Can hair just be what it is: hair.

Posted in Random by Jen

Sometimes the way people take hair so seriously baffles me to be honest.
I’m not talking about haircare here. Let me explain what I mean.

I’ve seen posts about how the natural hair community discriminates within itself based on hair type i.e looser, silkier curls are preferred to tighter kinkier coils. The posts said this is evident in the way women with looser curls(think Type 3a-4a) are featured more on hairspiration posts/Instagram pages and even on product containers/ads. They also state that people tend to want that kind of hair and refer to it as “good hair”. Some even say this is because the hair looks more like caucasian hair and they will begin to give you a lecture on slave trade in the post.

To be honest, I have pictured myself with looser curls and imagined how pretty they would look. This doesn’t mean I have low self esteem and I hate my God-given hair as some posts go on to state.

Then there are the ones who say that texturized hair isn’t natural(I actually have no opinion on this but would like to hear yours), those who do twist outs, bantu knot outs and co are trying to mimic looser curls and thus have low self esteem(na wa), those with dyed hair are no longer natural(Please oh, my hair has been dyed), those who heat style their natural hair aren’t proper naturals, those who don’t use only organic, all-natural products also aren’t proper naturals etc

You would think being natural is like having one invisible panel somewhere inspect your hair strand by strand then stamp on your forehead “Accepted” or “Denied”.

Another angle is the ‘war’ against Team Natural and Team Relaxed. To be honest this is the most ridiculous one.

The “natural hair nazi” as they are often called will say people with relaxed hair are relaxing their hair to be beautiful based on the white man’s standard of judging beauty or they are trying to look like the white man or they have low self esteem and hate their heritage etc.

At the beginning of my hair journey I was almost pulled into the natural-hair-nazi hole because most of the sites I went to for help looked down on relaxed hair. Later I came to realize that it was some form of hypocrisy if I did the same. I mean I had relaxed hair! To me it’s kind of like having an abortion then later becoming pro-life and then proceeding to vehemently look down on and bash those who are pro-choice. The fact that you’ve experienced it should make you understand and allow you to empathise(for lack of a better word). I was never relaxing my hair because I hated my heritage and wanted to be like the white man. So why would I, now being natural, turn around and say that those with relaxed hair hate their heritage and want to be like the white man.

Then there are the people with relaxed hair who think natural hair is tacky and rough and ugly and unprofessional and every other negative word in the dictionary. They are quick to comment on posts about natural hair and state their ‘opinions’. They will say stuff like “so you think because your hair is natural, you are closer to heaven abi. Please get over yourself” or “all of you claiming team natural don’t know how tacky and unkempt you look. Go and slap a relaxer on that ugly head of yours and shut up”.

I believe whether relaxed or natural, it is about one’s preference so please can we all park in our lanes and mind our own business. To each her own. Leave it at that.

Another new twist I saw recently was the opposite of the looser-curls-preference situation.

I recently joined this natural hair group on Facebook. Sometimes when I’m bored, I go there and read through posts and comment as much as I can. I also have a good laugh because there are some really funny posts I see there e.g “Please I am in the market right now. I need to know the Yoruba name of glycerine. Urgent answer needed”, “Av nor use realizer for 2 month nw because I use Protective kit but my hair is still strong. Which realizer can I buy for my hair to realize well”, “Where can I buy olive oil, egg oil, glycerine oil”, “what is BC and who are those that do sell it” etc.(Lord forgive me for posting these but I had to).

I digress.
So I saw a post on the group by someone and the person had a picture of their natural hair. She had loose curls like say 3c. And of course I knew she would be bombarded with at least 10 comments saying “hmmm this is not natural hair”(This happens on the group a lot when people with looser curls post pictures). Lo and behold the this-is-not-natural-hair comments poured in and the lady was patient and polite in replying them saying it was her natural hair. You see the problem is that there are a lot of Nigerian members and most of them only know natural hair as the kinky, 4c, thick, no-shine hair; they have never encountered 3b,3c or 4a hair and do not categorise those as natural hair.
So the comments kept pouring in and there was one who went on to say that the lady did not have the right kind of hair for the group and that she was jealous because she didn’t have kinky hair and that the group only celebrates proper natural hair. I’m thinking “errmmm but this is her natural hair”. The admin of the group tried to remedy the situation and explain that the group had members from different countries with diverse hair textures and that natural hair comes in textures besides 4c which Nigerians are used to.
Babe no gree oh. She finished the whole group with insults.
I don’t know if it was the same post or another but someone else said “this is not natural hair” then people explained that it was and that the lady in the picture wasn’t Nigerian and that natural hair comes in different textures. The person now came back and said “I know but this hair is not natural”. More people posted and explained further that she could be mixed or she could be African American and the person still came and said “I’ve heard but I say this hair is not natural”. LOL!!

Without digressing too much, I’m just showing you that there are actually people out there who consider natural hair to only be proper kinky hair. They don’t classify looser, silkier curls as natural hair.

The whole hair thing is a hot complicated mess.

I believe we should all live and let live. Everyone is entitled to their own preferences. To be honest you won’t catch me preaching the natural hair gospel to someone who didn’t first ask me about it or ask for advice(When last did I follow my church for evangelism that it is hair I want to be preaching).

No matter how your hair grows or how you choose to wear it, do you! Don’t let anyone bully or intimidate you. Don’t look down on your own self too; love the hair you have and rock it with confidence. The goal should be healthy hair because healthy hair will always look good.

It’s just hair. Don’t take it so seriously. There are more pressing issues e.g They have not still brought back our girls oh, I don’t have power supply half the time and PHCN is still bringing ridiculous bills, N50 rice at the buka you frequent is now too small to belleful a baby, when is Shea Moisture going to be affordable for the masses in Nigeria etc

Do share your thoughts; I would love to hear them.

P.s: Eid Mubarak in arrears to my Muslim readers; I hope you had a good one(even though you didn’t send me some juicy fried ram meat)

Jen

1Sep2014

When are you making your hair?

Posted in Random by Jen

Hello people, welcome to the ’ember months’ as my fellow Nigerians like to call the last quarter of the year.
It just dawned on me that the year is well spent and will soon be over and I was reminded that I set out some goals at the beginning of the year that I would still like to accomplish. If you are like me and you like to procrastinate and do things at the last minute, this is the time to start working on said goals.
In order to achieve my hair goal length wise, I think I will be putting my hair in protective styles till the year runs out.
So about today’s post, without getting into the nitty gritty, it’s simply a short piece I wrote about an issue that has been on my mind for years. I wrote it for something I was doing and I thought I’d share it with you guys. Enjoy!
**********************************************
This morning I spent a little more time than usual painstakingly brushing my hair, pinning and tucking it to perfection. I stepped out the door feeling like a million bucks and skipped happily all the way to work. As I stepped into the office, the first thing my colleague said to me was “when are you making your hair?”. The way I stared at her; if only I could karate-kick her out the window.
Whenever I leave my house without a weave, a wig or braids, at least one person will ask, “when are you making your hair”. As a matter of fact, someone in the house with me may say, “are you going out with your hair like that?”
It has got me thinking: What’s wrong with my real hair? Do I need to have a weave or braids on before people think I look good?
We’ve learnt to rely so heavily on hair extensions that being without them makes us feel incomplete, makes us look incomplete. When did this begin? Did it just become so over time?
I know people whose real hair I’ve never ever seen! They go into the salon with a weave and come out with another. If all the hair extension companies in the world shut down today, I’m sure some people will never be seen in public again.
Personally, I love the look and drama of long, wavy hair extensions that blow in the wind as much as the next girl; but I’m also very comfortable with my real hair and I think everyone should be. You have to learn to love and be content with what you were born with; it’s yours and no matter how much you cover it up, it’s still there. Maybe if we all did this, no one would ask that question because seeing real hair would be normal.
So this is I, speaking on behalf of the hair that is crying to see the daylight and feel the wind; please let it out and be okay with it every now and then.

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!

18Jul2014

1 year anniversary!!!

Posted in big chop, hair journey, hair update, nappyversary by Jen

Hip hip hip!!! Hurray!!!!

One year ago today I walked into that barbershop wanting a fade and came out with hair so short it almost didn’t need to be combed!

In actual fact, the anniversary of my big chop was on the 14th of June but I decided to go with my second big chop(July 18th) because with that cut, I started from scratch so basing it on that date shows a truer picture of a year’s growth.
*Phew* That was a mouthful! I hope you understand what I mean though.
Either ways(June or July), I still have one year under my belt!

So here’s a mini timeline of pictures showing my progress over the year!

My first big chop(June 2013)

My second cut, July 2013

Last week

Today’s simple look(ignore the giant pimple)

Over this first year, I experimented with products, Ayurveda, dyed my hair etc.
Let’s see how the next year goes but from the look of things, I foresee that it will be a lazy year(you never know though).

Taking a page out of AB’s book, I will be setting anniversary goals; these are changes I would like to see/make by my next anniversary.

Here are my goals for the year ahead:

1. Kick dandruff’s ass.
2. Beat hand-in-hair syndrome.
3. More length and thickness at my edges and nape.
4. Growth/Length retention.

I think that’s not too much to ask for!

So cheers to my hair at one year *glasses clink*

Expect a post about my new favorite simple go-to style + a one year length check soon.

Peace!

8Jul2014

Curl confessions

Posted in hair practices by Jen

Hi there!

I’ve been seeing people air all their hair’s dirty laundry on various blogs under the tag “Curl Confessions” and I decided to also let the breeze blow this fowl’s butt.

Without further ado, here are a few of my “dirty little secrets”:

1. It seems like I am constantly in a war with dandruff. Sometimes I win the battle for a while but in the long run dandruff runs this war.

2. I haven’t done a protein treatment in ages. I honestly can’t be bothered.

3. I have soooo many single strand knots!!!! They drive me so crazy!

4. I break off the aforementioned knots with my hands. I just yank at them.

5. I’m forever playing with the hair at my edges and nape. This is a horrible habit that I believe is the major reason for my having much shorter hair in those areas.

6. I have hand-in-hair syndrome. Nos 3,4 and 5 must have given you a clue.

7. I am very heavy handed with products especially conditioner. As a member of team cheapskate, this is bad for business as I’m always running out of stuff.

8. I have moments when I think about relaxing my hair.

9. I’m forever obsessing about my hair growing; stretching it this way and that way to see if it has grown in the last 5 minutes, daydreaming about all the styles I’ll do when it’s loooonnngg.

10. Given the funds, opportunity and funds(yes I said funds twice), I would be the Product Junkie of life! Like I would probably go gaga and need rehab.

11. Many times I can’t even be bothered to be gentle cos I don’t have the time or patience. I will pull my hair, comb/detangle aggressively, comb my hair dry etc.

12. I’ve only ever had leave in conditioner twice(although I just invested in some now cos I’m trying to change). Usually I just seal my damp hair with oil or use my regular rinse-out conditioner as a leave in and call it a day.

13. I usually forget to wash my satin bonnet often. The next one I buy has to be white or a light colour so I can see when it’s dirty and be shamed into washing it.

I’ll stop here cos right now I can’t think of any more. Remember God said we should not judge oh!

Do you do any of the things I’ve listed? Do you do worse? Or are you a saint in the hair department? Let us know in the comment section.

In other news, the blog has an email address now. I’ve added it to the “About” page but here it is nigerianandnatural@gmail.com

Feel free to email me.

Xoxo

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.

14Apr2014

Product store in Nigeria

Posted in products by Jen

Hi y’all,
Straight to the point.

Finding products in Nigeria is still a struggle for me(I’m sure a lot of you can relate!). Even worse is the fact that when I do find products, the prices send me into a mini cardiac arrest(I’m sure even more people can relate). You know I’m a proud member of the Cheapskates club!

So I’ve been thinking, I want to open a store and sell products! Products for natural hair and for anyone who is looking to have healthy hair or who is on a healthy hair journey. I want to focus on those hard to find products/brands that are mostly only available abroad.

My main aim is to make the products reasonably affordable(Considering shipping cost and all). Another aim of mine is to be able to ship nationwide.

Products will be displayed and available for purchase online. Also, they will be available at a supermarket in Ikeja, Lagos for those who prefer to shop physically and for those who want to pickup what they ordered online(Hopefully, more outlets will be available in the future in other places)

For now though, it’s still just an idea. So I need opinions! I was going to put a poll below but I changed my mind. Please let me know in the comment section what you think.

Here’s what I’d like you to answer:

1. Do you think I should start selling hair products or do you think there are too many stores already?

2. What kind of products/tools/things would you like me to stock?

3. What brands would you like me to stock?

4. What do you think of this idea in general?

5. Anything you’d like to say?

Thank you!

Have an awesome week guys!

P.S. Please help me get the word out so that I can get as many people’s feedback as possible, thanks and God bless!

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.