Four things to do when you lose Hair Care Motivation

Lately, I've lacked motivation to care for my hair, due to general loss of zeal, tiredness, illness, and pressure from here and there. I mean I lost everything that made me Me, internally. As for my hair, I couldn't be bothered. It might as well, not have existed. I didnt care.

I can't say I have completely gotten myself back to that zeal-filled stage, but I am no longer where I was some weeks/month's ago. I have realised that almost everyone will go through this phase, where life hits so hard that hair will be the last thing on your mind. For some, the phase might last long, for some it might be short, maybe just 2 weeks. Whatever the case is for any of us, it would most definitely come.

So since the above is the case, what do we do when we lose the motivation to care for our hair

1. Know it's just a phase

Don't beat yourself up or punish yourself mentally for not moisturising every morning, or washing your hair twice a month. It will just make you feel bad, and make your situation worse. Understand that it's just a phase, and you would be back up again, regain you hair care mojo.

2. It's just hair

So what if your hair breaks and falls off due to lack of care? So what if you suffer a little setback for one month? It's not the end of the world. It is just hair... and it will grow back. As long as you don't have any scalp of hair shaft disorder (which we advise you see the trichologist at our hair clinic for), then you will be fine in the end. Treat it like what it is... hair.

3. Scarf it up

You probably already know this. The hair is most likely not presentable anyway, and you have no energy to make it look good. Cover it up with a scarf, turban, or hat, and go about your day's business. You need the little energy left for that. Remember that a bright lipstick and pair of sunshades can complement your head gear. This way, you would have a bright countenance, and people would most probably not notice that you have been hiding your hair for a while.

4. Protective styling to the rescue

Once you suspect that this phase is not easing up anytime soon, pick yourself up, go to the salon, and put your hair in a long-term protective style, such as box braids, crochet braids, etc... something that would make sure you don't have to worry about hair styling for the next couple of weeks.

I hope that with these few points, I have been able to help someone in this situation.
What of you? Have you ever lacked motivation to care for your hair? What worked for you when you were in that situation? Please leave your answers and suggestions for others in the comment section.

Is There A Right Or Wrong Way To Do A Tea/Herbal Rinse?

Photo Credit

During the course of the week, I stumbled on someone's regimen. The most striking thing about the regimen was WHERE she inserted a tea rinse in her wash day. This intrigued me because it was quite different from what I usually did. So, I decided to try it out and I must confess I loved the results.

Before I go further, here's a little background for those that are new to rinses in general.

Just as the name implies, tea rinses are liquids made from brewing regular black or green tea or herbs for a while, allowing it to steep and cool before pouring it over your hair and scalp. Various teas have their unique functions but are generally used to reduce shedding, darken hair and stimulate growth. 

I do tea rinses as often as I remember and my favorite is black tea rinse because it stops my shedding on its tracks. But lately, I've been infusing a number of herbs in my regimen so rather than doing a tea rinse, I do herbal rinses. In the past, I've tried Rosemary, Hibiscus, Sage, Basil and most recently Moringa rinses.

After washing and deep conditioning, tea rinses usually serve as the final rinse. So, I apply using the throw and catch method and leave it for about two minutes before rinsing out again with cold water. I've never really tried to leave a tea rinse in my hair so it's more like a semi-final rinse.

After doing this method repeatedly, I realized that the tea rinses might probably not work as well as they should because I don't leave them in my hair long enough. This was why the wash day routine I saw left an impression on me.

So, instead of doing a tea rinse as a final rinse, I did it immediately after cleansing/shampooing and left it in my hair before applying a deep conditioner on it.

Now my wash day goes like this (Pre-poo, Shampoo/Co-wash, Tea Rinse, Deep Condition) rather than this ( Pre-poo, Shampoo/Co-wash, Deep Condition, Tea Rinse). With this method, the tea rinse can stay in my hair side by side with my deep conditioner for as long as I want it to which means I don't miss out on any of its benefits.

It's a win-win situation for me.

Now, I'm not saying this is a rule. Just like everything that concerns natural hair, this works for me and I prefer it.

So, over to you.
How do you do your tea rinse?
After shampooing or as a final rinse?

How I Adjusted My Regimen To Suit My Highly Porous Natural Hair

Last week, I introduced the subject of natural hair porosity and provided resources to help you discover your hair's porosity levels because I believe it's a more efficient system than the hair typing system.

CLICK HERE if you missed it.

I also talked about how the knowledge of my hair's porosity has helped my understand and manage my natural hair better. Now, I'll like to talk about how I tweaked my regimen to cater to my highly porous 4A curls.

Before we move on, let's establish some characteristics of a high porous natural hair.

• Any hair type can have a high porosity.
• Highly porous hair absorbs too much moisture but is unable to retain it.
• It tangles easily.
• Curls often look and feel dry.
• Curls are always frizzy.

to mention a few.

For a more in-depth analysis of highly porous hair, watch the video below.

Moving on,

Now, that I have understood this, here are the ways I have adjusted my regimen.

• Regular pre-poos with penetrating oils. Now that I know that my hair has the tendency to absorb too much moisture, I do pre-poos before every wash including a cowash with penetrating oils such as Coconut Oil, Castor Oil, Olive oil or Avocado Oil. These are the only four oils that are able to penetrate my shaft to protect my hair as well as prevent hydral fatigue.
• Monthly Protein treatments. For the longest time, I never did protein treatments except for regular henna treatments which strengthened and thicken my strands. I didn't see the use for it but now that I have discovered my porosity, protein treatments have become a staple to fill in the gap that allows moisture to escape.
• Rice Water rinses. Apparently, rice water contains about 16% of protein which is also great to patch up weak and damaged areas along my hair's cuticles. I'm currently trying the fermentation method and I'll be using it during my next wash. 
• Regular ACV rinses. Before now, I only did ACV rinses to clarify my scalp which isn't totally wrong but now, I have to do them regularly to relax my hair cuticles.
• Moisturize with LOC/LCO method. This is actually a no-brainer because I do the LOC method already. I actually found out that it keeps my hair moisturized for a bit longer. The LOC method helps to create a layer that helps my hair hold on to moisture for a longer time. 
• Water/Glycerine Hair Mist. In my quest for moisture retention practices, I discovered that rather than using water alone as my liquid to moisturize, I mix some water with glycerine (which is an humectant that draws in moisture from the atmosphere) and mist my hair. When this is sealed in with oil and/or butter, it keeps my hair moisturized for the entire day, particularly in a humid environment. Best believe it's my holy grail mist.

In case you missed it, I wrote all about it HERE.

I'm super confident in this regimen and I believe my hair will bounce back in no time.

Did you need to change your regimen after you found out about your hair porosity?
Share with us!

Do You Know Your Hair's Porosity? Find Out!

A couple of weeks ago, I confirmed my one of my biggest fears by checking my hair porosity levels. Already, I had seen the signs but I just needed to be sure because it seems like I have reached a growth plateau where my hair is more or less stagnated. TRANSLATION: I wasn't retaining as much length as I would have loved to because no matter what happens, hair grows.

Anyway, the most major sign of my highly porous 4A curls was my inability to retain moisture. No matter what I did, I had to moisturize at least twice a day because my hair dried out easily. We all know natural hair does not thrive without moisture and protein. So, knowing my porosity helped me face the unique issues of my hair squarely. There was no need for trials and errors anymore because I knew EXACTLY what my hair needed.

I know a lot of us are struggling with our hair one way or the other and I sincerely believe that knowing your hair's porosity is a more efficient management system than the hair typing system.

Now, the concept of hair porosity might seem a bit technical but the good people at Green Beauty Channel have simplified the entire process for us.

So, are you ready to find out your natural hair's porosity levels? Watch the following short videos.

• What is Porosity (Natural Hair Porosity 101)

• 3 Best Ways To Test Porosity

• Types of products to use for your Hair Porosity.

I hope you enjoyed watching the highly educational and informative videos. I also hope that all the information will help you understand and take better care of your natural hair just as it did for me. 

Now, that you know about hair porosity, which is yours?

How To Prepoo Your Natural Hair With Aloe Vera Gel.

During the course of the month, we shared Naptural85's viral video on prepooing with aloe vera gel on our social media platforms and it occurred to us that some of our blog readers who don't follow us on social media (why don't you, though? We're @africanaturalistas across social media) might not have seen the video so we thought we should share it here too.

Personally, when I watched it, I tried it afterward and it gave me fantastic results as seen on my Instagram page. I didn't leave it overnight like Whitney (Naptural85) did but I ensured I had it on for ample time.

So, I just prepooed with #aloeveragel @naptural85 style and I can't believe I haven't tried this before now especially since I have two large pots of Aloe Vera. 😱😱Scroll down her page to see how she did hers. __________ All you need to do is open up one large aloe vera plant (one is usually enough for your entire head) and rub it straight on your hair starting from your roots of course. After the first set of gel has gone, continue to rub aggressively until you have used up the entire gel in that section. Don't forget to massage your scalp along. ___________ She accompanied hers with olive oil but I realized when I was done that I didn't need to use oil as the aloe vera was sufficient. 💯 The results? Yummy moisturized hair. I should do this regularly. ____________ This is particularly great if you have just taken down a protective style. Plus aloe vera has enough slip for detangling. When you're done, wear a shower cap and leave for a while and then wash out!

A post shared by eBunitehair (@ebunitehair) on Mar 8, 2017 at 1:35am PST

What did I do?

Simple!

I washed and opened up one big aloe vera plant (one is enough to round your head) and rubbed the gel directly on my hair starting from my roots up to my ends until I went round. So, I worked in sections and tried to massage along to stimulate my scalp. It was such a soothing experience. I can't believe I haven't been doing this before especially since I have two large pots of Aloe Vera at home. This will definitely be a regular thing. So, if you think your hair needs a quick moisture fix , you should definitely try this and leave it on overnight.


The best thing about this is that it works for all hair textures. You should try it except you can't stand aloe vera or you're allergic to it or something.

Watch the video below.

Aloe Vera Gel is great for detangling, treating dandruff, improved moisture retention and it's beneficial to the general health of your scalp.

Redefining your motives for going natural

Hello Naturalistas,

I went to a private university owned by a worship centre and one of the rules included us not using any form of hair extension. You had no choice but to maintain your hair in it's natural state either, short, relaxed, locked or natural. Because of this rule and the fact that school had a lot of members, there were alot of people who maintained their unprocessed natural hair but the motive was flawed.

With the flawed motive it was very common to see unhealthy natural hair around school. There are different reasons why people decide to maintain their natural hair, there are the ones who out of convenience just want to keep their hair on a permanent BC and there are some who being natural is all they've known either for religious reasons or any other reason. Whatever your motive for maintaining your natural hair, here are 2 things to help you redefine your motive:

Relaxer is not your only enemy: I have watched naturalistas who wouldn't use any form of relaxer on their hair use heat to damage their hair. While you might feel that the worst thing that can happen to your hair is using a relaxer, there are alot more practices that can equally damage your hair e.g Using heat without protecting your hair properly, Tight protective style can damage your edges, lack of proper care etc.

Education is Key: To change your motive, you have to educate yourself. I have a friend whose hair was damaged by heat and just by asking questions and researching online her hair is thriving today. Put in the work, read blogs, online forums, tips and tricks, youtube videos, attend natural hair meet-up and generally whatever works for your hair. Education can and will make the difference.

You are on this natural hair journey for the long haul, why not just give it your best shot?

What's your motive for maintaining your natural hair? Do you think it's time to redefine it?

Getting your spouse to support your natural hair Journey

Hello Naturalistas,

Happy Valentine's Day! Today, we're going to talk about how to get your significant other to support your natural hair journey.

I know there are supportive spouses for natural hair and a huge shout out to all of you out there. I also don't assume that all spouses are supportive hence this article.

I've been natural for like 5 years  and when I met my husband, I had bra-strap length after I had done another BC a year prior to that. My husband loves my hair and is supportive of my journey but there is just one problem. I cut my hair alot. In this 5 years of being natural I have cut my hair like 3 times all together and twice since I got married. It's at this point we don't see eye-to-eye. Here are a few tips of how we've gotten to a place where there's no more drama about my natural hair.

• Drop hints in Advance: When I feel the need to change my look, I just start dropping subtle hints making statements like "I spend too much time on my hair" "What style will I make today?" and the list goes on. Drop the hints like every other day and this applies when you are looking to go natural and he's not on board yet "Oh my hair is so unhealthy" etc. drop those hints until the day you make your decision known. "What do you think about my going natural?"
• Don't bring out the big guns: If he opposes, don't become defensive. Just simply ask for his reasons why he is not on board. In my own experience, my husband felt that doing a BC makes me look younger and boyish and he wasn't a big fan of it. So, I had understood his reasons. Most of our spouses might just need education on natural hair. Whatever the reason for opposing your decision, just hear them out and don't be defensive about it. 
• Work your way around their reasons: The way I worked my way around our own situation was to ask him if he liked atleast one thing about short hair, so, I decided to style my hair how he liked it and it's a win-win. The point is to ensure that it's a win-win for everybody. Ask the questions and let them understand from your perspective and educate them about natural hair.                                                                                                                                                             If they don't still agree.... 

• Ask for a trial period: Do crochet braids or an afro wig that mimic what your hair can look like just so your spouse can have an idea and probably start getting used to it. 
• Be patient and let them make a decision: Don't be in a hurry to let them make a decision, it might just be "Hair" to you but it's a whole lifestyle change and whether you admit it or not it affects your spouse too. After you've made your decision know, let them think about it and be patient till they come around. 

Have you had to deal with an unsupportive Significant Other? What tips do you have for those experiencing this?

Why Trimming Is Necessary

Hello everyone!

I've never really been a fan of trimming. Heck, for the first two years of my natural hair journey, I didn't trim my hair. I actually got my first trim this year and I'm already looking forward to the next one.

Why the change of heart, you might be wondering. I think it finally dawned on me that I am doing myself. See, I've always been particular about the length of my hair. Particular and not obsessed. There's a difference. So, I really wanted to see the length my hair could go so I did not trim because I thought it meant that my hair would be shorter. What I should have done was to get mini trim so by the the time I went got to the salon, they gave me a major trim without my consent. I didn't realize this until weeks later when I was doing a length check. My hair was actally shorter. I didn't get over it for months.

Now, that I'm over it, I've come to appreciate it.

So why do you need a trim?

Your ends are the oldest part of your hair. Which means the longer your hair get, the older and weaker your ends become. If you are anything like me, you will know how hellish it is to hold on to your weak ends. Deep conditioning and moisturizing become a nightmare so it's best you let go of them.

Also, it unhealthy. Those ends become more prone to split ends, single strand knots and breakage. If you don't cut it off, it increase and join the rest of your healthy ends. So, the earlier the better. Try not to hold on to your ends because of length.

How do I know it's time to trim?

When your ends become ragged and doesn't take products. As much as you try to moisturize and deep condition, it never seems to bulge. CUT IT OFF!!

Ideally, trimming should be part of our regimen so there's no particular method to it. Find what works for you and stick to it. If it's every three months? Fine. Every six months? No problem. Once a year? whatever works for you.

Who should trim for me?

Asmuch as I advise DIY, I think it's better to get a natural hair stylist to trim for you rather than doing it yourself. If you're not a fan of salons, just make sure you wash your hair from home. That way, they won't charge you an arm and leg for washing and trimming.

So, how often do you trim?
Let's hear it!

Love, curls and coils.

Ebun Oluwole

How To Speed up Hair Growth

Hi Naturalistas

Here are some tips that can help you grow your hair faster;

source

1. Eat more protein: Since our hair is made of protein, you should make sure you are getting plenty of it in your diet. This helps strengthen your hair and improve growth. Eggs, meat and fish are good sources of protein.
2. Get enough Vitamins: Vitamins are essential when you want a healthy hair. Eat lots of fruits like oranges, paw paw, pineapple e.t.c especially those foods that contain vitamin C, iron and zinc such as vegetables.
3. Reduce heat: Try as much as possible to avoid heat damage. Heat causes damage to your hair when exposed to it regularly. Stick to stretching your hair with threading when you need a stretched look. Also try protective styles so you don’t get tempted to apply heat on your hair.
4. Trim your hair: Trimming is very important when trying to grow your hair. Get a trim every 3-6months so as to get rid of split ends that might be hindering growth.
5. Exercise: Try and workout as often as possible. It helps reduce stress. Also get enough rest and sleep.
6. Drink a lot of water too

I hope you all find these tips helpful.

Don’t forget to leave a comment.

Till then

Leeznijis

How to Do Scalp Massages for Hair Growth

Scalp massages are touted by hair gurus and enthusiasts everywhere to aid and promote hair growth. We've written about it ourselves - throwback to Bee's post on How to Get that Salon-Style Scalp Massage at Home. Some people are more visual though, so today I'm sharing a video from Discovering Natural that shows you how to do a scalp massage properly.

How often do you do your scalp massages?

Berry Dakara.

3 Hacks for Caring For Your Hair Under Your Weave

HI ladies, happy Friday!

Weaves have a lovely aesthetic appeal, however they tend to be taxing when it comes to hair care. I've always liked the look but the number problem I have been faced with each time I weave is how do I moisturise and wash my hair in these extensions??

I have 3 tips to make your weave experience easier.

1. Wash in sections

Section  your weave into 8 or more pony tails. Secure them tightly about 5 cm away from the scalp. This not only gives you easy access to your scalp, but  prevents the extensions themselves from tangling. You may have to look like your 4 year old sister, niece or cousin for the next hour or so, but it is so worth it cause the ease of access is wonderful. Wash, rinse and condition, concentrating on your tracks underneath and not the weft.

2. Use an applicator bottle with a nozzle to oil your scalp

Accessing your tracks is super tricky when weaving. You want to ease the itch that has you patting like a mad woman without looking as mad as you already do patting around. Get an applicator bottle with a nozzle, filled with an essential oil like peppermint, tea tree or lavender oil and a lighter oil of your choice. Then apply this every two days or everyday of need be. It will soothe the itch whilst enhancing growth. But most importantly, it will stop the excess oil from getting onto your extensions thereby weighing them down.

3. Always leave your edges out

I can't emphasise this enough. What stops most people from weaving is the fact that they lose their edges. I was one of those. But once I learnt that it was possible to weave and keep my edges too, I dived right back into the world of extensions.

Three simple tips for better weaving. How do you make your weave experience better? Comment below

Why You Should NOT Trim Your Hair?!

Hey there!

We have all heard advice over the years about how trimming your hair (natural, relaxed, texlaxed, no-laxed, all-laxed) is important in your hair care regimen. The reason why we are told to get our hair trimmed is usually because of split ends. The hair on our ends are the oldest on our head and have been more exposed to the elements - weather, friction from clothes, hand-in-hair syndrome, etc. This also means that our ends are more vulnerable to damage like tangles, knots and split-ends. When your hair splits at the ends, it is very likely for the split to keep growing upwards, towards our roots. This is one of the main reasons why we are advised to get our natural hair trimmed at regular intervals, or when you notice you need a trim.

However, I saw this video last night on Youtube where the vlogger has a new theory about trimming your hair. She advises NOT to trim more than maybe once a year. Her reasoning is this: your ends are the oldest part of your hair and if you cut them off, you expose your healthier hair to friction, tangles, knots, etc. In her opinion, she would rather not have the healthier parts of her hair deal with those elements.


What do you think? Do you agree with her? I think that while everyone's hair is different, there are one or two things that apply to most people's hair. I know I need to trim maybe two or three times a year - maybe even more, if I'm being totally honest. How often do you trim your natural hair?

Berry Dakara.

To read more from me, visit my personal blog here.

How Hand in Hair Syndrome might be killing your hair

The inner surface of your fingers are not exactly smooth. In fact, the print lines in them make them more dangerous to our hair than the cotton pillowcases and other cotton surfaces we stay away from. It's already bad enough that we have to use our fingers to rub the surfaces of our hair all length long when we are doing styles like weaving and flat twists. But at least our fingers are most likely a bit oiled by then, but it's worse when we indulge in playing with our dry hair with equally dry fingers every single moment we can get our hands free.

Here are a few ways hand in hair syndrome will kick our hair growth

1. Hair breakage
This is not rocket science. Our hair strands are not as strong as we think they are. They mouth be coarse but they are potential breakage points at each twist and bend. Playing with your hair regularly will only make these breakage points give away faster

2. No edges
Playing with you ends closer to your scalp will put your edges under so much stress. Many people have thinner hair at their edges than in the middle of their hair. Playing with your edges can cause your edges to be practically non existent.

3. Traction alopecia
No edges without you realizing why you have no edges might mean you continue fiddling with the hair left. So as this continues to happen, you hair begins to feel the tension on it, causing it to recede further and further, thereby leading to traction alopecia.

4. Stunted growth
Breakage at the ends+no edges+traction alopecia = stunted growth. Stunted growth here doesn't mean your hair won't grow.  It would grow but the ends will equally break off at the same rate at which is growing. A more appropriate term for this is zero length retention

5. Hair thinning and weak/damaged ends
One reason ends might be weaker than the root is because they have undergone too much rubbing and manipulation from your fingers. The continual friction on the hair cuticles (the outer layer of the hair strands) can damage it and make it non existent, leaving your ends weak, exposed and damaged

6. Other mild or serious scalp conditions
Continually playing with your hair might cause you to introduce foreign bodies into your scalp. If the scalp surface has been previously broken, a foreign body like germs, dust, allergens, etc might lead to some irritating conditions on the scalp making you feel itch and discomfort for a period of time, something you might not get away with until you see a trichologist

I hope with these points of mine, I have been able to convince you and not confuse you that hand in hair syndrome will slowly kill you your hair.

So get those fingers off

Transitioning Corner: Hair Regimen

Hello Transitioners,

Transitioning Corner today, we would be talking regimen. I would share with you my regimen and process and ask some of my burning questions which I hope other transitioning can relate to and give me answers based on experience. 

Let's talk; 

Asides all my mini research, my room mate is also on a natural hair journey and she gives me pointers. We purchased different oils and I use them on my hair. Coconut Oil, Jojoba Oil, Castor Oil and Olive Oil. 

Question 1: How much Oil is too much Oil? 

When I don't have a protective style on, I wash my hair once in a week. Wash with black soap and condition my hair after. If i've had a protective style, I deep condition my hair with a DIY mix which has banana, honey, egg, olive oil and mayonnaise a recipe my room mate gave me.  

Hair after a deep condition

My Spray bottle: In my spray bottle, I have water, leave-in conditioner and all my oils. I spray my roots when I don't have a protective style on to make it easier to detangle. I use a comb to detangle.

Question 2: When caring for the 2 textures, do you just concentrate on the new growth? What worked/works for you? 

What my hair looks like dry

After so much breakage.

What was/is your regimen like? How does it help with managing the 2 textures? 

How to Finger Detangle Natural Hair

Having tangles and knots in your natural hair can be annoying and also cause damage like split ends, which can prevent your natural hair from growing quickly. Having your hair stretched and detangled is always advised, and different people use various methods to remove tangles from natural hair. I primarily use a wide tooth comb, but other options are using a detangling or Denman brush, and also finger detangling. From what I've seen, people who use their fingers to detangle their hair seem to have the most length retention. The major drawback for me has been the time spent in finger detangling. However, yesterday I saw this video on how to detangle natural hair, and it seems to be a quicker way and I thought I should share it with you.

Of course, you can always use the African Naturalistas products, especially the Moisturising and Detangling Conditioner which works wonders!!!!!! Check out all our products here, and then tell me your preferred method of detangling your hair.

Berry Dakara.

4 Products to Set Your Hair

Hi Ladies, happy Friday!

We all love a good twist out, flexi/permrod set, bantu knot out or wash and go. One essential ingredient to getting the look and hold you want is using a setting  product to keep your style. I think the best known open secret is that the key to definition is hold. And I mean soft hold, whereby your hair stays in place without it feeling like an arm cast (lol). Here are my top four suggestions in no particular order of preference.

1. African Naturalistas Twist and Style Gel

Perfect for laying down them edges, and holding your hair in place. You can shop for this product at our AN Store here or simply dial 08091377699 to place an order.

2. ORS Wrap/Set Mousse

This holds your curls for up to a week especially if you are attempting a style such as a flexi rod set, perm rod set or bantu knot out. I haven't tried it on a wash and go, so I can't attest to its holding powers in that situation.

3. Flaxseed gel

You can make it yourself  (read all about that here)  or buy some ready made. Flaxseed gel is excellent for those of use trying to minimise on harmful chemicals or compounds found in commercial gels. Perfect for your wash and go to set your curls.Other naturals love the hold it give them in their braids  and twist outs.

4. AN Twist and Curl Pudding

If gels and foam aren't your thing, try a pudding instead. AN has you covered with our Twist and curl pudding for lovely curl definition. You can shop for it on the store here.

What order should I apply my products in? 
Generally I suggest leave-in - setting product - oil/butter/polisher. However if you are doing a wash and go, I would suggest that you skip the oil/butter or apply it before you put the gel or pudding.

What are you waiting for? The defined hair style is waiting for you!

4 Things To Know Before Going Natural

So many people are embracing natural hair and ditching relaxers these days. It’s good but when you ask why they went natural, they give reasons like ‘I want my hair to grow fast’, ‘I just want to stop relaxers for now then when I have so much undergrowth I would relax again’, ‘oh, I want my hair to be curly like that of those ladies I see on youtube’, ‘My sister went natural and I feel I should too’ and so on

For someone like me, going natural was unexpected. I made the decision to start growing my hair from scratch ‘cause of the dandruff and itchy sore scalp I had, which I was uncomfortable with. Then, oneday, I was surfing the internet for different ways to take care of my scalp infection and that was how I stumbled on natural hair. (You can read more about my hair story here). 

Going natural is not as hard and not as simple as some people see it. Here are things you should know before taking the plunge:

1.      Natural hair requires so much care
For instance, If you washed your hair once a week when relaxed, you might just have to wash your natural hair twice a week. You would need to detangle with care, wash with care, style with care especially when going to sleep. You would need to create a hair routine to follow. Also, your hair would need more moisture and conditioning. So be ready to give your hair all the care and time it needs to get that shiny and luscious hair you dream of.

2.      Natural hair doesn’t mean fast hair growth
Most people feel when they go natural, their hair would grow wild. That might not be the same for everyone. Our hair grows at different rates. So don’t get all bothered when you see a year old natural with arm-pit hair length and you feel yours would grow like that. Your hair would grow at its own pace.

3.      Natural hair is versatile
You can’t go wrong with natural hair. There are several ways to style it. Check online and get yourself equipped with different hair/video tutorials

4.      Natural hair can be boring sometimes
Yes it can. Sometimes, you find yourself in front of the mirror trying to style your hair and you just get tired. It could be so annoying. Especially as a new natural, dealing with a different hair texture could be challenging. You could even get tempted to relax again. So get ready for some bad hair days and just scarf it up or rather opt for protective styles like braids, crochet and the rest.

What other things do you think one should know about natural hair that I did not mention? Share in the comment box.

 
Till then

Leeznijis

5 ways to deal with bad hair day

Hello Naturalistas,

I hope you're all doing great? Kinks and all?

Today we'd be looking at 5 ways to deal with a bad hair day, let's jump right it into it.

Accessorise; Using accessories will definitely change the look of hair styles and also when you have stuck and don't know what to do with your hair. There are plenty accessories to help with a bad hair day. Bobby pins, head bands, flower crowns, Hair chains etc. We have must-haves for every naturalista.

Abit more make-up; Take the attention away from your hair by putting abit more make-up that you'd regularly put on. Use a bold red or banging eye make up and let the world look at your face and not your hair.

Cover it up: It doesn't have to be boring scarfs, there are options of turbans, hats and caps. Here is one scarf 4 ways, Step up your turban game. These should help with covering up your bad hair for the day.

Extensions; Adding extensions to your hair to give you a faux bun will also help you deal with a bad hair day. All you need are hair band, hair extensions and bobby pins. Here's a tutorial on how to get it done.

Easy natural hair styles; One a bad hair day, you don't need a complex hair style to be battling with because you're probably frustrated already. There are tons of easy hair styles for one of those days. Here's an example.


Hope this tips help when next you are dealing with a bad hair day. Now, over to you. How do you deal with bad hair day?

Do You Heat Train Your Hair?

Hi Ladies. Happy Friday!

What exactly is heat training?

 This is when direct heat (blow drying/ flat ironing) is used on a regular basis to loosen the curl pattern of the hair for easier maintenance. 

With the advent of thermal straightening systems by ethnic hair care product manufacturers, this practice doesn't get much spotlight anymore.

What happens is high heat is used to stretch the hair on a regular basis- weekly or fortnightly. Then this straightened hair is maintained for as long as possible. Usually within a number of months of the process,  the hair easily  straightens out with minimal application of heat and minimal reversion when exposed to humidity. This is when you say the hair is "heat trained"  As new growth comes in, the roots are "retouched" to give them the same texture and straightness as the rest of the hair.

What makes it any different from heat damage?

Proponents for this type of natural hair maintenance still wash and dc, moisturise and seal, use heat protectant and try as much as possible to grow healthy natural hair that is simply straighter without the use of chemicals. 

One could say it is a form of heat damage because the natural curl pattern is loosened. However the curls still revert when washed, although they are no longer as tight. Another thing is that when you heat train correctly,  you don't experience the same dry, brittle, dull and  breaking hair that is so common of heat damaged hair.

We must remember that this is a method of straightening that heavily relies on the use of heat. If you have fine strands or tresses that don't take too well to the use of heat, you might want  to sit this out.

What are the advantages of heat training? 

You have the convenience of straightening your natural hair without the use of chemicals, softer and easier to detangle hair, it is perfect for the busy natural as it requires less time for styling than natural hair that is not heat trained. Lastly you can enjoy straight or curly hair at any time.

If not done correctly you WILL have curls that won't revert. So if you want to try it out watch tonnes of yt videos and get as much information as possible before you begin.

Check out this video by My Beauty Marc from her heat training days. Here she talks about how to do it and get the best results.

I think it's great to have options when it comes to exploring all that you can actually do with your natural hair , hence this post.

In closing,  have three questions for you:

1. Do you think heat training is still a relevant straightening method today?

2. Would you or do you heat train? 

3. What do you think about this method of straightening your natural hair? 

Have a great weekend! 

Natural Hair Style - Finger Coils

Sometime during the week, on our Instagram account, we reposted a photo of a lady in Finger Coils. So far, it has gotten the most number of likes any of our posts have ever received! I've decided to share that photo here and a short video showing you how to achieve finger coils. It's a fairly easy natural hairstyle and looks great on any natural hair length.

@Regrann from @demicarson - Dark Chocolate... Get you a photographer padi. 📸: @tosin.akinyemiju Finger coils still popping! #naturalhair #type4hair #4bhair #Regrann

A photo posted by African Naturalistas (@africanaturalistas) on Jul 11, 2016 at 2:17pm PDT

This hairstyle has it's pros and cons. On the pros, it's fairly easy to do and can last you a good three weeks! The cons are that it takes a couple of hours to achieve, and if you leave the style in for too long, it can mat up and begin to loc.

Some of the products you need can be found in our store! On freshly washed hair, apply our

Leave-In Conditioner

One or two of our range of Oils

Seal it all in with our Anti-Breakage Butter Lotion

And finally, apply our Twist and Curl Pudding to keep the finger coils in. Our Twist and Gel product is coming soon, but for now our pudding is a good substitute.

Watch this short tutorial video on how to do finger coils for natural and transitioning hair.

To maintain the hair style (and all other hair styles), use our Daily Hair Mist and Hair Growth Oil Elixir to keep your natural hair moisturized and well hydrated.

 

Visit our store to place your orders and definitely follow us on Instagram (@africanaturalistas) for lots of natural hair styles and inspiration!

Berry Dakara.