Natural in the city; a trend or here to stay?

If you live in Lagos, you should have noticed the rise in the number of ladies going au naturel. Now I am sure in other cities in Nigeria there is also  rise but I live in Lagos now and can only comment from my experience here.  

So natural hair is on the rise; more and more Nigerian women are doing the BC and starting out the journey of self-discovery and hair and all that jazz. You don’t have to be an overly observant person to have noticed all the kinky sisters walking around Lagos. Because believe me we are everywhere. I mean everywhere; from TWAs to big in your face afros to twists outs and two strand twists, we are everywhere.  So the "trend" has caught on, I don’t think it is a bad thing. But the thing with trends is that they pass and if ladies are doing because it’s a trend then once this trend moves on what happens then? 

I worry that if one does not go natural for pure love of one’s hair and self then one can easily be swept away with the tides. I hope that ladies are going natural for their own personal reasons and they have truly seen the light. As much as this may be a trend I believe it is a good trend. We have not won yet but we are getting there.

I remember seeing picture of my mom when she was younger with an afro. And it wasn’t just her, everyone in that era had afros and afro puffs. Then came the relaxers and weaves and human hair and now looks like we are right back to the beginning. You can also say that this will mean another cycle has begun, maybe, but I doubt it. We now know more about our hair and the benefits of keeping it in its natural state.  May be on the return of the relaxer only the true converts will stand tall, flying the natural flag (lol)

I really don’t like it when people say “oh your hair is natural, it’s in vogue now or it’s the trend”. NOPE! I went natural because my hair didn’t do so well relaxed and I didn’t help the situation by flat ironing and coloring it. I am happy I went natural; do I think of relaxing my hair again? Not in this life time.

Terms to know

If you have natural hair or have been researching about it, you would have come across a lot of abbreviations. Do not fear! I’ve got the low down on what may seem as natural hair jargon for you. I don’t use some of these words myself but it’s important that I know them so I understand what someone is saying when I read blogs and other write ups on hair and stuff.  

Knowledge is power;

2nd day hair- Hair that looks good (at least decent) when you wake up the next morning...you don't have to do much before walking out of the house. Some are lucky enough to get 3rd and 4th day hair!

3abc/4a/4b/4c- A hair type classification system. You can research what your hair type is, most people have a mixture of two or three.

ACV- Apple Cider Vinegar (used to seal cuticle...final rinse) A hair type classification system.

APL- Arm pit length. (Hair length)

BAA-Big ass afro

Baggy - After you moisturize your hair at night, you put a shopping bag, plastic cap, shower cap on overnight.

BC - Big Chop - cutting off all your chemically treated hair

BNC- Braid-n-Curl, simply plait or braid the hair and roll the ends on rods or flexis.

BSL- Bra strap length. (Hair length)

CBL- Collar bone length. (Hair length)

Co-Wash- Using conditioner to wash the hair in place of shampoo

Cones- Are 'silicones', or ingredients found in hair care products that are not water soluble (i.e. you need shampoo to remove). Failure to wash out cones may lead to build-up, which may result in dry hair and breakage (due to suffocation of the strands).

DT or DC- Is a deep treatment or conditioner. A DT is when you leave a moisturizing (or protein based, depending on your needs) conditioner on your hair for an extended period of time, along with a heat source to aid in penetration.

Dusting- Dusting your hair is a trim of 1/4 and inch or less. This method is also referred to as dusting because even though your hair is being trimmed evenly, it is so little hair, that it just looks like dust on the floor.

EO- Essential Oil

EVCO- Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (used in conditioning treatments)

EVOO- Extra Virgin Olive Oil (used in conditioning treatments)

FRS – Flexi rod set (using benny rollers to set your hair)

HG- Holy Grail (Products that are tried and true)

HIH- Hand in Hair. It’s a disease that causes you to always be manipulating your tresses.

MBL- Mid back length. ( Hair length) 

Nappyversary/Nattyversary - The anniversary of the day you became a natural