Trad. Fridays

Can you guess who? Let the colors speak...Ituen Basi

May 27

Wishing all the beautiful children of Nigeria a happy Children's Day!!

Song by Nigerian artist Jodie .... noticed her cute fro! For some reason many Nigerian children love this song. Happy viewing!.

You Asked...

BRAIDS

A reader asked me to write on  braiding hair in Nigeria. Here's some basic information you should know;

BEFORE BRAIDING

STEP 1:- Wash and deep condition your hair properly. This is very important in keeping your hair moisturized while its braided. If you ignore this step your mane will be dry and difficult to detangle when taking  it down.
STEP 2:- Apply a good leave -in-conditioner
 STEP 3:- Apply your favorite oil to seal in moisture and then braid to stretch your hair out. DO NOT use direct heat as your hair can get dry in the process. What you want is to braid  well moisturized hair.

Stretching out my hair.

Note: Do not apply too much oil. If your hair is too oily, the stylist will have a hard time getting a grip of your hair.  I use coconut oil before braiding because it doesn't leave my hair feeling too oily and it keeps it  moisturized for the weeks that it is braided. Remember: Oily hair + Grumpy Stylist= More time in the salon
STEP 4:- Take down the rods and head on to the salon to braid your hair. I will advice that you keep your braids in and tie a head wrap to keep in the moisture. The sun gets really hot and the weather can dry up your hair fast.

IN THE SALON...

Now, when braiding, DO NOT allow the stylist comb out all your hair. If she does, it might shrink or get entangled. Most of the women  don't have the patience or just don't know how to properly handle natural hair. They should comb the part of the hair they want to work on with a wide tooth comb (yours preferably), and before braiding they can comb the small section  with a comb that can take out the knots without breaking off your hair. DON'T let them talk you into doing what they want. It's your hair and your money, so they should give you quality service
STYLE:- Many ladies love the single/box braids. I don't. I have never noticed growth with box braids. If you have little hair, box braids are the way to go(that's the only braided style that your hair can take). But you should be careful not to put too much extensions that will be too heavy for your hair strands. This can cause breakage 0_o.

why I hate box braids. 

 If you have a TWA that can take cornrows then I advice that you ask for "Ghana-braids''. This is a braiding technique were the stylist adds a few extension hair strands to your hair as she braids.
I once hated this style until I found a way to protect my hair line.With Ghana-braids, I experience no entangling, no excessive breakage and my hair is not as dry as it gets when I take down box braids.
NOTE:- If you are to get ''Ghana-braids" be sure to get a style that would not put too much pressure on your hair line. My trick is to make the stylist start off with my hair and when she's away from the hair line she can add the extensions. You can also hold down the braid-pressing down the start of the braid-while she continues down.

If you look closely you'll notice the extensions. I used very little of it. Look closely at the start of the braid you'll notice that the stylist started off with my hair. 

KINKY EXTENSIONS:- I hate this brand of extensions. My hair is desert dry after taking it down no matter how much I deep condition before and after braiding.

Pic. taken last year after  taking down kinky twist.It was dry and difficult to detangle

When it comes to styling, DO YOU.Just be careful when picking a style.

ALL DONE...BUT NOT QUITE

Kanekalon hair needs to be dipped in hot water to get a sleek finish. Make sure the stylist only dips the part of the braid  that does not have your hair.
Don't be shocked when the stylist tries to trim your hair. This is done to give your hair a clean look. Watch her closely though in case she gets carried away and snaps off some of your hair O_o

This is a style I did myself without using extensions. It lasted for a week.

HOME AT LAST!!

Protect your hair by sleeping with a satin bonnet or scarf. This will help your style last longer. I don't spray my hair each morning with water (or whatever mixture). I think that with proper deep conditioning before braiding, your hair strands should be well protected.

The good thing about braiding in Nigeria is that it is cheap (when compared to how much sisters in other countries pay). So you can let your hair last for a month and get another hair style. If you have problems taking down your braids you can pay someone  to take it down for you for little money.

That's all for now. You can leave a comment on issues you want clarified. Peace!!

Natural Models

Head Wrap

Rainy Season Hair Care

It's that time of the year when you can't always go out and have a good time. The rain falls one day and the sun shines the next. I know most natural blogs advice against wearing your fro out in humid weather, but in Africa that means you'll never wear it out :(.
During the dry season, my goal was to lock in moisture and maintain a healthy head of hair but now I want to retain the length I got during the dry season.
In my short natural journey, I've observed that what might work during the dry season might not work during the rainy or dry harmattan season. For instance; Coconut oil is a miracle worker during the dry harmattan  season but during the rainy season it is not good enough to keep my hair moisturized.
For three weeks now, I have been going through my stash of products; trying to find what will work for me this season. For now, here's what I've come up with:

• Garnier Fruictis seems not to work as well as it used to. My hair is soft but I can't keep a style past the first day. 
• Coconut oil can't stand alone: Instead of applying just coconut oil, I mix it with my Shea butter and olive oil. 
• NO DIRECT HEAT!: My hair gets super dry once I use a hair dryer not set on cool.
• Deep conditioning is very important during this season: I've observed that most Nigerian ladies are 'slackers' when it comes to deep conditioning. To gain and retain length you need to deep condition your hair regularly (at least once in 2 weeks).For now, mayonnaise and olive oil works fine as a deep conditioner for me.
• Sealing moisture into your hair is very important in length retention. To seal in moisture, you need natural/ unadulterated oils to keep your hair moisturized.  Shea butter is a good sealant. Immediately after washing my hair, I apply a good leave-in-conditioner then I apply coconut oil to the hair strands and seal my ends with shea butter.

In the following weeks I will be posting about my hair journey more often. When I come up with anything new I will post. For Nigerian naturals; its easy to find natural and affordable products for your hair. Avocado, coconut milk and aloe-vera gel (direct from the plant) are good deep conditioners. Don't let your hair completely drop off  before you start to take good care of it. Feel free to ask any questions.
 Peace, love and a fulfilled week  ahead!!