Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on Feminism

I just love her..... and yes.... I am on some love yourself, feminism crack.

I can so relate to every thing she is talking about because these are things I've experienced first hand.

And yes I agree, men too can be feminists.

Enjoy and learn.

My hair is not a trend

If you live in Lagos and like most parts of the world, all you need is but one eye to see how mainstream natural hair has become. In Lagos you can't go anywhere without spotting a few young fashionable natural haired ladies. This "trend" has become so widespread that the brothers know how to spot the different kinds of hair. Even in my family; more and more relatives of mine are either natural or transitioning. 

I have been natural since the middle of 2011; I transitioned for six months then I big chopped in the beginning of 2012 and big chopped again in 2013. For me, natural hair was an escape from the damage I had done to my hair with relaxers, hair dyes, straighter and a general lack of proper care. At the time going natural seemed like the next logical step to take due the breakage and lack of growth I was experiencing. My hair is quite soft and silky even in its relaxed state I figured being natural wouldn’t be such a bad idea. 

A letter to natural sisters

Arit Okpo: A Letter To My Sisters of The Natural Hair Persuasion

By Arit Okpo

 

I thought long and hard about writing this letter dear Sisters, because I was sure (am sure) that at least one person will hopelessly misunderstand my comments and turn this into the very thing I am trying to avoid.

Sometime in October, as I prepped for my weekly trip to the salon, I decided to cut my hair. Yup, I would cut it, do a BC and start from scratch. In 4 years, I would have a healthy, fabulous fro as well as a new look. Pleased with my decision, I called my mother. Her answer was simple “Go ahead and cut it dear; just don’t come home till it’s the length it was when you left” My sister announced that her blood pressure was spiking and my younger brother who never calls me, called to ask why I wanted to spoil the family name. Upset with their reactions, I decided to hold on till the 31^st of December and if I felt the same way, I would cut it.

Goddess braid

I tried to do this simple style last weekend but failed. After watching this video below I now understand that a key feature of this style is stretched or blown-out hair. I attempted mine with kinky braids because I wanted a fuller looking braid but if your hair is full you can do it with just your hair.

I think this style is can be dressed up or down to suit almost any occasion; with the right accessories of course.

Natural haired bride

 So my cousin got engaged last week, I was super excited for her.Then I got even more excited because knowing she isn't really into the whole weddings and planning them, I think/hopes she calls on me to help out. In case you are reading this Afi, I am your go to person for wedding planning and hair advise.  Anyways, my cousin is currently transitioning and her hair should be fully natural in a few months. Although she may still have a TWA.
So I started thinking of hair styles she could use for her wedding and then I started looking at natural hair styles for brides. Here are some of my favs.

Love the bang

Put a white flower on the side of  this, will look amazing

5 tips to make your twist- out last longer

I got this from bellanaija.com written by Jennifer  Obiuwevbi. I think it is good information. My twist- outs don't last the whole week, I think it is because I don't do tip 4. It is important to know that you don't need a lot of products and styling to ensure your twist-out last longer.

Previous twist-out

previous twist-out

1. Always make your twists using smaller twists. Smaller twists generally last longer; this is because the fact that you are using smaller sections, means the twists will be stronger and firmer. Big twists are a bit too chunky to control and have a lot more volume to work with.

So instead of using big sections, start out with small sections and do this all around your hair and then follow your usual twist out process. It may take longer than usual, but at least your hair maintains its shape longer.

2. After you have applied some water and your desired products, some of us can become impatient and take the twists out before they dry completely. If you do this, your twist would not be as firm as they’re meant to and will come loose way to soon.

Instead let them dry out, overnight if possible. When you’re about to take the twists out, touch each strand all the way to the root to check if it is dry. If your twists are not dry, leave them in a little while longer until they are.

3. If your twist outs start to look frizzy and loose, apply a few spritz of water to sections of your hair and add some curling pudding to them, re-twist and leave to dry overnight.

4. Always re-twist your hair before you go to bed. They don’t have to be exact but they should be twisted enough that they keep the curls intact.

5. Always sleep with a satin or silk scarf. This is so your twists are in a slippery casing so they don’t get tugged and come loose while you sleep. Be sure to use satin or silk because other fabrics could strip your hair of moisture and cause breakage.

If I could add one more tip, it would be to leave your hair alone. Stop touching it all the time; I know this because I am so guilty of this. Playing with my hair removes the curl pattens.

What else do you do to ensure your twist-out last longer? 

How I use dogonyaro or neem leaves

Two weekends ago I was getting my hair braided and the "braider" said I had dandruff ... Oh the horror!. I assured her that it wasn't possible but she insisted and I insisted right back. No way do I have dry white flakes on my scalp. Especially with all the oil I base my scalp with and me sef could not see the flakes.

So to be on the safe side I decided to use my dry dogonyaro leaves; as they have mortising properties and help fight dandruff. I boiled the leave and used the water to rinse out my hair after I deep conditioned. Some of the water got in my mouth; that was not a nice experience.

I put the dry leaves in a net like bag and boil. I think a few weeks of this treatment should help eliminate any white flakes on my scalp.

Protective style - Threading

Hair thread

African threading hairstyle

Threading hair style

 Honest to God, I had been thinking of threading my hair as protective style; I wasn't too sure about it. Then a few days ago, I saw the below picture.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

 In-case you do not know who the lady above is; she is Chimamanda Ngozi Adechie. Natural hair sista, Nigerian and award winning novelist. She wrote "Half of a yellow sun" (now a movie) and "Americana" (which I totally loved; still think of the characters and their lives) also she wrote the "Thing around my neck" (I am yet to read). So in one word she is totally awesome!

Anyways, back to the topic of threading as a protective style. So threading hair is the simple process of wrapping sections of hair with thread, the sections can then be bent to different patterns and styles. I think that this style originated in West Africa. These days only high school and "local" girls thread their hair.
Threading  is a great protective style can also be used for stretching natural hair.  

So I was thinking about threading my hair, wondering if I am confident enough to pull off the look and how manageable the hair style would be. Then I saw the Picture of Chimamanda; and I totally love how kick ass she is. The style is also similar to that of a crown.
However, as lovely as her natural hair looks in the thread hair style, me and she no be the same (she and I are not the same). The amount of pain is not equal to the duration of which I can keep/maintain the hair style. Besides how professional will it look? As you most probably can tell, I am still thinking about it but kudos to Chimamanda for being  confident and rocking her threaded natural hair style.

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.

Quick Natural Hair Tip- knots

One of the many issues a nappy haired girls have to deal with is knots. We can get single strand knots or multiple strand knot. I find that after I finger detangle I still find some knots. Best way to deal with the knots is to use a sharp pair of scissors and nip the knot right at the point it  starts to knots. This will prevent further breakage, knotting and split ends.

Castor Oil

I am not a big fan of castor oil but I do include it in my regimen. I use it to seal the ends of my hair; as the ends are most susceptible to damage I think it is better to coat them with a thick oil.

What really is castor oil ? Castor oil is derived from the seed of the castor oil plant that is found in most tropical parts of the world. The seeds of the plant are processed to get the oil. Most castor oils are processed so they have lost some of their nutritive properties. The purest type of castor oil is the Jamaican black castor oil, this oil has had little or no processing done to it so it retains almost all it's good stuff. Castor oils contain vitamin E, minerals, proteins, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.

A few benefits of castor oil:

• Is an excellent emollient and humectant for skin and hair

• Is a treatment for hair thinning and hair loss

• Prevents the dry and itchy scalp

It's anti-fungal, antiviral and antibacterial properties can be effective for treating skin/scalp infections like ringworm.

Castor oils can be very thick and viscous to make it more manageable for use you can mix it with other lighter oils also do not be too heavy handed when using castor oils as a little goes a long way.

As castor oils only helps to lock in moisture ensure that you hair and skin have been properly moisturized before you apply it. 

Do you include castor oil in you hair or skin regimen ?