Tag Archives: Nigerian natural hair

Two year nappiversary!!

Posted in hair journey, hair update, hairversary, Length check, nappyversary by

Two years!! Can you believe it? If my hair were a child, it’d be a toddler that could walk and talk! 

Remember the goals I mentioned in my one year nappiversary post that I planned to achieve by now? Let’s see how I did:
1. Kick dandruff’s ass. (Sadly, no)

2. Beat hand-in-hair syndrome. (Yes and no. It changed from hand-in-hair syndrome to hand-in-edges syndrome which is worse)

3. More length and thickness at my edges and nape. (Yes but not as much as I’d have liked due to my newly developed hand-in-edges syndrome)

4. Growth/Length retention. (Yes but not as much as I’d have liked)


I didn’t measure my hair in terms of inches but here are my length check pictures:
   

     

Not so bad ei? But not as good as I’d hoped but I have repented so… 
A couple of things I’ve learnt this past year:
  1.  Don’t let it frustrate you because frustration leads you to quitting! Let whatever you do fit into your regular routine and ability; don’t go all out and overwhelm yourself with stuff you can’t handle because the “gurus” say you should do it. E.g. if you can’t handle washing your hair weekly, don’t. Because if you do, you most probably will get frustrated and think of giving up.
  2. Don’t compare yourself with others and don’t be solely goal oriented! Have a little fun! Remember I talked about it in this post? If you want to dye your hair or straighten it or get a tapered cut, do your research and go for it! 
  3. Do what works for you! If it ain’t working, dump it(no matter how many rave reviews it has) and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it (no matter how many bad reviews it has). In the end, you are the boss of you.
  4. Encourage yourself! Don’t always think of the negatives(e.g. What your hair can’t do); try to see the positives (e.g. What your hair can do).
  5. Learn and experiment! Don’t get stuck in your ways. Read blogs, watch vlogs. You will learn a lot; not all will work for you but you just might hit the jackpot with some. 
I don’t want it to turn it into an epistle so I’ll put a pin in it right there. 
If you follow me on Instagram (@nigerianandnatural) you would have seen most of these but here are a few (boring) styles I did over the last year: 
   

      

Not the same day as the previous picture. I just really like this shirt! LOL

    

Wig

      

Crochet braids

    

Kinky twists

           

Wool/yarn twists

 

And my latest style: 
 

Two week old twists. So proud of myself for keeping them for that long

 
Here are my goals for the year ahead:

  1. Get a trim and try to get trims when needed from now on.
  2. More protective styling.
  3. Growth and length retention.
  4. Stop hand-in-edges syndrome. 
  5. Kick dandruff’s ass (for real this time).
  6. Be more adventurous with:

  • Styling
  • Products
  • Techniques

    That’s all folks! 3rd nappiversary here we come! 

    What are some things you’ve learnt along the way in your hair journey? What are your short and long term goals for your hair? Please share.

    Oh and Eid Mubarak! I know this isn’t the ram-sharing sallah so I shall patiently await that one.

    My failed straightening experience

    Posted in hairxperiment, product review by
    Hi beautifuls! (yes I said that)

    I’ve been dying to straighten my hair but I had planned to get it done professionally.

    However, one evening about two weeks ago, I spontaneously decided to straighten my hair.
    About two days prior, my mum had bought herself a bottle of Design Essentials HCO Leave-In Conditioner and Blow Drying Lotion(long name so let’s call it the DE lotion shall we?). So I decided I would use that as my heat protectant.
      
    I washed my hair in my usual fashion and then applied some of my regular leave in and a bit of oil. I then proceeded to apply the DE lotion and blow dry in sections but my hair seemed to be getting really dry and ‘seizing up’ (I tried to blow dry my hair like a year ago and the same thing happened!). 
    I decided to skip the blow drying and just straighten from the get-go. 
    I would take a section, apply some more DE lotion to my ends and straighten.
    My hair no gree. It would not become bone straight no matter how hard I tried or how many passes I made with the straightener. I decided to get it as straight as it would go and not stress it. 
    Imagine my surprise when the sections I straightened started reverting 2 minutes later.
    I said “lai lai, you must be straight oh” and straightened them again. Two minutes later, same thing. After trying like 3 times, I gave up!
     

    I know I look like struggle

      

      

    That afro section was actually straight 2 minutes before!

      

    I gave up and spritzed my hair with water

      

    Happy to see those coils back. The fear of heat damage is real

     

    Here’s what I learnt:
    1. My hair seems to hate being blow dried.
    2. My hair does not want to be straight.
    3. My ends are as shitty as shitty can be. They were basically like dead looking, knot filled thread when I straightened my hair.
    What I’ll do next time:
    1. Try a better product.
    2. Trim my ends.
    3. Get it done professionally.
    4. Maybe try one of those straightening products that last weeks e.g. ORS Strengthening and Straightening Treatment which Tuke tried here

    Any tried and trusted straightening methods/products you’d suggest? Any advice for my next attempt? Have you/would you straighten your natural hair? Please share!

    Tip: Putting links in comments.

    Posted in Not hair, Tips by

    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! 

    Here’s the basic format:

    <a href=”http://nigerianandnatural.com“>Nigerian and Natural</a>

    Just copy and paste in the comment you want to post. This will appear as “Nigerian and Natural” when you post the comment and when people click on it, it links back to this blog. 
     

    Before posting comment

      

    After posting comment

     

    Of course you don’t want to go around posting “Nigerian and Natural” on people’s blogs.
    If you were to change that format to something else, here’s what to do.

    <a href=”http://nigerianandnatural.com“>Nigerian and Natural</a>


    You can only change two parts in this format; the link and the name. (By link, I mean http://nigerianandnatural.com and by name I mean Nigerian and Natural).

    Change the part with the link to the link of your choice and then change the part where I wrote Nigerian and Natural to what you want it to appear as. 

     e.g  <a href=”https://jennyphar.wordpress.com“>Jennifer’s Writings</a> would appear as Jennifer’s Writings and would link to my other blog when clicked on. 
       

    Before posting comment

    After posting comment

    You can play around with this and change it as you please. 
    If you want to link to a specific post on a/your website, change the link in the code i.e http://nigerianandnatural.com to the link of the post. Then you can change the Nigerian and Natural to the name of the post if you like. 

     For example:
    <a href=”https://jennyphar.wordpress.com/2013/04/23/cant-think-of-a-title/“>Can’t Think of a Title</a> 

    This is a link to a post called “Can’t Think of a Title” on my other blog and if you copy and paste it in a comment, after you post it, it will appear as “Can’t Think of a Title”.
       

    Before posting comment

    After posting comment

    You can make it appear as whatever you want so play around with it. 
    E.g I can write “Read my latest post here” in someone’s comment section and for the “here” to link to my latest post, I would write this- 
    Read my latest post <a href=”http://nigerianandnatural.com/2015/06/23/nitc-11/“>here</a>
     

    Before posting comment

      

    After posting comment

     

    I can choose to write “I have a post about NITC 11 on my blog too” and for the “NITC 11” to link to my post, here’s what I would write- 
    I have a post about <a href=”http://nigerianandnatural.com/2015/06/23/nitc-11/“>NITC 11</a> on my blog too.

    Before posting comment

      

    After posting comment

     

    Points to note:

    • Whenever you are changing the link in the code to something else, it should always be in http:// or https:// …www is a no no! 
    • It is only after you post the comment that it appears as what you want so don’t worry if it is still showing as a code before you post.
    • Never change any other thing besides the name and the link in the code if not it won’t work.
    • Once you have your basic format, you can save it in your notes for easy access so you can copy and paste it when need be. That’s what I do.
    • It works for both Blogger and WordPress as long as the comments are HTML enabled (almost all are).


    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! 

    NITC 11

    Posted in events by
    Hi beautiful people!
    The eleventh NITC was on Saturday. 
    In case you don’t know what NITC is, *gasps* where have you been?! 
    It’s a hair meetup that holds a few times a year organized by Natural Nigerian, The Kink and I and Carib Health.
    As always, it was an opportunity to mingle, learn, shop and feed your eyes with beautiful hair.
    It seems Mother Nature didn’t get the memo though because it was raining for the better part of the day. As a result, the turnout wasn’t as good as it usually is but there was still a good number of people.
    The theme of the event was Keeping It Real. 
    There were four talks and I have the scoop.

    Talk 1: By Kelechi Koko- @yellowsisi
     

     


     Main points:

    Some things that dry your hair out-

    1. Products- Not all products work for everyone. Some things might be moisturizing for some and drying for others e.g. aloe vera, shea butter, ACV. 
    2. Not moisturizing properly.
    3. Build up.
    • Natural hair is for everyone; it grows out of your scalp; but not everyone is patient enough to handle it. 
    • Don’t confuse breakage with shedding. It’s normal for your hair to shed daily; don’t think it’s breaking when it isn’t.
    Talk 2: By Esther Morenikeji (a weight loss professional)- @estamorenikeji
     

    She was so so so funny, relatable and fun to listen to!


    Main points:
    • Fitfam and naturalistas have things in common. They like sharp sharp things. (LOL! So true!)
    • The purpose of exercise is beyond body beautiful.
    • Being thin doesn’t necessarily mean you’re fit.
    • Not every time fry fry. Sometimes, toast, roast and grill.
    • For a healthier stew, boil the tomatoes and pepper till almost dry and add a little oil followed by your spices. (As opposed to the original method of frying the tomatoes in oil)
    • Do a maintainable diet so it doesn’t seem like a punishment. Don’t go for expensive food stuff that you can’t maintain. 
    • Exercise doesn’t have to be anything major. Walk, jump rope.
    • Bulk your meals with veggies and proteins as opposed to carbohydrates.
    • Nigerian foods are not unhealthy. They can be healthy when you choose healthier methods of preparing them and eat the correct portions.
    Talk 3: By Cherise (Not sure)- Carib Health.
      

    Main points:

    • Don’t overdo weight loss. 4kg per month is acceptable weight loss.
    • Drink water before you eat; like 30 mins before. This helps you eat less and digest better.
    • Eat slower and savour your meal; it helps you eat less.
    • Mixing fruit and meat can cause bloating. Eat fruits first and then food like 30 mins later. 
    • Don’t eat high in sugar fruits at night e.g mangoes and pineapples.
    Carib Health also has a wellness show every Sunday at 1pm on 92.3 
    Talk 4: By Geraldine- Intimate Pleasures
      
    To be extremely honest, I did not write anything in this segment. I was too busy listening and oohing and giggling. 
    But to summarize, it was an interactive sex talk with topics ranging from tampons versus menstrual cups to perceptions about sexually liberated women in our society to vibrators.
    It was quite interesting.
    Side note: During the talk, someone mentioned ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar) for infections ‘down there’. Diluted with water and used to rinse (alternatively you can sit in a bowl of it for a short while), it helps to alleviate itching and cure the infection.
    So here’s what we really came for, pictures!
     

    Ife

      

    She has clip ins in her hair which she made herself

      

    Kanyinsola

          Ekene of The Kink And I    Ify of Ify’s Musings  

    Ekene and Isioma

           

    Can you believe this is a weave?

      

    The hall with vendors

      

    Shopping and chatting

          Berry of Berry Dakara and Nicole  Atilola of African Naturalistas   

    Here’s what I bought (even though I said I wouldn’t buy anything at all) 
    Island Shea Butter Cup from Savvy & Chic

    A floral headband from Fashion Strings (I was apprehensive about buying it because the last time I bought stuff from them, everything spoilt in no time but let’s see)

       I also got a Henna Tattoo from The Henna Place

    Outfit of the day

    I scored this Eve and Tribe skirt on sale for less than 2000 Naira some time ago.

    And that’s a wrap on NITC 11!

    Shoutout to Anita, a lovely blog reader who said hi! 

    How was NITC 11 for you if you attended? If you didn’t attend, tell me whyyyyyy? How’s your week going?

    Threading take 1

    Posted in hair journey, hair practices, hairxperiment by

    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:

    • Avoid humectants so as to avoid shrinkage.
    • Avoid water/products with water to lengthen the time your hair stays stretched.
    • Make it firm but not tight (unless you like headaches and hate sleep).
    • Leave space in between as you thread.(As seen in the picture above where I threaded one section). You don’t have to wrap the entire hair in thread (like yarn/wool locs). This makes it easier to thread and helps it dry faster.
    • Make sure your hair is dry before taking down the threading. If not, it would all have basically been in vain.
    • Be careful while taking down the threading. You don’t want your hair getting tangled with the thread because the thread has nothing to lose if you have to resort to scissors while you have hair to lose.

    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!

    A few of my favourite things -May

    Posted in Current faves, Giveaway, protective styling by

     

    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

    Giveway winner!

    Posted in Giveaway, Wish list by

    Hi lovelies,

    So the blog is 2! And the giveaway is finally over.

    First of all, the answer to the JAMB question; what two things on my Christmas wishlist have I gotten? The iPhone 6 and the Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Conditioner!! 

      

    If you guessed it right, you smart (you loyal, go buy your mama a house). There were a total of 29 entries and I was actually quite surprised because 13 people got the answer right! How una take know biko (tell me in the comment section please).

    Some people did not follow the rules of the giveaway at all! Some commented and didn’t follow the blog, some mentioned only one item they thought I’d gotten, some said it was iPhone and DSLR they wanted to win (ah!!!!) meanwhile those weren’t what I was giving away oh. I won’t mention names *zips lips*

    As the sweet, merciful soul that I am, I forgave and overlooked all sins and accepted all comments as valid entries seeing as this is the first giveaway.

    Without further blabbing, by random selection (with the aid of a random number generator), the winner of the giveaway is Ify!!! *fireworks*

      

       

    Don’t run off just yet people. I decided to give away the Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie from my BoonBox (since I had one already) as a ‘consolation prize’. 

      

    Another random selection (after removing Ify’s name) and Funke won!!

       

       

    Congratulations to both ladies! I will email you shortly but if you do not get an email from me by the end of the day, please send me an email at contact@nigerianandnatural.com

    And if you didn’t win, cheer up! There will always be a next time. And thank you for entering the giveaway!

    Currently having a tough time coming up with stuff I loved this May but once I’m done, the post will be up.

    Peace!

    Giveaway! The very first.

    Posted in Giveaway by

    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**********

    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.