'I have felt not-beautiful a couple of times with natural hair' Mane Matters with Nyakebondo

Hi Naturalistas,

Meet Nyakebondo

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

My name is Nyakebondo. I am a 23 year old University student living in Nairobi Kenya.

What are your thoughts about natural hair?

Natural hair is beautiful and versatile. I love how it can be long one minute and short in the next.

When/why did you decide to go natural?

Strictly speaking I have been natural all my life, just that I started my recovery process from heat damage in February 2014 after a disastrous salon visit. I remember asking them (the salonist) to lightly straighten my hair, and I saw how thin my ends were … and I knew that the heating had to stop.

Did you do a BC or you transitioned?

I transitioned…. For six months during which I kept dusting my ends every time I handled my hair. After the six months, I finally cut off the damaged ends that were left.

What was the experience like?

It was interesting, I was excited… but my family wasn’t very impressed. I had my share of not so nice remarks about my hair (some were really mean). Aside from that, it was a process of learning and accepting me and reaching out to my inner self and redefining beauty.  The coolest thing about the experience also is that my whole family has joined the no heat natural band wagon now.

What was/is your biggest fear about going Natural?

I was working at that time and I had no idea how I would make my hair “work appropriate”. I also almost always have this fear of having a style not work the way I want.

Do you have a regimen you stick to? What is it like?

Yes I have a regimen , that I mostly stick to… with bits of phases of listening to my hair. My regimen involves washing my hair once in two weeks, co-wash in between, and basically wear my hair in a protective style for the rest of the week. I moisturize every  other day with water and a water based creamy leave in.

What emotional struggles, if any, have you faced since going natural?

I have felt not-beautiful a couple of times… especially when snide remarks are made concerning my hair. I have also wished for longer hair and a different texture of hair because I thought that was beautiful.

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

Definitely for the long haul, natural hair made me start reading my ingredients and even changed my lifestyle altogether.

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

Honestly, I just swish my hair/ roll my eyes and go on with life….Most of them don’t really matter. Sometimes I face palm because all of them really speak out of ignorance, if only they know what is best for them…

What's your must have product and accessory?

Conditioner!!! I just love how with anything from your kitchen life changes. My conditioner can be a leave-in, a rinse out or a deep conditioner.

 Also a shoe lace/stocking is the ultimate go to hair accessory… it’s the hair tie/hairband for days.

What is your go-to style?

Two strand twists are definitely the bomb! They are easy and versatile and the perfect protective style.  My second best has to be a puff.

What advice do you have for anyone just going natural?

Know where to buy stuff and also what to buy because you really do not need a lot of stuff. Also YouTube is henceforth going to bre your best friend. Above all, be patient with your hair and LOVE it.

Where can we find you? Your social media platforms…

My blog is  http://nyakeorigi.wixsite.com/justher

Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/nyakesuper

Twitter  https://twitter.com/Nyake_bondo

Instagram  https://instagram.com/nyake_bondo

Thank you for your time

God Bless you!!

Till then
Leeznijis

p.s To get featured on the blog, send a mail to manematters@africanaturalistas.com