Two years!! Can you believe it? If my hair were a child, it’d be a toddler that could walk and talk!
Remember the goals I mentioned in my one year nappiversary post that I planned to achieve by now? Let’s see how I did:
1. Kick dandruff’s ass. (Sadly, no)
2. Beat hand-in-hair syndrome. (Yes and no. It changed from hand-in-hair syndrome to hand-in-edges syndrome which is worse)
3. More length and thickness at my edges and nape. (Yes but not as much as I’d have liked due to my newly developed hand-in-edges syndrome)
4. Growth/Length retention. (Yes but not as much as I’d have liked)
I didn’t measure my hair in terms of inches but here are my length check pictures:
Not so bad ei? But not as good as I’d hoped but I have repented so…
A couple of things I’ve learnt this past year:
- Don’t let it frustrate you because frustration leads you to quitting! Let whatever you do fit into your regular routine and ability; don’t go all out and overwhelm yourself with stuff you can’t handle because the “gurus” say you should do it. E.g. if you can’t handle washing your hair weekly, don’t. Because if you do, you most probably will get frustrated and think of giving up.
- Don’t compare yourself with others and don’t be solely goal oriented! Have a little fun! Remember I talked about it in this post? If you want to dye your hair or straighten it or get a tapered cut, do your research and go for it!
- Do what works for you! If it ain’t working, dump it(no matter how many rave reviews it has) and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it (no matter how many bad reviews it has). In the end, you are the boss of you.
- Encourage yourself! Don’t always think of the negatives(e.g. What your hair can’t do); try to see the positives (e.g. What your hair can do).
- Learn and experiment! Don’t get stuck in your ways. Read blogs, watch vlogs. You will learn a lot; not all will work for you but you just might hit the jackpot with some.
I don’t want it to turn it into an epistle so I’ll put a pin in it right there.
If you follow me on Instagram (@nigerianandnatural) you would have seen most of these but here are a few (boring) styles I did over the last year:
Not the same day as the previous picture. I just really like this shirt! LOL
Wig
Crochet braids
Kinky twists
Wool/yarn twists
And my latest style:
Two week old twists. So proud of myself for keeping them for that long
Here are my goals for the year ahead:
- Get a trim and try to get trims when needed from now on.
- More protective styling.
- Growth and length retention.
- Stop hand-in-edges syndrome.
- Kick dandruff’s ass (for real this time).
- Be more adventurous with:
- Styling
- Products
- Techniques
That’s all folks! 3rd nappiversary here we come!
What are some things you’ve learnt along the way in your hair journey? What are your short and long term goals for your hair? Please share.
Oh and Eid Mubarak! I know this isn’t the ram-sharing sallah so I shall patiently await that one.
Jennifer Abah 
Happy 2nd nappyversary😀.I’ve been stalking your blog since it was naturalnappynigeriangirl.wordpress.com.You actually inspired me to big chop and I love your hair especially the puffs.
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Awww! Loved your comment so much that I read it to my sisters (who looked at me like I was crazy *rolls eyes*).
Thank you so much Chidinma!
I hope you’ve being enjoying the journey so far.
And I love puffs, I’m sure you can tell 😀
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First of all Ure super pretty. Now to hair matter. When I newly turned natural, I would watch all the you tube vids, read all the blogs on what and what not I’m to do to my hair. Of cos I got frustrated at some point. Always checking length, complaining about my hair being all dry, not achieving the styles seen. Yes, I started getting moody and frustration set it. Now, I do what works for me and I even give ‘tips’ to friends and people who oooh and aaah at my hair (look at me now lol). I like the way u style ur hair Jen. I’ll be two years soon tho I cant rem when exactly 🙈…
Epiphany29.com
Is Kissing A Sin
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Don’t let my head burst oh!
I love the way you abandoned the negative and discovered the positive.
Thank you so much Grace! 😀
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Where are my manners? Happy 2nd anniversary!!!!
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Yaaaaaaay! So happy for you. Happy Two Year Anniversary dearie!
Going to check mine 🏃🏽
igbocurls
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Thank youuu!! *happy dancing*
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Happy anniversary !!!!! This is a milestone for we naturalistas , the struggle is always real . Your hair looks great as always, as for the dandruff I’ve decided Oyinbo dandruff isn’t as stubborn as ours . I just try to keep my hair clean and I make sure my scalp is easily accessible no matter the hairstyle. I haven’t ever done a length check although my hair is over a year old, I tend to fuss over things so once I start thinking about length I won’t sleep , eat or function unless I see the hair growing.
Have a great Hair-versary!!!
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Oyinbo dandruff, LOL!
I totally understand how length checks can become almost like an OCD but they are very helpful in tracking your progress especially if you take pictures to compare.
Thank you so much Cassandra!! 😀
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Happy 2nd Nappiversary Jen… Your hair looks really nice as always. I like that You switch up styles which always look good on You. The aim as always – healthy lenght while having fun.
The Hairpisodes Naija
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You are absolutely right.
Thank you so much Debbie!! 😀
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happy nappiversary!!!!
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Merci beaucoup!!
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I think @this point I really need to congratulate u Jen. U hv been amazing n encouraging. I would be 2yrs in like 2months but unfortunately my length check currently is at ur 1yr length check. I m trying not to feel bad about it cos I know I hv not been so keen with my hair like u but itd good to know that there has Been progress cos as at d time I did my big chop I discovered I was almost going bald at to sections of my hair. Scary u know but its been a good journey. I hv not had d courage step out in any updo. My hair is always in braids. Well Done gal!! I dey follow u for back….lol
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Progress, no matter how small it may seem, is progress. Overcoming bald spots is a massive success! Health comes first and length inevitably follows.
Very soon you’ll be bold enough to rock every hairstyle possible; just give it time.
Thank you so much for your lovely comment.
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Your hair looks amazing for 2years. You’ve done really well🙌🏾.
As regards the dandruff situation the only thing that has worked for me is washing it (with conditioner) every week even if it’s in braids, the more moisturised my hair is the fewer dandruff outbreaks I get. 😉
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Thank you sweetie!!
Very true; regular washes really help manage it.
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That’s a lot of growth in one year.. Well done girl ☺☺
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Thank you!!! 😀 😀 😀
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Your progress isn’t bad at all and I love the flower head band style.
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Thank you! 🙂
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I like how you accessorize with the flowers and all. I wish I could. Yes I have tried, but with my long neck, I always feel like a slim bottle-neck flower vase on display. And of course, I envy your hair……but in a good way. Congratulations!
All And Then Some
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Lmao!
I’m sure you don’t look like a vase jor; it’s all in your head!
Thank you so much! 😀
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I like how you accessorize with the flowers and all. I wish I could. Yes I have tried, but with my long neck, I always feel like a slim bottle-neck flower vase on display. And of course, I envy your hair……but in a good way. Congratulations!
All And Then Some
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Aww I’m at these exact lengths (1 year natural).
Here’s to two years of having NH (pops your favorite champagne)! ^.^
Preach girl! That whole NH product/hair care guru’s ehn, you ain’t gotta fix what ain’t broken hunnay, I believe that, especially certain ingredients people run away from, it’s not bad but you should have personal reasons why you don’t like the ingredients not because some hair guru said it’s bad, what if that’s the only ingredient that can tame your hair? We NH sistas gotta learn that *what your hair loves comes before anything else* .
Oh hands in edges syndrome is the worst, I have that and it’s affecting the growth of my edges.
Well my hair goals in general (short term or long term depends on how fast the goals are achieved) are:
– grow my edges.
– stop H-I-E syndrome.
– reach waist length.
– oh and be more adventurous with products too (I’m currently doing that)
– above all, have overly healthy hair.
Bookie Kunlere
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“What your hair loves comes before anything else”… You hit the nail on the head + your goals are spot on!!
Thank youuu! 😀
(Sadly I don’t like champagne; my taste buds aren’t sophisticated enough)
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love your hair!! i’m nigerian too..and next month i’ll be celebrating my first anniversary!! have a look at my blog, and share with me your advice!
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Hi! Happy first anniversary in advance!
Thank you so much!
Will do.
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Hi! I love your blog! I’ve been reading almost since the beginning and I love it 🙂 I nominated your for a liebster award, which you can find here: https://sarabieventide.wordpress.com/2015/08/22/ive-been-nominated-for-a-liebster-award/ . Have fun!
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Hi Sarabi! Thank you so much!! 😀 😀
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Hi! I love you blog. I recently went natural, two weeks to be precise after a one year transition. Trying to figure out a hair regime and yours seems the simplest so far. Lol. Meanwhile, what hair dye did you use. Love it!
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Hi Mo, congrats on going natural!
I used Creme of Nature(can’t remember the colour but it’s a shade of blonde) and then later I used Clairol in Ruby Rage (I think, lol) for just the front part.
Thank you so much! 😀
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