Tag Archives: Nigerian natural hair blog

I Was Featured On: The Curly Belle

Posted in Feature, hair journey by

 
Hello my lovelies,
I just dropped by to let you know that I’ve been featured on a natural hair blog, The Curly Belle.

This is actually the first time I’ve been featured on any blog!
So check it out here and please leave your many many comments. 

I’m a bit under the weather so I left work early and I’m at home. Hope your day is going way better than mine. 

Xoxo

A few of my favourite things- April

Posted in Current faves, Not hair by

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes; snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes; something something something bla bla bla bla; these are a few of my favourite things

  

I enjoy reading what people are loving every week/month on their blogs and I always wanted to write about things I was loving too here.

I’m not sure I can keep up with doing it weekly but I can do monthly. 
So here are a few of my favourite things from April: 
1. Cocoa butter: 
   

 

I was recently kind of bored with plain old shea butter and decided to try something different. 
I stumbled upon cocoa butter and other exotic butters such as murumuru, avocado, mango etc on the Beautifully Nappy blog shop. 
I initially wanted mango butter because I love the smell of mangoes but a quick Google search informed me that it actually doesn’t smell like mangoes so I went for cocoa butter instead.
I loooove the smell of cocoa butter! It’s like chocolate but not Dairy Milk kind of chocolate; think Richoco or King’s Bite(That Ghanaian chocolate with a red wrapper). 
My baby brother actually tries to lick it sometimes when I’m not looking and my sister and mum keep trying to steal it.
2. iOS 8: 
  
If you’re not into Apple devices, this one won’t be interesting to you but I recently upgraded from iOS 7 to iOS 8 and I’m really liking iOS 8.
The camera features are better, there’s now a ‘recently deleted’ album so you don’t lose mistakenly deleted pictures (Love this!), you can send voice notes on iMessage etc
The difference between both isn’t so major but it’s the subtle changes that just make it so much better and cooler.
3. One-a-week styles: 
   

   

If you’re like me and you like to dress up at the last minute and rush out the door, you will appreciate styles you can put your hair in for a whole week. 
They save me time and stress and save my hair from excessive manipulation.
Here’s what I do these days:
  • Wash my hair on Saturday and twist.
  • Wear it in a twist out on Sunday.
  • On Sunday evening, put it in a style for the week.
  • Forget about it till Saturday.
  • On Saturday, moisturize it and twist.
  • Wear a twist out on Sunday.
  • On Sunday evening, put it in a style for the week.
  • Forget about it till Saturday.
  • On Saturday, start from step 1 again.
This means I now wash my hair every 2 weeks which is good for a lazy girl like me; although I must admit that it itches during the second week.
4. The view from my balcony:
   

     


You might be wondering “but it’s not a fantastic view”. 
I’m moving to a new house soon and that house has no balcony or view. 
I’m seriously going to miss sitting in this balcony enjoying fresh air, watching people and cars go by and listening to the sounds of Lagos (i.e shouting, car horns and generators).
I’m also going to miss my annoying dog, Kiara, who will not be moving with us. (Hopefully she annoys her way into the hearts of her new owners)
  
5. Cardboard: 
  
Did I hear you go “huh?!”. Don’t worry I’m not crazy. 
Sometime ago, I read on Cassie Dave’s blog about how cardboard makes a great background for pictures and I thought ‘Wow! How come I never thought of this?!’. Anyways, I have gotten myself a few and I will be using them when necessary as they do make great backgrounds for pictures. 
I used pink for my what’s in my bag picture; did you notice? 
  
I also used blue and white for the cocoa butter pictures above.
I personally think yellow is the most beautiful but my neighbourhood mallam didn’t have yellow. 
I think I will go to a book shop and get sheets of coloured paper as well.
There you have it; my very first “current faves” post. 
What are you currently loving? Share, share, share! I wanna hear!

P.S. you guys know you’re my favourites all day errday right? 
Xoxo

A typical wash day for me

Posted in hair journey, hair practices, products by

 

Hi guys,

One thing I would say I miss about my non-existent hair routine before going natural was that I could use 30-60 minutes to wash my hair AND dry it. 

Nowadays, that basically borders on impossible.

I really like the feel of cold water on my scalp and the softness of freshly washed hair. If not for these I actually do not enjoy wash day because, without sugar-coating it, I am lazy and would much rather use my free time to do what lazy people do.

In case you were ever wondering what I do on wash days, let me give you the low-down.

1. Detangle:

 

I sometimes shampoo before I detangle but these days I mostly detangle first. 

If I’m shampooing first, I shampoo and then finger detangle my wet/damp hair in sections with my deep conditioner and twist each detangled section. After I’m done detangling and everything is in twists, I put on a shower cap for some time(deep condition).

However, if I’m detangling first, I take my dry hair in sections, put conditioner in it (or spray with a mix of conditioner, water and/or apple cider vinegar as seen in the picture) then finger detangle, twist that section and move to another until everything is detangled and in twists.

 

See how creepy my hand looks after detangling. 

For now, I’m not sure which method I prefer but I’m leaning towards method 2 because it can be quite tasking to reach your scalp properly when shampooing loose hair like in method 1.

2. Shampoo:

 

I proceed to rinse my hair as best I can and shampoo it focusing on my scalp.

  

3. Deep condition:

 

 

I usually sit around and wait till my hair is damp before I deep condition (but that’s because most times, I don’t use a towel/t-shirt to blot excess water so I have to sit and drip till the hair becomes damp. If I have a towel/t-shirt, I blot out the excess water after shampooing and proceed to deep condition). I apply my deep conditioner of choice that day, put on my shower cap a.k.a nylon bag and go about my business for the next hour or more. Then I rinse it out.

 

4. ACV rinse:

  

After rinsing out the deep conditioner, I dilute apple cider vinegar with water and pour it over my hair making sure it gets everywhere. I wait a minute or two and then pour a bowl of plain water over my hair. Don’t ask me why I do this step because me sef I no know.

 

Loosened one twist to look at my hair. Looks clean to me 

5. Moisturize and seal:

  

I sit around with my hair still in twists till it dries a bit.

When it’s damp, I proceed to loosen a twist, apply Cantu and follow it up with cocoa butter(or Shea butter) focusing on my ends and then put it in a loose Bantu knot or flat twist so I can differentiate it from those I haven’t moisturized. I do this till I’m done with everything. I then loosen each Bantu knot or flat twist and put in back in a regular twist so I can have a twist out the next day. (Alternatively, I do a firm Bantu knot/flat twist after moisturizing each section so that I don’t have to loosen it after moisturizing).

 

6. Put on my satin bonnet: 

If it’s night by this time, I put on my bonnet and head to bed.

 

I was pretending to yawn in the picture and ended up really yawning 

And that’s wash day for me. 

What do you do on wash day? Please share your routine.

What’s in my bag

Posted in Not hair, Tag by

My people! 

I know, I know; I’ve been gone for exactly a month. I am so so so sorry for the long, unannounced and unplanned break. Forgive me pretty please *puppy dog eyes*

I hope you missed me oh because I missed you guys. And shoutout to sweet Debbie who sent me an email asking if I was okay and why I hadn’t blogged in a while. 

I have a couple of posts planned so hopefully I can make it up to you guys.

  

So, I was tagged by Alex of Nappy Haired and Oyime of Oyime’s Musings to do this post and after an eternity, I am finally doing it.

I decided to remove all my work junk and leave the things you will find in my bag almost all the time.

 

1. Sunglasses: To avoid unnecessary headaches, squinting, eye contact, small talk etc. Also to look like a cool kid and so people don’t catch you staring. I bought these at Mr Price, Accra.

2. Phones:  D’uh! What is life without one. (The other one isn’t in the picture)

3. Hand Sanitizer: Let me shamefully admit that I’ve had ‘OCD’ habits long before Ebola started being shared like party rice so I always had this. These days, I’ve sort of overcome it so this bottle is empty but I carry it around and squeeze out whatever I can in emergencies.

4. Wallet: A gift bought from South Africa by a friend.

5. Power Bank: For emergencies.You don’t want to be stuck somewhere boring/unfamiliar with a dead battery. How will you pretend you’re occupied?

6. Watch: I put it on when I get to my destination and take it off before my commute home. I don’t want anyone attacking me because my watch looks expensive.

7. Lip balm: One is EOS in blueberry acai and the other is Lip Smacker in Fanta grape.

8. Lipstick: I carry whatever lipstick I’m wearing that day in my bag in case I need to touch up.

9. Earphones: Because I like to listen to music. Also helps me avoid small talk from all these guys that be like “hexcuse me sister, can I meet you?” (Although some will tap you despite the earphones. One actually tapped me and asked if he could share my music)

10. ID Card: Just in case you need to be identified or you go to the bank. Also I need it for work. 

11. Pad: For emergencies both for me and someone in need.

12: Charger: Emergencies again.

13: Bobby pins and hair band: In case I need to pin my hair or put it in a pony tail.

14. Powder and brush: For touch ups. And the powder mirror is also handy.

I usually have a pen too but I couldn’t find it until I was done taking the picture. You don’t want to be that annoying lady begging for a pen at the bank; or anywhere in fact.

So I’m tagging the following people to do this post (It’s so hard to choose because I feel like everyone has been tagged already):

1. Desola- Dee Mako

2. Bukky- The Life of Bey

3. Rachel- Beautifully Nappy

4. Chinwe- Igbo Curls

5. Ify- Ify’s Musings

6. Anyone who’s interested! Be sure to let me know so I can check it out.

What are the things that are constantly in your bag? Please share.

Jumia Haul

Posted in product review, Product store, products, Spotlight by
Hi guys!
 
I’m only using the word ‘haul’ because, you know, that’s what people do on other blogs. #BloggerLingo
 
So I was on my own jejely browsing through Jumia when I saw Aunt Jackie’s products.
I had read reviews of some of the products previously and planned that one day when I was feeling rich I would try them out.
I had seen them at Casa Bella and knew they generally retailed at around N2,500 upwards.
So imagine my surprise when I saw them on Jumia all below N2,000! I had to have them, whether or not I already had enough products! (Does someone need to sign up for Product Junkies Anonymous?)
I also bought some Aloe Vera gel because… ummm… product junkism.
 
 
 
DEETS:

Where to buy- Jumia

Prices-
1) Aunt Jackie’s Knot on my watch- N1,895 (Currently out of stock)
2) Aunt Jackie’s Oh So Clean– N1,795
3) Aunt Jackie’s In Control– N1,795
4) Fruit of the Earth Aloe Vera Gel– N1,475

Also available on Jumia is Aunt Jackie’s Curl La La for N1,895.

Jumia also sells some Cantu, Namaste Organics, Tropical Isle, Eco styler, Elasta Qp, Shea Moisture, Beautiful Textures and African Naturalistas products, essential and carrier oils, shea butter and even Hairfinity.
Note that not all of them are as cheap in comparison.

Delivery info-
-Nationwide delivery (note that you might have to prepay either through your master/visa/verve card or a bank deposit/transfer for some states as not all states qualify for cash on delivery).
-You can opt to have it delivered to you or pick it up at the closest pickup station to you(which attracts little or no shipping charge)
-Free shipping within Lagos for orders above N10,000
 
Aunt Jackie’s Product Reviews-
1) Knot On My Watch by Igbo Curls
2) Curl La La by The Kink and I
3) In Control by The Kink and I
4) Curl La La by Sizzelle
5) Oh So Clean and Knot On My Watch by 1 Blessed Natural
6) In Control and Oh So Clean by Nappy Headed Black Girl


Have you ever shopped on Jumia? How was your experience? Have you ever tried any of these products? How did you feel about them? What do you have planned for the weekend? You know I wanna hear!

What I wore: Charlie Harper

Posted in Fashion, Not hair, Random, What I Wore by
One day I had nothing to wear so I went to my mum’s closet and grabbed this oversized shirt. It was quite big but I actually liked it.
I thought I looked like a female version of Charlie Harper(Charlie Sheen’s character on Two and a Half Men).
 
Fun fact: The day I wore this outfit, I sat on a table at work and literally five seconds later, the table and I were chilling on the floor. I was so dazed that I just sat there on the floor for some minutes after. The table broke y’all! I need to hit the gym or something. My butt broke a table!
 
 
Tip: Laugh with the people laughing at you. When you get home cry to the Lord to wipe their memories overnight. Alternatively, move to Cotonou and start a new life.
 
 
 
(Edges in need of Jesus and edge control)
 
 
Jeans: Random (I always wear them rolled up because they’re too short)
Top: For my mama
Shoes: From Jumia
Bag: Borrow pose

NITC 10

Posted in events by
 
Hi guys,
NITC 10 was on Saturday and I went. I think this is the third one I've been to. If you missed it, not to worry; I gat you(sort of).
 
I was really early for this one and I got a little bag of Jessicurl samples for being early(See why you should say NO to African time?).

There were 4 talks:
1. Dr Sandra of Naija Girl Next Door spoke about making the most of what you have product-wise.

Pretty jumpsuit ei?

Main Points:
-Be realistic- Don't buy products with unrealistic expectations e.g an expensive curl cream when you know your hair will probably never curl like that of the girl on the container.

-Pick one- Pick the best product/the product that works best for you e.g you don't need to have 4 conditioners; just pick one.

-Merge products- Use multitasking products e.g a rinse out conditioner that can serve as a leave in.

-Use a light hand- Don't be heavy handed with products.

-DIY- It's relatively inexpensive; you can strike gold with trial and error.

2. Nkechi of Formula Botanica spoke about making the most of things around you for natural skin care

Although you can't see it well, she has amazing skin.

Main Points:
-For cleansing- The Oil Cleansing Method(she recommended castor oil for this), honey, yoghurt(you can add some lemon/lemon essential oil), black soap.
 
-For moisturizing- Aloe vera, green tea and other humectants can be added to your moisturizer.
 
-As a serum- 1 teaspoon water + 2 teaspoons glycerin + half teaspoon vitamin C(Ascorbic acid in powdered form. Found in pharmacies)
 
-For the under eye area- Witch hazel(can be found in pharmacies), cucumber, green tea bags, lemon juice(for dark circles), aloe vera.
 
-For exfoliants and masks- clays(e.g bentonite), bananas, tomatoes, cocoa, yoghurt, honey, milk, sea salt.
 
-As a toner- Witch hazel(for oily skin) and floral waters(e.g rose water for dry skin)
 
-Don't store natural products/DIY mixes as they are a breeding ground for bacteria. Make them in small, single-use batches.
 
 
 
3. Dr Patrick of Carib Health spoke about making the most of the natural foods around us.
Main Points:
-Go for a checkup annually(I won't even lie, I don't think I've ever been for a checkup. I only go to the hospital when I'm sick)
 
-The following foods are super good for you:
 
~Tigernuts(Those brownish small things that mallams hawk that you chew and spit out. He suggested eating them like 2 times a week)
~Dates(Also hawked by mallams. Brownish like a big raisin)
~Moringa
~Bitter leaf
-Doing a detox every now and then is very beneficial.
 
 
4. Isioma spoke about loving yourself. It was also her birthday!
Main Points:
–Self love- Love yourself just the way you are. Any changes you make, do them for yourself and not for anyone.
 
-Acceptance- Accept that you are who you are and make the most of whatever your situation is. E.g If your hair does not curl, that is something it does not do. Accept it, focus on and rock what your hair can do.
 
-A little selfishness goes a long way- Think about yourself every now and then and put yourself and your opinions first.
 
-You are the only you you have
 
 
There was also a panel where some ladies were asked questions about their hair and experiences but I only stayed for the first few minutes of this part before I had to leave.
 
I had good conversations about hair with a couple of people before the main event started.
I also took a few shots of a few good people.
 
Loved her threaded hair! Not sure if I can pull it off though.
 
AB's twists were on serious fleek
(Taking pictures like a professional stalker)
 
Wish I had taken more pictures but my battery was at about 15% when I got there.
 
By the way, do you know The Kink and I now has a store?
I got this cute note with my purchase from their stand at NITC.
 
 
 
And shoutout to the lady that recognized me from here and said hi! 😀
 
Keep your eyes glued to Natural Nigerian and The Kink and I for more deets and pictures from NITC 10 soon.
 
Sidebar: My friends and I went to lunch afterwards and we thought our experience was totally “blogable” so that might show up here as a restaurant review sometime within the week. I wanted to add it to this post but I am not a fan of really long posts.
 
Don't forget to follow me on Instagram @nigerianandnatural
 
Xoxo
 

2015 thus far

Posted in events, Not hair, Weight loss by
It's the last day of February already!
 
Remember my Pounds and Inches post? I talked about two areas I wanted to work on in 2015.
Seeing as we're entering the third month of the year already, I was thinking about my progress(or lack thereof)
 
One area I wanted to work on was that I wanted to post more on the blog this year.
In that aspect, I hope you will agree with me that there has been some improvement. This is the 9th week of the year(if I'm correct) and there's been 11 posts on the blog so far(including this one). That's about a post a week as opposed to 2 posts a month last year. I hope to still improve but so far, I think I can give myself a pat on the back.
 
The other area I wanted to work on was losing weight.
I wish I had worked on this but honestly I have so many excuses that I'd rather not share at the risk of sounding ridiculous.
 
I even started my day today with hot akara and sugary creamy pap while my mates were probably lifting weights and gulping down smoothies *sigh*.
 
I'm not going to even lie and say I've made any effort because I haven't in all honesty. I know how to lose weight, really I think I do. My problem is the lack of willpower aka laziness and the fact that I have a job now and less time for workouts and meal prep.
 
 
In other news, next week Saturday (7th of March) is NITC 10.
Venue: The Social Place, 33 Sinari Daranijo street, VI
Time: 1:30 to 5:30(Don't be late, I missed a lot the last time because I was late)
Gate fee: N500
 
As always, there will be hair talks, giveaways and stands where you can buy those hair products you have been lusting after. There will be a product swap also so bring those products you don't want(not more than halfway used) to swap for other stuff.
And as always, everyone is invited; natural, relaxed, texlaxed, on a healthy hair journey, curious etc
I will most probably be there so if you see me, do say hi! 😀
 
 
How are your 2015 goals coming along? Do you have any weightloss tips for me with my newly busy life? Please share; I love to read your comments.

Xoxo
 

It’s my birthday!

Posted in Not hair by
It's that day of the year where I can stuff my face full of cake and annoy people and get away with it.
 
I've never really been much of a birthday celebration kind of person. Spending the day watching TV, eating and replying birthday messages is fine by me. I do that almost every year and I don't think it'll be different this year(and no I'm not boring).
I would have taken myself and a few friends out to lunch/dinner but I think I'd rather save the money and get myself an iPhone 6 as a belated birthday gift in the near future(Team aka gum)
 
 
(Can I sue the person that did not put this cake in the fridge early enough?)
(4 already missing from yesterday)
 
Here's wishing myself a very happy birthday from me to me!
 
I hope you enjoy my beautiful day and it brings you goodluck.
 
Oh and I am now on Bloglovin even though I don't fully understand it yet so please follow me
 

Review: The BoonBox

Posted in Not hair, Review by
Hi guys,
 
Ever heard of the CurlBox? It’s a subscription where you get a box every month that contains hair products either full sized or sample sized. The products are a surprise and are different every month giving you the opportunity to explore and try a variety of products.
 
Imagine my joy when I found out that we have our own version of this American wonder and ours is called the BoonBox! The BoonBox is put together by a Nigerian online beauty store called The Beauty Boon.
 
Somehow I never got around to ordering one until I read a review about it on She Is Out Of Control.
 
HOW IT WORKS
Just like I explained with the CurlBox, the BoonBox is literally a box that contains hair, skin and beauty products. The products are different every time and can be either sample sized or full sized.
 
You fill a form about your likes and dislikes, preferred brands and products etc. This helps the team putting the boxes together know what to put in yours. E.g if you say your hair is natural on the form, they won’t go and send you Profectiv relaxer in your BoonBox.
 
There are two subscription options: monthly and quarterly.
 
 
THE BAD
I chose to go with the monthly/one-time subscription so I ordered and prepaid for my BoonBox on the 17th of December. I chose to prepay instead opting for cash on delivery just incase I wasn’t home when it was delivered. Guess when I received it guys. 18th of February!!!
2 months later!
Sometime in January, a month or so after I ordered it(in fact I don forget sey I order something by then), someone from The Beauty Boon called me to confirm that I had ordered one, had prepaid and was yet to receive it; she also informed me that I would be receiving it soon.
By February 4th I had still not seen the shadow of the BoonBox so I sent an email to them about it and they replied saying it would come that Friday(February 6th).
Alas, it came February 18th.
 
 
THE GOOD
I was pleased with the BoonBox (even though I grew old and wrinkled waiting for its arrival). I got 5 items in mine:
1. EOS lip balm in blueberry açaí (Been wanting to get one so I was happy about this)
 
2. Clearasil daily clear daily facial scrub (Been wanting to try the Clearasil moisturizer so let’s see how this one works. Hopefully it won’t be too drying/harsh seeing as it’s for acne and acne is currently not a problem for me)
 
3. Mac lipglass in famously fab (Even though I think I mentioned on my form that I don’t like lipgloss but then I could be wrong. It’s a nice pinkish lavender shade)
 
4. Shea Moisture curl enhancing smoothie (I already had this. Nooooo!)
 
5. A scented candle (The scent is called garden party and it smells divine even unlit)
 
6. A handwritten apology note (I wish! I was half expecting one but I got a hot ela as they didn’t send any)
 
 
 
 
 
FINAL THOUGHTS
I love the idea of being surprised with different products and I love the idea of stepping out of my comfort zone and my staple product bubble and trying new things. I love the idea of the BoonBox. It’s a winner if only it could be smoothly executed. I was really mellow about the delay in the delivery timeline even though it was pretty unacceptable but not every one will be. So what if it were the quarterly subscription? Would you be getting each one 2 months late?
 
 
WOULD I REPURCHASE?
Maybe. If and only if I am assured that it will arrive on time.
 
BOONBOX DETAILS:
Where to purchase– The Beauty Boon
Price– N5,000 monthly or N19,000 quarterly
 
Would you be willing to try the BoonBox? Ever tried it or ever tried something similar? Share please.
 
P.s anyone know any good WordPress blogging apps for iOS? I keep losing my posts because the official WordPress app keeps crashing on me 😥
 
By the way have you noticed?!?!
The blog is now a “dot com”!!! *confetti*
But don’t worry if you forget and type http://www.nigerianandnatural.wordpress.com (this one is so long to type though; I can say that now 😀 ) because it will automatically redirect you to the dot com website.
Also, the email address is now contact@nigerianandnatural.com but don’t worry if you send it to the old one (nigerianandnatural@gmail.com) because I will still get it.
 
We are moving on up! *shakes bottom*
 
Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram if you haven’t- @nigerianandnatural
Peace!