Happy new year to you from African Naturalistas

Hello everyone. Happy New Year to you, from all of us at African Naturalistas. May all your dreams and desires for the year 2019 come to pass. Thank you for spending the year 2018 with us. We appreciate you from the bottom of our cauldron. :)

A lot of things will be happening at African Naturalistas this year, starting from this January. Please look out for our announcements and newsletters cos you don't want to miss out on juicy developments.

In the meantime, you can visit our website at africanaturalistas.com to see the various services we offer.

We wish you all the best this year?

When two African Naturalistas meet, this is what happens

Hi ladies and gentlemen. Yaayyyy!!! Can you sense the excitement from my greeting? Last week, I, Atilola, got to meet physically with one of the African Naturalistas writers, Discovering Naturals. As you might know, African Naturalistas writers are scattered all over the world, and while we always communicate via any means technology allows us, it is always difficult for us to physically meet all at once, except for the 4 of us currently domiciled in Nigeria.

So therefore, it was a very great honour meeting our very own Kids Expert, Discovering Natural in Houston. I met her, Lil Sis and Big Sis. Kai, her kids are so well behaved, it's just kids-goals. DN and I hung out a bit in her lovely home, waited for Lil Sis to come home, before we proceeded to pick Big Sis from school. After this, we proceeded on a long road trip to drop me at home, and grabbing dinner on the way. I was so grateful for these i.e. the ride and the food, lol. I can confidently say it's been my best day in Houston since I got here (I've been holed up in the same location for the past 1 month, going nowhere, seeing no one).

The good part, amidst all the gisting and loving up with DN, we shot a Vlog. Yaaayyyyy. I've never been involved in shooting a Vlog. I only shoot TV features, interviews and the likes, so this one was so lighthearted and really short. We talked a lot about african Naturalistas. I must say, I love the naturalness of this video and the vibes. Watch it yourself and let's know what you think.

Has Natural Hair in Nigeria gone from Trendy to Staple?

The natural hair culture in Nigeria has made strides in leaps and bounds in the past six years. The development in this aspect is quite mindblowing considering the fact that in just six years, a lot has happened.

Before then

• Natural hair was mainly worn by ladies of some religious sect
• There were no known salons that catered specifically to natural hair
• There were no known communities/meetups that were educating women about how to wear their hair naturally
• You could count natural hair blogs on one palm, and still have fingers left to feed
• There was zero scientific knowledge about hair in Nigeria, and no known trichologists
• There was no Nigerian brand manufacturing hair products specifically for natural hair
• And so on, and so forth

From the above, we can see how far we have come in the natural hair world in Nigeria. There was a time when people argued that the whole natural hair movement was a fad – another fashion trend that would soon die out when women got tired of it, an opinion which I have never agreed with. This is because I felt something I had never felt before when I started growing my hair out naturally. It was a kind of freedom I couldn’t explain, and I knew nothing in the world would ever let me go of it.

With all the knowledge and enlightenment out there, it seems natural hair is no longer a trend. It has become normal for a lot of Nigerian women to have natural hair. Countless women have natural hair under their weaves and wigs. I personally believe the relaxer industry has taken a major downward hit in the country but due to lack of data that is our bane in this country, we cannot adequately analyse this opinion.

The natural hair growth in Nigeria has been supported by strong communities springing up everywhere, especially online. No one can cry “lack of information” again if they are facing difficulties maintaining their hair.

These points above, and more is why I believe natural is fast swinging from the trendy see to the staple saw. Consider the following points

• There are now several hair meetups that people no longer see as a big deal if they miss
• We no longer do a double take when we see another natural hair sister at the shopping mall
• There are several natural hair salons everywhere, and most of them are filled up 75% of the time
• There is healthy competition among Nigerian natural hair brands, and their market is still growing
• Foreign natural hair brands are flooding the Nigerian market every day, and are even opening natural hair styling schools.
• People now wear their natural hair to work more than before because even the bosses that were complaining have gone natural.
• Mothers are no longer relaxing their female toddler’s hair, unlike before, because of better enlightenment
• Many Nigerian celebritues now gracefully wear their natural hair on the red carpet, and no longer hide under weaves
• And so on, and so forth

From the above points, it takes only a simple eye to see that thing has come to stay, and is not going anywhere soon, if ever.

What do you think? Do you think natural hair is still a trend in Nigeria, or otherwise?

Why we hardly reply emails about Hair issues on African Naturalistas

I remember some time ago, JC of Natural Haven said she hardly replies emails because she gets loads of them. I couldn’t relate with her stance because I felt she could sit down, and reply emails in her free time. After all, she is a science expert, and people needed her expertise, and there’s just so much science you can put on a blog. I really needed her help to answer a particular question, and I prayed she would answer my email. I begged her in the subject, and told her how urgent and important it was. My prayers were answered, and she replied me.

Sometime later, Dabs of NHCG wrote on her blog on how she keeps getting emails asking similar questions even though the answers could be found on her blog. She created some kind of FAQ section to solve this problem. I hope it worked out for her. As for me, I was still replying mails, and I prided myself in being able to answer every single email.

Then…

I just couldn’t go on. We were receiving emails about things we talked about on the blog regularly. Before I was answering questions by referring people to the posts treating their questions. After a while, it was obvious that some people were not interested in researching. They just wanted us to hand them a solution on a platter of gold. I mean, a team of hardworking ladies had put three years of sweat into the blog, but the thought of navigating or doing a search on the blog was too much for some people to handle.

Because of this, we did an FAQ section to help people with questions better navigate the problem to their solution.

Yet…

Some people just felt, I can’t be bothered to read. Let me just send an email. “Good afternoon. My hair is cutting. What should I do?”

One day, after spending hours replying email, I finally understood what JC meant. I couldn’t do this anymore. My life would be cut short. So I changed the terms on the contact us page to something like this

“If you have a problem, check the blog. I’m not sure there’s any problem about hair that hasn’t been treated on this blog. Just in case it is not here, please call.”

I even dropped my personal number, and let people know I wouldn’t be replying emails concerning hair issues anymore.

But still… some still send emails, and we don’t answer most of them.

Please note, we reply all emails that come in except the ones that have to do with hair issues like. “My hair is breaking, what should I do? My edges are bad, what should I do?” If it is that serious, we expect you to call us, and we won’t even charge for the advice we give on phone.

Anyway, that’s it. The ladies on this blog are committed to helping you solve your issues, and they keep that commitment by making sure there’s at least one post for you every single day. We don’t have weekends or holidays on this blog. We never take a break, so it only makes sense that people take some time out to find the solution to their hair issues, which we took time to put out here for you. All you need to do is use the 'search this blog' bar on the right when you scroll down, or click our FAQ page on the top tap.

And most importantly, if you think your hair issues are so serious that you need a trichology consultation with an expert, please book an appointment at our hair clinic. Just visit our hair clinic website.

Did you enjoy or learn from the article above? Please, like our Facebook page here. Thank you

Natural Hair 101: The Spouse's guide

Hello Naturalistas,

All I want you to do this week is just copy this link and forward to your significant other, Have you even taught to educate them? Well... That is why I am here.

Naturalistas that are not single tend to think about their partner before they take major hair decisions e.g BC, Hair Colour or the decision to even go natural in the First place. Your man may not like your natural hair, But this is for the men that are willing and do not have a heads up on what they are getting into. So, Please go ahead. Show him!

Hello Spouse, This is NOT to discourage but to EDUCATE you about what you should expect during your partner's natural hair journey. I cannot promise that I am serious about everything I will be mentioning but trust me, there is Truth!

...And the list goes on...

Help her look for her satin bonnet; If you're not the one that hid it, help her look for it. Yes, I know it looks like something your granny will wear but its a matter of hair security. And if she's not wearing it, ask her about it. Unlike the bobby pins, don't bother. Those ones develop legs and disappear. \

Be Supportive; search for links online and send to her, see one hairstyle you love, ask her to try it. Give compliments. And she doesn't have to ask.  Just be her Idris elba!  Simple

What else could a naturalista ask for in a man?

DO NOT TASTE EVERY MIXTURE IN THE KITCHEN; Ask Demeji, You really don't want an angry wife/girlfriend. If she doesn't tell you its for consumption, Its for her hair. Don't bother she's spending so much time mixing, trust me you will feel the softness ;) Its worth it!

 She will start complaining about the protective style 2 days later; Don't mind her... but don't let her know. I REPEAT DO NOT SAY IT OUT LOUD!! Just encourage her

Its 2 days, best believe

ADA ADA in the morning, Caro at Night; .... And she will look the part too... Brace yourself!

 "No, Your hair is longer baby";  

 

For every length check, say this to her, repeat after me "No, your hair is longer baby. I see it" 

so, men, tell us the things you've had to find out about your wife/girlfriends natural hair and ladies, is there anything you would like to add about your ''habits'' and good hair behaviours? Lets know

Natural Hair Inspiration or Wishful Thinking?

Hey everyone,

This is going to be a short one, but I think it comes with a good dose of food for thought about where you look to for your natural hair inspiration.

About a month ago, I saw a Youtube notification post from Klassy Kinks, where she made a video response to another natural hair blogger's video. Jouelzy put up a video discussing Texture Discrimination in the natural hair community. Basically what she said is that people with 4C hair usually get the short end of the stick, because the expectations of healthy natural hair assume that the hair has to be shiny and with edges/baby hairs that lay down. Jouelzy was talking about this coming from the standpoint that 4C vloggers and bloggers don't get as many opportunities as those with 3C, 4A, 4B hair. As an example, she noted that...

Source 

... she literally had to beg for products to do product reviews, whereas companies happily sent their products for reviews to other natural hair bloggers/vloggers who have less kinky hair. In addition, vloggers with 4C hair don't get as many Youtube video views as their looser-haired counterparts. She also said that if you take a look at some natural hair products, most of the time they use photographs of people with looser curl textures.  Truthfully, I haven't taken particular notice of which models are used to promote natural, 4C hair.

Anyways, this gave me cause to think about it. Where and where have I been looking for natural hair inspiration? Do I follow bloggers and vloggers with a similar hair type as mine? Or do I look to those with hair that's not as tight or kinky or nappy as mine, wishfully hoping that my hair does the same thing that theirs does? Please note that I'm not saying that you should not look up to natural hair gurus with looser curl textures; I believe that we can all learn from one another. However, if you attempt a style on 4A hair, and try the same style on 4C hair, chances are that you will not get the same looking results, potentially setting the stage for disappointment.

What do you think about the topic?

P.S. Today's Day 23 of my hair style challenge for May. For some inspiration, and if you don't have Instagram, check out the different styles I've done for the #31DaysofKinkz challenge here.

Have a nice weekend!
Berry Dakara

Great updates on the African Naturalistas products store

So many things have happened on the African Naturalistas product store the last time you might have checked

1. The first good news, especially for our customers outside Lagos who do not have the privilege of paying on delivery, and do not want to stress themselves by going to the bank. You all now have the option of paying with your Naira debit cards on the store. You can pay with your naira master card, Visa card, e-tranzact card, Visa, and Verve card.

Of course, other options of direct transfer to the account, and cash on delivery for our Lagos-based customers still remain. We just want to make sure there are several options for you to choose from, based on your convenience. All these is at no extra cost to you.

Source

2. The second great news is that we now sell some non African Naturalistas manufactured or packaged products, such as Shea Butter, Apple Cider Vinegar, Hibiscus powder, and many more to come. You asked, and we listened, in order to serve you better. All these are available at very affordable prices, so don't hesitate to take advantage of the opportunity

3. We now offer free delivery for every Lagos purchase of N7000 and above, and outside Lagos purchase of N12,000 and above. Yea, we are appreciating our loyal customers by covering that cost for you.

4. For our customers outside Lagos, you now have the option of picking your products from the ABC park in your town, if you do not wish to cover the cost of having us deliver to your home. Of course, this option to available to customers in western states, as there no ABC parks there.

So what are you waiting for? Take a quick perusal of our products on our store here, and place your orders now. We are here to fill the gap, so remember that healthy hair products are just a click away from you.

Did you enjoy or learn from the article above? Please, like our Facebook page here. Thank you

Do we really need Natural Hair Advocates?

Here is my confession. I am not a natural advocate! Yes, I said it. Bite me, lol. I am not saying this because I am trying to dissociate myself from the word Nazi. If you know me well, you will know that unlike many naturals, I am truly not a natural hair advocate. This means I do not advocate for people to wear their hair in its natural state. You might ask yourself why I say this, especially when my world and my entire business revolves around natural hair.

Well, I will clarify this. What I am is a Problem-solver. When I see friends with relaxed hair, whether healthy or otherwise, I don’t get into any story with them about hair. I have never ever told anyone to wear their hair in its natural state. Never! But you see, once a lady has decided she wants to wear her hair natural, and comes to me to help her, that is where I come in. Then, you see all my antennas up, and me doing what I know how to do best… easing people along in their natural hair journey.

There are many natural hair advocates (not Nazis) out there, and I think they are doing a great job, but it is not just in my personality to advocate for natural hair, not because I don’t think it is serious, cos trust me, hair issue is very serious, no matter how people try hard to pretend it isn’t, but because I believe people should have the right to decide by themselves how they want to wear their hair.

When people try to ask me any kind of question that would pull me into comparing natural hair with relaxed hair, I give them facts, not opinions, i.e. I present scientific information about the process each hair strand goes through to become relaxed, and what changes have taken place to get the hair straightened. Then I tell them what natural hair can do that relaxed hair cannot do, such as adopting various curl patterns, etc. And I leave the choice to them to make.

When I started the whole natural hair blog and later, products, my own sister, who lives in the same house with me, had long relaxed hair. I never for one day mentioned anything about going natural to her. I hardly discussed hair issues with her, and she hardly discussed hair issues with me. She reads the blog regularly, so she has info about natural hair. One day, after about two years of starting this blog, she pings me from her place of work, and says she wants to go natural, and that she had been thinking about the decision for a while. I never told her to be natural, she saw it with her eyes, observed the trend, and saw all the things I did at home.

Another surprising one is when one of my former colleagues told me at work that she did not see why ladies were now fussing all over about going natural. She said as long as she can have healthy relaxed hair that looks beautiful, that’s all that mattered. She said she can never do "all these natural hair stuff." She went on about how ladies use natural hair as an excuse to look like ruffians, look clumsy, etc. Even if I were a natural hair advocate, this friend of mine is not someone you want to enter an argument with. This year January, and she pinged me and said she is going natural, and asked for my advice. I didn’t bother reminding her of her statement. I just gave her the info she needed. Loads of people have gone natural because of me. I can give many more examples, but I believe my point has been made.

I see the process of someone making a decision to be natural as similar to when one religion wants to gain new converts. There are the pastors/imams/rabbis who do the work of preaching, those are the advocates. Then there are people who just use their lifestyle to gain new converts without uttering a word, which is the category I fall under. I personally believe that this second category is always the most effective.

The reason I started this blog is to help people who are already natural or have made up their mind to go natural, though people with relaxed hair benefit a lot from this blog. The process of getting people to make the decision to go natural is what I leave to the natural hair advocates. Let me just focus on the hair care aspect.

P.S: African Naturalistas is looking to partner with Events Planners on a business idea we have. If you are an Events Planner and interested, or you know anyone that might be interested, please let the person contact us on 07061141501 or info@africanaturalistas.com

Did you enjoy or learn from the article above? Please, don't leave without dropping a comment below, and liking our Facebook page here. Thank you

How come dreadlocks grow faster than free natural hair?

Hey everyone,

Hope your week's been great! The topic I want to discuss today is something that came to mind after I saw an acquaintance's hair. She's had locs for a while and I hadn't seen her for quite some time, and when I recently saw her, it struck me that her hair length seemed to have doubled! I remember the question crossed my mind - "How did her hair grow so bloody fast?"

Source

And then it struck me that I routinely see people with waist length loc'd hair, even in Nigeria, and I came to the conclusion that there's something different about locs, so I asked my friend Google. Well, it turns out that dreadlocks are actually not different from free natural hair, but 2 things come into play...

1. NO manipulation! Think about it. Those of us with free natural hair are constantly manipulating our hair by detangling (fingers, combs and brushes alike), styling (twists, braids, updos, weaves, etc), and more. With manipulation comes breakage. Of course, there are ways to minimize breakage such as finger detangling and protective styling. However, people with locs hardly have to deal with any manipulation. Therefore, their odds of experiencing breakage is a LOT LESS than people with free hair.
   
2. SHED hair. Hair sheds on ALL types of head, simple and short. BUT the difference with loc'd hair is that the shed hair has nowhere to fall to. Instead it stays matted up with the dreadlocks, and seemingly adds to length and thickness! 

So there, you have it. It makes sense now and it's such an easy explanation. So for all those who want to achieve floor length hair, now you know what you can do to speed up the process :p.

Would you switch to locs simply for length purposes? Let me know what you think. The first person to comment and leave their email, wins a N500 airtime recharge as usual (Nigerian networks).

Have a lovely weekend,

Berry Dakara.

Real life natural hair talks: What changed?

Hi Ladies

This one is for the ladies, that's why I specifically channelled my greetings to the ladies.

I just want us to pause a bit and share a few thoughts. 

If you read my post here I talked about how you can create some feminity around an otherwise boring natural look. Especially for a TWA look, you definitely want to stack up on all the little tricks that will not give you off as a clueless girl or worse still, a boy. You want to create something that still looks flashy, or something in between, as opposed to boring. 

Some people had to change their wardrobes to look more girly to even things out on a good note. Some learnt to accessorize more to give off a more fun look. 

My questions are:

What did you have to change?

Why did you think it was necessary?

I was never a scarf person. I used to do baseball hats hahaha

But these days, I realized that scarves go with my new hair than the baseball hats, thus I'm more or less turning to the scarf kind of life.

Another thing was the makeup. I'm not sure I can entirely put this one here and I'll tell you why. I've always been into makeup, but I usually did light makeup. I know somewhere along the line, I found myself trying more bold lips frequently. I used to wear them once in a while, when I was really dressing up. I found out that I upped on that, but then again, I think it could also be that it had nothing to do with my hair. Perhaps, I just evolved into a lady who was now eager to break out of her comfort zone, and that fact was also channeled through my makeup. It could be mere coincidence. Anyways, it happened right about the same time and I thought I just might put it out there as well. 

So now you have mine, let's hear yours! 

Remember, the first person to leave a comment on this post automatically wins 500 naira airtime voucher on any Nigerian network of choice. Remember to leave your email address alongside, we'll need it to send the card across. 

Hurry ladies, share your stories!

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

JB

Twitter: @janylbenyl

The five kinds of Naturals the Natural Hair dreads

Hi Naturalistas

Here are five naturals you should try not to be

1. The 'addicted to colour' natural

You know those people that are always flipping like a chameleon, today they are blonde, tomorrow they are red haired, and just when you can figure it out, they are down to the blue, pink or white haired. They have a stock of hair dyes and they just want to change it with their moods. The more you color your hair, the more your cuticles become weaker and weaker. If you want to color your hair, just make sure you decide on a color and do not plan to change it soon. Give your hair time to rejuvenate after one bout of coloring before embarking on another, And can I add that this takes time.

2. The 'over manipulator' natural

They just love to comb their hair. Today she is on one million braids, and once she takes that down, she is looking for a stylist to install some Ghana braids. Why this is so bad is because you expose your hair to constant pulling and manipulation which is not healthy. In no time you will experience more hair loss than it is normal and this can retard hair growth as well.

Choose protective styles that do not pull hard on your hair. Try to the ones that do not make you COMB your hair every time. Sometimes, your hair just wants to hibernate from all the stress you put it through by styling excessively and just relax.

3. The 'heat obsessed' natural

They are always rocking straight hair. You wonder why they prefer to always get their hair bone straight when they can try out other styles. Constantly exposing your hair to heat weakens the hair and damages it overtime. Unfortunately, if you expose it to high amounts of heat at one time, you just might succeed in altering your curl pattern immediately thereby exposing it to unnecessary damage and breaking. You do not really need to straighten it out. Air dry, stretch heat free and find styles that work. There are tons and tons of them. 

4. The 'product junkie' natural

This natural buys every product that says whatever interests them. With captions like "Grow your hair out in seconds" their hair has become a semi lab rat for every one that has a product to sell. One wonders why they complain that they are not recording any success with their hair goals, when all they do is feed their hair with substances that most of the times do a lot of harm than good. You do not really need to jump from one product to the other. Find one that works and stick to it. 

5. The 'under cover' natural

You all know that natural that always has the hair all covered up in a wig, weave, scarf 24/7? They are naturals, but only in their bathrooms. No one needs to see their hair because 'it is rather too nappy' or some other excuse. You've got beautiful hair, let it out sometimes. (So i'll like to think)

Let fresh air touch it. Let it have some room to fly. I doubt how your hair can grow well if it's always covered up somewhere. If your hair is so bad that you can't let it out, you might want to uncover it and give it some needed TLC because that it is what it actually needs. 

So which are you guilty of?

Ok maybe just a little. Don't be shy :)

The first person to leave a comment on this post will win N500 airtime from any (your preference) Nigerian mobile network instantly. Go ahead, set your fingers to work and don't forget to leave a valid email address. You'll need one to receive the airtime and that is all it'll be used for. 

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

JB

Twitter: @janylbenyl

Why we started our Podcast service, Natural Hair 360. Subscribe now!

We have two great developments on this blog, and we are happy to announce them.

To be honest, we understand the fact that many naturalistas out there, for one reason or the other, are not able to regularly read natural hair blogs, our blog, or even read general articles about natural hair care, trends, maintenance, etc. This is one of the reasons why we started the Podcast service. A quick look at the different segments in the podcast service will help you understand why we said so.

Also, some people will rather listen to a topic than read the same thing about that topic. Although, I will rather read than listen. This podcast will sure benefit people who like to listen than read

This a weekly podcast runs for about 20-25 minutes.

It kicks off with the round up of the natural hair blogs we read. We basically give you a summary of what topics have been discussed on other natural hair blogs in the past one week, and what people are saying about it. At this point, our listeners can now determine whether they want more information on a particular topic, and head over to the blog of choice to read. It is more like morning newspaper reviews.

The second segment is the discussion of the week. This is where we pick a natural hair topic for the week, and thrash it out.

The third segment is a run through of what has been happening on African Naturalistas blog in the past seven days, an in depth discussion of what happened every single day. If there's any new development, this is where it would be covered.

And lastly, we will have the golden nugget of the week. This is a one-line natural hair care statement that everyone can learn from.

So are you excited already? As for me, I am. Please, please, please, subscribe, listen, and rate us. Please. We want to keep this going stronger. If you have anywhere you want us to improve, please, don't hesitate to let us know. We appreciate every form of support.

How do you get to listen or subscribe?

1. If you have an iPhone or iPad, just go to your podcast app and search for African Naturalistas, and subscribe.
2. If you don't have any of the devices mentioned in number 1 above, just install the iTunes app on your system, if you don't already have one. Click the podcast menu, and then search for African Naturalistas, and subscribe.
3. If you just plain decide you don't want to use iTunes, just click here to listen to our programs. But I will have to say that you then have to return there every week, and you might forget. We sure don't want to lose you so soon.

Please, please, subscribe to our podcast. Let's get natural hair to the top on iTunes. We need to dominate the fashion segment.

Our second development is that we are now on instagram, thanks to Berry. So everyone on Instagram should please follow us on africanaturalistas. For all you picture lovers, don't hesitate to send your pictures to berrydakara@gmail.com.

So this is our first and second addition to this blog in the year 2014. If you have any other thing you want to see on this blog, please, let us know in the comment section.

Did you enjoy or learn from the article above? Please, like our Facebook page here. Thank you

Let's be honest. Is it really just hair? Is hair really not that serious?

I don’t know if this is going to be a controversial post, but let us see how it goes.

Have you ever heard the statement from women saying “It is just hair. It is not that serious.”? This statement often gets said as a result of many women being tired of the fact that other women are just either taking this ‘hair thing’ too far, or creating unnecessary wars out of it.


The other scenario is when some other women make this statement because they have serious hair issues due to ignorance or utter neglect of their hair, but instead of them to face their hair issues squarely, they cover up their insecurities with statements like ‘it is not that serious’, yet they would run to you to solve their problems when no one is watching.

Well, this is one statement that if we are really honest to ourselves, we would know that it is a big lie. Yes I said it, a big lie!

I remember when I was a full-time employee. After I dropped my resignation letter, and I was not assigned to any client since I was leaving soon, a colleague of mine could come and ask an advice about her hair. Before you know it, a gathering of two would turn to a gathering of 10 or more, and I would be the one being interviewed. Anyone who knows me knows that I can talk about hair from morning till night. It just gives me joy. After I left my firm, things did not change. Everywhere I go, I get ambushed by one person, they get me to talk about hair, and the gathering of two blows up to 10 or more.  Please note that most of these people don’t even know anything about this blog, so it is not like they saw me as one famous hair blogger. They just see my hair, and the conversation picks up from there.

My hair is long... very long, although it has high shrinkage. After my hair grew past a certain length, I stopped letting it out. Why? I hardly leave my house, it is high maintenance, I love protecting my ends, and honestly, I just don’t think I would be able to handle the attention. I already get enough attention as it were, with it all bunned up and hidden.

After thinking of the several experiences I have had with people as regarding hair, I have decided to be truthful to myself and accept the fact that when it comes to hair, it is that serious. This is not because I said so, but it is the reality out there. Here are some of my reasons.

If hair were not that serious, people won’t be spending money big enough to buy land and build house, on weaves to look good.

If hair were not that serious, I won’t be getting tons of mails all the time concerning hair.

If hair were not that serious, people won’t be looking at hair bloggers and youtubers like some celebs, even to the point of idolising them.

Source

If hair were not that serious, the hair cosmetic industry won’t be a worldwide multi-billion dollar industry, one of the most lucrative industry sectors in the world.

If hair were not that serious, ladies won’t spend hours and hours researching how to care for their hair or solve a hair problem they are having.

If hair were not that serious, ladies won’t be trooping in droves to hair meet ups, whether relaxed or natural, to get information and support from other women.

If hair were not that serious, for God’s sake, all the war that the hair issue has generated would not even be existent.

If hair were not that serious, it won't be the cause of many break ups in relationships, and frictions in marriages. Anything that can put a strain on people's unions is definitely THAT SERIOUS,

If hair were not that serious, think about it, you wouldn't need to always remind people that it is not that serious, because no one would even take it serious in the first place.

If hair were not that serious, I won't even be writing this.

If hair were not that serious... *insert your own observation here*

I understand the fact that it might not be that serious to a few exceptions, but to a lot of women out there, trust me, it is that serious!

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African Naturalistas gives honour to whom it is due - everyone

It has been a really great year for us at African Naturalistas, as a Nigerian-based hair cosmetic business, and as a blog. We started this year, unsure of our directions, but we can now close the year, thanking God for a growing business, and a blog that's now more versatile and interactive.

As a team, we would like to say a big thank you to all our readers and customers. Your loyalty is what has brought us to this level. Without you, there is no us, and we are very appreciative of your readership and patronage.

As an individual, I want to drop the biggest shout out to the lovely natural hair lovers who have made this work easier for me as a person. Let me just say I have the greatest team in the world. The whole AN team is just the bomb.

The Mane Captain: For her very informative hair care posts  on this blog. I'm sure the serious Naturalistas always looked forward to Saturdays on this blog.

MsJB: The pretty lady who knows how to take control of her blog space. Quite versatile in her ways. I lover her sweet spirit.

Berry: I call her the drama queen. With this lady, no one knows what will be posted next. She's quite unpredictable. I believe she hates routine just like me, or else, why has she not finished her oil series?

Tomi: The mane matters lady. If you want to appear on this blog, this cute baby face is the girl to hook you up.

Ebun: A proof that the last is not always the least. I can always count on the fact that something informative appears every Thursday. As a transitioner, she has thread paths I haven't dared to walk in this natural hair journey.

Irene: Our East African beauty. Very gentle, very matured in her ways. Someone I can always count on to look out for the teams interest.

All these ladies are here because they love natural hair, and will like to use their experiences to help other Naturalistas out there, without expecting anything in return.

So let me just ask you readers, since we switched things up a bit on the blog this year, what new thing would you like to see next year. I already have a few tricks up my sleeves, but since we are here for you guys, we would like to have your suggestions in addition. If it is not too much for us, I'm sure we would do our best to implement it. Don't go silent on us now o, let's hear what you have in the comment section.

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I love my wigs but...

This is a personal rant, so forgive me in advance. As you all know by now, I like to wear wigs. I have 2 in particular that I had custom made for me - a long one with kinky-ish hair, and a short bob. I wear them when I feel like my hair needs a break from the elements - the elements include environmental forces like the sun and dust; additional elements include hand-in-hair, packing-and-repacking-of-bun, etc. Suffice it to say, out of 30 days a month, I wig it maybe 15 to 20 days.

Now, what is getting my goat is that some unfortunate human beings see me on my wig days, and are often taken aback when they see my own hair. I've gotten comments like

"Where's your weave? You should put it back on"
"Are you having a bad hair day?"

Or the one I literally just got now: "Oh, but you look so beautiful with that your long hair."

I called them unfortunate human beings, because I don't know how to keep my mouth shut a lot of times. To this last person, I answered with my mouth, "That was a wig. This is my hair." Meanwhile, my eyes were asking, "What are you trying to say? Are you trying to tell me that you think I'm ugly with my real un-long natural hair? I dare you to say anything!"

To his credit, Mr. Man said, "This is nice too."

*hissing while rolling my eyes*

In retaliation, I could decide that I will leave my hair out forever and ever. But even I know that I get bored, and sometimes I want a new look, and I want to give my hair a break. So, I shall continue on as I have - wig when I feel like, hair out when I feel like, yarn threads one day, tree braids/fishbone one other day, and blah blah blah.

It is MY HAIR! MINE!

#RantOver

Do you ever just want to rip into someone for commenting about your hair? Let's let it all out here in the comment box!

Berry Dakara

Colored Natural Hair

Hey hey,

I hope you've had a pretty week and looking forward to a prettier weekend. I plan on going to a Hair event tomorrow - Naija Hair Can Grow's monthly Salon Day Out. Her events deal with Healthy Hair, and relaxed and natural hair are welcome. Coincidentally, she'll be addressing "Oils," which I've written about on and off for a couple of months (speaking of which, should I continue with the series? The posts didn't seem to get a lot of feedback and I didn't want to bore you).

Anyways, I ran into an acquaintance yesterday from church. She went natural this year, and yesterday I saw that she'd colored her hair. I thought it was really pretty and decided to go searching for different colored natural hair to share. I've thought about coloring my hair to maybe a red, but color needs intense moisturizing and I don't know that I'd be diligent enough to take care of it. Do you have colored hair? Would you consider it? Don't forget the tip from Ms Leatherwood - color your hair in stages... Black to Brown to Red to Blonde, with a 6-8 week span between color changes.

Source

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After seeing all these pictures, I might just end up with a rainbow fro!

Berry Dakara

Team Natural versus Team Natural

Hello!

Funny title right? I've been thinking about the apparent factions, differences, sometimes discrimination that goes on WITHIN the natural hair community. The #TeamNatural vs #TeamRelaxed vs #TeamWeaves vs #TeamShutTheHeckUpItsJustHair divide is one that people talk about ALL THE TIME, so I won't go into it (although I have half a mind to talk about the polarizing Natural Hair Nazi soon).

Anyways, once a transitioner joins Team Natural, she would think "Ah, finally, I've made it. No more divisions." Well, she would be DEAD WRONG! Within the natural hair community, there are differences that people are ready to almost kill for. What do I mean? Take a look and see below.

LOL! Coming up with these was FUN! There are other teams, of course and the beliefs vary, but honestly, half the time, I really don't care. What works for you may not work for me. So DO YOU!

Have you seen any in-house division regarding your hair? Please share :)

Berry Dakara

A gift for all our Natural Hair blog readers

For everyone who has stuck with African Naturalistas for a long time up to even people who are just visiting this blog for the first time ever, we want to say a big thank you. We hope you continue to visit.

It is because we appreciate your continuous readership that we have decided to release this new quick-read e-book as a free gift, just for you. It is titled, The six most common Natural hair myths.

It talks about widely accepted, but false, assumptions about natural hair, and we took  time to dispel these myths with proofs in this e-book. Even though you might be well versed in the aspect of natural hair, it is possible you have assumed some of these myths to be true. You never know. If you are curious enough, I suggest you get a copy of this free e-book.

All you need to do to get this is just download from link on the Right Hand Side of this blog, and voila, you are good to go.

It is not a big book. It is something you can finish between 30 minutes and 1 hour. So download away.

Thanks for your time.

Introducing the new African Naturalistas online store

If you have noticed, when it comes to African Naturalistas, progressive change is constant. We don't claim to be there yet, but we keep trying to improve, with whatever resources we have at out disposal.

This is why we had no choice but to revamp the way you buy your African Naturalistas products via this blog. We have put together a proper online store, to make it easier for you to navigate the products, get better acquainted with each product, create your personal account, place your orders, and have them delivered to your doorstep, wherever you are.

So what are you still waiting for? Just go to the African Naturalistas products store tab, or just click here to have a feel of the new store. Let's have your feedback, and most importantly, don't forget to order your own African Naturalistas products.

VIVO VIBRANTE SANO (VVS) - A holistic wellness weekend retreat

VIVO VIBRANTE SANO (VVS) is the first holistic wellness weekend retreat in Nigeria taking place at The Clear Essence California Spa and Wellness Resort in Ikoyi, Lagos from the 4^th-6^th October 2013.

VVS addresses holistic health for the 21^st century woman with emphasis on encouraging organic products in everyday life in different ways: hair, food, skin care, fitness, wellness, fashion and more.

VVS attendees will be introduced to celebrity chefs, natural hair experts and bloggers, fitness trainers, celebrity stylists, etiquette classes, health plans, virtual health groups, bespoke home cooks, organic body care specialists and much more.

Also partnering with the event are Atilola Moronfolu (African Naturalistas), Fregene Gbubemi (Chef Fregz), Ifeyinwa Ojekwe (Ajali), Yinka Aworetan (Fitness expert), Wana Wana (Inspiration FM), Amanda Amusan (Etiquette Avenue), Ehime Eigbe (Sweet Kiwi Yoghurt), Omozo Ehigie (O’Naturals), Nkem Odewunmi (Food and Fashion Fusion), Ohimai Atafo (Mai Atafo Inspired), Jumoke Adewunmi (Club Shrinkers), Matilda Kerry (George Kerry Life Foundation) and many more.

All of these in one weekend? Absolutely! That is why you need to book ahead especially if you would like to opt to stay in at the resort for the two nights of the event.

And the best part for mothers??? There is a child friendly holding nursery for attendees’ children only at the event. So yes, mums, whether you are staying in at the resort or coming in everyday for all the sessions and exhibition and eventual red carpet and gala night events, you can come with your kids and leave them at the nursery to have fun while you get your health on!

Activities at the weekend retreat include:

• VVS Walkathon*

• Fun cook-out classes and sessions

• Etiquette classes

• Self development classes

• Aqua aerobics

• Natural hair care and transition sessions

• Organic skin care classes

• Food tasting 

• Spa dates

• Manicure and Pedicure treatments

• Overnight cot rental*

• Dance classes- Zumba, Hip-hop, Reggae, Salsa

• VVS Exhibition: hair products, skin care, hair accessories etc

• Fashion and styling session

• VVS Cook-Out Friday*

• VVS Hub: Casual Networking Dinner

• VVS Heart*

• Gala night*

 Please like us on facebook, Instagram, pinterest, twitter and hang out with us on Google+ every Friday up to the event! Also watch out for us on BellaNaija, Ebonylife TV and over 20 blogs over the next few weeks!!

For participation and sponsorship details, email info@thevvsevent.com or call 08029419629, 08080820706 or 018447399.

VIVO VIBRANTE SANO....for the love of life....

P.S: African Naturalistas will be selling their products during the exhibition on the 6th, at this event, and will be making presentation on Natural Hair on the 5th and 6th. You don't want to miss this.