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.

7Apr2014

Product Review: Taliah Waajid Curly Curl Cream

Posted in nails, product review, products by Jen

So today I bring your way a product review.

I got Taliah Waajid’s curly curl cream from Casa Bella at Ikeja City mall. It was an impulse buy.

Let’s get straight to it. It’s going to be as short as possible.

PROS
-It defines curls like it says it will.
This product would be great for wash and go’s because it defines curls/coils. (I however use it to twist my hair mostly and it works well for that too.)
However I have often heard that if you have no curls in the first place, curl defining products will have nothing to define. So keep this in mind and don’t expect a miracle product that will turn your hair to telephone cord type of curls, lol. It’ll define the curls that you do have.

-It’s moisturizing.
I love this stuff when it comes to moisturizing! It makes/keeps my hair soft and moisturized for days. The first ingredient is water and it also has glycerin and Shea butter in it.

-The smell is nice. Nothing too fantastic but nice.

-A little goes a long way. It’s thick too.

-Leaves no whitish residue once you rub it in properly.

CONS
-It’s sticky.
And if you are heavy handed like I am, it can leave your hair feeling sticky and mushy. So definitely use it in small doses.

-The price IN NIGERIA.
I don’t know about other parts of the world but the price here isn’t particularly low. I got this for N2890 I believe from Casa Bella.

-It contains mineral oil.
Mineral oil is number 9 on the ingredient list. Mineral oil is said to weigh down the hair, clog the scalp and cause build up. I think they have discontinued using mineral oil in this product though(either that or they just started adding the mineral oil?) because I googled the ingredient list and all the results came up without mineral oil.(Ps I think mineral oil makes my scalp itch more but this is still a theory for now)

I didn’t look at the ingredients before purchasing because I felt Taliah Waajid would use natural ingredients since they are a natural hair company and I was in a hurry. Don’t make this mistake. Never be in a hurry to buy products. At least google them or look through the ingredients patiently before purchasing.

All in all I would rate this product 3.5 out of 5

I put some on the front part of my hair and didn’t put any at the back so you could see the contrast

Now for a nail update. I’ve been taking Biotin for a week and 2 days now.

This is what it looked like before I started

It’s still too early but this is what it looks like 9 days later

If you’d like to buy Taliah Waajid Curly Curl Cream, you can try:

1. Casa Bella outlets. They sell it for about N2800

2. The Kinky Apothecary. They deliver across Nigeria or you can drop by their stand at L’espace 19A Olosa Street, off Karimu Kotun ,Victoria Island, Lagos. They sell it for N2000(Don’t forget there’ll be a charge if you’re having it delivered)

3. Dab’s import window on Naija Hair Can Grow. From the 1st to 7th of every month you can send her requests on hard to get products and she imports them on your behalf.

Don’t forget to always check the ingredient list before purchasing products and when in doubt, google google google!

Peace!

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.