Six months Protective Style Challenge (2)

Wagwan Nappyboo! We are here again. A Happy New Month of December to you!

This post is dedicated to all aspiring models out there. In my 5+ something years of my international modeling career only until last week Thursday did I actually have braids like real legit box braids put in my hair on a set of a photoshoot for a hair campaign. I sigh a heavy sigh when I see the messages from you young-ins on my Facebook and Instagram looking at my glossy pictures wanting to be like me. And it's because you don't understand the amount of soul selling and sacrifices it takes to be a model in today's society.

And all for what? To be told that only a handful of super star models will actually have this as a career late into their 50's? Of course, they'll never follow up with you can be the one "I believe in you" statement. They always leave it hanging in the air right there in front of you, out of your reach. And it never pains me because I know who I am, so I need no validation. Thank God I came into my senses a few years into my career and big chopped my relaxed hair to go Natural.

Nevertheless, I've slowly started to highlight how bad e really bad, and I started with my #IAMGIAIA posts during the Maxim Cover Girl Competition.  (I made it all the way up to Semi-finals! For those of you who are wondering how that went). More model talk is fast approaching, so hold your wigs, cos the gist is bound to fly them off.

This post is my usual end of the year hurrah, when evils of the Fashion and beauty world go in for hibernation for their 2-3weeks end of the year holiday and our bliss to finally be able to be the kind of humans we wish to be and see in the world without having to worry that we will be reduced to begger-dom or homeless shelters because the high and mighty that write the beauty status quo will never give us a seat at the table. It is also my last ever of begging for a seat at that very same table. I'm turning 25 next year and that's also a whole other story.

I think it's safe to say I am the Queen of curly wigs when it comes to protective styling. I have it in bronze, red, curly, afro, I nearly bought a pink one the other day. Maybe next Halloween :)

Even when I protective style I never stray too far away from my African aesthetics, Wakanda forever looool

 @nappyese Protective Styles

Check out my results from my last #6MONTHSPROTECTIVESTYLE CHALLENGE

http://nappyese.com/6monthsprotectivestylechallenge-results/

I feel like at some point I also have to give a clarifying post as to what it means to be a lazy natural. Only true Naturalistas may know. Some of you may need some schooling but its ok, we learn new things everyday. I saw a fellow black models hair being fried by a white hair stylist on Instagram today, I wrote to her and she said she didn't have a choice. I told her she does. All she needs to do is take better care of her hair and stand up for herself. I did the same and they learnt to leave my hair alone. They really have no idea what it is to be creative with our own natural beauty without any damaging patriarchal inducing standard, or maybe they do who knows. Even some of the black hair stylists on set are not any better. The trauma is so deep and relevant to our nature that most of us have forgotten what it is like to be kind to ourselves. I had to take the braids out because I had a different shoot the next day and you should have seen the way the stylist rough handled my poor aching scalp! And I felt she would do that even before she did (perhaps I attracted it? LoL) because she had already tortured me by slapping the rubber bands she used to attach the hair extensions to my scalp a few times that I had yelled ow VERY LOUDLY. I wanted to jump up outta that chair like a baboon the minute she took the last braid off but I know it would have made her feel awkward).

That's me you see, forever the empath putting other people's feelings before mine. But now enough is enough. I don't care if I get labelled a bitch or a diva ( cos that’s their next train to jump on). If that’s what I gotta be to save myself and more children after me who will be traumatized to become these numb feeling creatures then so be it.

I have more stories, but enough of my rants. I had a hair show this past weekend and it has officially marked off my #6months protective style challenge!

My braids came out so bomb, I'm so obsessed. 

Love and Nappiness

NAPPYESE

DID MY HAIR GROW? 6monthsprotectivestylechallenge Results!

Yass Yasss Yas, many great things are happening! How have things been on your end? How are you thriving so far in 2018? Isn’t lit?! It's been crazy lit on my end and I’m still swooinng from all the choices, moments and experiences life continues to offer me. And for every single one, good and bad I am grateful! My nappy-trip to India was all sorts of crazy!

It’s definitely feels super amazing to be back to fast and working wifi, clean streets, and space! oh sweet space. Have you been to India? If you have you can probably catch my feels, haha! India was crrrraaaaazzzyyy I tell you. My #3odaysinIndia Vlog series is releasing from the 1st of July on NappyeseTV so turn on notifications for my Youtube and Instagram posts!

WHY I THINK I’M A NATURAL HAIR NAZI

 This post is dedication to my #6monthprotectivestylechallenge. It ended last month! 6 whole months of wearing my afro in Braids, Headwraps, Wigs and Low manipulative hair style. I loved all my hairstyles! They were simple and inexpensive. I think the most expensive ones were my long silver box braids.

 

Here are the results;

6 MONTH PROTECTIVE STYLE CHALLENGE RESULTS

Before:

LENGTH CHECK 4C HAR

Length: 7 & 1/2 inches

After:

LENGTH CHECK

Length: 9 & 1/2 inches

That’s about right. Hair grows on n average of 4-6 inches per year. In half that time (6months) I got my allotted 2&1/2 inches.
Check my previous post on my protective style challenge and see my progress from the beginning;

My 6 months protective style challenge

#6monthprotectivestylechallenge: 3 MONTHS UPDATE

Ya! so I definitely think I’m a natural hair Nazi. Watch my funny video below to see how I mean, its proof! haha I learnt a lot about myself making this video!

https://youtu.be/qI6RcfNZz1A

I also love protective styling, lazy natural for Life. I could protective style 12 months in a year even! Because I know it is the surest and easiet way to preserve nappy hair length and health.

I didn’t miss my Mushu one bit (lol..ok lies, but you get the gist) and the timing was perfect for India. I only shampooed and conditioned once in the whole time I was there.
Will you join me on the next protective style challenge?? Have you gone a protective style challenge before? If so, what were your results?


Love and Nappiness

Nappyese

Six Months Protective Style Challenge

Watagwan my Natural sisters,

Happy New Year! The earth has begun a new rotation around the sun for the year 2018, and the breath of God is still with us. There is much to be thankful for!

The term ‘Protective styling’ has always seemed a luxurious word that vaguely applied to me. I mean sure, I follow all the nitty gritty rules that apply to protecting my strands ( between finger detangling flew out the window). When my hair is not stretched out or curled for a photoshoot or show, it is usually in about 4-6 single  braids hidden under a head wrap. Hard-core protective styling like braids, faux locs, dare I say weaves? Just hasn’t found a place to stay in all my 3 years of being natural. However I know my hair length is not where it was this time last year. Neither is my Density. My Mushu has grown longer and fuller.

My Natural Hair growth 2017

 The collage above goes to show that even without hardcore protective styling I’ve has done well on retaining length. But trust, with longer hair comes longer wash days and responsibilities. 

My Protective style Looks 2017

 The bitter sweet truth is that Afro’s are hard to manage. The down-side of having gravity defying hair with amazing styling variety is the amount of time, care and effort that has to go into it, specially for the kinkiest types like mine. I won't lie, I have been tired and weary of my hair lately, and been itching for a creative change.

Starting from this month, I've commissioned myself to go on a 6 months HARD-CORE protective Style challenge!!! Yup, I’m committing and putting Mushu on Lock down! Its needless to say, the great thing about protective styling is switching up your look while protecting your strands. My Curly Wigs, Head-wraps, Clip-ins and Marley Pony’s won't cut it anymore.


PROTECTIVE STYLE 1: SILVER BOX BRAIDS

My job as a model has not allowed me the sweet variety that is our Magic and Art. But I’m at the point in my life where I’m needing to call the shots in relations to how I express myself. Surely braids can’t only be cool when celebs like Solange or Zoe Kravitaz wear them. I think it's time to make braids more mainstream.

BEFORE PROTECTIVE STYLING


It feels so good to be rid of Mushu for  a while. I’m taking all prisoners! I will make sure to document every step and stage of this journey. I even got a tape and measured up Mushu. It up and it came up to 6 1\2  inches. My hair is uneven on all sides, therefore an average of 6 inches. What I aim to achieve on this 6 month challenge is growth, growth and more GROWTH!! I’m hoping this rest period will give me a boost and finally propel me out of awkward length stage. Aaaiiiiii I can’t wait! You know time flies, 6 months will go by again like a breeze.

I'm looking forward to sharing my progress and the final results with you. I hope you’re as excited as I am!! I decided these braids will last me two months, it took a whole 3 1/2 days and they weren’t cheap.. Follow my social media pages @nappyese for daily updates.

Now for the million dollar Question

Will you join me on this challenge?

Love&Nappiness
Nappyese

Caring for your Natural Hair in Fall/Harmattan

Harmattan is here, the trees are getting bare. The dry and cold season is here again.  Many creatures of the earth will go into hibernation, and amongst those magical creatures will include our beautiful head of coils.

FALL/HARMATTAN HAIR CARE

My routine this season has not changed very much from my last winter season in FEBRUARY SECRETS: How to Care for Natural Hair in Winter/Dry Season

My basics are still the same;

SCALP MASSAGE/PRE-POO/HOT OIL TREATMENT

CO-WASH instead of Shampoo

DEEP CONDITION

SEAL

TRIM

PROTECT

 

Discovering Natural further emphasizes these point in her 5 Fall Natural Hair Care Routine MUST HAVE Video

What's slightly different for me this season is that I am incorporating a lot of protective styling. If you follow my instagram you know. Finally! Mushu and I can get a break from each other (Thank you holidays). It's hardly winter but it's already acting the most. One very important routine step to note is to REMEMBER TO TRIM. 

How to know When to Trim Your Afro

I hadn't trimmed Mushu in a minute. These were the signs it showed and I knew it was finally time to grab the scissors;

1. More Fairy Knots and tangles  than usual: Even though I was moisturizing regularly and doing my low maintenance bantu knot out and braids. I was getting a lot more tangles than per usual. 

2. SCANTY SEE THROUGH ENDS

 

3. DRYING FASTER THAN NORMAL: The more damage at your ends, the lesser the ability of your hair to retain moisture. You'd be pouring water into a basket. LITERALLY!

 

4. FAILED HAIRSTYLES: My simple usual hairstyles i used to get curl definition would bottom line result into knots and tangles with little to no definition. Even though I was following my exact same method of styling. This was a result of the coils refusing to clump together because of my damaged ends. 

 

 

Instagram: @nappyese

                                              

5. MORE BREAKAGE AND HAIR IN THE SINK: If basic mechanical efforts like detangling, styling combing is causing more snaps and breaks than usual. THen you know it is time for a trim

 

So when you notice any of these signs above, treat yourself to a trim. REMEMBER: HEALTH OVER LENGTH. Watch the short video below showing you how I trim my 4c hair, including a few of my protective style ideas for the Dry months ahead.

 

Happy Trimming! What protective style look will you be sporting this fall

 

Love&Nappiness

Nappyese

How to return Natural in 2017... in 8 Steps

Hello everyone. Happy New Year. We pray 2017 brings far better things than 2016 ever did. When it comes to hair care, what more way to start the year than making defining decisions about our hair?

And for those who have decided to just start your natural hair journey...

Here’s how to’return’ natural in 2017… 

STEP 1. 

Look at your image in the mirror.

What do you see? Ask yourself  ‘Why do I want to return Natural?   Because you want to get to know yourself? Because you’ve seen other naturalistas and realize how beautifully amazing what you have, or what you could potentially have is? Or is it the ‘IN’ thing now. Everybody’s returning natural and you no go carry last.

Why are you returning natural? You will need a solid reason, because this will be the back bone of your journey. And when push comes to shove, this will stand between you and your decision go back to creamy crack (relaxers). Why I went Natural; see my natural hair journey

STEP 2.

Research! 

At this point returning natural is somewhere on the list. Maybe not Top 5 on the New Years resolution list but it’s somewhere!

The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step! (I love this quote!!) Your first step here should be research. Take it from me, you don’t want to start in on this journey totally clueless! Chances are you most probably have been on creamy crack from the age of 6, if you were lucky age 10 and you have little to no idea how to deal with your kinks. Gourg on beautiful natural hair images on Pintrest, follow natural hair vloggers on YouTube, google about natural hair and read natural hair blogs. This is also a good time to get a small book to document your findings.

STEP 3.

Know that black hair is different 

    

Yes your hair is SPECIAL! We like to say MAGIC! I mean it makes history all the time!

It has been proved scientifically that black hair has specific structural features that make it differ from other hair types. These differences are responsible for excess breakage, splitting of the hair shaft, knotting (SSK’s), shrinkage and all the other magical stuff that come with being natural. 

It is also known to have fewer cuticle layers than any other hair type. So NO it won’t blow gloriously in the wind (until many years), you can’t run your fingers through it every other minute, and it certainly don’t wake up looking bed-head fab. You will learn to love it for what it is.

STEP 4.

Reality Check! NATURAL HAIR IS NOT FOR LAZY PEOPLE!

If you followed the steps above, by now you may (or may not) have realized the effort other Naturalistas go through to get moist healthy-looking fros.

Its point-blank simple! Natural Hair is not for lazy people! It will cost time and effort to learn to understand your hair, the way it behaves, products its responds to, how to style etc. You will spend a fair amount of time watering your coils to keep it strong and fight breakage. I like to liken growing natural hair as to growing a plant. You have to water, protect, trim, cultivate it before it blooms.

When people refer to ‘LAZY NATURALS’ it’s about being laid back when it comes only to styling. All the other ground work of washing, conditioning and moisturizing is ALWAYS done. And that’s ok! You will find that the more you leave your hair alone, the faster it will grow.

STEP 5.

Know that Natural Hair does not have to be Expensive. 

Truth be told the only expense you will really need to invest in once you gain an understanding of who you are and how your hair works is Time. Using fancy products and styling tools are for the ones who want and can afford to. The term Natural will start to apply in every sense once you begin your journey and you will notice more life changing decisions in your lifestyle. You can be natural with just African Black soap, Shea butter and braids every other month as the next naturalista with the entire range of Caro’s Daughter and stocks of styling tools. It just a matter of choice really!

STEP 6.

BIG CHOP OR TRANSISTION?

 CUT IT, CUT IT, CUT IT, CUT IT. Just do it.

Even if it feels like the end of the world, remember there are worse things in life than cutting your hair. No one can explain to you in words the feeling of triumph, bravery and confidence that comes with shaving your hair off. Because at that moment, it will just be about you and you alone. And this only the tip of the iceberg of the wonderful burst of emotions you will experience on your journey. This feeling my not come immediately and perhaps not even in the next few months following your big chop. Till now I have not heard of a anyone who did the BC and have regretted their decision.

Most people who transitioned will tell you one thing, its haaaarrrrrdddddd bruh. Except you intend to forever keep your hair in braids or any protective style you love until your coils grow to a length you are comfortable with seeing, you will need to prepare even more for the work of caring for multiple texture of your head. Another thing with transitioning is that you will spend more time in general getting to understand your kinks than you would if you BC and baby step from day one. And seriously,who would want to miss Teeny Weeny Afro(TWA) stage????

STEP 7.

Budget your 5 years 

You’ve done the big Chop! Subscribed to Natural Hair Channels on YouTube, followed all the amazing natural hair blogs and naturalistas for hairspiration and you stay dreaming every day about your bra-strap length of glorious kinks that will belong to you.

Before frustration comes knocking on your door, let me quickly tell you to budget at least 5 years of growing time to achieve that . From what I’ve seen from long haired naturalistas, it takes about 4 to 5 years to get that big hair shoulder length after shrinkage kinda look. And from experience it takes about 2 years to even begin to understand the phenomenon that is our hair.

Everything is personalised in this game! What works for others may not work for you. Chances are you will do another big chop within your first 1-2 year on your journey. Sounds far-fetched? Just ask the nearest Naturalista. So you should actually be budgeting 7 years for that jaw dropping length most of dream of. LOL, it’s not that serious though. But for the first 2-3 years, try to focus more on the overall health of your strands and less on length.

STEP 8.

Document your Journey 

Once you establish in the corner of your mind that a huge afro won’t just grow on your scalp overnight, and that you will need to work for it, you know to relax and enjoy the journey. It’s not just a thing that we say. It really is a Journey, one of self-discovery. We have to learn things our mothers never knew and taught us.  Keep a hair journal, start a blog, take length check photos. DO whatever it takes to keep your head and hair in the game, forming the habits of caring for your hair, finding out things that work and don’t. There is nothing more motivating than proof of progress!

Returning Natural is so much more than hair. To me it’s the one of the most self-empowering decision a black woman could make. I mean dealing with everything that comes with being woman, and then having our type of hair?? Talk about Super-Women!

I hope these steps help to guide you on your decision to returning natural. For more insight on natural hair Download my free e-book NappyHair by Ese|Guide to Beautiful Healthy Hair and to subscribe to NappyeseTv on YouTube for more Natural Hair care tips!

These post may also help:

Top 10 Tools and Things for Nappy Hair After the Big Chop!

Ingredients to avoid in your Natural Hair Products

 All the best for the New Year♥ and see you on the other side!!

Love&Nappiness

Ese

#HAIRSPIRATION: 5 Amazing Natural Hair B/Vloggers to follow!

Hi everyone. It's been a minute!  Beez are buzzing, Birds are chirping, flowers are blooming cos spring is in the air here in South Africa in our humble city of Jozzzzzaayyy!! Don’t know bout you but I’m soooo ready for summer... to feel the heat again, eat ice-cream, stomp at music festivals and whine and complain about how hot it is, hahah. I’m literally sticking my tongue out at all yall winter people, step aside cos summers moving in! Haha

Today, I’m bringing  you lovely nappy folks 5 amazing African Natural Hair Bloggers and Vloggers I follow for some #Hairspiration. Lord knows some inspiration is needed on this natural hair journey, cos you get those days neh. Those Nappy Blue days.. when you feel like you’d rather have anything else but your stubborn kinks and those other ones when you feel like you’ll never make your length goals.. lol (as If).

Follow these amazing women for hairspiration. They have been in the game longer than I have and they share amazing styling, length retention and Hair Growth tips on all of their pages!

DiscoveringNatural

#Hairspiration DiscoveringNatural

DiscoveringNatural is the one to follow for hairspiration on how to deal with your kiddies natural hair. She and her two beautiful daughters are serious hair goals!! Her blog and vlogs has everything from transitioning tips to DIYs, to coffee rinses, not to mention and a whopping 64k following on her YouTube! I love to see her and her kids on my timeline and she is the perfect example of the mother I want to be in terms of taking care and teaching my kids on natural hair care

Follow her pages here:

BLOG: www.discoveringnatural.blogspot.com

VLOG/YOUTUBE; @DiscoveringNatural

FACEBOOK: DiscoveringNatural



TOO AND A LEE

 

Thulis tapered cut with goldi-lock tips is refreshing! In this era where most of us naturalistas are scraping for length. I think she’s pretty cool and its so fun to read her Blog! I love to see her gorgeous blond tips as I scroll down my Instagram TL as well as her motivating quotes. She shares her 4dddd (lol) nappy hair tips on her blog as well as other fun shenanigans on her passion for fashion, travel, and cooofeeee!! Check out her pages here:

#Hairspiration TooandaLee

BLOG: www.tooandalee.com

INSTAGRAM: @tooandalee

FACEBOOK: TooandaLee



IGBO CURLS

#Hairspiration IgboCurls

Igbo Curls ooooooooo! Choi! Chinwe from Igbo Curls has an incredibly stunning head full of beautiful luscious  kinks.. lol, thats how obsessed I am! When you read her natural hair story you would probably shed a tear because too many of us have gone through the same experiences for the sake of straight hair. Chinwe has been natural for 5 years and has blogged for four. She is everybody’s hair goals and has recently launched her mobile app!!! Natural Hair Care right at your finger tips!!! You can find Igbo Curls here:

BLOG: www.igbocurls.com

VLOG/YOUTUBE: IgboCurls


FRO CHIC

  

Nangamso of FroChic shares her tips on how she cares for and maintains her gorgeous locs. She does product reviews and giveaways and vlogs on how she curls and styles her dreadlocks. In the future I would love to lock my hair too and she is inspiration!! She constantly features other naturals on her blog as well, so there is never shortage of hairspiration here

#Hairspiration FroChic

Check out her pages here:

BLOG: www.frochic.co.za

VLOG/YOUTUBE: FroCHic

FACEBOOK: FroChic


NAPPYFU

#Hairspiration NappyFu

NappyFu gives a real and fresh perspectives when she talks about her 4chair. Her weekly vlogs contain care and styling tips catering to 4a,4b and 4c hair. They so much fun to watch and guaranteed to give you a happy feeling. She is my favorite vlogger and I can totally relate to her Nappiness! I love Nappy Fu! Check out her awesome videos on her YouTube channel here:

VLOG/YOUTUBE: NappyFu Tv

FACEBOOK: NappyFU

INSTAGRAM: @Nappyfu


I hope you enjoyed this read! Share this post with your friends! Information on Natural Hair Care is everywhere! #hairspiration when you see a gorgeous head of kinks online today Let's celebrate the beauty of Nappy hair ♥

Which natural hair b/vloggers do you follow? Share with me in the comments.

PS: You can email contact@nappyese.com to be featured! #hairpsiration

Love and Nappiness,

Ese.

Ingredients to avoid in your natural hair products

I wouldn’t describe myself as a product junkie now, but in the early stages of my natural hair journey I had a side table lined with all kind of products I hoped would work some sort of miracle on my hair. I did a bit of research before I Big Chopped but it mostly involved stalking and obsessing over black women with long glorious nappy hair, haha.

So I tried different products without fully understanding or knowing what my hair needed. I wish I had known earlier on that as a nappy haired woman I couldn’t just pick up any product off the shelf. That my hair was different and special (fragile and breakage prone)

“I battled with dry hair, split ends and SSKs (Single Strand Knots)”

In the first year of my natural hair journey, I battled with dry hair, split ends and SSK’s. Split ends were mostly on me because I used to pull out those annoying SSKs with my hands, but why was my hair dry and why did I have so many SSKs?? I was deep conditioning after shampooing & conditioning weekly, and I was doing the LOC method, so I knew I was doing the right things to keep my fibres looking healthy but it was all to no avail. So I went back and did some real research..lol.. and I realized I needed to change my hair products. Many nappy haired women out there don’t know that most hair products out there contain a lot of chemicals that is neither good for the hair nor body. Nappy hair already has fewer cuticle layers than straight hair type, so you can bet that it will be less resistant to cleansing chemicals that straight hair can more easily endure.

The best products for nappy natural hair are the ones that are mostly made with natural ingredients. Once I started using products designed specifically for natural hair, my hair started to thrive! So my nappy folks, here are some of the list of harmful chemicals to avoid when choosing products for your natural hair. When choosing a product for your hair take a look at the ingredient listing, as a rule of thumb the first five ingredients listed should not contain any of these chemicals listed here, and if they do it should be closer to the end of the list. Manufactures by Law need to list their ingredients from the highest it contains to the lowest, so if you have stuff like sulphate or minerals oils next at the beginning of the ingredient listing, you’re buying yourself a bottle full of chemicals that will most probably leave your hair dry


SULFATE

Sulfates also known as (Surfacants or Detergents) when dissolved in water has the ability to remove dirt from surfaces. SulFates range from harsh to mild. The most common sulfates used in hair products are SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE (SLS) & SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE (SLES).

Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES)– SLES is the alcohol form (ethylated) of SLS. Both SLS and SLES can enter the blood stream. They may cause potentially carcinogenic formations of nitrates and dioxins to form in shampoos and cleansers. Large amounts of nitrates may enter the blood system from just one shampooing. Sulfate-based surfactants like sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate has been found to be significantly irritating for the scalp and drying to the hair. Steer away from SLS and SLES and  instead look for products that contain milder sufacants. It easier to just buy a totally Sulfate free Shampoo.


MINERAL OIL

Mineral Oil is a mixture of liquid hydrocarbons produced from the distillation of petroleum. It is a mix of Hydrogen and Carbons. Mineral Oils  can be advantageous and disadvantageous for nappy hair. It deposits on the surface of hair strands and forms films that are sufficiently thick to mask irregularities in the cuticle structure. It can offer good detangling benefits and minimize frizz by preventing penetration of moisture into the hair in humid conditions. The clause with mineral oil is that because it clings so tightly to the hair shaft it can prevent the flow moisture in either direction, that means no moisture is going out, neither is it going in! So let's say you put something like Vaseline on you hair for your first week after deep conditioning, the next week your hair is feeling dry and you’re thinking oh ill just take my spray bottle and spritz my hair with my water and conditioner mix, ……..??………. You get the picture? If not go back and read from the top. Black hair is already mostly on dry side and needs as much moisture it can get. Whether it’s from the shower steam or your spray bottle. Blocking all access to moisture with Mineral Oil is not a great idea.

I would raise my eyebrow if it was on the first five ingredients on my leave in conditioner or shampoo. There are better oils with great conditioning benefits that can be used in place of mineral oil.


SILICONES

Silicone is a mineral oil. It is an ingredient commonly used in hair care products.It can give slip and shine and help smoothen hair. But it is not a natural ingredient and its side effects are not nappy friendly. Silicone is almost like rubber and/or plastic. It is used as a sealant against water and even air. It prevents moisture from penetrating the hair shaft and becomes like a magnet for dirt and other ingredients. Most Silicone are not water-soluble, so they will prevent moisture from getting into the hair shaft. For us curly-kinky-nappy haired girls this can be disastrous because we already have dry prone hair. If there should be any silicone at all in your hair product, it should be water-soluble silicone, this means that it is able to dissolve in water. Water soluble silicone is easy to wash out of the hair and doesn’t leave a heavy build up.


ALCOHOL

Short Chain alcohol like isopropyl alcohol, cause the hair to be dry and frizzy, this type of alcohol is usually found in sprays and gels. Fatty alcohols like Benzyl or propene glycol, cetearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol can help to condition nappy hair to make it soft and manageable.

Avoid: Isopropyl alchohol,Ethanol,Propanol,Chlorine, propylene gylcol.

Good Alcohols are; Behenyl alcohol, Cetearyl alcohol, Cetyl alcohol, Isocetyl alcohol, Isostearyl alcohol, Lauryl alcohol, Myristyl alcohol, Stearyl alcohol, C30-50 Alcohols, Lauryl alcohol.


SYNTHETIC FRAGRANCE&COLORS

Perfumes for use in hair products are often dissolved in mineral oil bases with a small amount of preservative. Synthetic colors are believed to cause cancer. If a product contains them, don’t use it.   Some of the problems caused by these chemicals are headaches, dizziness, rash, hyperpigmentation, violent coughing, vomiting, skin irritation. Synthetic fragrance ingredients can cause itchy, scaly, painful skin, and potentially worsen asthma. Even high concentrations of certain natural ingredients including tea tree, lavender, and citrus peel oils may cause such symptoms. Most of us do love our hair to smell good because it makes us feel good especially when we are complimented on it but again check that Fragrance closer to the end of the ingredient listing.


PROTEINS

Yes, I said PROTEINS! It is very easy to get caught up in the DIY syndrome. You want to get into loving, pampering and caring for your hair, so you trying out every egg, yolk and cassava recipe you find on the internet (jokes). I tried to put honey and egg mixed on my 4c hair one time it wasn’t funny! My hair came outta that deep condition looking like it was fried! It felt very strawy

A Protein called keratin is the building block of hair. There is a phenomenon known as “PROTEIN OVERLOAD”, we identify this when your hair feels dryer than normal. There is a difference between normal dryness verses extreme dryness that protein overload causes. Lack of moisture is usually the biggest challenge for coarse hair (type 4hair), and it also tends to be sensitive to protein. It is important that naturals with coarse hair generally avoid protein and ensure that their conditioners and deep treatments are instead loaded with plenty of moisturizing emollients. So If you have coarse hair and the you find words like Amino acid, hydrolyzed keratin or wheat hydrosylates or hydrolysed collagen, peptides, keratin and silk protein in the first five ingredients of your product I would be worried. The key is to find the balance between moisture and protein


If you feel you are doing all the right things but your nappy hair still feels dry and breaks off you might want to take a look at the ingredient listing of your hair products, this maybe the issue. Take your time to research the ingredients you hear about a new product that is the rave of the season. Everyone is different, a product that works for one person may not work for you. Remember that ingredients listed first in a product have more potency than the one closer to the end of the list.

We are all humans and we will make mistakes. Trial and Error is good, because we learn from it. It might take a while before you find a product that your hair loves.  Remember to listen to your hair.

Black Hair grows!  You just gotta Love and treat it right... in Bob Marley's voice

Source: @keturahariel

What are your favourite hair products and what ingredients do you usually avoid? Let me know in the comments!


Love and Nappiness,

Ese

Top 10 Tools for Natural Hair Care after the BIG CHOP!

Today I would like to share with you the Top 10 Tools and Things you need for your natural hair after braving out the biggest step of your natural hair journey! The BIG CHOP! If by now you don’t know what a big chop is you are on a loooong thing o. Download NappyHair by Ese e-book and get yourself familiar with all the natural hair terminologies.

Big Shout out to my baby sister, Khanya Mlilo And Olaoluwa Showemimo on their Big Chops! Whoop Whoop! Welcome to the Natural Hair family!!!

Right! In no particular order of importance the Top 10 Tools &Things you need after your BC are as follows;

1. SPRAY BOTTLE

So I went the extra mile and did a lil photoshoot for y'all

Y’all know how much I stress about moisture! It was honestly one of the first things I got into my brain when I started my journey. The key to length retention is Moisture!! Textured hair loses most of it moisture because of its fewer cuticle layers and tends to get dry quick! And no better way to have moisture handy than in a spray bottle. You can mix your favourite conditioner with water and just spray your strands every night before bed.

2. NATURAL OILS

These are some of my personal faves in the pic above. Right after you moisturize your hair with water, best believe you’re gonna be making sure that moisture stays in. To prevent the moisture we just applied from evaporating into nothingness, coat your strands with some oils or leave-in butter (remember LOC?) to save the moisture in your strands. Different Oils work differently and the key is trying out some and figuring which works best for your hair. We shall discuss this extensively in another post.

3. OLD TOP/SHIRT

Time to ditch your towels ladies and gents! Lol.. at least when it comes to your hair. There is no more walking outta the shower sexy with you hair wrapped in a towel in front of Bae, neither is there rubbing your hair vigorously with a towel. Towels cause breakage and split ends! A better way to dry your hair out is to dig into your wardrobe for an old cotton Tee-shirt. A tee-shirt is smoother, with less friction which will mean less breakage and split ends. So the next time you wash your hair, wrap your hair in a clean tee-shirt for 10-15 mins, it will dry quicker, with less frizz and probably a bit less shrinkage! Never rub your wet hair vigorously! Gone are those days, rather pat it to soak it out or wrap it.

4. SATIN SCARF OR SATIN PILLOW CASE

Time to pamper your hair! Our Goal is to keep our fibres looking healthy and to retain length. This means minimizing any sort of friction. Satin Pillowcases for sleeping! Not only are they soft and shiny and make you feel like royalty, they are a good investment because cotton pillowcases will absorb the moisture we’ve worked so hard to maintain in our strands, Satin ones DO NOT. Its smooth material allows for your strands to glide smoothly as you sleep, we’re talking less tangles, split ends, you know the usual.  Same applies to the satin scarf or bonnet. Its important to always protect your strands before you sleep. I personally prefer the pillowcase to the scarf even though I have both, because I feel freer and sometimes Bae you know.. hahaa

5. HAIR SHEARS

This tool is vital! You can't be a natural hair sista and not have a scissor specially for trimming your ends. If you watched my natural hair journey video, you’ll remember I confessed to not trimming my ends in the first year of my journey because I wanted to retain my length. Wrong move! I literally just walked myself into my 2nd BIG CHOP. Unfortunately in this world we will in atm, there is no permanent cure for split ends, be mindful! Because a lot of products out there will claim to be able to get rid of your spits ends. What these products only do is temporarily fill in the the chipped or split spaces but you can be sure once the product fades out your back to ground zero. So be wise and trim your straggly ends. Un-trimmed split-ends will travel up the hair strands and destroy the rest of it. So its best to stop the damage ASAP, not only will you get healthier looking strands, but you will retain your length in the long run.

6. PLASTIC SHOWER CAP

Deep Conditioning your strands should become one of your weekly or at least monthly regime if it isn’t already?? What a plastic bag does, it traps the heat radiating from the scalp or blow dryer, hereby causing the outer cuticle layer to open and for the strands to deeply absorb the products you have put on your hair. You can also just use a plastic grocery bag, but I would recommend to invest in a shower cap because plastic bags can easily melt from a blow drier. Make sure to deep condition for at least 15-30mins.

7. APPLICATOR BOTTLE

The applicator bottle is a good tool to have handy if you’re a natural that likes to protective style with weaves. It is very necessary to keep your scalp from drying and when you have your hair under protective styles. Ladies slapping and scratching your weave like there is a roach in it is not sexy at all (most of us have been guilty of this at some point, me included) It is NOT OK .When your scalp feels itchy, it means your scalp is dry and is in dire need of moisture! The applicator bottle has a pointy and small nozzle for control which makes it easier to apply products/moisture directly into your tracks and your scalp


8. BUTTERFLY CLIPS

As your hair grows longer, you are going to start trying out lots of different natural hairstyles, like Bantu knot outs, twist-outs, etc. Butterfly clips will be your life saver during styling. These babies are ideal for keeping your separated sections in place, even during detangling and Shampooing. They are great tools to have.


9. HEAD BANDS

Hair bands come in different shapes and sizes. They are great tools for styling nappy hair in Updos and also for stretching out your hair!

10. BOBBY PINS

Bobby Pins save lives yall, most especially if you’re a 4chairck, and your hair is the most defiant of all hair types to gravity. Always keeps a handful around. They are great for keeping styles in place.

So there you have it, these are my Top 10 tools every nappy haired folk should have, regardless of your hair type.

Love&Nappiness,

Nappyese