No Frills Natural Hair Wash Day Regimen!

Happy Tuesday Lovelies! In today's video, I share with you my super simplified Wash Day Regimen! I hope you enjoy it and might be able to find it helpful and useful to your own regimen. Have a Blessed and Happy Day! 

Diary of an Honest Naturalista: Week 69

Okay, so if you follow this diary, like I know some people do, you would know that last week wasn’t really great for me. I read your comments, and saw people agitating. As you all know that was the first time something like that would happen, and by the grace of God, will be the last time, so please, pardon me
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Last week, I stood under the sun for almost a whole day that my hair almost fried. It was terrible. But that is another story entirely.

As to why I could not post last week, my sister, Boma’s mum…

Early Monday morning, as I was about to leave the house, her husband placed a call to my mum, informing her that my sister was in the hospital, and had been bleeding profusely. My mum rushed to the hospital, while I went to work, silently praying that my sister and her baby would be fine.

By the time I got to work, my mum had called me like 50 times, panicking over and over again. When she called me like 50 more times in the next two hours, I had no choice but to take permission from Madam Adams, to leave work.

When I got to the hospital, I was informed that my sister had already lost the baby, although it looked like my mum was the one who lost the baby, and my sister was just merely commiserating with her.

I don’t know what it means to lose a child, and I am not sure my mum knows, but I know it can be very painful. Looking at how my sister was taking it, I knew she was very strong. We all stayed there, trying to sympathise with her. After a while, the mood became calmer.

A doctor sent a nurse to give my sister some medication.

After the nurse administered the drugs, she walked to my side, and said “Madam, no vex o.”

All eyes turned to her, wanting to know the big secret this woman was about to reveal to me, as she kept inching close to me.

Then she repeated. “Madam, please, no vex o. I want to ask you something. Can I ask?” she seemed cautious.

I said “go ahead.”

Then she lowered her voice a bit, even though the room was quiet enough for everyone to hear what she was saying. “Is this your hair?”

“Are you kidding me?” I thought? “Hair talk again? In the hospital? When my sister just lost a baby?” I just gave the nurse a fake smile, and said “yes.”

Then she went further to ask “Is it dreads, or everything is virgin hair?”

I think she was getting her terms twisted up, but I understood what she was trying to say, so I answered her.

“Everything is virgin hair.”

“Wooooww. All your hair? It is fine o.” she smiled sheepishly.

“Thank you.” I said, and she left, feeling like she just scored a goal, with this major discovery.

“So Anna, your hair still manages to steal the show, in the case where I am supposed to be the superstar.” I suddenly heard my sister’s voice.

I turned to look at her, and saw her mischievous smile. It was so wide, I felt she was just using it to cover her pain. As I walked closer to her, I was thinking of something appropriate to say, to sustain the light mood.

The next thing I heard was a laughter suddenly breaking into sobs.

Source

Finally, she was letting it all out. She had just been pretending all along.

Meehhhnnn, I never want to lose a child, born or unborn.

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My Bentonite Clay Experience on Natural Hair

Source

For the first time ever, I did a clay treatment on my hair. I used bentonite clay, majorly because I had it in stock, and I wanted to clarify my hair.

Before I move on, let me just explain what bentonite clay does to natural hair. Bentonite clay is known to draw dirt and impurities from the hair, without drying the hair of its natural oils. It attracts impurities like toxins, bacteria, and viruses, and draws them out of hair. Bentonite possesses a negative charge. This makes it an ideal clay for cleansing and detoxifying, as it has the ability to remove positively charged conditioners and products that can build up on the hair and scalp.

N.B: Don’t prepare bentonite clay or any other clay with a metal cutlery, or in a metal container, as it has the ability to draw out substances from metal, causing all sorts of reaction, and leading to reduced effectiveness. Stick to plastic containers and cutleries.

So I mixed the powder with ACV to form a clay paste. After getting a creamy consistency, I started applying it to my hair.

It immediately became hard, so I added more ACV to make it less-creamy.

Less creamy than the first

I applied it to my hair, and noticed that the curls loosened immediately, in fact, my hair was almost completely straight, lol.

My hair had been sectioned into four different parts before the application. Once I’m done with one part, I twist it up, and proceed to the next.

I applied it all over my hair, and covered with a plastic bag for 25 minutes. It immediately sticks to your hair. Make sure not to leave the mask in for too long so it doesn’t harden too strong. Remember it is clay, and you are not trying to mould your hair into a sculpture. The good news is that it is not messy at all, like henna. It doesn't fall all over the ground.

I proceeded to wash. Yes, I agree that it washed my hair well, and it did not feel stripped. I agree with people who say you don’t have to condition your hair after using this clay, because it leaves your hair conditioned, though I conditioned mine, cos I already had the conditioning mix sitting by.

What I enjoyed most about the whole process was that it cut my washing time by about 90%.

For now, I normally do a two hour coconut oil prepoo, shampoo, deep condition, do an ACV rinse, do a tea rinse (every other wash).

This time, all I did was a 25 minute mask treatment and 30 minute deep condition. I didn’t have to do an ACV rinse, cos there was already ACV in the mask.

Will I be doing this again? Once in a while, not all the time. I will definitely continue with hair care regimen, but if I feel my hair needs a detox, I will do the bentonite clay treatment again. My shampoo cleans my scalp better than the bentonite clay, although the bentonite clay detoxifies the hair.

So that is my experience. Have you ever used bentonite clay or any other clay on your hair? How did it go? Will you completely switch it for regular sulphate-free shampoos?

You can purchase you own bentonite clay here. Remember we sell it in bigger sizes and cheaper prices than any Nigerian online store.

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Real life natural hair talks: Men, physique and natural hair

Hi Naturalistas

Still continuing our discussion with regards to men and natural hair. We are still having the men's edition on the naturallure spotlight so be sure to send in your suggestions.

                           Source 

Onto today's discussion. Do you think all men can pull off big hair?

I personally think that it looks a lot better when the guy has a little bit of muscles. He doesn't need to look really chiseled but I just think if he looks skinny or fat and tries to pull off the style, he may start looking feminine and if this is not what they were aiming for, it might be a big miss. 

I also think you have to be really confident as a guy to pull off the look. I especially think that guys that go for the look usually try to score on sexy, so every other part just must add up. 

What's your opinion, do you think body structure matters? 

Traction Alopecia in Children's Hair

By DiscoveringNatural

Traction Alopecia is a hair condition that can be avoided in children, if caught early. What is Traction Alopecia? According to Wikipedia, "Traction alopecia is a form of alopecia, or gradual hair loss, caused primarily by pulling force being applied to the hair. This commonly results from the sufferer frequently wearing their hair in a particularly tight ponytail, pigtails, or braids."

This condition is more common in children that wear tight braids and ponytails. A lot of parents love that sleeked look when creating buns and ponytails, and I am not exempt from this. However, I had to be careful with my girls' edges because genetically, we all have weak edges.


Lil Sis 2013

What I am doing to avoid this condition in my girls, is to make sure that when I braid their hair and I see any little bumps, I loosen my hold. Yes, the style might be a bit loose and not super smooth, but I would rather my girls have edges than no edges at all. I don't believe that one has to "catch" every tiny bit of hair to make a style look beautiful. You can use non-alcohol gels or even shea butter to sleek down those baby hairs.

Overtime, we have been able to grow our edges out, gradually. Here are some things I did:
- Not pull on the edges
- Keep edges moisturized
- Use products like castor oil to enhance growth in those area.

For more tips, click here.


So, next time you do your child's hair, take care not to stress out those edges.

What other tips can you give someone whose child is suffering from Traction Alopecia?

Moisturizing your Natural Hair - LOC method and its variations

Hey everyone,

I hope you've had a good week so far! I think I'm done with the Herbal Party Series - if there was anyone you think I skipped and/or should write about, please let me know and I'll make sure to write up a post.

Now, we all know that one of the key steps in keeping our natural hair healthy and happy is MOISTURE MOISTURE MOISTURE! And of course, moisture means hydration, which essentially is WATER. It's essential to keep your natural hair adequately moisturized, which helps in strengthening your strands and preventing breakage and snapping from dryness. If you're new to natural hair, it's important to know how to properly moisturize your hair and keep it moisturized for as long as possible.

One of the most common ways to keep your hair moisturized is the L.O.C. method. Not sure what LOC stands for? See the graphic I created below, and below it, the different variations that have worked for people in the natural hair community.

Created by BERRY DAKARA for African Naturalistas (all products available in the AN Store)

It's pretty to easy to understand from the picture, right? You can try out the different variations to find out what works best for you. For some people, LOC is just fine and adding an extra step makes their hair too greasy. For others, LOC or LCO isn't enough to stay moisturized for a couple of days, and require an extra step. Be careful not to douse your hair with so much product that it leaves your hair a giant ball of oils and butters. You want your hair to feel MOISTURIZED not OILY (these are 2 different things).

What method do you use to keep your natural hair moisturized? Let's share in the comments!

Berry Dakara.

Finghair Tips Thursday: Conditioning

Three Strand Twists On Natural Hair

Hi ladies!

Move over two-strand twists!

Three-strand twists is taking over!

You'll agree with me that the curls are cuter and better defined with the three strand twists.

Watch this tutorial by Discovering Natural to learn how to.

Till next time.

Love,kinks and knots

eBunite

Photo credits

"I must confess I have hand in hair syndrome.'' Mane matters with Adetuke Morgan

Hello Naturalistas,

Today we bring you the smiling Adetuke

AN: Can you tell us who you are and what you do?

Hey Guys, my name is Adetuke Morgan and I’m a young creative Nigerian lady with many interests and hobbies. I’m currently serving my country as an Assistant class teacher in a Primary School. I’m done with NYSC on the 16th of October though so my Corper tag will soon expire. I’m a writer, blogger and blog at www.tukesquest.blogspot.com , Saxophonist, Actor (sometimes), Model (Sometimes), Smiler (Most times), Foodie (All the time), World Explorer, Afro Bearer and Theatre Lover ☺

With Relaxed Hair

AN: What's your thoughts about natural hair?

I Love Natural Hair and I must confess I have hand in hair syndrome. My hair is really soft and fluffy, it’s really hard to stop my hands from having a feel of it’s cotton wool like goodness, hehe

AN: Why did you decide to go natural?

BC

I’ve always loved my natural hair but had to texturise my hair at the age of 9 for my cousin’s wedding; she wanted us flower girls to rock the same hairstyle. My hair was still pretty curly though and when I did cornrows to school, the tips twirled in a really cute way. I always wondered what my natural hair would look like as most of my cousins on my mum’s side rocked their afros. Plus, my hair started to become flat and lacked personality after a while. Also, around that time, I wanted to be known as a Female Saxophonist and I thought natural hair would differentiate me from Yolanda Brown, a pretty popular black female saxophonist with relaxed hair.

Flat twists

AN: Did you do a BC or you transitioned?

I BC’d in August 2011, my last relaxer was December 2010. I got heat damage in December 2011 as I straightened my hair using a hot comb for a wedding, but the lady at the Salon didn’t use a heat protectant. I BC’d again in August 2012 as I had gotten tired of the 2 textures, it was an impromptu decision, I went to the tailor’s, saw a salon nearby and went in and told them to cut off the relaxed ends.

AN: What was your transitioning experience like?  

I remember I just wanted to chop off the relaxed ends and have fun with my curls. The heat damage caused me to lose some interest in hair care, but lucky for me I had friends around that were hair lovers. One of them did Bantu knots which turned out amazing as you can see in the picture below.

AN: Any fears about the BC?

Well, I used to be really tomboyish and I knew walking around with a low cut wouldn’t really help matters. However, I knew at the back of my mind that I could do braids if I wasn’t comfortable with my appearance.

AN: What has your experience been?

It’s been an interesting journey, I wish I had started earlier to be honest. I like the versatility that comes with being natural plus I’ve upped my make up game too so I don’t feel intimidated/feel like a youngster when my hair is out.

AN: What was/is your biggest fear about going Natural?

Twists outs

My hair not growing

AN: Do you think you are in it for the long haul or is it just a phase?

Definitely the Long Haul

AN: Do you have any hair regimen you stick to?

Even though I’ve been natural for a while now, I only started following a regimen this year after attending NITC8. This is my regimen:

* Co-wash once a week with my Simple/Giovanni Smooth as silk/Herbal Essences Hello Hydration conditioner

* Deep condition once a month with the Organic Root Stimulator Hair Mayonnaise that my mum uses

* Protein treatment when I feel like with the product at the Natural Hair Salon in my estate

* Shampoo twice a month with my Giovanni Smooth as silk Shampoo or Elucence Volume Clarifying shampoo

* LOC method before I cornrow at night and then I massage castor oil into my edges in the morning

* My spray bottle has a mixture of water, glycerine, conditioner, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, sweet almond oil and tea tree oil. My frequency of spraying it depends on how my hair feels

* There are some tweaks being made to my routine though, I’ve never tried an Apple Cider Vinegar rinse or used Rhassoul clay or done a protein treatment with food stuff like avocado and eggs, will do so soon to see if they make a difference.

AN: Whats your go-to protective style? 

Box Braids or Kinky Twists but I don’t do them as often as I used to, I really don’t like hair on my neck especially with the heat in Lagos. My go- to style is a puff though, many variations of the afro puff.

AN; There are people that definitely have negative comments about you hair, how do you deal with that?

I brush them off because as my hair grows longer and fuller, people tend to admire it more. Plus, it’s my hair, on my head, what I do to it is my business and not theirs tbh.

AN: What’s your must have product and accessory?

Hmm, it’s hard to say one so I’ll say a few.

Must have product is probably my spray bottle, eco-styler with argan oil, black Jamaican castor oil and my ceecee’s curls whipped shea butter

My must have accessory is a stretchy band, bows and my satin bonnet. (I didn’t use a Satin Bonnet for about 3 months because I had lost 2 so I was punishing myself, I didn’t realise the damage I was doing to my hair with this so-called punishment o!)

Afro

AN: Whats you advice to anyone planning to ditch relaxers?

Go for it, the results will surprise you. You only live once, might as well give Natural hair a try.

Thank you for your time.

P.S: If you want to get featured kindly read this post and email to manematters@africanaturalistas.com with the the subject as ''Mane Matters" and you will be gotten back to. Thank you! 

When is it okay to wear a Wig?

A very Happy Tuesday to you Ladies! In recent times, it has become a popular option to wear wigs or even weaves as a form of a Protective Hairstyle. There is an endless selection to choose from, but here comes the question: Exactly when is it okay to take residence under a wig when you are a Representative of the Natural Hair Community? Watch on and please feel free to chime in and let us know your thoughts.

Diary of an Honest Naturalista: Week 68

I'm sorry, I cannot post any diary entry today. So many things going on in my life at the moment. I'll give you guys the gist next week. Please, bear with me, and understand. To read my previous diary entries, click here.

Anna

Your Honest Naturalista

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Six tips on how to survive watching a natural hair tutorial video

Source

I know I sound a tad dramatic, using the word ‘survive’ in the title of this post. But you will agree with me that many times, we feel inadequate when or after watching youtube videos, or trying to follow a tutorial on youtube. They may even seem a necessary evil we can’t do without, especially if we are not so blessed with hair care skills. So here is how to go through this experience without losing our head in the process.

Focus on only what matters
Ignore the makeup, how her lips are so cute, how her earring is so fine, her skin is so fresh, her bathroom, kitchen or whatever video location is so neat. Forget all those things. They are just makeup for the video, paparazzi for the cameras. Don’t begin to feel adequate because of something that is not real. Focus on what matters, which is the hair itself.

Know your limitations.
Don’t try to achieve a style that only heat-straightened hair can achieve, using your normal natural hair. You will only get poofy version of the hair style. But if poofy is what you are gunning for, then be my guest. What I am trying to say is know what the youtuber has done to her hair before she started the tutorial, and make sure your hair is fairly in the same condition, in order to avoid disappointments.

Don’t be jealous.
So what her hair is long down to her waist, and yours looks like a foam that rat has punched holes into? So what her curl pattern is so eye-popping while your looks like the body of SpongeBob square pants. Remember that she is not your hair mate, which is why she is on youtube, and you are not, lol. What I am trying to say is that she has been on the journey for long, and if you are consistent in caring for and pampering your hair, it will end up being the envy of every eye. So instead of being jealous, focus that energy on your hair

How fun is the after party?
Wait! Hold on! So you have seen this style you like on youtube, and you can’t just wait to try it out. But pause a bit, and think. How will that hairstyle fair, once you step out of your house? What effect will humidity have on it? Will your hair suddenly go from a Tracy Ellis Ross to a Whoopi Goldberg, once it sees the light of day? How about at night time? Will that hairstyle survive the night? Are you comfortable spend two hours and 100 bobby pins on a style that will only last for 2 hours, or even 2 minutes, depending on humidity? Think before you make that decision. Remember many youtubers make up, wear beautiful earrings and dresses, shoot the video, and then that is the end. They probably just go to bed afterwards, and sleep. And later, shoot another video… maybe… I don’t know… I’m not a youtuber… I’m just saying. They don’t tell you what happens afterwards, they don’t show you the picture of the hair when they step out, how many pins or hair strands fell out of place, if the curl unravelled or did not clump again 30 minutes later. Please, consider all these before making your decision.

It will never be exact.
Now read, and read carefully. In fact, if you haven’t read anything I have written since. Read this one. You will never achieve the exact hairstyle you are trying to copy. You might be close, or even very close to achieving it, but it will never be exactly the same, so don’t shoot yourself in the foot when it happens. Your bangs might be a bit bigger or smaller, your part might be more upwards, or tilted to the right, it just will never be the same. And here is why. Your hair is different from hers, your density is different, thickness is different, your hair-parting skill is different, the shape of your head is different. Every single thing is different, unless you are her identical twin, and I bet that even if that were the case, something will still be different. So why on earth do you think you can get that same style? Don’t set yourself up for failure, please.

Feel free to switch it up.
So you have successfully almost-mimicked the style, but you aren’t just feeling the pinned-inward bang on your head, even though it looks so fabulous on her head. Feel free to take the tips out, and pin it sideways. There’s no rule that says you must copy hers in every single way. I guess that is we have our own head, so we can choose to do things our way. Who says your own version can’t even be far better than hers, and people would then look forward to you starting your own videos, because of your amazing improvisation skills?

So here it is, six tips on how to survive natural hair youtube videos. Do you have more tips? Do you watch youtube videos, or you would rather learn and fail on your own, due to your adventurous nature? Let us know what you think.

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Naturallure Spotlight: Uti Nwachukwu

Hi Naturalistas

I am delighted to bring Uti's pictures today.

Uti is a model, TV host and Actor.

He's been on the popular Big brother Africa show as a contestant representing Nigeria.

In 2010, he won the 'big brother Africa all stars' special edition. 

He has been carrying his locs for such a long time and it doesn't look like he'd be getting rid of it anytime soon. He knows how to rock his locs.

Enjoy his pictures.

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I hope he inspired you to love your hair more?

Remember to keep your heads high and rock your kinks with pride

JB

Twitter/instagram: @janylbenyl

How to Care for Your Child's Natural Hair: Episode 2: Wash and Style

By DiscoveringNatural

If you missed the first episode, watch it by clicking HERE. In today's episode, I show you how I wash my daughter's hair without tears. I also give you some post wash styling tips.

Enjoy!

Herbal Party Series: ROSE POWDER

Hey everyone,

If you're just catching up with us, I've been posting a series on different herbs and powders that were sold and are being sold on the African Naturalistas store. (FYI quite a few are actually sold out now). I thought it would be a great idea for us to learn about the different products, so that we know what we're buying and what they're used for.

To refresh your memory, we've talked about the following:

1. Amla, 
2. Shikakai, 
3. Neem, 
4. Hibiscus, 
5. Flaxseed,
6. Henna. 

Today I'd like to go over Rose Powder, which luckily, is still available at the store.

Source

Source

According to Wikipedia, it is of the family Rosaceae, and it is a flowering plant. Rose plants are mostly native to Asia, but can be found in Africa, Europe, and North America. Roses, as we know, are typically attached to LOOOVE, and are very popular in relationships, especially around birthdays, significant occasions and most importantly, VALENTINE'S DAY. But did you know that roses can be consumed too? Ever heard of rose tea? Not only are roses good as ornamental plants, or edible, but they are also used in cosmetics - mainly as Rose Water or Rose Petal Powder (aka Gulab).

HAIR USE
There isn't a lot of research and reviews out there for Rose Powder on natural hair, but from the little I was able to find, some of the benefits of rose powder are:

• Softer and shinier hair, as it is a very good for conditioning.
• Rose powder also has been reported to have anti-inflammatory properties and can help deal with mild dandruff or scalp irritations. 

HOW TO USE IT

Rose powder is typically mixed with water and other ayurvedic powders like henna. It's typically used as a final rinse when washing your hair. 

Remember, try new things on a small section of hair first to ensure that you don't have any negative reactions.

Have you used Rose powder on your hair before? What were the results? Don't forget that you can purchase Rose powder for a low low price at the African Naturalistas store.

Have a nice weekend!

Berry Dakara.

Finghair Tips Thursday: Nourishment

Trend Alert- Flower Crowns On Natural Hair

Hi ladies!

I've seen this really nice new trend around for a while now and I thought it was fascinating. Before now,it was used mostly by brides but it's more or less a fashion accessory now. The beauty it is that it's something you can totally make yourself and rock effortlessly. I'm not so much of a fashion enthusiast but I believe it's not something you wear to your workplace or formal gatherings. It's more of a casual thing-weddings, beach parties of that sort.


Check this!

Or this

And you can rock it like this

What do you think? 

Is it something you can rock?

Love,knots and kinks

eBunite

Photo credits

5 Things you should not say to a Naturalista, in GIF

Hello Naturalistas,

How has your week been? and the kinks?

Now, because Beautiful Eagle decided to bully me ask nicely, I will quickly share the not-so-eventful way I got Uti to do the mane matter.

I know a photographer and he mentioned in passing that he was having a shoot with Uti and I jumped with glee, my first question was ¨Can you ask him some hair questions for me?¨ and he buzzes me on the day of the shoot to send my questions but I asked if I could do it myself and he obliged, asked Uti and he agreed and the rest is History ;)

***
I am sure that every naturalista is familiar with this, Here are 5 things that I have heard and I think should not be said to an african naturalista;

¨Did you cut your hair?'' 

For the umpteenth time: NO! It shrinks -__- 

¨How do you comb your hair like that?''

With a comb duhhh...

¨Are you going out like that?¨

Watch me *does the moon walk out of the door*

¨Can I touch your hair?¨

I meant it yesterday. NO!

¨You should go make your hair''

Oh No! you didn't!! 

Its made!

''You won't get a boyfriend, looking like that''

I have a boyfriend. 

Opps! I said 5, I couldn't help it. 

Is anyone with me? Please tell what else you think should not be said to ladies with natural hair.