Revamping braids

Posted in protective styling, styling, Tips by Jen

Hey guys,

You know how you spend some good money on buying braiding hair/attachment/extensions and on paying the hair stylist to make it for you? Then you spend a good amount of time sitting down to get the hair braided and by the time you’re done, you can barely feel your butt? Then 4 weeks down the line the hair starts looking old in your eyes and you’re tired of it?

Girrrrl, been there, done that!

I’m going to share with you 3 easy ways to revamp your braids/twists and give them a new look so you can enjoy every single kobo you spent!

Continue reading →

31May2015

A few of my favourite things -May

Posted in Current faves, Giveaway, protective styling by Jen

Hey guys,

How’s your Sunday going? Hope you have Sunday rice planned, ready, cooking or in your tummy because eating anything else on Sunday is a sin according to some unwritten but binding rule.

Here’s what happened when I tried to boil yam one fateful Sunday:

As I mentioned in my last post, I had a hard time figuring out what I loved in May but here’s what I came up with.

1. Things in threes:

I like to take pictures! And I tend to take pictures of the oddest things according to those who know me.

Anyways, I recently found that taking pictures with a theme in mind helps keep things a bit ‘organized’. It’s not as fun as being spontaneous but it’s fun nonetheless.

The theme I had in my head for the three pictures below is ‘things in threes’.

(‘Trees in threes’. Try saying that three times fast)

2. Semo:

When I was younger I hated a number of foods. The major culprits were beans, boiled eggs, fried rice and especially swallows in all varieties. I now eat these things but I’m still very picky about swallows. I only eat semo, wheat and pounded yam.

Allow me to say that semo is bae! I ate semo at least 1-2 times a week this entire month.

Unfortunately I’m so bad at making it. Yesterday I made some and my brother said “Jennifer this part is not done”. I gave him the look of death and told him to shut up and eat.

Any tips on making perfect semo? Please tell me in the comments.

3. My current protective style:

These are twists done with about 16 packs of wool/yarn and I’ve had them for a little over 5 weeks now.

I have been super lazy with them that’s why I’m loving them. Since I’ve had them, I’ve moisturized 2 times, cleaned my scalp once with baby wipes and oiled my scalp about 6 times.

4. My butterfly print plimsolls:

I bought these about a month ago on Jumia for N4495 (although I had a voucher so I only paid N2695). It comes in a variety of prints and colours. Just search for ‘shoe republic la plimsoll” on Jumia

5. Fresh Yo:

I’m obsessed with this Fresh Yo stuff yo! I buy it everyday(which is so unhealthy). And it’s not even cheap sef (N200). But it’s so yummy. It also comes in a strawberry flavoured version.

And those are my favourite things from May!

Also guys, let me tell you about this giveaway you shouldn’t let pass you by!

Visarn Hair Line, a company that sells human hair is having a giveaway which is open to entries nationwide in Nigeria and ends on the 4th of June.

They will pick three winners and although the prizes are a surprise, a little birdie told me they will give away some of their luscious high quality human hair, a mini spa treatment and 3 packs of their recently launched Marley hair.

It is the Marley hair that me I want so you can be sure I will enter the giveaway!

To enter, head over to their Instagram page. They are @visarnhairline on Instagram.

All you have to do is follow them, repost any of their beautiful pictures with the hashtag #hairyoucantrust, tag them and tag 3 of your friends. C’est fini!

So don’t dull guys! You could win some of their amazing hair! Check them out on Instagram and you can see some of the beautiful hair that could be yours.

What are you currently loving? Do you share any of my current faves? Got tips on making perfect semo? Please share in the comments!

Xoxo

20Jan2015

Crochetastic

Posted in protective styling, styling by Jen

Hi people!
Remember I said I had crochet braids?
Today I want to tell you in words and show you in pictures my crochet experience.

I had wanted to try crochet braids for so long but the prices the salons that could do it were calling were heart attack worthy so I figured why not do it myself?

So how did that go?

WHAT DID I USE?
-A big bobby pin
-1 pack of Supreme Afro Twist Braid (colour 1)
-1 pack of Noble Afro Braid (colour 1)
-2 hours(approximately. Excluding cornrowing time)

It works better if you widen it like so.

BRAID PATTERN

I cornrowed on clean, moisturized hair. I made 8 neat cornrows in front(making sure to line the centre and side where I wanted the part to be because I wanted to be able to wear the hair both ways).
I then joined two cornrows together to form one ugly one at the back so I had 4 at the back(hope you understand this my weird explanation).
Lastly I made one horizontal cornrow at the back below it all, that is at the nape.

Truth is you will be fine just doing all back cornrows. Don’t mind my senrenre

DID I DOCUMENT THE PROCESS?
No 😦
I was sick at the time and didn’t feel up to it.
However, this pictorial from The Kink and I as well as a quick Google/YouTube search will be of great help to you.
It’s super easy to do!

I cut some of the hair into halves and used these shorter pieces around the middle and sides where my proposed partings would be so it could have a somewhat layered look.

Here’s what it looked like when I was done. Don’t judge the pictures, remember I was sick.

Did I like it?
Yeah, but it wasn’t really me.
So I thought, let me see what it looks like curly.
Some twists, bendy rollers(flexi rods) and hot water burns on my neck later, it was curly.

And did I like it? No! I preferred it in its original state but there was no way to get it back so after a bit of deliberation, I combed it out.

I would take a section, spritz with water, apply conditioner and go to town combing with my wide tooth comb.

IT. TOOK. 4. HOURS!!!!!

And I was left looking like a lioness but I actually liked it

MAINTENANCE
FOR THE EXTENSIONS
Combed out, this hair tangles a lot!
I put it in big twists at night or whenever I wasn’t going anywhere to curb the tangling. The twist outs were nice too so this was a win-win.
Saturdays were the only days when I combed it. I would spritz with water and give it a thorough combing.

FOR MY REAL HAIR/SCALP
I would spritz my cornrows with water only from time to time, say twice a week.
I oiled my scalp about 3 times a week(and whenever it felt itchy) with a mix of castor oil and eucalyptus oil. I oiled my edges more often.
On Saturdays before I combed the extensions, I would clean my scalp with cotton wool dipped in a mix of apple cider vinegar, eucalyptus oil and water.

HOW LONG DID THE STYLE LAST?
I kept it in for 4 weeks but it could very well go for much much longer!

HOW I WORE THE STYLE

Minnie Mouse did not leave the house though. It was too big for me.

I never wore it down much and when I did, by midday I’d have put it up. Lagos is too hot yo!

TAKEDOWN
You can easily cut the extensions where it connects around your cornrow and pull it off. I however wanted to reuse the extensions so I opted to not cut. I used a bobby pin/comb to raise/loosen the knots the extensions made around the cornrow, unknotted and pulled out the extensions.

WOULD I TRY THIS STYLE AGAIN
Definitely! It’s easy to do and it’s a good protective style. If I can find other extensions to use for a different look that would be even better.

You can do this style yourself but if you’re in Lagos and you’d rather get it done at a salon, you can visit:

-KL’s Natural Beauty Bar
29C Ikorodu Crescent in Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi Lagos.
08063650977

-Savvy and Chic Hair and Beauty Hub
34A Awolowo Rd, Ikoyi, Lagos.
08090613325

-Tunmise Natural Hair Salon
147b Ogunlana Drive, Alhaji Masha Roundabout, (Opposite the Taxi Park) Surulere, Lagos.
08039138342

Have you done crochet braids yourself? Tell us all about it! Have you gotten it done at a salon and you’d like to recommend that salon? Would you try crochet braids? Please share!

15Aug2014

1 year Length check

Posted in hair journey, hair update, protective styling, styling by Jen

Hi guys,
As promised, this is a length check of my hair at 1 year. Yes I know it’s kinda late but better late than never right? Right!

My hair is between 5-6 inches (some parts are 5″, some are 5.5″ and some are 6″). I think this is pretty okay for one year.

I believe I am past the TWA stage! Yippee! I am now in the awkward stage: that annoying phase where your hair isn’t so short but isn’t long either.

I’ve found a few staple styles that my hair can do at this stage and I’ll share them with you incase you’d like to try them.

This is a very simple style that is basically 2 big flat twists. This style lasts me a whole week so it’s a good low maintenance protective style for me. I’ve tried different variants of this style.You can do cornrows instead of flat twists if you like.

I’m not a big fan of the way my hair looks in twists left down but I like twists packed/pinned back. This is another low maintenance style that can last.

I call this one “my hair must pack”. It’s a good way to give the illusion of a ponytail/packed hair when your hair isn’t quite there yet. You basically flat twist the front towards the middle and secure with bobby pins then gather everything into a ponytail. I rock this style very often. You can also keep this for a few days.

I’ve also been rocking loads of afros, not the combed out kind though. They’re mostly twist outs that I separate and fluff into fros.

Of course you know I’m still into my puffs. Now I try to make them looser.

And guess whose hair could pack this morning? 😀

[Side bar: Is it just my eyes or are my edges looking a bit better?]

I’ve decided to enjoy every stage my hair goes through and I’m going to extend that to my life in general. I’ll focus of taking things one day at a time and seeing the good in every stage I’m in. Life’s too short!

I’m currently trying Cantu Shea Butter Leave In Conditioning Repair Cream, Dudu Osun(as a shampoo) and Elasta QP Olive Oil and Mango Butter Moisturizer. Reviews will be up when I’ve used them more but for now I’m loving them.

What stage is your hair in? How are you coping with it at this stage? What products are you currently trying?

Have a beautiful weekend!
Peace!

7Jun2014

Driving me bananas

Posted in hairxperiment, protective styling by Jen

I know, I know; I’ve been MIA! Sorry for the absence. Life happened.

I’m kicking myself for not having any pictures of the dilemma I’m about to tell you.

About 3 weeks ago, I thought I would try bananas to deep condition my hair. I had seen people do it on blogs and a friend of mine had done it in the past. So I ~~steal~~ get two bananas out of my sister’s bunch and keep them till the weekend. Beforehand I did some reading and read somewhere that you should sieve the mixture before use.
Being the rebel that I am(rolls eyes), I did not listen. There was no light(Thanks NEPA!) so I didn’t even use a blender. I just mashed my bananas with a spoon, threw in some honey and olive oil(I think I added a bit of conditioner too but my memory fails me), saturated my hair with my mixture and put on my ~~shower cap~~ nylon bag.
Time to wash it out!! I rinsed my hair and cowashed it and it felt good! I’m thinking “I like this banana deep condition oh!”. I step out of the bathroom and stand in front of the mirror and what do I see? Particles upon particles upon particles. I’m like “Blood of Jesus!”.
I go and cowash again, this time very vigorously and I use a comb this time(been finger detangling for a while now).
Brethren I stepped in front of the mirror and there was no damn difference.
My brain is processing, thinking “what to do, what to do”.
These strings and particles and jammed tight in my wet coils.
I figured the best bet would be to wait till the hair dries.
When the hair dried, my sister helped me comb and pick out the particles. She couldn’t even get all of them out.
I put my hair in flat twists speckled in banana leftovers and wore my new wig over it like that.

Moral lesson of this sermon: DO NOT USE BANANAS IN YOUR HAIR WITHOUT SIEVING FIRST BECAUSE YOU WILL DEFINITELY REGRET IT!!!!

Check out my new wig!!

WIG DETAILS:
Name: Vivica Fox
Price: N8,950
Place of purchase: Casa Bella, Ikeja City Mall

I’ve been wearing it for three weeks now. Every weekend I wash and deep condition my hair, put it in flat twists for the week and wear my wig over it.

In other news, I’m done with NYSC! Whoop whoop! Praying for greater things and higher heights!

The blog turned one in May and I missed it :(. I’m not even sure of the date.

My one year “nappyversary” is coming up also and I don’t know which day to even choose; is it the day of my first big chop? Or the day of my 2nd big chop? Maybe you guys can help me decide.

However, here are my dates to note:
Last whole head relaxer- Jan 25th, 2013
Relaxed just the front for a weave- March 8th, 2013
Big chop- June 14th, 2013
Second big chop- July 18th, 2013

Hopefully, I will have another post up sooner than later *fingers crossed*

Till next time guys,
Take care.

15May2014

I’m bad at titling stuff but this is just an update

Posted in hair update, nails, protective styling, styling by Jen

Hi guys, it’s been a minute.

I really don’t have much to talk about. My hair isn’t in the best place right now; I have inexplicable dandruff, thin edges and I’ve combed my hair dry one too many times. Hoping to get back on track ASAP and sort my hair out.

In other news, I stopped taking the Biotin. I got a horrible Urinary Tract Infection(UTI). Even though I’d rather not discuss this(lol) it might be of use to someone else. I’m not new to UTIs; I’ve had them a few times in the past but I haven’t had one in over 2 years so when I started feeling the symptoms, I guessed it was something I’d recently started doing that caused it. My mind told me it was the Hair,Skin and Nail supplements but I kept taking them and drinking bucket loads of water to hopefully flush the UTI bacteria out. The infection only got worse until I took to Google and saw that some people complained about getting UTIs from taking Biotin or Hair supplements(some said it was the Pantothenic acid that caused it,some said it was the Biotin itself etc). I’m not very certain the pills caused it but it is highly likely that it is. I stopped taking them and was treated with antibiotics and the infection is gone.

Anyone who is willing to try the pills can email me and I will give it to them(if you can pick it up in Lagos especially in the Maryland/Ikeja vicinity). I took them for one month so I took about 90 pills meaning there should be about 160 pills left in the bottle. Email me at jenniferabah(at)gmail(dot)com if you want it and can pick it up.
As far as progress goes, here’s a before and after.

It’s grown a bit more since I stopped taking the pills. It’s just hair/nails in the end; it will grow.

As always,I will leave you with a mini gallery of how my hair has been/how I’ve been wearing it. Enjoy.

You know I love my puffs

Been trying some Ayurveda. Not yet sure how I feel about it

Did mini twists and actually wore them out

Did loads of flat twist outs

I’m currently looking to buy a wig so that I can keep my hands out of my hair and keep my hair safe from my cruelty.
Will let you guys know how that goes.
Be safe!

P.s It’s been 10 months since I did the big chop! Oh and I’m still thinking about opening a product store so your opinions and suggestions on that are welcome.

30Mar2014

Biotin? Yes

Posted in nails, products, protective styling by Jen

Hi guys!
I started taking Biotin on Saturday. In the past I talked about how it was expensive and I wanted to avoid it because I’d read that it could cause acne.
Well I decided to put on my big girl pants and shove my hand deep into my wallet to buy it.
You might be thinking the reason is my hair. It’s actually not.
It’s my nails. Yes, my nails.
In Alcoholics Anonymous fashion, let me just say “Hi I’m Jennifer and I’m a nail biter”.
It’s a bad habit that I can’t seem to shake.
Recently I was thinking of creative ways I would take a picture of my engagement ring(whenever I get engaged) without my nails showing 😦
So after drooling at Ez of Beauty In Lagos’ nails for about a month, I decided I had to be proactive.

In the past, I have stopped biting my nails at different times and I’ve even managed to grow them to an extent but I always went back to biting. Sometimes I’ll dedicate one hand or some fingernails only to biting and grow the rest but in the end I’ll return to my habit. I even bite the skin around them( God said we shouldn’t judge others).
Also, they were always weak and brittle and would break and bend and tear.

So this time, I decided to help them out as much as I can.

I googled how to grow nails and biotin came up a lot and I thought “what an irony! The biotin I was dodging”.
To cut the long story short, I have started taking them. Any hair growth will of course be a bonus but the purpose for them is my nails.

I went to a nearby pharmacy and I bought “Nature’s Bounty Hair, Skin and Nails”. They contain 5000mcg of Biotin along with other vitamins. They cost me a whopping N5350 *weeps* so they better do something. There are 250 capsules and you are to take 3 a day which means there are 83 servings in total so these should last me almost 3 months which I hope is enough time to see some good change.
So far, I have no acne out of the ordinary.
As for results, I can’t say because it’s only been 4 days.

They are not recommended if you are under 18.

I will also get those really good nail hardeners to help the process.

I’m currently in a protective style after a month of having my hair out. Before I went to the salon I did my usual preparation but didn’t do a protein treatment out of laziness. When I got to the salon and the stylist had to blow dry my hair and was combing angrily and proceeded to weave a little too snug, I started regretting skipping the protein.
Anyways, my hair’s tucked away for now and hopefully 4 more weeks(if I can stand it that long).

This ombré/dip dyed style is a DIY dye job by the way. I think I did a good job.

I came across a conditioner at shoprite Ikeja mall and decided to buy it on a whim(I do this a lot). It’s silicone free but I don’t know about the other ingredients. It was N550

Alright, that’s about it for now.
Till next time guys,
Hugs and kisses.

Oh I didn’t show you a picture of my nails. So here’s one. Don’t laugh please. Pray with me that the biotin helps them and that my teeth stay away from them too.

1Mar2014

We made a wig!

Posted in hairxperiment, protective styling by Jen

Hello beautiful people, welcome to March!

So this post is looong overdue considering my sister and I made this in November or so.

I’d recently read two tutorials on making wigs (this one and this one ) and I’d also watched a Youtube video about it(can’t find the link) so the idea of making one had been lingering in my head. I love a good DIY(~~#TeamCheapskate~~ #TeamAdventurous) and my sister is ever ready to join in so we thought why not make a fringe wig?

The process wasn’t properly documented but please bear with me and the pictures I managed to get.

Tools needed
-A wig cap (I got a pack of 2 for N100 from some hair shop in my neighborhood)

-Your weave of choice (I used a mixture of old weaves I had: Passion,Supreme and some Peruvian I believe)

-A plastic/nylon bag

-Bonding glue (Got a bottle for N300 from the store where I got the wig cap)

-Scissors and(or) a razor blade

-A wig stand/doll or a person to make the wig on (I used my sister since I didn’t have a stand/doll)

What to do

The first step is to put a nylon/plastic bag over the wig stand/doll or person’s head. Trust me, the glue can and will seep through the wig cap so you don’t want a wig that you can’t take off the stand or person’s head after making it.

(Our weave)

(The bonding glue)

(wig cap)

Then put the wig cap over that

So that done, starting from the back, first use the weave to measure the place you’re going to stick it to and snip off any excess. Proceed to put bonding glue on the track of your weave.Then stick it on

(It should look something like this. Stick it on from one end of the neck to the other)

Keep sticking it on this way until up you get to the top of the ears.
From there on, you’re going to stick it on around the circumference of the head or in a circular pattern so it falls over the face(I didn’t take a picture of this but here’s a picture from The Fashion Engineer)

So keep doing this until you have a small circle left to fill

Now what you’re going to do is to take a strip of weave and put glue on the track and roll it up tight(Again, no picture was taken so here’s one from Love Ifeyinwa)

Then put some glue in the circle left to fill and stick the rolled up strip in there.

I proceeded to press down that place with a hot straightener(I used a semi-hot iron too. Don’t judge me). Please don’t do this part if the weave you used is synthetic; it will burn.

Now you can cut the fringe however you like.

Funnily enough, I have never worn this wig out of my house. Maybe it’s because I feel there is something disconcerting about wigs; I feel like I could be walking on the road and a strong wind will take it right off my head.

Wigs are great protective styles. You can cornrow your hair under them and take them off at night so your hair can breathe. They give you full license to take care of your real hair without struggle as opposed to sew ins.

So, if you’re into DIYs or you just need a new inexpensive wig or you just want to try your hand at something new, give this a shot.

Jen out!

7Feb2014

My first go at yarn braids

Posted in protective styling by Jen

Hey guys, this is a super late post because it’s been 4 weeks since I’ve had these wool/yarn braids.

I absolutely love them! I’ve even inspired a couple of people to get them, yay me!
I think they might be my new favorite style.
One reason why I like them is that the more my real hair sticks out, the more the braids look like locs. If it were normal extensions I used, it’d look like utter crap by now but wool blends okay with my hair that’s sticking out.
My only complaint is that the ends are burnt(makes them look unnatural to me and makes it harder to style); next time I’ll ask the stylist to tie them instead.
Other than that, I’m absolutely loving having faux locs!

What I did before getting the braids done
Before doing them, I washed my hair, did a protein treatment, deep conditioned and put my hair in cornrows to stretch it(I learnt from the mistake I made of not stretching my hair when I got the full sew in).
When it was time to start braiding I took the cornrows down.

Here’s the mistake I made. I took down all the cornrows before the stylist started braiding. I should have taken them down in sections so that when she braids that section, I’ll take down another section for her to braid. That way my hair would have stayed more stretched and softer. Since I took all of them down before she started braiding, by the time she was braiding the front, my hair wasn’t as soft or stretched. It wasn’t so bad though but I will make sure to take down my cornrows in sections next time.

How I’m caring for my hair in my yarn braids
I spray them up to where my real hair stops with water, olive oil, peppermint oil and glycerin in a spray bottle. I do this every few days.
I also oil my scalp with castor oil. I was using my Shea butter mix before I got castor oil.
Now that my hair sticks out of the braids, I rub my Shea butter mix on the braids up to where my hair stops after spraying them.

I tie a scarf(it’s polyester I believe) to bed sometimes. Other times I don’t bother. My satin bonnet doesn’t fit over the braids and I don’t have a satin pillowcase or scarf.

I cowashed at the end of week 2 but I couldn’t find anyone to hold the braids up for me so I could wash only the roots and avoid getting the whole thing wet. I ended up wetting the whole thing and it was soooo freaking heavvyyy! Omg! No jokes! I felt like someone was pulling me by the hair. I thought the ones around my edges would rip out my hair and fall off. And it took forever to dry! I think I’ll just use Apple Cider Vinegar to clean it from now on or I’ll only wash if someone is there to hold the braids out of the way.

I used 12 rolls of wool and a little from the 13th roll. One roll cost N100.

Now, pictures!

This is the wool I used. I used 98% of the Babby one though. Only used the other one when the Babby ran out

Getting older and fuzzier

I’m not really a styling guru so I wear it in only one or two ways everyday.
I redid a couple of them that I felt were pulling too much on my edges and nape.

This year I plan to grow and retain 6 inches so I’m all about low manipulation therefore protective styles will play a big role this year.
I hope to get 2-4 weeks more out of these braids. Then I’ll give my hair some resting time before I move to my next protective style. I’m thinking crotchet braids but lets wait and see.

What do you think of yarn braids? Will you try this style?
Till next time,
Growth, growth, growth!

28Dec2013

Caring for my hair while in a protective style(Full sew in)

Posted in protective styling by Jen

Hey y’all! Season’s greetings!

As I said in my last post, I’m currently in my first protective style since by big chop and it’s a full sew in. Being in a protective style does not give you the license to neglect your hair. While my hair was relaxed, I would totally abandon it under weaves and when I took them out, I would see heaps of nasty dandruff and grime. Now being natural, I’m determined to not have that happen.

Before I talk about how I care for my hair, let’s start from what I did before I got the weave.

How I prepped my hair before getting my protective style

1. I researched how to prep my hair before getting a protective style on Google. Lol

2. I prepooed/did a hot oil treatment with castor oil and coconut oil. This is the first time I actually did a proper prepoo/hot oil treatment. Other times in the past, I’d leave it on for like 15 mins halfheartedly. This time, I warmed up my oils(mixed them in a bottle and put the bottle in a bowl of hot water), put it all over my hair and scalp, covered my hair with a plastic bag and let it sit for about an hour.

3. I washed my hair with my Bobeam shampoo bar. After I washed my hair, I noticed it didn’t feel as squeaky clean as it would normally feel. My hair felt somewhat softer and moisturized so the prepoo/hot oil treatment worked! I’ll be doing them properly and wholeheartedly from now on.

4. I did a protein treatment. I mixed one egg, some coconut oil and some conditioner(v05. I figured since it has a little protein in it, it’d be an additional benefit). Put it in my hair and left in for about an hour. It dripped like crazy!! Omg! At first I didn’t put a plastic bag on cos I heard heat can cook the egg in your hair(even though I’ve used eggs in the past and I covered with a plastic bag). After a while I couldn’t just deal with the dripping so I put on a plastic bag and strapped it on tight and the dripping greatly reduced. I rinsed it out after a while and my sister said “why are there white things in your hair?!” I had semi cooked eggs in my hair guysss! Or the concoction reacted and congealed? I don’t know but I had to pick out particles from my hair.

5. I deep conditioned. This is important after you do a protein treatment cos protein treatments can make your hair feel hard. I deep conditioned with a mix of Natur vital conditioner, garnier fructis conditioner, a little glycerin, coconut oil and castor oil. Put on my plastic bag and left it on overnight and rinsed it out the next morning(morning I went to get the weave)

6. I moisturized(I didn’t want to use products that would cause build up since I would have my hair covered for a while so I simply spritzed my hair with a mixture of water, glycerin and coconut oil) and sealed my hair and also oiled my scalp(sealed my hair and oiled my scalp with my Shea butter mix that I have dubbed “Sheamint” cos it smells minty. It’s a mix of Shea butter, coconut oil, castor oil and peppermint oil). Combed my hair and let it air dry.

7. Here’s the mistake I made: I didn’t stretch my hair in any form. I would recommend stretching it somehow after detangling so that it can be easier for the stylist(and you). For hair as short as mine, maybe do cornrows as big as possible. Because I didn’t stretch my hair, I had to endure painful parting and combing from the stylist(she was trying to be gentle but we all know it’s hard to comb dry, shrunken, wash-and-go hair that all the strands want to do is hug each other tightly)

How I’m caring for the weave itself

I simply spray it occasionally with a mixture of water,conditioner,glycerin and coconut oil and I detangle it with my fingers. I sleep in a satin bonnet and when I wake up, I just fluff it up with my hands and head out.

So on to the main thing.

How I’m caring for my hair in my protective style

1. Moisturize.

I was skeptical about using a leave in(especially since I mostly use regular rinse out conditioner for that) because I didn’t want any build up since I wouldn’t be able to wash weekly so I moisturize with only water and oil. I moisturize 3x a week and I do this by raising up my weave track by track and spraying my scalp and corn rows lightly(they don’t need to be wet wet wet. I was making this mistake initially) with a mix of water, peppermint oil and coconut oil(measurements for the oils would depend on how much water you’re using and personal preference). I then rub some castor oil into my scalp(as I said in my last post, I’m doing my own personal castor oil challenge). I apply castor oil to my edges more regularly(almost daily)

2. Cleanse.

I use a mixture of 1 part apple cider vinegar to 1-3 parts water and I also add some peppermint oil and coconut oil. I dip the edge of a towel in the mix and clean my scalp and cornrows (only do the cornrows when I remember but I focus on the scalp. Lol). I do this once a week(I’m going to skip this week though cos I don’t feel like). Some people wash, condition and deep condition while in weaves but I don’t think that’s very doable with pro 10 bohemian curls.

3. Sleep in a satin bonnet.

This seems almost unnecessary since all my hair is covered up but I do it anyways(especially because of my edges which aren’t totally covered up).

I got the peppermint oil for N2010 from Health Plus at Ikeja City Mall(the store beside Shoprite)

I got the apple cider vinegar from Park n shop for N610 I believe

I got the clear, filtered apple cider vinegar because I didn’t know there was an organic, unfiltered kind with something called “the mother” in it which is the kind most people recommend. But I was like “abeg abeg abeg no time! I will use it like that”.

The initial crazy itching I had actually stopped after I’d had the weave for about a week; I hear it takes a bit of time for your scalp to accustom to undiluted castor oil so you might itch at first so I think that’s what was happening. But I might be wrong since my head always itched when I got weaves while my hair was relaxed.

And on days when I don’t feel like leaving the weave down?

I’ve always loved scarves and bows and hair accessories(I even make some from time to time like that orange scarf in the top 2 pictures). I’m however new to headwraps so I don’t know a lot of styles but I’m falling in love with them!