**Photo taken by Vanessa**
Hi guys,
It’s been way too long!
If I start to explain why I’ve been away, this post will turn to a Nollywood movie with parts 1-4.
But it would be a great injustice not to explain so here’s a summary of the reasons why I have been gone for so long:
Hey guys,
I know I’ve been MIA; I’m sorry.
I’ve just had a lot on my mind and slowly but inevitably, blogging sank to the bottom of my priority list. I’m working hard to change this guys, I promise!
One thing that keeps me sane in my day to day life is mapping out everything I need to do.
Usually, I do this in my head.
This is almost always a big mistake.
I am someone who cannot even remember what she wore to work on Friday. My friends have often told me I have a selective memory; I like to think I’m simply plain ol’ forgetful.
So you see why mapping out plans and to-do lists in my head is a recipe for disaster?
I decided to start writing things down and storing things for later in better and more organized ways than just cramming them in my head.
Cue, note taking.
Hi guys, how’s your week going so far? Good? Great? Don’t worry, public holiday in a bit đ
I dropped by to tell you that I was featured on The ‘Dee’ Mako!
Check it out here
Don’t forget to show some love!
XOXO
Hi guys,
I had the opportunity of meeting fashion blogger extraordinaire Desola “Dee” Mako last week and I have to say that she is so fun and she is such a sweetheart! I was able to squeeze a question session with her. Enjoy! 
Please introduce yourself:
Hi Jennifer, my name is Desola Mako but everyone calls me Dee these days. I’m a very funny person; I find it really hard to describe myself because I’m a bit weird. I’m a fun loving person and I don’t like people
Why did you start blogging?
I started blogging because I was going to start an 8-5 job in another field and I was working in fashion at that point; I needed a way to stay connected to fashion so I found blogging. It wasn’t my first experience in blogging but that was what made me keep up with my blog. 
What do you love about fashion?
It helps me create. It’s like there are people that can draw and paint and I can do a bit of that but fashion helps me express myself. That’s the kind of artist I am. I’m a fashion artist.
What inspires you?
What inspires me is my love for what I do, my love for fashion, my love for art, my love for life and my goal to be happy. 
Why did you go natural?
I was following trends. And I’ve always liked a certain look and it just fits into it perfectly. I was actually natural till I was 11. After I started experimenting I realized that my hair grew longer than my relaxed hair ever grew. 
What’s your hair regimen like?
I’m a lazy naturalista. So I’m one of those people that believe that unkempt hair is the best hair. My regimen is basically wash when I can, condition when I can. The lazy way.
Any favourite products?
The bottle of Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil Replenishing Conditioner that I’ve used for over a year.
What do you love about your hair?
The volume. 
What do you not love/wish you could change about your hair?
I wish my hair would shrink less
Is having natural hair a plus or a minus when it comes to your fashion?
Since my style borders on Afrocentric I think it’s a plus but I don’t think it makes any great difference.
What fashion mistake do people make that you’d like the readers to avoid?
Wearing things that are not appropriate for your body. You always have to dress for your body.
You buy a lot of really cool stuff from local markets and indigenous stores; any tips for the fashionista on a budget?
Avoid impulse buys, if it’s above your budget and you bargain and they don’t agree then it’s not yours. Realize that buying new things is a luxury; it’s not compulsory.
Who are your style icons?
Lisa Folawiyo, it might be cliché but Solange and I like Rihanna sometimes.
Any favourite fashion brands/labels?
The Heartdictions HQ store, Eve and Tribe, Grey, Bibire.
If you had to travel abruptly and you could only take 6 items (2 fashion items, 1 hair product/tool/accessory and 3 other items) what would they be?
If you were stuck in an elevator for 12 hours with anybody in the world, who would you pick and why?
Chris Brown! You can tell he is extremely playful and he’d make the best elevator partner. We can gist, make out ,fight, dance, he can sing to me and I can just touch his body when I’m bored. There’s just so much you can do with him.
Anything else you’d like to say?
I’d like to say thank you to you Jen and I’m extremely jealous of your hair. We should do this again! And this is the most fun interview I’ve had.
These are actually 9 pictures! She has the coolest Instagram page
*All pictures are from The ‘Dee’ Mako blog and @dee_mako on Instagram*
Guys, I don’t know what’s happening to me these days! Sometimes I’m genuinely busy or tired and can’t post/read posts/go on social media. But many times, I’m not any busier than I normally am but I just can’t post. It’s so bad that I don’t go on Instagram or read blogs I follow for a long time. And when I do, I go on Instagram and scroll through but don’t like/comment or post or I read blogs I follow but don’t have the zeal to like/comment even if I genuinely liked the post. This also extends to other social platforms like BBM. Am I having an Internet withdrawal kinda situation? Well if you haven’t been seeing my comments/likes and I follow your blog and you’re wondering why you don’t see my comments lately/often and if you follow my blog and you’re wondering why I’ve been so inconsistent lately, this is my explanation. Forgive me pretty please, I’m working on it before it ruins my blogging.
Anyways, starting with this post, I’m introducing a new ‘series’ on the blog called Instapicks Of The Week. This will basically be a weekly roundup of Instagram pictures and videos I found interesting over each past week.
The post will go up every Sunday. I think it’s a good way for me to at least have one post up a week and hopefully I stick to it.
So here are my Instapicks for the week.
Source: @sheabuttercottage
Source: @dooneyskitchen
Source: @beginningkisses
Source: @tzarstudios
Source: @thekinkandi
Source: @coilyandcute
Her caption: “Big Black and beautiful” . Love it!
Source: @kinkyparadiseng
Source: @yagazieemezi
Source: Yours truly, @nigerianandnatural
Source: @squishysmommasita
Her daughters are too freaking cute!
That’s all for this week.
Which picture/video is your favourite? What do you think of the Instapicks Of The Week idea?
Is there anything you would like me to post about? Please let me know.
Hi guys,
I want to share with you guys a super easy tip that will be quite helpful if you need to put links in the comment section of a blog.
You know when you see comments on blogs with links like this- Nigerian and Natural and you wonder how the heck the person did it because you’re stuck leaving your own comments with links like this-www.nigerianandnatural.com or http://nigerianandnatural.com ?
Well, I’m here to show you how!
Before posting comment
After posting comment
Before posting comment
After posting comment
Before posting comment
After posting comment
Before posting comment
After posting comment
Before posting comment
After posting comment
There you have it! I hope I have succeeded in explaining properly and that I have not confused you.
Feel free to test it out in the comment section below to know you got it before unleashing your new found knowledge on the world!
My beautiful people, I know you have missed me and I missed you too!
Don’t think it’s you oh. It’s me. I’ve been so stressed lately. I was just off the radar on basically everything: Instagram, BBM etc. I feel like I might be going through a mini midlife crisis or maybe I’m just exaggerating. It happens.
I kept planning to post but never actually posted. You know how life has a way of just getting in the way. (feeling like a literary giant)
So yeah, threading. I’m not talking about eyebrows. I’m talking about threading your hair like the way we used to as kids. These days, people sometimes refer to it as “African threading”.
Last washday, I decided “oh what the heck, I’ll give it a shot”. And I did.
I used regular sewing thread because I’m yet to find the rubber one more commonly used for threading hair.
I folded it in two and went to work on damp freshly washed hair right after moisturizing and sealing.
I did this at night and did not take pictures. However I threaded a section of my hair in the picture below as an example.
As you can see, the threaded section on the right is way way way more stretched than the twisted section on the left.
I took down the threading when it was dry in the morning and put my hair in a puff. The ends looked a bit stringy so I combed lightly.
And the result of my first time threading experiment was a mega puff!
Alas it lasted not! Later the same day shrinkage be like…
Possibly the shrinkage could have been avoided if I had not used products with humectants (ingredients that pull moisture into your hair e.g glycerine, propylene glycol) but I highly doubt I have any products without them.
I had intended to maximize the stretched hair all week by avoiding water/products with water so it would not shrink but I got caught in the rain the very next day and my dreams of stretched hair were literally washed down the drain.
Tips:
Overall thoughts:
I think threading is a good and effective way of stretching your hair. It’s also a great way for those who can’t/don’t like to twist/braid to keep their hair stretched.
All in all, I would try it again if I can find a way to stop my hair from shrinking (if you have tips on this, please share). But for now, twists are much easier and quicker for me to install and take down even though they don’t give as much stretch as threading.
Have you tried threading? Do you have tips? What do you think of threading and would you try it? Please share!
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
Hi guys,
I’ve had a few people tell me that I should host a giveaway but I just never got around to hosting one; until now!
It’s a small giveaway seeing as it’s the very first one (before you think I’m giving away a private jet or a mansion in Banana Island)
WHAT AM I GIVING AWAY?
Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Conditioner OR The Kinky Apothecary’s Whipped Batter. If you win, you get to pick which you prefer.
WHO CAN ENTER?
All residents of Nigeria (or anyone who has an address in Nigeria it can be delivered to).
HOW TO ENTER:
1. Subscribe to the blog– If you have a WordPress account, click ‘follow’ at the top of the page or at the bottom. If you don’t, subscribe to the blog via email either on the side of the page or at the bottom(depending on your browser).
2. Leave a comment telling me which two things on my Christmas Wishlist you think I’ve gotten. Also tell me which of the 2 giveaway items you want if you win e.g “Camera and iPhone. I want Hello Hydration”
That’s it!
Giveaway closes at midnight on the 27th of May, 2015 (the 2nd anniversary of my first post on this blog) and the winner will be chosen at random (so don’t worry about your answers being right or wrong; just have fun guessing)
Don’t be greedy, invite your loved ones, friends and enemies to enter as well!
Good luck!
P.s. You can also follow the blog on Instagram- @nigerianandnatural (it’s not a requirement but I’d be glad if you did)
Xoxo
**********GIVEAWAY CLOSED**********
It’s funny how something so seemingly sturdy suddenly breaks and then you begin to see that in retrospect, there were cracks. Cracks you thought you could ignore and they would fix themselves. Cracks you thought you could hide from the world. Cracks that widened and expanded to form irreparable gutters with the things ignored floating on the surface.
Sitting there in church with his bible in his lap, Pastor Tunde was there but he wasn’t.
He looked over his notes. His sermon today was supposed to be part 3 of “Getting marriage right”.
In the background of his thoughts,Pastor Tunde could hear the choir singing.
“You are the reason why I lift my hands
Why I lift my voice
Why I sing to you”
When he told Tolu five years into their marriage that God had called him to be a pastor and to start his ministry, she had been silent. Then she had told him she couldn’t handle the pressure of being the “mummy” of the congregation. That she didn’t want to be second in his life to a God she wasn’t so sure she believed in. That she couldn’t lose herself for a calling that wasn’t hers.
He knew she would come around. And she did. She understood that God had to come first.
She always looked beautiful in her skirt suits and hats on Sunday mornings. She handled the congregation with effortless grace. They were living the life God wanted them to live.
For Pastor Tunde his perfect structure had shattered to smithereens when he walked in last Friday from his 3-day prayer summit trip to Abuja to find Tolu and their maid, Jane, groping each other on the couch.
He looked up at his tear-stained face on the projector screen. The camera men had a habit of keeping the camera on those who were moved by the worship and were in the spirit.
“You are the reason I’m alive today
I am here to say
It’s all because of you”
______________________________________________________
Hi guys! Hope life is treating you well.
I haven’t been writing a lot these days which is really sad.
As always, I can be found more often on my hair blog here if you’re ever missing me and if that’s your sort of thing. (I talk about other stuff too, not just hair but mostly hair)
Xoxo
Jennifer Abah 