detangle then comb out one by one. It is ill-advised to take down all of it and then comb it all at once or section then comb. To avoid excess breakage please take down by finger detangling one after the other. You can also choose to comb out one by one after finger entangling is done.
⚃Step 4
Finger detangle patiently and carefully from root to end.
⚄Step 5 You’re done and good to wash your hair or do anything you want. You can also divide your hair into sections recomb/detangle , moisturise and plait.
⚅A need
Let your hair breathe after a major protective style. It is indeed very tempting to install another right away but you can do cornrows and use wigs. It requires little manipulation and can last for days or weeks.
Mines😁 Personally, What I do to avoid breakage is that I take down one, finger detangle, comb and then re-plait. This is the cycle. It takes me 1 – 5 hours depending on the protective style. For styles with my natural hair, it only takes me 30mins – 1 hour. After taking down a major protective style I wash my hair, section and plait. Then carry wigs for a month or two till I am ready to do another major style.
This is an integral part of my regimen. Doing this has helped me retain massive amount of length. I experience normal shedding but rarely experience breakage.
Are you struggling with hair breakage, unexplainable hair loss, extreme hair shedding? then this post is for you!
And yes if you’re, there’s absolutely no need to chop your hair off, be it hair loss or heat damage or permed. Your hair completely cures itself.
Breakage
Cc: Pintrest
A lot of unhealthy hair habits actually cause this. Usually hair sheds but breakage is as a result of excessive shedding due to over manipulation of hair. A lot of times, stunted hair growth is as a result of breakage and this is because you’re not retaining length. You’re either putting in too much products or you’re doing your hair way too much. Other times your hair just lacks enough moisture.
Continuous and weekly plaiting/ manipulation of hair can lead to excess breakage or stunted growth. Always try to carry protective styles for a longer period of time so as to retain length and avoid over manipulation.
Solution
⚀Avoid tight hairstyles and hairstylists that make your hair feel more damaged than before. Also try to avoid styles that make your hair break more than usual.
⚁Less manipulation with hair. Leave your hair on a protective style for 8-12 weeks. This would help promote growth especially in areas where there’s little or no growth.
⚂When taking down any protective style you have to take your time to carefully detangle especially when you’ve had it for a long period. Regardless of the period, always be careful and treat your hair as if it were fragile while taking down protective style.
⚃Use water, essential oils, wide tooth comb and leave-in-conditioners to detangle your hair when you’re not on a protective style.
⚄Always divide and plait your hair when it’s in its natural state and then use a Bonnet or silk scarf to sleep.
⚅Moisturise your hair with oil, water, leave-in-Conditioner and wide tooth comb when your hair is in its natural state.
Alopecia
My hair Oct 2017
This is hair loss as a result of over manipulation or genes. A lot of times people cause this themselves because they are over manipulating their hair which in turn leads to excessive breakage. Other times it’s as a result of genes. Regarding genes, it manifests early as a child or late when you’re in your teens-20s’ or late late when you’re 60-above. Because Alopecia is hereditary(most times) doesn’t mean it’s incurable. There are no known specific treatments for it but there are healthy hair habits you can do to avoid it or heal it. Excessive hair breakage can lead to alopecia too.
Solution
⚀Wear wigs and protective hairstyles. You can carry a protective hairstyle for 2 months, then a wig for a month and then hairstyle for 2 months, then a wig for a month. This cycle will help you retain a lot of length and also help your hair heal as there’s less manipulation.
⚁Massage your hair daily with an essential oil especially when you’re on a protective style. Use only essential oils for the first 6 months. After you can add leave-in-conditioners to the regimen to avoid excessive breakage.
⚂Avoid tight hairstyles and hairstylists that do more harm than good to your hair.
⚃When taking down any protective style you have to take your time to carefully detangle especially when you’ve had it for a long period. Regardless of the period, always be careful and treat your hair as if it were fragile while taking down protective style.
⚄There would be a lot of build up of dirt when taking down the protective style. Avoid using water while doing this and only use your fingers. Be very careful and very patient too.
⚅Concerning the healing, you need to be extremely patient as it takes time for it to heal. Usually it takes about 1-2years for complete healing and growth. Once you can follow these solutions and be patient for that period you’re good to go and would see substantial results. You can also do whatsoever with your hair as you please once healed. Please note that you have to be careful with places you have/had alopecia so as to avoid a reoccurrence.
Also, last but not least, whatever hair struggle or problem you’re facing always remember that you can talk to your creator concerning it. He’s willing and able to help. He has helped me countless of times, all I needed was to ask.
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:Matthew 7:7 KJV
Special Blog Announcement 💃🏽
I’m honestly trying to be as consistent with my blog posts as I can be. So with this comes the announcement of blog releases on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of every month. Also, in other exciting news I’m set to launch an essential oil business which would include Coconut oil, Onion oil, Lemon oil and others. These oils are pure and handmade with your hair interest at heart. Needless to say I make them and use them also for my hair. You can follow this page on IG for more updates
This year, I had noticed that my hair was sort of in the same length it was last year when I did my last length check.
November 2019 vs April 2020
Does this mean that my hair didn’t grow?
Of course it did! But it grew in volume and not so much in length. Only half a inch length to be honest. I had been really inconsistent with my hair massages during the period between November 2019 – June 2020. In all honesty I just wanted to take a break from massaging and let my hair grow at it’s own pace.
I have revisited my 2020 challenge to now grow my hair at full speed.
Here’s my under growth of 4 weeks
So yeah now I can proudly say my hair is growing again. My initial plan was to carry this hairstyle for 12 weeks but I’d just do 8 weeks.
What this process has taught me so far
JAN- JUNE
I took a break from massaging my hair daily. My hair took it’s own break and grew slowly. But not neccessarily slowly. There were manipulations in between this period. So my hair grew in volume but not really in length.
It had been tucked away in hairstyles but not for a long period. Most hairstyles I had on during this period lasted only 3 weeks at most. I experienced normal shedding during this period. No breakage at all.
July- Whenever
I’m in the mood to re-continue this 2020 challenge. Once I reach waist length I’m done wanting to grow my hair. I neccessarily don’t like the extremely long hair thing.
Starting off as a naturalist, I really did not buy into the idea of product usage because I felt they were too overpriced and had no benefits. I could afford them but felt they were not worth it since I did not understand their importance and I had what was helping my hair grow. As time went by, my hair became thicker, longer and untameable. I knew I had to do something about it. I had earlier been using just water and oil for my hair till it got to a stage that my hair was rejecting it, sort of. So I started to seek out alternatives.
Natural hair in general loses moisture fast but there are types such as 4b/c that lose moisture as soon as they get it. That’s why it’s recommended to get a leave-in-Conditioner or any product that helps you retain moisture. I’m not too big on product usage because of chemicals involved but products aid you in your hair growth journey. They neccessarily do not make your hair grow but help you retain moisture.
There are alternative products you can use instead of a leave-in-conditioner. I’d be doing a product review on products I have used and hopefully you find it useful.
Cantu-leave-in Conditioner
I like it but not a lot. It’s a great leave-in regardless. I would recommend for natural hair use especially when it comes to detangling or moisturizing dry hair. To get the best use of this product or any of the products mentioned below, you would have to use it alongside water. It soften your hair and has a great smell. It also has a thick consistency and doesn’t leave white residue. I’m happy to have tried it but I don’t think it does its job well as a leave-in for 4b/4c hair types. My hair does not absorb it well but I am likely to repurchase because it’s a good product and inexpensive.
This was my alternative since cantu leave-in-conditioner was not doing a great job. The smell of this product is superb. I got it 2017 alongside the leave-in because I thought the name would match its use. It did in a way but it didn’t live up to the expectations I had of a proper curl definition. Regardless it made my hair super soft. It has a thick consistency. If you’re aiming for curl definition you would have to cocktail it with one of their other products. I actually would not recommend for use because of how it made my scalp feel. I legit was having constant scalp pains that felt like headaches whenever I had it on. So I had to stop using it.
But regardless it’s an okay product.
Benefits:
• Defines curls without weighing down hair • Moisturizes & strengthens strands • Reduces frizz
source: cantu.com
I would agree with the benefits but curl definition for me is not it.
Price:
•N2500-4000 •$6-8 I got it for 2500 in 2017.
Rating:
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 2.5 out of 5.
I rate it 2.5/5.
Eco Styler Coconut Gel
cc: ecostyler.net
The product is meant to be a gel and have a lasting hold as claimed but doesn’t seem so. I’m a big fan of oil-based products but this one is a no from me as a gel. Instead of using it as a gel, I used it as a moisturizer for my hair. I tried using it as a gel but it was useless. The content is too lightweight and soft. It feels like a lot of water with a tinge of gel. I was quite upset that I got it and what was even more upsetting was that the sales assistant had told me it had a great hold on natural hair.
I don’t recommend it as a gel for type 4 hair. It’s a waste of money if you’re trying to gel to use. My Nigerian self wouldn’t let such a product go to waste. So I used it to the last drop as a moisturizer. It helped soften my hair in a weird way.
There are different sizes of this product ranging from small to big.
Features:
• Adds lusture,shine and moisture to hair.
• Natural coconut oil helps promote scalp health.
• Weightless hold and long last shine.
source: ecostyler.net
I would agree with its features but this product has no hold on my hair at all.
Price:
•N1500-2000 •$4-6 I got it for N1500 in 2018.
Rating:
⭐
Rating: 0.5 out of 5.
As a gel I rate it 0.5/5
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
As a moisturizer I rate it 4.5/5
Cantu Grow Strong Cream
After two failed attempts on finding the right product I finally found one that helped. It moisturizes and softens the hair. It’s a great product and I definitely would recommend. It has a great smell, moisturises the hair and actually strengthens the hair. There’s no left over white residue. One thing I do not like about it is that it doesn’t really last after a long time of application. For me, this is one of the good ones Cantu can boast of. I’m currently on a product hunt for it because it’s quite scarce where I reside and I neccessarily do not like the idea of online shopping.
Benefits:
• Strengthens fragile strands. • Protects from heat damage. • Perfect for pre and post chemical treatments.
source: cantu.com
I would agree with the benefits.
Price:
•N1800-3000 •$6-8
I usually get it for 1800 at 2 of my most visited stores for hair product. The price has been consistent from 2017-till present.
Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
I rate it 4/5
Motions: Hair and Scalp Daily Mouturizing Hairdressing
I like the branding and the smell. I just got it recently. I couldn’t find Cantu Repair Cream in stores so I had to opt for this one. I got this product at a giveaway price of N1420. Sometimes in life luck finds you and you need to embrace it. Lol. Overall it’s an okay product. It’s light weight and one of the most moisturizing product I’ve ever used. Helps to maintain frizz and gives my hair moisture. It gives an oily feel on the hair after application. I like that it still retains moisture on the hair even after a long time after application. I love this product already. It gives my hair some sort of shine. I’m scared to get attached to this product because of its scarcity in stores. Infact my first time buying it is my first time seeing it.
Benefits
Perfect Match For • Dull, dry hair • Frizz-prone tresses • Dry scalps
I would agree with the benefit because it actually lives up to it’s perfect match.
Price:
•N3000-4000 •$6-9
Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
I rate it 4.5/5
NOTE: price range is based on online prices that vary.
I’m not a product junkie because I like to believe that less is more. Within the span of my 5 year natural journey I have used:
I’m currently using Motions Hair Daily alongside coconut oil to detangle and moisturize my hair.
Choosing Products
There’s a lot of trial and error process that comes with this. One minute you’re into one product the next you start feeling another.
My best advice under this is just do you. Go through the trial and error process. It’s almost quite inevitable. You would have to consider your hair type while searching for products. I would recommend you go for products that have essential oils in them.
Finally!
Finding what works for you is a different ball game from finding products to help you retain length and give your hair moisture.
I have had the opportunity to discuss with people in my locality about natural hair and products and quite a number of them usually have this mentality that “it’s the wealthy that use such products”. I’m also guilty of this so I cannot judge them. It’s a mentality you have to deal with personally because it doesn’t lead to progress. I do implore you as a naturalist to at least have a leave-in-conditioner. You can do your research to find one that best suits you. I went through the process of trial and error till I found the one my hair could resonate with. And I’m still willing to try on other products too.
Hello fam! Welcome Back! Trust you all are well and staying safe. HAPPY NEW MONTH TO YOU ALL❤😁
I still get questions on how I grow my hair and to be very honest it actually gets tiring cause I have to keep on repeating myself😩 So here I am starting this new month with this post😁
I’ve blogged the most part of what I use and what I do but here’s the full post most of you have been wanting to see. I have carefully taken out time this morning to do so for you all and really it’s my prayer that this helps you develop your regimen and leads you into finding out what works for you. 😁
Here you go!
I pray🙏🏽
If there’s anything I take more seriously with my hair it’s prayer. I pray for my hair I still do and it has worked and is still working. I’m a firm believer in the faith of Jesus Christ so prayer for me is like a thing before anything else. Lol I really do not pray long prayers infact maybe the shortest prayers of my life are for my hair. I can remember being frustrated when I had a crazy thinning at my crown and had to start considering a big chop for a fresh start. Fam depression did hit me I prayed. In all I thank God for divine wisdom. Now I can’t even recognise the growth from the bald area with the growth of other parts of my hair.
I use essential oils🏺
I found out what works for me and I stuck to it. Before I did find out coconut oil works for me I had tried different things like Argan Oil and peppermint oil. I was on it for like 8 months and stopped using when I made my first set of coconut oil. The results I got from coconut oil by the end 3 months was shocking. I won’t lie, I was surprised. I continued using it and that’s what I have been on. So my essential oil is coconut oil. I just jumped on avocado oil and the results from it too are overwhelming. These essential oils have been the greatest food to my hair especially coconut oil. It’s my gold.
I make my hair myself💆🏾♀️
If there’s anything I enjoy more in this world it’s touching my hair. I channel that energy into making my hair myself. I do protective styles with my hair. I remember when I started afresh as a naturalist, the moment my hair passed a certain length I made twists on my hair myself. No one taught me how to. I just did without even knowing it was a protective style. So since then I’ve always been obsessed with making my hair myself and this helps me out with length retention. I’ve always been of the notion that no one can understand your hair more than you. So making my hair myself has always been a thing and until recently I made my first braided extension all by myself.
Made by me
I treat my hair like an egg🥚
I was going to use the term baby but egg seemed like the most appropriate word. You know that feeling you get when you’re carefully holding onto a tray of eggs to avoid it from falling and breaking that’s the same energy and feeling I put in my hair. Length retention has always been a thing for me. I can’t but take care of my hair. At times I get frustrated and then leave my hair for a while but my laziness will not permit me to do that for long. I’d rather lock the hair up in a protective style than leave it in it’s natural state. I don’t have luxury of time to leave it in it’s natural state. I also make use of leave in Conditioners. My hair grew to a certain point that I knew that I had to start using Leave-ins or else breakage was going to increase and I’d lose hair. For me I just know. It’s like an intuition kinda thing that you just know what to do for your hair when the time comes.
I do protective styles💆🏾♀️
My protective style is braids. So that’s what I majorly do. Once in a while I go for crotchet or locs. I make sure that my protective styles are not to tight when I go to the hairstylist. I rarely make my hair with just anybody because not everyone knows how to handle natural hair. So I have one particular hairstylist I go to for my braids if I want to keep it for months. I have tried other stylists by the way but no one seem to have a hold of my hair like she does. So, I have a personal hair stylist. I have major trust issues when it comes to my hair so not just anybody can make it.
I don’t set unrealistic expectations🤖
I had to come to terms with myself that I’d have the hair I’ve always wanted and I did/have. I think it dawned on me more that I actually did not want to have a bogus hair like the other hair bloggers. I just wanted my hair to grow and so I didn’t set my expectations so high. To even manage the one I have currently is giving me trouble. I really do wonder how people with so much hair do theirs.
I try new things💃🏽
Like I mentioned earlier I tried a lot of things before I found out what works for me. Prior to my big chop I had tried things like egg, honey and aloe vera. Yes organics but they worsened the state of my permed hair. I tried tried tried till I found coconut oil did and ever since then, I’ve fallen in love with essential oils.
I Don’t follow trends🌊
I actually hate trends. If anything is trending even if it seems like it’s working or the “in” thing you won’t see me there. The rice water challenge that trended I didn’t participate ’cause I didn’t want to. I had what was working for me so why would I now want to jump on something I’m not sure of. I can’t with trends, it’s not in me. I’m really not in a hurry. I think one of the things I cherish most about me being a naturalist is my patience. I’m super patient. My mantra is “if it comes good, if it does not also good”.
So yeah! This is it guys! I hope you did learn. Let me have your thoughts via askanu at menu or comment session.
Hello everyone! Welcome back to another week and read. So excited and happy you’re here.
Still on healthy hair and growth series but today you won’t be hearing my voice. Today we have a guest how cool is that?! Her name is Aisha and yeah she’s a naturalist! I read Aisha’s story on her IG 🤳🏽and could totally connect to it. I Felt it was totally worth the read and should be shared. I was really awed at her 1 year + journey!. This is not just a hair journey story but to inspire you if you’re still/currently struggling with your natural hair. So here’s her tale
” About a year and and half ago, I shaved my entire hair. I wanted to start off entirely natural, don’t get me wrong I was natural before I barbed my hair but in my heart I wasn’t. I loved using blow dryers and loved using stretchers and products I didn’t even know what they were made of. I woke up this day and cut of my hair along with the braids I had on that day, I cut it all off with scissors by myself, of course it wasn’t very neat but then it was okay. I went back to the mirror and cut entirely every hair I could find, I swear you would see my scalp right through. No lie when I did it, I felt that regret cause I had no hair to pack, no hair to show off, nothing. I made the decision to never use any inorganic thing or products in my hair and till date I’ve kept to my words. I stated off using just coconut oil and some useful organic oils. Then I consulted my friend @damilola who told me to get this cantu-leave-in conditioner which I did. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t know much about hair regimen and much about using leave ins. I just knew whenever my hair was a bit hard that leave-in helps me soften it. About a month after, I went back to my mirror and I decided to level my hair. I cut out the longer parts and tried my possible best to make it accurate. I could remember my mom told me she would call my uncle to help me with that. So as time went by, I started doing some research, watching YouTube and learning. Yo people, I did a lot of concussions then, my sisters @daleelaricco and @makeup by ricco would testify to that. I would add up herbs and stuff I knew were good for the hair but didn’t know what exactly they did and how to explain but the with time I started to develop and I started to understand what it means to be natural. I started to understand my hair and its needs and that was what brought about my regimen. I became over obsessed with my hair and would do anything to make it healthy and beautiful and now I live with it. I enjoy showing off my health hair and giving out free tips to my friends. Now I can say and boast that I am capable of starting my own hair care business. In Sha Allah it would lead me to something big and beneficial. I think there’s more to our hair that most people have realized. Whatever we do to our natural hair reflects. I love it when people accept their natural hair and show it off with pride. So I would do anything to support anyone who is ready to embrace their natural hair. The thing is nobody would understand your hair better than you would. Spend more time with your hair and stop damaging it with bad products and excessive heat. That’s would make it sad. Think of your hair as your heart and take it with so much love. I love you all.”
My Take from Aisha’s story
There’s actually a lot more to natural hair than people realise. There are real ass hair struggles but that doesn’t stop you from making the right decision even if it doesn’t feel so. Everyone one way or the other ends up finding what works for them. I’m glad she did.
About
Aisha is the current CEO of @brawne.ng Her hair journey led her to creating this wonderful line @brawne.ng. It’s a 💯natural oil based product. You can head on to her page on IG and support her.
Any questions you have concerning this you can ask in the comment section and any you have for Aisha can be sent via email or just ask her on IG.
Final note📍
Thank you all for today’s read. Hopefully you did learn and you were inspired. I did this for you all. You can share your thoughts on the story via the comment section. Would be great to hear from you.
😁Have a wonderful day and don’t forget to pray, read a book, do something worthwhile and take care of your hair.
Bald patches can really be frustrating most especially when it comes to your edges or sudden hair loss in certain areas. I have been a victim of both and honestly the feeling that comes with it is definitely not good. I was depressed at some point because the latter was hereditary and what could be worse than something they say has no cure. I believe hair depression is a 100% real and a major cause of that is when you suddenly have bald spots. If you’ve been a victim since birth it’s quite rare that hair may grow there but also not impossible. You could use these tips. Bald areas are not to be joked with and once you see signs you have to take care of it immediately or else it would continue like that overtime and then no more hair. Taking care of your hair is of the essential especially during this kind of period.
TIPS📍
Below are some tips you can use that I personally used to overcome almost going bald
Prayer 🙏🏽
Oh my my…I believe everyone does believe that a God exists and at some points in our lives we’ve prayed for several things. prayer is really a key. It really doesn’t have to be long , a short prayer goes a long way. I remember just saying simple short prayers. God definitely knows your heart desires and works them out on your behalf.
Hairstyles💆🏾♀️
When I noticed the bald spot I still had crotchet done that same day which compounded the problem. On losing the hairstyle my small dot had increased immensely. I made up my mind not to do any hairstyle for months and just let my hair breathe. The “no hairstyle regimen” helped my hair in it’s recovery process and grew bit by bit. Then after months of not doing any hairstyle I went on to have braids done. The baldness wasn’t there anymore and my hair reached its full recovery stage. You have to let go and let it breathe. You can do hairstyles with only your natural hair bur not with attachments at least for the first 3 months then go on to do it after 3 months. The affected areas needs healing time. It’s more or less like having a wound. If you don’t give it time to heal and keep on touching/pulling/scratching that wound it will continue to bleed or get swollen, won’t it?. So let go and give it time.
Essential oils 🏺
so while you give it time to heal you’d need to treat it with something right? This is where essential oils come in. They are oils that penetrate deeply into your scalp and encourage hair growth. I used coconut oil as mine and it worked tremendously for me. The signs of hair growth weren’t visible at first but overtime it worked very well.
Massages💆🏾♀️
Massaging your scalp encourages crazy hair growth. Believe me. I massaged everyday for months. I just kept on massaging and the results are still evident till now. The best way to massage is to massage bald areas is with essential oils.
Patience 😉
Patience is indeed a virtue. It would take a really long time for it to heal but believe me it would if only you follow these tips. My full recovery took 1 year+. I was indeed very patient because there was no way I could cut my hair to start all over again. Please never believe the lie of cutting your hair and starting all over again. You don’t need to. Your hair grows regardless and the bald spots may still occur again if all you do is cut your hair to start again. Please don’t. Just be patient.
Faith 😁
faith without works is dead, works without faith is also dead. You need to believe the bald spot would grow and it definitely will. Faith is Belief and definitely goes a long way in ensuring the unseen is seen. So dearly beloved naturalist and permist pray, do and conquer.
Testimony🤗
So after surviving the hereditary baldness I can’t even recognise the growth of my hair in relation to the growth of the bald spot. It has grown so much that it’s now the same length with other parts of my hair. It wasn’t as if other parts weren’t growing but they all grew at the same pace and the thing that once brought me so much heartache now gives me joy.
Note: while taking care of the bald spots don’t forget other parts of your hair also need to be cared for.
I already have a post on hair loss and how to overcome it…so you can read up on that to find out more on how you can avoid it or treat it immediately you see the signs.
Happy New year in Advance to you all. I’m excited to start this new year. Truly happy to see what God has planned out for the year. My friend recently created a hair group on WhatsApp named “My hair is growing”, my joy knew no bounds when I saw it on her status about wanting to do a hair challenge for the year. I was truly happy to see how excited she was about it. And then I got inspired to start a 2020 hair challenge on this blog too. It would be a fun to start a 2020 hair challenge won’t it? This 2020 Hair Challenge is going to be fun, interactive and all about healthy hair, diy treatments, natural remedies, regimens, products and oils for healthy hair! It’s a healthy hair challenge!
cc: Google photos
This is for everyone…male, female…and guess what? You get to be a contributor to the blog. So we switching things up a little this year. It’s not everytime Anu’s voice…let’s hear yours too. Come share your story and progress you’ve made thus far with your hair. It would be absolutely nice to also get your hair story and opinions. This hair thing isn’t just about me and you but about us all. And just because I wouldn’t want to repeat the same things you could read my blog posts so as to get some tips on how to run with thus hair challenge thingy. It just something simple and not bogus.
Majorly for the year
Weekly: random early morning or late night massages 2-3times a week Monthly: protective styling like braids, crotchet or twists. Protective styles can be carried for 1-2months depending on the style.
Then, we share our hair goals for the year and figure out together the best steps in reaching those goals.
So twice a month people get to share their progress on this blog starting from Jan 31st. Mind you progress in this context doesn’t mean only length growth but how far you’ve from from 0 to 1 or 0 to 100. progress is progress there’s nothing like small or big progress here.
And then what’s a hair challenge without rules huh?
2020 hair challenge Rules
Take pictures of your hair wearing it the way you want and feel free share your progress
Share your regimen and tips with us
Share products/oils of your choice, social media links and video links with us
You should do your Length checks every 3-4 months
Without regards to paticulars or exceptions, document your progress so far since this challenge.
Also feel free to add yours to it too as this would definitely help in your personal growth. It’s a healthy hair season! Yeah so whatever progress message you have you can send to me via
email: anuadesina196@gmail.com
WhatsApp DM : +2348119002303
Instagram DM : @_aanuoluwa__
Your story would be shared as copyright in your name as a contributor.
Don’t keep your hair regimen and growth stuffs alone to yourself. Come and share so we all can learn and benefit from one another.
Kicks of January and ends December 💃🏽🤯
And on this note I end with a big Thank you🎈 to all my readers all around the world…Thank you 800+ visitors💫 and my beloved followers😍. Thank you hairy much for an amazing 2019. Excited to see what 2020 holds for us all.🎉🎊 xoxo, Anu
Hey guys Thank God its Friday💃🏽 so I decided to put a hold on Thairapy so I could address a certain thing that has been bothering me for a while now. I guess a lot of us are familiar with hair trends wether good or bad. I have been a victim of some in the past when I had permed hair.
A fellow naturalist told me some of some hair trends going on now and honestly I was shocked. I learnt people actually go as far as using palm oil and Okro on their hair. Like what the actual fridge? I really don’t want to sound so judgemental but come on that’s just so crazy. I’m actually disheartened that people try the bizarre just to grow their hair and I know most of us have been a victim of crazy hair trends but guys to be honest natural hair is not hard. I’m sure you have had your experiences but you don’t even have to use a lot of products on your hair for it to grow.
Train Wrecks
Trim Trim
Most people ask me if I trim my hair and I’m like “trim?” I don’t even know how to. For me it’s just not it. It’s not neccesarily a hair trend but then most people expect that you should but you don’t need to honestly. Trimming doesn’t make your hair grow, its just a measure used to sort of encourage growth I guess. When I had alopecia I didn’t have to use sicccors on my hair and fast forward to today my hair is as healthy as healthy can be.
Rice Water
When rice water challenge was really popular around 2018, my ex-roommate had a bottle for it and she was like it’s really helps the hair and everyone who she saw did it was having great results. Well I’m not a fan of trends so I didn’t join her in the rice water challenge and that’s because I was satisfied with my regimen and just indifferent about it. I wasn’t in a hurry for my hair to grow, my patience level was and still is like over a 100%.
Hair Wonder
Hair Wonder was like super popular around 2016/2017 at every store I went to even on social media. Most of my friends even had the products and said it was working for them. I was like okay but I never used any of their products. Hair Wonder is a good product anyways but I don’t see it’s benefit in growing hair because I couldn’t just see the results overtime on people’s hair. I guess it’s two years now and my friends that used it and still use it have their hair in the same state. I’m not trying to bash the product, it does work for some people but since I had what was working for me I didn’t feel the need to get it.
Hemp
I remember one time when someone brought hemp to me saying she heard it works for the hair and all. I had heard stories from Secondary school up till that moment about the benefits of the hemp but I wasn’t just interested in it. I guess over the years I’ve developed a sort of self control and satisfaction in my own regimen.
The Discovery
I have learnt to always trust what I use or feel the need to use over what is new and trending.
Natural hair is as simple as simple can be. It isn’t complex at all. It’s just so easy that you’d realise that you don’t even need to do a lot for your hair to grow. Self-discovery is an essential part of the journey.
“Too many cooks spoil the broth” too many products will run your pockets down and your hair down. Learn to trust the process, be patient with your hair.
I always say find out what works for you and I did release a post about what will work for you. If you haven’t checked it out please do.
It’s not about products alone but more of a healthy regimen. I’d discuss this nextweek.
Dearest Naturalist
Google photos
I’m not a natural hair guru, no one is really we all learn on the journey. What “hair people” tell you mostly is what their experiences are overtime. I’m sure most times you’re like “oh I already do this” not because you learnt from anyone but because you discovered it on your own. Mine has been a self discovery journey. The knowledge I have today is what I learnt on my own and not from others apart from my mum. Hair trends can be misleading. It not everything you see on the internet that you believe. If you have or do perhaps go through my blog you’d realise that all what I write is for the health and growth of your hair. There’s no writing encouraging you to use harmful products which I’m like an antagonist to except it’s an essential oil or a leave-in-conditioner or it does work for your hair in the long run.
This post is to implore and also indulge you into making healthy practices for your hair. Have your hair regimen, set your dos and donts and be yourself. Less crowd, More you.
Having my hand on my hair has to be one of my worst habits. Like I could just be sitting and would always want to run my hand through my hair when it’s in it’s natural state or not. I think basically I love touching my hair. It’s a habit I need to let go of but then it feels so good. My mum literally talks a lot about it and most people do. They’re always like ‘Anu you like touching your hair” and I’m just like “Okay”. I know it’s a bad habit and all but honestly I’m so used to it. I did stop a while ago but I just keep finding myself touching my hair all the time.
I think one of the major reasons why I do that is cause I’m so used to massaging my scalp all the time that when I don’t I feel weird and then I just badly itch to touch my hair. Not to worry, massaging your scalp is good for your hair. I do love massaging my scalp especially when I’m on a protective style. It definitely has great benefits and helps with hair growth. And not to worry again it doesn’t lead to you touching your hair all the time lol I probably have a condition.
Why you should massage your scalp
Science and hair
Cc: ThoughtCo
Science disagrees with most natural things related to hair but then it doesn’t disagree with the fact that a routine scalp massage promotes natural and healthy hair growth for everyone.
Most People gain ½ to 1 inch of hair every month. But with a routine scalp massage, one can gain up to 1 to 1 and ½ inch of hair every month. That’s 50% to 100% hair growth increase. And this is not a random statement made by the merchant. It is backed up scientific study.
Fittop US
And I do disagree with science most times but this statement is of a true fact as massaging my hair has been one of the major contributory factors to my hair growth.
Others and hair
Cc: google photos
Incorporating daily massages is like a normal regimen for most people and if you’ve not been doing it you really need to cause you’re definitely missing out on a lot. You’d need to incorporate this into your hair regimen especially if you’re trying to promote hair growth. It stimulates blood flow, encourages hair growth and is a great stress reliever. It also helps out with alopecia.
How to massage your scalp
Your hands of course
Lol obviously you’d be needing all hands on deck. It just is what it is.
Pure essential oils
Essential oils are the best to use when massaging your hair and although it’s optional the oils do penetrate faster into your scalp when done along side massaging and increases growth over 100%. They help increase the effectiveness of your scalp massages. You can read up on them here https://anushair.home.blog/2019/05/01/food-for-your-hair/
How often should you massage?
You can massage your hair anytime, anywhere at your own convenience. It ususally takes like 5-10mins. It doesn’t take that long. You could do it early in the morning before work/school or late at night before bed.
When You Should Massage?
Everyday is best but you could do it every other day.
How You Should Massage?
Flat with your fingers and not your fingernails. Just Rub through your hair.
Me😊
I enjoy massaging my scalp and although it’s not an everyday thing for me I cannot go a week without massaging it. I massage like 3-4 times depending on my mood. And it definitely helps a lot.
Thank you for reading and I do hope you’re having a great hair journey. If you have any questions you could reach me via Menu>#askAnu or you could comment.
The topic of natural or relaxed hair is much like every other topic in the world today. They both have their pros and cons.
The chemicals contained in creams or lotions help create a relaxed hair texture by breaking down the hair’s natural curl pattern and overall texture which ends up leaving the hair with a sleek and/or straight appearance. This chemical alteration allows the hair to hold styles longer, and you don’t have to worry about hair expansion in humid weather.
Similarities and differences between natural hair and relaxed hair
Natural hair can be stronger and tougher than relaxed hair because chemicals have not stripped it. Natural hair fibres however have better volume, and bounce. Hair in its natural state has a high level of elasticity and this helps fight breakage. Relaxed hair on the other hand is softer and smoother than natural hair.
Furthermore, relaxed hair is easier to manage as it’s less prone to tangles and knots so you don’t have to spend a lot of time untangling daily, and it’s easier to comb. While natural hair is prone to tangling, making it time consuming to untangle and style your hair.
Lastly, natural hair is non-porous, the hair cuticles are close so it repels most times. For instance, if you want to colour your natural hair, you are going to need a semi-permanent or permanent colour. A developer will also be needed to open the cuticles seeps.
Some say a hair that is coloured is no longer natural, but that’s a discussion for another day. You should also know that permanent colour doesn’t damage hair the same way relaxers do. On the other hand, relaxed hair is porous and will soak up colour, oils and moisturiser with ease. For colouring your relaxed hair you’d need semi-permanent
or temporary hair colour and you do not want to over-process your hair as that can cause a lot of damage and possible hair loss.
Regardless of which you go for, both serve their purpose and if maintained right will serve you.
Did you find this helpful, will love to know your thoughts in the comments😊
Think back to pictures of your parents and grandparents in their younger years rocking natural hair, or ancient African movies where women looked beautiful with their rich natural hair. Hair has played numerous roles in Africa apart from just beautification, as early as the 15th century different tribes used hairstyles to show their social grades, and they have played very significant roles in various African civilisations. It tells one’s family background, social status, spirituality, tribes, marital status and so on.
Natural hair was predominantly rampant in the old days but it has seen a rise in recent years spurred by women and men of African descent learning to embrace, love and cherish their natural afro-textured hair. Some people believe that apart from the beauty it brought, many Africans let their hair grow as a form of protection from the scorching sun in the region.
Whatever the reason for letting your natural hair grow, it has always been considered by some cultures and spiritual groups as a sacred symbol. Hair was fashioned in certain ways to tell stories, a person’s hair could tell you a lot about them or where they came from. For instance, members of the royalty wore elaborate hairstyles as a symbol of their social standing.
Hair was also seen by some tribes as a symbol of fertility, some believed that if a person’s hair was thick, long and neat it symbolises that the person was able to bear healthy children. While in some other cultures if a person was mourning, the family of the deceased would pay their respect by shaving off their hair completely.
Whatever your reason today for rocking your natural hair, keep doing it because it looks beautiful that I can assure you.
Could this be my village people at work? Or who did I offend?
We all struggle with hair growth. Sometimes we feel that we are probably not doing enough or doing too much. I thought my hair stopped growing last year because it is still the same length. But did it really stop?
Hair never stops growing. Your hair grows every day. Simply, it is what you do to retain length that matters to your hair growth. You are not retaining length because you are not taking care of your hair.
I know I was not taking care of mine last year because schoolwork choked me! Being President of my department’s association choked me even more! Overall, being stressed was a significant contributor to my stunted hair growth. I could not take care of my hair any longer.
So yes! I became my village people.
What about you? Do you think your hair stopped growing? Why?
Are you like me that thinks it’s village people or you already know you’re the village person?
If you think it is one or both then read further to know more!
What you are doing wrong
⚀ Trimming/chopping your hair off
I find it absurd when people cut or trim their hair because it’s not growing. If you trim from now till 100 years and don’t practice good hair tips to make your hair grow, it will not. That’s the honest truth.
⚁ Overdoing things
You surely must have heard too many cooks spoil the broth. You don’t need to do too much to have and maintain healthy natural hair. The more you overdo, the more your hair breaks. Have a simple regimen you can work with and use.
⚂ Giving up
Maintaining natural hair is complicated, and many of us struggle with thoughts about abandoning the hair journey. This is not the time to give up but put extra effort in! Show your village people that you got this! Stay on track. You can rest, take a break, do some exercise but do not give up. Keep at it!
What you need to do right
⚀ Pray
Talk to God about how much you have wronged and abused your hair, and you are willing to change your ways. Hair is very significant. It’s your beauty, It’s your crown. Why will you treat your crown anyhow? This is not how you treat your wigs, or is it? It’s an abomination o! Don’t let them hear you outside.
⚁ Buy Natural Hair Products
Truth be told, good Natural hair products are relatively costly. Regardless, you have to be honest with yourself about your hair health and growth. The less products use, the more breakage and your hair becomes malnourished. There are good products you can buy such as Cantu, Shanyi, Revlon, Shea Moisture or you can even DIY!
If you stay in Nigeria, please avoid TCB leave-in conditioner like the plague! Because what is that product?! I should have known better when I got it for 660($1.5). Sorry, I wanted to rant a bit, but I will do so in a product review.
Please, whenever you want to buy good products, go for products that are American made or you can try out Shanyi Organics, their products are quite affordable. I haven’t, but the reviews from it are great.
Also, you can try organic hair oils like coconut oil, castor oil ,lemon oil.
⚂ Use water and a leave-in conditioner to soften your hair
Natural hair is very delicate, you can handle with care by using water alongside a leave-in-conditioner or curling cream. Ensure that your hair is adequately moisturized.
⚃ Wear long-lasting protective styles
If you are someone who gets stressed out often, try having your hair in protective styles like knotless braids, locs, crotchet. You can carry these styles for a month plus. Also, please try to use a professional hairstylist that knows about natural hair, or you can make your hair yourself.
I hope these tips are helpful to you! Stay in touch, and do not forget to subscribe to the blog!
Yours, Anuoluwa❤
P.S : These tips are by no means exhaustive but can help you know what to do rightly for your hair. You can always read up or watch YouTube videos to find out more!
This place has gathered enough dust! It feels good to be back, at least for now. All I know is I have missed this space so much!
Reflecting back in 2021, I had a hair disaster moment where I just did not care about my hair and let it do what it like. Thoughts about having a low cut definitely crossed my mind and still does. As much as I love my hair and its length, I somehow feel caged and exhausted by it. It then dawned on me that it’s okay to let yourself breathe. You can go through the entire cycle of transitioning, big chop, or going back to permed hair. But why do I still have my hair? What keeps me going? This blog does and the amazing 318 people following it. Seeing amazing women rock their hair despite their struggles! But blogging gets tiring so I’m looking into transforming this blog into a community where other natural hair and permed hair besties can give their advice and thoughts about hair and stuffs related to it. The name of the blog is most definitely going to change among other things. If you are creative and interested in joining this community as a volunteer, you can fill the form below and I will reach out to you.
What’s your legacy? I saw this newsletter and really loved the title. From the newsletter, I learnt that a legacy is something you do for others that has a positive impact.
I know I want to help women out with their hair struggles and and that’s why I created this blog. There’s still a lot to do and a legacy to build.
Hello everyone, Anuhair.home.blog clocked 2 years on the 15th of April. Happy for the progress so far! Thanks to all of you who read, comment and share! Excited for the coming years and more anniversaries! Cheers to 2 years and counting🥂
The Regimen Series continues and today we have Tee Jay!
A: Who is Tee Jay?
T: Tee Jay is a twenty-something year old. She’s a graduate of architecture and a natural hair enthusiast. She’s the creative behind the page @iphie_too where she shares her natural hair journey via videos, styling tutorials, DIYs and hair tips and hacks.
A: How long have you been natural? Was it a transition or a big chop?
T: Since the 2nd or 3rd big chop, it’s been 3 years. I chopped off my hair in 2015 because I was tired of my relaxed hair. Then I started growing it again in 2016. Between February 2016-2017, I had relaxed and texlaxed my hair. In 2018 February, I decided to big chop again. I have been on that journey since then.
A: What was your regimen like at the beginning of the journey?
T: Literally non-existent. I had a zero hair care regimen. I only shampooed, conditioned and styled. Nothing like detangling or pre-poo or deep conditioning. It was a big mess. My hair was like an iron sponge then.
A: Oh wow, do you have a current regimen now?
T: Yes, I do. It was what inspired my 2nd or 3rd big chop in 2018. When I learnt about hair regimen, I decided to cut my hair by monitoring my hair process and comparing pre and post hair regimen.
A: In your own words what would you say a regimen is and does it help with the hair journey?
T: A hair regimen is a step by step process of hair care. That is, the procedures involved in hair care.
Hair growth isn’t magic. It doesn’t happen overnight. It’s the hair regimen that would help you retain length and volume. Simply put, a regimen helps you have control over your hair.
A: What is/has been your biggest hair challenge? Were you able to over come it? How?
T: My biggest challenge was detangling and breakage. I have been able to master the art of detangling. I do so with no pains. Plus it doesn’t take as much time as it used to.
My current issue now is breakage. Stress-induced. I thank God for good hair practices cause that has been my saving grace. I’m about to start using ayurvedic herbs into my regimen so fingers crossed. I have heard a lot of good reviews. I hope it helps with it.
A: What is your go to protective hairstyle?
T: Chunky braids. They are easy to make and wear. Plus I get to wear them alone, rock as temporary locs or wear a wig over them.
A: What’s your product list?
T: TRESemmé anti-breakage shampoo and conditioner. Moroccan argan oil. Jamaican black castor oil. Mega growth leave-in conditioner. Mega growth deep conditioner.
A: What advice will you give to someone trying to figure out their Regimen?
T: I would say learn your hair. Find out your porosity, density, strand thickness, curl pattern,
listen to your hair. You learn by experimenting. What worked for A may not work for B. When you find something that works, stick to it and be consistent and patient. Nothing happens once or overnight.
A: Where can we find you in the internet space?
T: I’m on Instagram as @iphie_too Facebook @iphie’s afro hair hub/Tee-Jay Mbachi.
A: Anything else you’d love to add?
T: The goal is healthy hair. Whether natural or chemically processed, strive to have healthy hair by taking care of your scalp and hair. Having a regimen is key and you can always create a schedule to suit you.
If you have questions, you can reach her via her handle or comment and a reply will be given. Or if you feel the need to have a one on one conversation you can always reach out via this contact form.
Join on here next week for more content! Don’t forget to join our mailing list!
M:Amina is a 21 year old Nigerian student studying Biochemistry in the University of Benin. Amina loves natural hair care and spends most of her free time reading, writing and sharing tips on how to grow and maintain it. She is a hair care specialist too and helps people with issues like traction alopecia, chronic hair loss, dandruff and other scalp issues. She does that through her brand @minascare.ng
A: How long have you been natural for? Was it a transition or big chop?
M: I big chopped. I’ve been natural for 2 years and 9 months.
A: Interesting. what was your regimen like at the beginning of your hair journey right after the big chop?
M: I have been obsessed with my hair right from time so I did everything from the beginning. Hot oil treatment for prepoo, wash, apply a deep conditioner, rinse and seal in moisture.
A: Na you o. Naturally educated since inception! Love it. Have you had to change your regimen in any way?
M: Lol as in well educated 😂 I read from one blog to the other. I don’t think anything has changed except my products. I like keeping it simple since I have a lot of hair and I am a lazy person.
A: Simplicity is the best. Is there a regimen you use for hair growth in paticular?
M:My hair is mostly in protective styles. I like to keep manipulation to the barest minimum, that way I don’t lose much hair. So let’s say I install twists, stay in them for two to three weeks. Carry out my wash day routine in them, take them down and install another protective style. I moisturize every 2 days or twice a week in my protective styles. That’s it.
A: That’s great. In your own words, what would you say a regimen is and does it help with the hair journey?
M: A regimen is just like habits you repeat on a set interval. It is a planned routine that will help you achieve whatever hair goal you have in the long run.
Without a regimen the hair journey just won’t go well because everything you do is scattered. You shampoo whenever you want, moisturize whenever you want, even when the hair needs moisture today, you don’t mind.
With a regimen, you already know this is when to introduce moisture, this is when to do a protein treatment so that my hair doesn’t suffer. That way everything is organized and you can achieve your goal.
I’ve been mentioning goals because you don’t just set a regimen. You need to have a goal in mind. Someone that wants to improve moisture retention will have a different regimen from someone that wants to retain length. Like your regimen should be structured in a way that you achieve your hair goal with it.
A: What is/has been your biggest hair challenge? Were you able to overcome it? How?
M:Styling my hair 😢. I’m just not good with styling my hair maybe because I’m too lazy or hair styling is just not cut out for me. People say I’m in the same hair style all the time – twists or temporary locs.
A: What’s your fave protective style?
M:Temporary locs. I just love locs. I’m definitely going to loc my hair when I hit waist length. Let’s see.
A: What’s your hair product list?
M:All from my brand Mina’s Care 4-in-1 herbal shampoo Mina’s Care Deep Conditioning Masque Mina’s Care avocado leave in conditioner Mina’s Care Ayurvedic hair butter Mina’s Care intensive hair growth oil Mina’s Care detoxifying clay mask
A: What advice would you given someone who’s trying to figure out their Regimen?
M:Look out for what you want to get from the regimen first then plan a regimen to help them achieve that. Not just copying regimens shared online. Every one’s hair journey is unique. For instance, if I want to retain length, I would need a regimen that includes minimal manipulation and protein moisture balance.
A: Where can we find you on the internet space? M: I’m on all social media platforms although my Twitter is not active.
M: I just want to encourage anyone that’s still struggling to get a working regimen to keep trying. They’ll eventually get it. Everyone started with trials even me. There were products that didn’t work for me. There were times my hair didn’t stay moisturized even as I have low porosity. It took me a lot of trials to get the right techniques.
If you have questions, you can reach her via her handles or comment and a reply will be given. Or if you feel the need to have a one on one conversation you can always reach out via this contact form.
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Till nextweek! Where I bring in another Natural head doing well in their journey! Stay blessed! Virtual hugs from me to you🤗
Natural Hair Africa 
Hi Tangie, I’m glad you found it helpful.