HAIR INSPIRATION: BARBARA

Introduce yourself.

My name is Barbara. I work full time in Digital Marketing. I worked in Advertising for a while but found it monotonous so switched to Digital Marketing. I work in an Ad Agency but also consult for small & upcoming beauty brands mixing my advertising and digital marketing knowledge to help them with brand building and online presence. I'm also a beauty,and recently, fashion blogger who also writes as well.

What are your favourite products?

Moisturisers mainly. I love the healthy look they give my hair. Makes it look alive. I also recently tried Design Essentials Argan oil spray and it is oh so beautiful. It makes my hair look like its got hidden, sparkling gems within. I can't really describe it.

What’s Your Hair Regimen?

Every month I wash, condition, and follow up with the LCO method. After which I put the hair in single plaits for a week, transition to braid-outs for another week, and then a puff when all else fails. Lol.

Who and what inspires your hair styles?

My mood really. I see hairstyles but I'm yet to achieve any of the absolutely gorgeous hair styles I see online so I've literally evolved my own styles along the lines of convenience and comfort. Unfortunately, hair pins hurt my scalp a lot and give me intense headaches so frequent updos are not for me at all. 

How do you cope with the availability or non-availability of many sought after hair products in the Nigerian market?

Thankfully, I'm not a product junkie so I pretty much use what I find. There are so many brands going into natural products now so it has made it relatively easy. When all else fails though, I wash my hair with Dudu Osun and moisturise with a water + generous Olive oil mix.

In order of preference give us your top 3 Nigerian brands and why you love them.

Afroriri hair butter is top class I must admit and the fact that their Shampoo has awesome suds which rinse out is a simple Nigerian girls' dream (like me).
African Naturalistas has a wider range and is quite affordable too. It's great to know that you are purchasing products from someone who is actually keen on helping you achieve your hair dream. That's an added advantage for me. I've only just used the Natural Nigerian leave-in conditioner so not sure that it can qualify as number 3.

Where can we find Barbara?

You can find me on my blog - www.barbara1923.com, facebook - Barbara & 1923, Twitter - @piriye, Instagram - @barbara1923, Pinterest - Barbara & 1923, G+ - Barbara & 1923, Youtube - Barbara & 1923

NM says: What I love about Barbara's hair is that it looks alive (see pic. 5). I also love how she makes simple hair styles stand out. Thanks Barbara for sharing  and supporting Naija brands :)

Guess What I found...

 

...a picture of my crazy hair line back in the day.

 I never knew how bad my hair line was until after I went natural...throwing away that last  relaxer pack was a very good decision

    

                          JazzWife was right, I do have good hair *_^

My sister and I had a good laugh at the first picture but trust me when I say that 4 years ago, it was definitely not a laughing matter. I'm sharing these pictures not to show off growth but to encourage all the ladies who have shared their hair loss frustrations with me.
Please keep on with your new hair techniques and ignore all the negative energy. One day soon your hair line would be back to normal :).

Hair Talk & Hair Inspiration

Remember what I told you about threading before visiting the salon? Here is an example.

 The lady in the pictures has a very sensitive scalp so pulling on her hair to create straight lines was definitely out of the question

  

 To reduce the pain she usually experiences during plaiting she...

• Sprayed water on a section of her hair
• Applied Natural Nigerian Leave in Detangling Conditioner
• Combed and
• Threaded

By the next day her hair was soft and ready for plaiting.

  

Don't be fooled into thinking she has fine hair o...She has tight curls and what some of you call 'stubborn hair' (the type that breaks combs). But with proper preparation sectioning was not a problem at all.

Did I mention that I absolutely love her hair color?

FroLOve: African Butterfly (The Shrunken fro & How To)

 

 Say hi to AB of The Kink And I who understands shrinkage and works beautifully well with it. 
AB Says... 

  

 

Ab's shrunken fro in February 2013

I’m in the TWA (Teeny Weeny Afro) phase and I’m only beginning to experiment with hairstyles. Almost all the time, I wear a shrunken fro- mostly because I’m lazy about styling. 

December 2012

The Technique

•     Spritz hair with water & glycerine (I skip this step if I just washed my hair)

•       Apply generous amounts of leave-in conditioner

•       Lightly seal with olive oil.

•       With a wide-toothed comb, I gently detangle my hair from ends to roots

•      Then I use my afro pick to fluff the hair out a little bit and to tease it where necessary

•      Pat and go.

Length check

 Maintain The Fro to Avoid Knotting

The downside to this style is that it is so easy for your hair to tangle!

So, before bed, I finger detangle and put my hair into chunky twists, as big as I can manage at this length, which is usually between 15-20 twists. By the next morning, all I need do is undo the twists, lightly spritz with water & glycerine only, comb & pat. The twists make a great difference than choosing to just sleep like that- with the fro out. My hair is less knotty and I don’t need to spend as much time combing.

 

Ready for bed

The Result

NatM Says...

Natural hair is something, right?! I think the most important products for this style are: Water, glycerine and olive oil. I think that the water and the glycerine are important for styling (shrinkage) and keeping the fro moisturized. Olive Oil on the other hand should be for sealing and keeping the strands away from each other to reduce knotting.
Her hair looks healthy and it is definitely growing so shrinkage is not such a monster. All we need is the right technique and products to out smart it.

 I will be trying this style the moment I settle down but I will include one tool- the blow dryer. I don't think I am strong enough to leave my house with damp hair. Bad things have always followed that move :).

Rainy Season Protective Styles

  No extensions

 

     

 ...with kinky extensions.

 

Stay tuned, there's more...

Hair Inspiration: Blakofe and her Unique KofeLocs

 

*Introduce yourself

My name is Akua Manfo, although I am known as Blakofe (Black Coffee).  I’m Ghanaian by birth, British by education and socialization!   But proudly African.  I am a TV, radio and Events Presenter.  I also write - from copy for advertising to social political issues for New African Magazine. And I like to think of myself as a comedienne!

*How long have you had dreadlocks and what inspired this decision?

Firstly, I no longer call it ‘dreadlocks’ as there is nothing dreadful about it.  I call it wonderloc or just locs!  I was inspired because my hair was always in braids with extensions.  I got fed up with the constant braiding.  I always do my hair myself and I just got tired of spending hours braiding.  So I thought to myself, surely having locs will be just like wearing braids?  After I graduated from University in the early 90s, I locked up.  I wore that for about 2 years and when I got pregnant with my first child, cut it off because I was itchy all over.  You know pregnancy does that to some women.  I then rocked short hair for years.  I grew it abit and went through the phase of threading it, and doing all sorts of funky styles with my short hair.  Finally, I tried to grow an afro but my hair is tough so for me, going back to locs was the natural thing. That was about 8 years ago.    

*Did you get support from friends and family when you took this decision. If no, how did you deal with the negativity?

Haahahaaha.  Family was a big no no.  But from the day I was born, I have always done what I wanted.  Lol.  There was no way my family was going to stop me from being natural.  I moved back to Ghana in 1995 where natural hair especially locs are seen in a bad light.  It means I am a fetish priestess or a weed smoker.  With my father being a Chief as well, my family were really ashamed.  But now, they have had to accept it.  My friends on the other hand I’m proud to say are natural. ALL my closest friends, Pam, Fola, Joyce, Gamu, Vee, Makeba, Naa, Shelina, Adade, Lanre all have natural hair.  I love it when we go out in a group.  Each with her own style yet all natural.

*How do you take care of locs?

You know, I don’t fuss with my hair and looks!  I loc my hair myself and retwist whenever I feel the roots are growing.  Normally I do this whilst watching Eastenders and Coronation Street.  Kill two birds with one stone!  When I’m in Ghana I swim in the sea at least once a week as I believe it’s good for my hair.  I wash my hair at least once a week, normally with pure black soap and use regular hair cream.  Having said that, I have tried some natural hair products recently and like them.

*Do you have a loctisian and is it possible for one to lock her hair without the help of a loctician?

I don’t have a loctisian.  And yes definitely anybody can loc their own hair.  I used to relax my own hair aswell as braiding.  I actually don’t like people touching my hair. There have been one or two occasions where I have treated myself by having someone else touch my hair.  But I prefer doing it myself.  I once let a woman do my locs and seven locs fell out after. Since then, I am very cautious who comes anywhere near my hair!

*A lot of ladies and gents would like to have 'wonderlocs' but have little or no idea on how to begin. Can you share some tips with us?

Wow.  Well I simply twisted my hair and never took it out.  I left the twists to loc.  So I call mine KoFelocs because it looks different to other locs.  People think it’s sister locs but it’s Kofelocs! There are different ways of starting locs just as there are different types of locs. I know some people use foam to rub their hair whilst others use their palms.  Some people like to add eggs I hear. 

*Since you do your hair yourself, please share how we can lock our new growth.

 Personally I use  loc gel. I used to use organic root stimulator but now trying Jane Carter Solutions. I either just twist it or interlock it.  That is, I take each loc and put it into the root.  Lol ...how can I best explain this.  Okay, imagine the root of your hair as the face of a clock.  So you take each loc and put it at 12 O'clock, then 4 O'clock then 2 O'clock.  I'm sure this makes no sense whatsoever! Imagine it as if the loc is a needle and you are sewing...  you  may need a very wild imagination though....

* I think I understand. You mean passing the locs through the new growth at different directions so it stays put. Am I correct? I hope it isn't painful

You understand. That is it, so simple.  It can be painful depending how tough your hair is.  Mine is TOUGH.  but if you find someone who does it well, it stays for up to 3 months.

 

*What are your favorite products?

I tried African Pride shampoo and conditioner and love it. I also tried Jane Carter solutions and absolutely love her products.  But the problem I have with natural hair products is that they are too expensive.  Rather than making it an everyday item, it looks like products for the natural hair market are luxury commodities.  This is very off putting.

*You have a full head of hair, can you tell us how you protect your hair line?

I don’t do anything.

*What is your opinion on children with locked hair? We know that some Africans have a problem with this. Some schools will even ask outright that you cut off the child's hair before he or she resumes. Whats your take on this?

Funny my eldest son had locs when he was about 9 years and the school in Ghana would not allow it.  I went and told them it was our religion.  Oh the fuss.  It was his choice to loc up, not my imposition.  You know not everyone looks good with locs.  And I have seen some children with locs that I feel sorry for because they look a mess!  On the other hand, I have seen some little girls who look adorable with locs.  I have no problem with children with locs. It’s certainly better than plaiting with extensions.

*Any last words for our Natural/lokced readers?

God created each race with their own type of hair.  Today the world says natural hair is ugly, not fit for the corporate world, not fit for music videos and magazine covers etc.  They say those of us who choose to be as God created us are ‘Afrocentric’, ‘Controversial’, ‘Radical’ and the likes.  I say we rather are the beautiful ones who refuse to buy into the beauty myth.  Being natural is not easy. You will lose out on so many jobs, but it is common sense.  And for as long as we remain natural, the world will come round to seeing things our way.  When I first started TV presenting, my head was always in wraps because natural hair was not accepted.  This in Ghana, West Africa in 1995!  Can you imagine that?  These days I don’t have to cover my hair anymore.  Yet it is still not as acceptable as fake hair.  There are only a handful of us in Ghana in entertainment with natural hair.  The vast majority are so fake it’s incredible.  Be we shall overcome.

*Where can we find Blakofe online?

http://newafricanmagazine.com/blogs/reflections-of-an-ordinary-woman

http://blakofe.webs.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxcyWFCCTvo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw4CKMNO9YY


Thanks for the time and information MsBlakofe. Like me, she has a very simple regimen. I LOVE simple regimens So who wants KofeLocs?!

Chimamanda Rocks Thread on GuardianLife!

 

More Hairinpiration Ms. Chimamanda...

 

Now, how can people look at her mane and call it boring or ugly? Lord knows I'm at a loss of which style to copy...

HAIR INSPIRATION: NIKKI

Introduction, who is Nikki?

Nikki is a pharmacist by day (and sometimes at night), a lady in love with the arts (especially music), a musician in her own ‘dormot’, a fitness enthusiast, food lover and of course a naturalista! *wide grin*

When did you go natural?

Consciously or unconsciously? Lol. I say this because I had been natural all my life up until 2003 when I decided to start growing out my hair and then I relaxed it. I had a TWA but didn’t know that I was ‘natural’ or that what I had was called a Teeny Weeny Afro:). I consciously decided to go natural in 2009 when I transitioned for about 8 months. I had a relapse in September 2010, regretted my decision and big chopped on the 3^rd of March 2011 making me 2years natural.

How has your journey been so far? 

The journey has been one-kind, let me not lie. Most days I love my hair, like LOVE! And some days I am like “what is wrong with this one sef, don’t you see your mates on YouTube and blogs?” But then I remember that the ladies on there mostly show their good hair days so I have learnt to work with what my hair throws at me and make it awesome.

My second time going natural was when I decided to really study my hair. First, I learnt that my hair didn’t have a curl pattern, then I found out my hair was low porosity. It wasn’t until late last year that it dawned on me that my hair strands were actually thin (I had always thought of them as thick and resilient) and densely packed. I have been tweaking my hair regimen* (more on this later) based on these findings and my hair has been good.

 In the beginning, I was searching for miracle products, products that would keep my hair moisturized for days, products that would practically ‘melt’ the tangles in my hair and all that jazz. But I have realized that it is mostly about technique; how you detangle, what tool is used, how you moisturize, hair protection at night etc.

Though I am still a product junkie, my junkism is not based on looking for the next best thing, but more about me being my usual inquisitive and experimental self. Once I started being realistic about my hair, she became easier to manage.

How does corporate Nigeria take your hair?

I haven’t had any issues with my employers, past and present, about my hair. The people I have had issues with are my colleagues at work. They don’t just understand why my hair is natural. They wonder why I won’t get a relaxer like everyone else, why I would rather have my natural hair styled than have it in extensions, if I am a member of a particular religious group... I could go on and on. But I have not had anyone say anything really nasty about the hair at work, at least not to my face. In fact HR manager likes the hair sef. 

I usually just try to enlighten them about natural hair and my preference and they leave me be. Apart from these strange folks, most people I have worked with love that I am doing something different with my hair. Plus I have inspired some ladies in my place of work to take better care of their hair even though they prefer to have it relaxed.

How do you deal with negative comments at work?

Forget negative comments at work because I don’t get any from there; let’s talk about negative comments in church and other places. Strange right?  

Example 1: "Are you not a pharmacist? You will be making so much money, If I were you I will be changing my weave-on anyhow”

 Example 2: “This your hair makes you look like a school girl oh, you have to start doing your hair fine so you will get husband” (meanwhile guys are drawn to the ‘ugly’ hair o!)

 Example 3: (This one happened at my LGA during my service year) “Do you comb your hair at all?"

 Example 4: “Come let me buy relaxer for you”.

The thing is, because I am used to getting very nice compliments about my hair, all these evil comments don’t get to me and I just think they are weird. I usually answer them appropriately and smile or I ignore them totally. At one point  my mum did not understand why I went natural. She was of the opinion that it is either my hair was a TWA or it was relaxed, that I couldn’t go about looking unkempt. But now she likes the hair and compliments it sometimes. It is my hair and I choose what I want to do with it.

What is your regimen?

I can’t say categorically that I have a regimen I follow. These days, I listen to my hair and do what she wants. If my hair and scalp feel dirty I would shampoo. If dry, I would co-wash or do a deep condition. When I have my hair out (without extensions), I like to shampoo and condition/deep condition my hair during the weekend.  For protein treatment, I henna my hair every 3 – 4 months. I feel regular protein treatments make my hair dry and more prone to breakage so I do more of moisturizing treatments. I moisturize and seal my hair every other day.

A typical wash day for me would be to first finger detangle my dry hair and put it up in 8-12 twists. Then I would shampoo with a clay shampoo bar or do a bentonite clay treatment, rinse, apply conditioner and then detangle properly using a wide tooth comb or a Denman brush and then further separate the twists so I end up with 16-20 twists when I am done. On the days I deep condition I still use a rinse out conditioner. When I am done with wash, I wrap my hair in a towel or t-shirt to take out excess water and then let my hair air dry. I spray my hair with aloe vera juice, seal with castor oil and use moisturizer over that and then style when hair is fully dry.

When I have my hair in a protective style like twists, braids or cornrows, the above regimen applies because I usually have the style in for a week.  If I have extensions, I prefer using witchhazel to clean my scalp instead of washing because washing my hair in extensions makes it frizzy.

 

What are your favorite products?

When I remember to prepoo, I love to use coconut oil. Apart from all its benefits, I like the fact that it is light I won’t be left with buildup after shampooing. I love clay shampoo bars now, just started using them and I am sold. Bentonite clay treatment is really awesome. These clean my hair and scalp very well without stripping moisture. I co-wash when I can and I love to use VO5 conditioners and Sauve Naturals Coconut Conditioner for this purpose (these also serve as my rinse-out conditioners). 

Henna for protein treatment and Castor oil as a sealant (I blend with some other oils because Castor oil is really thick). For deep conditioning I usually amp up my regular conditioner with oils and honey or I use avocado and honey but I  have found that my hair really loves Aubrey’s Organics Honeysuckle Rose Conditioner but it isn’t always readily available. 

For moisturizers I like Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie or Shea Moisture raw Shea Butter Restorative Conditioner. Finally my hair loves aloe vera juice, I have been using this as a leave in since I discovered it last year.

Where can we find you?

You can find me on twitter @pharmnikki or instagram @nikkibutterscotch or in my father’s house :).

Any last words or advice for transitioners?

It is very important to be patient. Your hair can’t grow long overnight and it will take time to find out your favorite hair products, detangling methods, hair styling methods etc -unless you are lucky. Enjoy each stage of your hair journey; remember it is not something you are used to so take it one day at a time. All the best loves!

  

Lol at "do you comb your hair at all?" I had a similar experience during my service year too. Plus that husband talk is old na, haba. Thanks for squeezing out time for us Nikki! The pics and info are just too mush, Oshe o. I wish I knew what you know now I went natural.