Happy birthday to meeeee!

Posted in styling by Jen

So it’s my birthday today! *does the electric slide across webpage*

I’ll spare you all the cliche new-year-new-me talk. LOL. But I do hope and pray that this new year will be my best year yet(and my hair’s too, LOL)

So I’ve taken out my yarn braids and I’m wearing a puff!!!!! I’ve always wanted to do a puff/Afro puff but I thought my hair was too short until I saw a blog where someone with hair similar to mine did it. So I think this will be my go to style from now on, especially for work.
I’ll leave you with pictures of me and my birthday hair. Enjoy!

I see growth! 😀

Detangling was a feat but we pulled through

Look at my dog photo bombing!!

I’m off to eat more cake! Cakes and Cream’s red velvet is the truth!

Till next time guys,
peace!

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!

6Feb2014

Bantu knot out on short natural hair vs on relaxed/transitioning hair

Posted in styling by Jen

Hey guys! Welcome to February! My birthday month *shakes booty* I’m seriously dying to get an Afro kinky curly weave( like the one LoveIfeyinwa has at her store ) just in case you’re wondering what I want for my birthday 😀

Anyways, about a month ago, my sister and I tried Bantu knot outs. I have natural hair(a twa) and she has relaxed hair with a good deal of new growth that’s why I wrote” relaxed/transitioning hair” in the post title.

So here’s what we did.
For my sister’s relaxed hair,
-we’d take a section(we started from the back)
-we sprayed it a little bit with water,oil and conditioner in a spray bottle(almost not enough to even make a difference)
-then we applied some Ecostyler gel mixed with our DIY sheabutter mix
-twisted it(two strand twist)
-knotted the twist around itself
-when we got to the front we made sure to make a parting where she would like it to be when styling the next day

C’est fini!

We did it at night and left it overnight. Next morning we took them down with a bit of coconut oil on our fingers(my sister insisted we go over it with a blow dryer first. I think this is unnecessary) and separated and fluffed.

Forgive the picture quality

Freshly taken down

Separated and fluffed

So for my own natural twa:
-I did this on freshly washed hair(damp but some parts dried as I twisted and I was too sleepy to spray them)
-I moisturized with Cantu creamy hair lotion
-I’d take a little section(since my hair is short) and apply Taaliah Waajid curly curl cream and then twist it with a little of my Shea butter mix
-I went to bed. Lol
-the next morning I knotted the twists around themselves

Took them down 2 days later with some coconut oil on my fingers.

End results

So that’s it! If you want to rerock the look the next day, I think you would have to redo the Bantu knots at night. I didn’t though cos I ~~wanted a different style the next day~~ was too lazy to redo the knots at night.

So till next time guys,
Sugar, spice and everything nice(LOL)

6Jan2014

My week of styling and stretched hair

Posted in styling by Jen

Happy new year!!!!!! *insert fireworks*
May this year be your best year yet; may it be filled with love, joy, peace, progress, success, laughter and prosperity every day! We pray for longer,healthier hair this year, amen!!

So on to the hair talk. I took out my weave on Wed(Jan 1st) and for the first time since I’ve been getting weaves, there was little or no dandruff in my hair or on the weave tracks! *shakes bottom*
I’d like to believe that keeping my hair and scalp moisturized + cleaning with apple cider vinegar resulted in my dandruff free hair. And my hair was so moisturized and soft after I took out the cornrows under the weave albeit a little grimy in some places.

So I decided I wanted to try something new and keep my hair stretched and styled all week long. I also wanted to avoid combing as much as possible. So here’s the week in pictures:

And then on Friday I was too late to take out my flat twists so I hastily threw on a head wrap. Everyone at work had a comment about it! From “South African woman” to “mama” to “Fulani girl” etc etc

products used
-Cantu creamy hair lotion(as a leave in/moisturizer)- N2900 at Casa Bella, Ikeja city mall
-Taliah Waajid curly curl cream(to twist)- N2890 at Casa Bella, Ikeja city mall
-Castor oil (to oil scalp)
-Shea butter mix(to seal in moisture)-contains Shea butter, olive oil, coconut oil, castor oil, glycerin and peppermint oil

Till next time,
Xoxo(Yes I LOVED Gossip Girl)

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!

I can’t wait to take this weave off by next week! Ugh! I just want to pour cold water on my head; I’m almost drooling thinking about it.

So till next time guys.
Peace, love and joy in your hearts.

(source)

9Dec2013

First go at protective styling: Bohemian curls

Posted in products, protective styling by Jen

Hey guys,
So I went for NITC7 and I learnt some new things especially about Ayurveda(will definitely be giving it a go in the near future)! Didn’t stay till the end though because I wanted to avoid evening traffic.
Anyways, here’s what I bought!

vo5(N500), African Naturalistas’ glycerine(N1400) and Jamaican Black Castor Oil aka JBCO(N1750)
I also got some coconut oil(not pictured); a 500ml bottle which I shared with my friend(think it cost N1740).
My eyes also had a happy time seeing so much natural hair! I was so inspired. Didn’t take pictures sadly 😦 Only these two below.

They’ve both been natural for about a year! The one on the left has a hair blog that you should definitely check out.

Funny story guys: Before I went to NITC and bought Vo5, I’d been to Park n Shop and Goodies searching for it to no avail.
So after I got it at NITC, I went by my mum’s shop to meet her and guess what I saw on one of the shelves? Vo5! Imagine! (Talk about going to Sokoto in search of what was inside my sokoto!). So if you’re ever in need of Vo5, pay the shop a visit.
Angels supermarket: 88 Awolowo way Ikeja, Lagos(somewhat opposite Access bank; beside Holy Trinity hospital)
It’s N600.

The shop also has butterfly clamps(for sectioning your hair), honey(for deep conditioning etc), Extra Virgin Olive Oil({both little bottles and giant bottles} For hot oil treatments, sealing etc), Green tea and black tea( for tea rinses) and wide tooth combs(for detangling) as well as provisions and whatnot. So stop by.

I found a new silicone free conditioner! Garnier Fructis fortifying comditioner(strength and shine). I got it at Park n shop on Mobolaji Bank Anthony way for N550.

Sooooo, I’m finally in my first protective style since my big chop! 😀 My hair needed a major break from daily combing. It’s a full sew in using Pro 10 Bohemian curls(12″, colour 2).

I got it from a hair shop in my neighborhood for N1800 each(I used 2 packs so N3600).

I’m going to be doing my own castor oil challenge while I have the weave to see how much hair I’ll grow. I’ll be massaging castor oil into my scalp 3x a week(Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays).
Didn’t do length check pictures cos I forgot but I have this picture I took some days before I got the weave for some sort of reference. I had straightened a small section in front to see my length. It’s about 3″ long in this section(my hair is between 2″-3″ in different parts with most parts being 2.5″).

So I went and got the sew in! It was corn rowed/ sewn a tad too tight so I sprayed my edges with some water and peppermint oil for some relief and then applied some castor oil and tugged gently to try and loosen it a bit. That really helped but I hope I don’t lose hair 😦

So here’s my hair

Love it!

At work this morning, someone asked why I did my hair in an accusatory tone( a tone that implied that he preferred the twa).
Someone else said with a smirk on her face “I thought you liked your short hair; why did you get a weave?”. In my mind I’m like “Ermm 1) na my head, no be ur own 2) yes I like the short hair. That don’t mean I don’t like weaves too 3) wipe that silly smirk off ur face”.

The head tapping has begun! Why is it that my head always itches when I get a weave, no matter how clean my scalp is?! 😥

27Nov2013

Casa Bella deal on Dealdey! + NITC reminder

Posted in events, products by Jen

As I might have mentioned in a previous post, Casa Bella is a Nigerian store that sells natural hair products like Giovanni, Cantu, Taliah Waajid, Creme of Nature etc as well as other hair and beauty products. At the moment, they have a deal on Dealdey for 50% off on a N3000 voucher. This simply means you will be paying N1500 for a voucher worth N3000 so you’re saving N1500. So you can buy N3000 worth of stuff from Casa Bella with this voucher having only paid N1500 for it.

You can use the voucher at any of the following Casa Bella outlets:

-The Palms Shopping Centre, Lekki
-Ikeja City Mall, Alausa
-Adeniran Ogunsanya (Shoprite) Mall, Surulere
-Polo Park Mall, Enugu
-Grand Towers Mall, Abuja
-Ajose Adeogun Street, opposite Zenith Bank HQ, Victoria Island

You know your girl got a voucher! Cheapskates don’t sleep, LOL! I have my eyes on that Cantu shea butter leave in.

Hurry because the voucher sales end in 5 days!

To buy your own voucher from Dealdey, click here

Also, don’t forget that NITC7 is this Saturday! Don’t let them gist you; come and see it first hand. Relaxed, big chop, natural, transitioning, bald; it don’t even matter! The focus is healthy hair and we all want that right?

Highlights:

~There will be talks about:
..protective styling
..hygienic makeup application
..Ayurvedic treatments
etc.

~A hair documentary will also be screened and discussed.

~There will be a product swap as well so come with all the products you would like to swap(Don’t bring empty containers oh!).

~There will be stands selling all sorts of goodies from essential oils to conditioners to accessories, name it! (All those products you’ve been eyeing but didn’t order because of delivery costs will be there! I know I want glycerin, aloe vera juice, tea tree oil and Jamaican Black Castor Oil!)

So clear your calendar and try your absolute best not to miss it.

Till next time,
Peace, love and good hair!

14Nov2013

So what’s been going on since my last post?

Posted in products by Jen

Hey guys, it’s been a minute. I changed the blog address from naturalnappynigeriangirl.wordpress to nigerianandnatural.wordpress. The former was just too long. So what really has been going on with my hair since my last post? Well, not much as far as I’m concerned(I’m so boring).

I’ve been getting a lot of “why did you cut your hair?”, even from people who never met me while I had longer hair. The other day some dude asked why I cut my hair and I said “I want to regrow it”. He said “that’s a weird reason. I thought you lost someone in your family and you were mourning”. The one I get a lot and HATE is “did you comb your hair?” or “do you comb your hair?”. But I do get a lot of compliments too! So I’m not complaining too much! The other day, a salon owner said “I wish all ladies would cut their hair like you so we could see their natural beauty”. I replied “then how would you make money?” And he laughed.

Still getting to know my hair.

I don’t know what hair type I have but most of the strands that fall off are circular.

My dandruff has also significantly reduced, hallelujah! I don’t know what exactly made this happen(maybe more frequent washing and oiling) but thank you hair gods. I’m looking to get some tea tree oil though.

On another note, getting products in Nigeria can be such a pain in the behind. I wonder how I’m going to cope in the long run. I’m trying to find suitable products that can be readily available to me that is, products I can easily find/buy with no stress. Products you read reviews about are either impossible to buy here or overpriced. *sigh*.

I’ve tried a couple of new products so let me briefly talk about them

(NB: Remember that I’m a newbie so my advice isn’t professional or based on much experience; it’s based on how I/my hair felt after using said products)

Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut conditioner

I ran out of Giovanni(which I really like by the way)and I decided to try something new

(I got the white one at Casa Bella in Ikeja mall for about N3000 and my mum got the green one at Ulta in the US for about $8)

So I decided to try African Naturalistas’ conditioner since it was pretty affordable(N1500). So cheapskate me found out that konga had it and their delivery was cheaper than that of the African naturalistas store so I ordered it from Konga. After waiting for my delivery for some days, I got an email from Konga saying that it was unavailable. I’m just confused, like ummm it said it was in stock when I ordered it?! Anyways, they said my money had been refunded into my “Konga wallet” and I could use it for another purchase(been trying to use it since and I’m never able to checkout. What a beautiful first impression of Konga).

After this, I decided to try Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut(one of their silicone free conditioners). I got it off Sizelle,whose customer service is good by the way. One major deciding factor was that it was cheaper than Giovanni(N2450 then an additional N500 for delivery) and over 2x bigger than Giovanni.

The first thing I noticed was the smelllll! So coconutty. Smelt it before I even got to the package(it was a delivery so it came in a sealed package. The bottle was also wrapped in nylon and placed in a Sizzelle bag. So basically I smelt it through 3 layers of nylon). I love the smell. I think it’s pretty great for cowashes. I also use it to deep condition mixed with oils,honey etc. I use it as a leave in sometimes and I put it in my spray bottle mix too.
I think it doesn’t have(or is it “give”? I don’t know the natural lingo well) as much slip as Giovanni does but it’s still pretty okay.

I would definitely repurchase especially if I find it in a supermarket.

Bobeam Shealoe shampoo bar
Still cant wrap my head around how people use Dudu Osun to wash their hair. Even Americans are ordering it online? Nah! I can’t. That soap makes my face itch like crazy. I can just imagine my hair as dry as the desert if I use it.

Anyways, I’d read nothing but good reviews about Bobeam shampoo bars and the lady who makes them and her awesome customer service. They weren’t lying. I emailed her asking about delivery costs to Nigeria and she was so pleasant. (You can find her here) Unfortunately the delivery prices were a bit steep since I was only buying 1 or 2 bars(buying in bulk would be more sensible I think). So I decided to buy it from The Kinky Apotheacry (it costs N1400 but there’s an N800 delivery charge. U can also pick up if u want).
I must say, I like this shampoo bar! My hair feels clean when I use it. The bar has a light lemony smell. The bar will last long as far as you don’t leave it in water or you don’t go scrubbing it into your head excessively; it lathers well, in fact a little too well, so there’s no need to be excessively rubbing the bar on your head.

I would repurchase. Although I think this one might last a while + I still have some Giovanni shampoo.

(I cut the bar in two. This is one half)

African Naturalistas leave in conditioner

Got this off Jumia because they were doing a free delivery promo #TeamCheapskate. It was N1295 but now it’s N1595. (Quick rant: the Jumia delivery guy refused to leave it with my gateman so the gateman got angry and told him to come and look for me at work which is very close to my house. He actually did! The receptionist at work had to sign for my delivery. Since he ended up not giving me in person, I didn’t see his point. He could have just dropped it at my house)

I’d never bought a leave in so this was my first try.
It was rather watery; I expected something thicker but it makes sense that it would be watery.
I have likes and dislikes about this product.

LIKES
1. It offers me the opportunity to not have to wet/dampen my hair everyday. I can just slap this on and comb as easily as when I spray with water.

2. It’s affordable, silicone free and Nigerian made(Yay Nigeria!).

DISLIKES

1. The smell! I’m a bit used to it now but I absolutely dislike the smell. It smells like air freshener to me.

2. Doesn’t last so long. It’s 300ml and watery so… And this is from someone who has short hair. (However, I do use it fairly often and I put some in my spray bottle).

3. It can be sticky on hands and I noticed some sort of build up in my hair when I used it for 3 or more days in a row. It also takes some rubbing in for the whiteness/white residue to go.

I don’t know if my hair is any softer with it than it is when I use my spray bottle mix.

I would repurchase mostly because of the price but I’m on the look out for something better.

Ecostyler olive oil gel

Got this from The Kinky Apothecary with the Bobeam and a satin bonnet(yes guys, I’d been sleeping with my hair out on cotton pillowcases *weeps*).

I am not a fan at all! I don’t know if it’s that I’m using it the wrong way or something but it makes my hair stiff and white. Someone asked me why my hair was white and I said “it is gel oh! I don’t know who sent me to go and rub gel”. Funny thing is, I was messing around one day and I put some on my baby cousin’s hair and his curls were popping!

Anyways, the tub of gel is sitting pretty on my table, very full.

I’ve also started taking multivitamins as I hear vitamins and minerals are good for your hair and skin.

(Stolen from my mum)

I hear Biotin especially makes hair grow! Read some reviews and went to ask for the price of the 5000mcg Biotin pills in a pharmacy and they said N4500! My inner cheapskate soul died. I don’t know if I’m ready to commit like that and drop N4500. What if it doesn’t work for me(some people in the reviews said they broke out and The Lord knows I already have skin that is very acne prone- see picture below for evidence). I think I’ll just put the Biotin idea on the back burner for now. (My multivitamin tablet has some Biotin in it but it’s just 30mcg)

As far as progress goes,

(August 11th 2013)

(Nobember 3rd 2013)

Slowly but surely 🙂

Fooled around and tried a “braid out” one day when I was bored.

Hated it

So till next time guys.

18Aug2013

NYSC camp and a 2nd big chop

Posted in big chop by Jen

Hello world!!! It’s been a minute!
So I was at the NYSC camp from June 25th to July 16th 😥 People are not joking when they say that camp is hard! In the first week, I was feeling so rundown and sick from all the marching and waking up at 3am. It wasn’t so bad though in the end; I met some cool people and I had a bit of fun.

This is how I usually wore my hair at camp. I was in love with that black hair band

Hair care at camp wasn’t hard because I had a Teeny Weeny Afro(TWA) which is somewhat easy to maintain. I went to camp with castor oil and olive oil in tiny bottles, my spray bottle, a bottle of Giovanni conditioner, a cotton T-shirt to dry my hair, shea butter in a small container and my wide tooth comb. Usually, I’d spray my hair with my water,olive oil and conditioner mixture, comb it, put my black hair band on and be out the door before the female soldiers came to chase us out. Then on Sundays, I’d cowash with my Giovanni conditioner and put some castor oil, olive oil and sheabutter in my damp hair and let it air dry. Pretty easy! Once, I was rushing and I combed my hair dry without spraying it. And I didn’t even comb gently because I was in such a hurry. The headache I got was out of this world. I got a lot of comments in camp about my hair. A number of people thought it looked good on me, some thought I looked like Pokello from Big Brother Africa(my room mates actually called me Pokello instead of Jennifer and I had to answer), many asked me why I cut it, a man I’d never met before told me “why did you cut your hair? you look somehow”(imagine that).

So I got back from camp and decided I wanted a cute fade; I wanted my hair a bit shorter at the sides so it could grow out that way. Cos I had seen this natural haired girl in the picture below on Instagram and I had fallen in love with her hair

So on July 17th I headed to the barber shop armed with pictures of girls with the fade haircut that I had saved off Google but the barber was nowhere to be found. I went back on July 18th and after waiting for 30mins, mr barber finally showed up and I showed him the pictures and told him not to cut the middle part at all, just the sides and a bit a the back like the pictures. He said okay and I said. “Don’t make me look like a boy oh” and he began cutting. The thing about me is that I don’t know how to complain about bad services rendered to me so I just sit there and let you do whatever you want. So mr Barber was chopping and chopping and chopping and I was just there quiet, transfixed. In my head I was screaming “nooooooo! Stooooop!” but my lips stayed glued together. The barber kept muttering “so soft” as he was cutting my hair and finally he asked “what hair cream do you use”. So maybe the softness put him in a trance so he just kept cutting and cutting, lol. I left the barber shop with short hair and no fade but I made up my mind to rock that hair so hard that all the girls that saw me would want to shave their heads. LOL

This is what my hair looked like after the barber dealt with it

But in the end, it’s hair and it will grow and it has grown. Yay! It’s still not as long as it was before the barber got his hands on it but it has grown quite a bit. I’m however battling dandruff; that didn’t end when I did the big chop so I’m going to try different remedies as seen on Google and see what works. I’ve tried Apple Cider Vinegar(ACV) with no improvement or maybe I didn’t do it right. We’ll see anyways. (Do share your remedies with me if you have any)

This is what it looks like now

This is what it looks like stretched out(isn’t shrinkage a female dog?)

So till the next post, I bid you all peace and love and all things good.

15Jun2013

Big chop

Posted in big chop by Jen

Dear world, I’m glad to announce that I’ve done the big chop! *moonwalks across your screen*. I did it at home, by myself(no one wanted to help just in case I regretted it and blamed them or just because they didn’t support my cutting my hair). I sat in front of the mirror and cut in sections. I used my spray bottle filled with water,a bit of olive oil and a bit of Giovanni smooth as silk conditioner to spray my hair so I could tell the natural hair from the relaxed ends.

My spray bottle(I’m a cheapskate so I just used an old body splash bottle that I washed thoroughly but if u want to buy a spray bottle, you can get at Sizzelle,The Kinky Apothecary or The Hair City)

For the back parts I couldn’t see in the mirror, I just felt the hair with my fingers and cut where the relaxed hair started(didn’t spray since I couldn’t see the hair).

Before I started cutting

Almost done

My hair!

I found out that it’s advisable to use hair shears instead of regular scissors because regular scissors can cause damage and split ends but I threw caution to the wind and used regular scissors that I got for N60 at a shop that sells tailoring supplies in my neighborhood. If you don’t want to use plain scissors, you can get hair shears for around N1400 and above at Sizzelle, a Nigerian online store that sells natural hair stuff.
After I was done cutting, I rinsed my hair for about 2 minutes with just water then I put a mixture of about 2 tablespoons of my Giovanni conditioner,1 teaspoon of olive oil and 2 teaspoons of honey in my hair to deep condition it. I didn’t have a plastic/shower cap so I just put one of those small black nylon bags that most traders/shops put what you buy in for you, over my hair and tied 3 or 4 scarves over that to generate as much heat as possible. I went about my business(watching TV. Lol) and then rinsed it out about 3 hours later and put some more Giovanni conditioner in my hair,combed through with my wide-toothed comb and rinsed it out. I patted my hair with an old cotton T-shirt(it’s better to use this instead of a towel because a towel can cause breakage. It’s also better to pat and not rub). I didn’t totally dry it, I left it somewhat damp. I then put some more Giovanni in as a leave in, followed by a mix of castor oil and olive oil and then some Shea butter. By this time I’d noticed that my hair wasn’t very evenly cut so I had my aunt trim around a bit. And voila! My end result

I think I look pretty good. I love it. Still getting used to it but I think it’s not bad at all. I got loads and loads of compliments and a few natural haired girls “welcomed me to the club” lol. As you would expect, I also got some why’s and I-don’t-like-it’s.

This is how I usually wore my hair before- braids and weaves but I left it alone most of the time in just a ponytail.

In case you’re wondering why I decided to take the plunge and go natural, my reason is really not that deep. I didn’t want to “stop using the creamy crack” or have healthier hair(well, I kinda did but that wasn’t my main reason) or whatever deep reason there is out there to go natural. I simply wanted a different look and a fresh start(sound weird? Lol).
So, this is newly natural me signing out! Until my next post!

Jennifer Abah

Tag Archives: Nigerian natural hair blog

Happy birthday to meeeee!

My first go at yarn braids

Bantu knot out on short natural hair vs on relaxed/transitioning hair

My week of styling and stretched hair

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

First go at protective styling: Bohemian curls

Casa Bella deal on Dealdey! + NITC reminder

So what’s been going on since my last post?

NYSC camp and a 2nd big chop

Big chop