WHY YOU REMEMBER YOUR HAIR BEING DIFFICULT TO HANDLE (FOR THOSE WHO FEAR TRANSITIONING)

 The beautiful Munachi Abi

Want to transition but fear that your hair would not be as soft as the Naturals around you?  Here are 5 reasons why you remember your hair being dry, hard and difficult to handle.

1. No deep-conditioning: As a child, I can't remember anyone taking the time out to deep condition my hair. At the time, the only hair type that got that preferential treatment was relaxed hair (remember placenta? ^.^). The sad part is that today, most relaxed ladies in Nigeria don't even get their hair treated (steamed) in salons or  at home by themselves. This could be the reason why a lot of us have hair that never seems to grow.

Black hair needs to be moisturised because it easily gets dry; no thanks to weather and a few other factors.

What has changed?

Now Naturals know that deep conditioning keeps the hair moisturised for long periods of time so we don't joke with this part of hair care.

2.Combing: Back in the day, the combs used to comb our hair had little spaced bristles (rat tail comb). Even with tears streaming down your face, the stylists wanted smooth/knotless hair and smooth/knotless hair they got.  Using the wrong type of combs to detangle our hair means that a lot of us have bad memories of our hair being hard and difficult to handle. Stories of black hair breaking combs and crying spells during hair grooming sessions are popular amongst Nigerian (African) women.

What has changed?

These days, we stick to using the wide tooth comb and some naturals on youtube have done a good job of showing us how we can do without using a comb by finger-detangling our hair. You can show your stylist how to do this or you can find a salon that has stylist(s) who know how to take out the knots of your hair without causing damage. Remember, less manipulation = length retention.

3.No emphasis on conditioning: As most Nigerian women know, more emphasis was and is still placed on getting the hair clean without putting much thought into conditioning. So for instance, your hair will be washed 2-3 times and conditioned once with little or diluted conditioner.

What has changed?  Now we understand that the pH of shampoos causes the cuticles to open up. If the hair is not properly conditioned after shampooing, the hair cuticles stay that way when it gets dry, causing it to feel rough and dry. With this knowledge gained, we know that we can get better results by washing our hair once or twice with a shampoo/bar and following up with a THICK rinse-out-conditioner like Vo5 to close our cuticles and end up with soft , smooth hair. Remember that to have manageable afro hair, emphasis should be placed on conditioning and not just cleansing.

4.We got re-united with black soap: Yes, we totally forgot about the benefits of black soap and fell hard for imported shampoos. While I have nothing against shampoos, I have observed that they can leave black hair feeling hard and dry.

What has changed?

Quite a number of us have found the goodness that is black soap again. I used the word 'again' because our great-grand mothers used this soap to wash both hair and skin but for whatever reason most of our mothers and salons did not use this on our hair (for those who knew black soap, it was strictly for the skin). Unlike most shampoos you will find, African black soap leaves afro hair feeling soft during and after washing.

5.Much love for the LOC method: Taking care of natural has progressed from what you used to know. Among others, you will hear terms and techniques like finger detangling, low heat tension method, and my favourite; the LOC method (click on link to read more). These new techniques have made taking care of natural hair easier and cheaper. Yes, cheaper because you can do most of them by yourself; saving you the cost of frequent salon visits.

So now that you know, please go head and take the steps you need to get healthy hair. If you prefer your hair being relaxed still do your research by visiting other natural hair blogs and sites because what most of us preach is healthy hair and most of the techniques that work for natural hair will work for chemically treated hair.

HUMIDITY, SHRINKAGE AND MY NO-COMB REGIMEN

The weather in Abuja has been very confusing. One day harmattan, next day extreme heat, and before you know it rain is falling. Two months ago, when the weather changed from dry harmattan to humid, I got braids done to allow my scalp breathe. But because my hair is past shoulder length, I could not make the braids short. My scalp could breathe but having the braids brush against my neck was very uncomfortable. For this reason I had to put the braids up most of the time but that made my neck hurt as the wool used for the braids made the bun too heavy. Solution? Shrink and LOC.

SHRINKAGE (Short Hair)

Since cutting my hair is not an option, I decided to work with the gift of shrinkage. Natural hair is known to be able to go from BSL to chin length in seconds. Thanks to water and water based hair products I could get the perfect length for the season without using scissors.

LOC METHOD

The LOC method is a method used to keep hair soft and defined for as long as possible. Here's how it works:

MAN-SHANU FOR HAIR GROWTH

 

Question: Can man-shanu grow my hair like the Fulani?

Answer: Man-shanu  is milk fat that has been separated from fresh milk. From what I have been told, the Fulani and other people of Northern Nigeria, eat it and use it to soften and retain moisture on the skin and hair. Due to the fact that most Fulani people have long soft curly hair, there is a myth in Nigeria that man-shanu is solely responsible for their beautiful hair.

True or false?
I have not been able to find research done on man-shanu (or ghee) to hair growth but I have found sites that claim that it does grow hair with one claiming that it has the magical ability to open up closed follicles. Don't take my word for it but I wouldn't advise you to get your hopes up based on that.


Afro Hair Growth
According to Audrey Davis-Sivasothy's book, The Science of Black Hair: A
Comprehensive Guide to Textured Hair Care, afro hair growth occurs through a

PREVENTING BREAKAGE DURING TAKE DOWN

Ever kept a style in for 3 weeks or more only to notice that your ends are breaking off as you loosen the braids? Well, you are not alone. To those of us who aim for length this could mean that you are loosing - instead or retaining - what little length you might have gained over time. A culprit for this could be dryness. Yes, you might spray with water and seal  frequently  but the water and oil combo sometimes does not properly enter the braid or twist.Thus, the surface of the braids might feel soft but the inside could be very dry.
Here's a simple way to moisturise your hair before take down to reduce breakage:

 You will need...

1. Spray bottle
2. Pick comb
3. Castor oil or Shea butter
4. Conditioner
5. Water

Direction
A night before take down...

1. Mix 5 parts of  water to 1 part conditioner in a spray bottle
2. Since you are about to loosen your hair there is no need to worry about frizz. Spray the mix on braid/twist and smooth. Make sure the braid/twist is damp.
3. Apply enough castor oil or Shea butter to the section. For this,think sealing. The only difference is that you'll need slightly more oil than you'll need for a normal styling session.
4. Braid or twist braids together (if possible) and put on a plastic cap. If you are not comfortable sleeping with a plastic cap you can wear a satin bonnet and/or tie a satin scarf.

By the next morning you should wake up to braids that feel soft and are perfectly moisturised. As you loosen using your fingers or a pick comb (see pic. above) you should also notice minimal hair breakage (if any).

Possible question: Why can't I just loosen immediately after spraying with water?
Answer: Our hair is at its weakest when wet so you want to reduce the amount of damage that could come as result of pulling and detangling at this point. Note also that the thick oils mentioned help seal in moisture and give slip, making it easy for the hair strands to be separated from each other.
This method of of moisturizing before loosening afro hair can be useful during the hot-humid and dry harmattan weather in Nigeria.

YOUR HAIRLINE, YOUR RESPONSIBILITY

Compare Nigerian hair in the 60's with the unhealthy fluff that we see as normal today

If you spend one week in a salon in Nigeria, the number of women with hair and scalp related problems will surprise you. As Nigerians, we rather assign responsibility for a lot of things to other people than learn how to do it ourselves. When I speak to ladies with hair problems like traction alopecia, there is always a story of how the stylist used too much of this or added that other product wrongly. "He or she pulled my hair tightly" or "I was advised to plait my tender scalp so the hair can grow".
While I feel very sorry for them, my response usually is "are you not aware that there is no legislation covering hair care in Nigeria?" We all know that  most of us stylists learned by observing people who might not have  known better themselves. The rate of women with unhealthy hair on the streets can testify to that. So it is for this reason that I advise Nigerian ladies to know their hair first before trusting some else with it. That way, you can guide anyone styling your hair to do what works best for you.

A FEW TIPS TO KEEP AWAY "IYA IYABO" (no hairline)

 Braids, twists and weave-on's are usually the styles of choice for most of us. Not only do they help us save time and money on daily styling ,they also help keep our hair from breaking and/or entangling as a result of over manipulation. While this is a good thing, it can be also be harmful to the hair at our edges. When braids are done too tightly, they can cause damage to your hair follicles leaving you bald in one spot (marginal alopecia) or all through your hair line for the rest of your life. Here are a few tips to remember:

My hair loose chunky twists

1. As the stylist braids your hair, press down the beginning of the braid with your finger to reduce the amount of pressure to your hairline.
2. Avoid plaiting the same style over and over again. If you take down a style like ghana braids, leave your scalp to rest for about 2-3 weeks and then do a different style. As for me, I like to do chunky, loose twists after taking down styles like Ghana-braids or havana twists. 
3. If after braiding or twisting your hair you feel unbearable pain, take down the style. A lot of us think about the money spent but trust me, that amount isn't worth getting bald for.



Notice the sores?

4. The moment you notice little bumps around your hair line with  pus coming out, please loosen your hair immediately and see a specialist. And if you think that it is just hair and should not be taken that seriously, note that sores (like the one in the picture) have been known to cause infections. Where hairlines are concerned, safety should come before beauty.

DETANGLING MADE EASY

There is nothing as tiring -and sometimes painful- as detangling your kinks after 1-2months of protective styling. You take down the extensions/plaits looking forward to seeing what little length you must have gained during the period, but then you notice a lot of build-up at the roots. So what do you do? You pour lots of conditioner and/or oil on your hair and begin taking apart hair strands that are clumped together. Not only does the exercise feel like life is forcing you to learn divine patience, but you are disappointed by all the short hair strands that are falling off as you work through all the knots.

MY NEW SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM: MANSHANU!!
2 weeks ago, I bought a bowl of manshanu from wuse market for N500. The plan was to use it as a dc protein treatment after washing with a shampoo but detangling a small section of hair took 2 days and I decided, in frustration, to try something new.

 

 

HOW TO
I smoothed on some manshanu to a little section of hair until it felt soft and then loosely twisted it. A few minutes after saturating all my hair with the product, I noticed that it was really easy for my fingers to pass through the knots without much of a problem (nice!). I then went on to take out the shed hairs with a wide tooth comb which was just as easy. No pain, no time wasted.
If there is one thing I love about manshanu is that it has got SLIP. This makes detangling so much easier and faster!!

I left the product on for another 30 minutes and washed it off afterwards.

Detangling has never been so easy and breakage was minimal

  Hair is soft and manageable one week after  treatment

On Sunday I tried the same process on my Mom. If there's one thing I know about her regimen is that she never washes her hair or puts anything liquid on it without properly detangling it first. When I offered to try manshanu on her hair using this method I could tell that she wasn't really buying my 'gist' but fortunately she let me work my magic.
During the process, not one "careful!'' was uttered. Instead I got a "what exactly is this?" and "how did you find out about it's uses?"
Answer to question 1:It is magical manshanu.
Answer to question 2: Out of frustration and I'm still learning about it.
The major lessons I have learnt during my hair journey are that one should never be afraid to try new things and short-cuts do make life easier (not all the time sha *_^).

NOTE:A little goes a long way. Apply too much and your face and neck will be full of oil in no time.

Storage: Manshanu should be stored in a refrigerator

Ready for use? If your manshanu is solid and sweating as seen in the picture opposite don't use heat to melt it. Rather, let it seat for 30-45mins (depending on how hard it is) and it would return to its original state.

HAIR TALK: THE EXTREMELY LAZY NATURAL II (YOUR RESPONSIBILITY)

Picture from CN2

After reading the first Part I some of you might ask...

What exactly is my hair care responsibility? 

The fact is that most of us grew up with other people taking care of our hair. In Nigeria where labour can be cheap, getting someone to wash and style your hair can be easy. Our mothers might have been the ones to wash our hair  but most times than not the responsibility of styling and maintenance was someone else's job. This sort of slipped in as a habit and now that we are  older, a lot of us are still over dependent on hair stylists who sometimes know very little about afro-hair care. 

I have met women who think it is tight fisted or broke ladies who wash their hair by themselves. Its no wonder why a lot of us actually rock severe 'iya iyabo' like it is a style that has always being in season.

If you can give yourself a bath each day, then please work up liver to take some responsibility for your hair. 

Since we all know that a lot of our hair stylists know next to nothing about kinky or permed hair it is our responsibility to:

1. Educate them or direct them on what to do with our hair, and

2. Take proper care of our hair first before letting them style it.

To elaborate more on this, two extremely laid back naturals have given me the permission to share the error in their ways. 

ELN #1: Ms P

I met Ms P in 2012 and we have stayed in touch since then (you know how naturals connect easily). 

Three weeks ago, she called me to come style her hair. We agreed on a date, which was tight for both of us, but knowing how our schedules where we decided to stick to the plan. On our appointment I was so disappointed to find her with damp hair that was tightly coiled at the roots because it was not properly stretched. We met at 12:00pm and she was to go to work by 2:00pm!! Her excuse was that she came back very late from work the previous day and could only wash her hair early that morning. Harmattan had gone so there was no way she could have air dried her hair and be ready for our appointment by 12:00pm.

We attempted to quickly blow dry her hair but when I started braiding, the
roots did not look neat at all (sorry, I forgot to take a picture)

Solution:

Instead of braiding and leaving her with rough hair, as it was not my fault (na so our hair stylists dey reason na) I decided to smooth her hair and thread it so that when next we meet styling would be easier on both parties.

         RESULTS

Ms P wanted the style I had recently done for EnKay so we did hers with a slight twist :)

ELN #2: My Sister

Believe it or not this really is my sisters hair. Yes, all four of us seem to have different hair textures but that is no excuse for why her hair looks the way it does.

Now, this yeye girl  decided to wear her hair out like Resane Babalwa of Sisterhood. When she got back home, she did not moisturise and braid or even thread to keep the kinks protected....no....not my sister, she went straight to bed like that. I refused to wake her up because I have this suspicion that I make my sisters hair lazy. They take care of their when in school but when they are around me, its like they don't even try. Its seems like my 'hair talk'  is only to be applied in school and never at home.

Back to my madam, by the next morning, I had to restrain myself from telling her what to do but by evening I couldn't take it any more. I sat her down, sprayed on some water, patiently detangled, and braided her hair. The funny part is that detangling was not as difficult as I expected. I then proceeded to give her the LumoNaturals henna mix treatment I had promised her. 

This child needs to start paying me, because she keeps saying "when you are here nko? why should I bother?" 

No be her fault sha, there are dishes I do not eat until she is around:)

Why are my stressing both ladies?

Simple, I have told them times without number to take care of their hair before sitting down for me or anyone else to style their hair. Why?

1. Time: When we refuse to take proper care of our hair, we spend a lot of time trying to smoothing out kinks that could have taken us a few minutes to stretch.

2. Knots and Breakage: The results of poorly maintained natural hair. Keep the knots away by properly detangling and stretching natural hair after washing and before sleeping (when you wear the fro out)

3. Slow growth: Your hair would take a longer time to get to your desired length if it keeps breaking off due to neglect.

4. Wastage: I had to take four trips to Ms P's, no thanks to her care free attitude towards her hair. I mean, she could have washed her hair days before I came. Abi? (one love Ms P :))

5. Frustration: Unkempt natural hair can frustrate both you and the hair stylist - who might know very little about your hair type and its needs. Keep those tears at bay, take care of ya hair ya self :)

6. Cost: Both of this ladies are my people, but if they were clients best believe I will charge them double for their negligence.

My Opinion...

While it might be someone else's job to style your hair, it is your job to take proper care of it. Know your hair texture and what it responds to. With the knowledge at your finger tips it will be easy for you to tell others what you want instead of complaining.

HAIR TALK: THE EXTREMELY LAZY NATURAL I

          Nigerian Hair styles in the 60's

Hi People!
First of all let me start by setting the record straight: I am not a professional hair stylist o, I just know how to braid natural hair. That said, lets proceed to the topic at hand.
When most of us hear about going natural, the first thing that comes to mind is "hard work". Some of us get past this thought while others battle till they give up. For an intro, I will describe both ladies mentioned under 2 categories: The Enthusiastic Natural and the Extremely Lazy Natural

Enthusiastic Natural
These category of ladies have decided to go natural but they dread the time, energy and resources that go into the process. Instead of dumping the idea and/or sticking to what they have always known, they discuss their hair problems with friends who started their journeys before them, visit natural hair blogs, and try out styles and products, so they can find the regimen that works just right for their life style.

Extremely Lazy Natural
The others, who I'm focusing on in this post, have decided to go natural but can't really be bothered with anything apart from the vision they have of themselves with big hair. They admire natural hair styles, can not wait to spot that big fro... but the wahala of learning about hair textures and techniques is just too much for them. After many frustrations, they finally learn to wash their natural hair properly and maybe learn a few easy dc treatments along the way but that is where their adventure stops. They can't be bothered with stretching,they get frustrated with styling and sometimes resolve to weaves/wigs for the most part of their short journey. Lastly, they can be  the biggest critics of salons and stylists.
While their assessment of some hair stylists might be true (to some extent) the cause of their hair troubles rests on their shoulders.

End of Part One 

Part 2 coming up later in the day

NatM Asks: What Category do you belong to? Do you have friends or relatives that are extremely laid back? And how do you encourage them to be independent?

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 :).

Simple Protective Styles For Medium Lenght Natural Hair

Hi ladies,
*Having problems styling your newly acquired growth?

*Can't put your hair in a bun without your hair at the crown area sticking out? ...
Then this post is for you. See below for three simple styles that you can rock and be creative with.

STYLE 1: THE GODDESS BRAID

 

MsDanti's goddess braid is one of my favorite styles. I rocked this a lot when I had medium length hair and still do. the great thing about this style is that you can wear it to work and it can last for a whole week with little maintenance. 

 STYLE 2: THE FAUX HAUX TWISTED UPDO

 Check out Ropo's twisted up. Using Expression kanekelon braids or Noble kinky extensions you should be a ble to pull this off in no time.

STYLE 3: GODDESS BRAIDS (with cowries )

Also using Expression kanekelon extensions, Vlogger Ami Fullest shows how to do 3 neat braids on her kinky natural hair. I know most of us are not very good braiders so my advice is that you get an expert to help you out if you are still struggling to get firm braids. 

TODAY'S HAIRSTYLE

When I newly went natural, I thought that protective styles had to look like...

  

this....                       ......this

  

......this                                  ....or this. 

But now that I have bigger hair and less time on my hands, sitting down once every month -for 6hours or more - is becoming inconvenient.

Yesterday, I woke up with dull looking hair and was in no mood for head wraps or mini twists. Buns were also out of the question but I knew that I had to do something with the mane.  So I sat in front of the mirror, moved my hair from side to side and came up with what you see below. I did one didi plait (french braid) at the back and tucked the end into the braid. I then made little box sections, smoothed the roots with a gel made by Natural Nigerian and then twisted. After I was done with that, I used the same gel and a brush to smooth down my hair, pinned down the twists and tied a satin scarf. Some minutes later, I took it off and out I went.

  My friend thought I had taken a scissors to my hair again :)

How much time did it take me to style my hair? 40mins! Win!

What you see in the picture above is my hair after running around under the sun in very humid weather (Abeg where that sun wey commot for Abuja come from yesterday? Chei!)My hair still looks neat and I plan on carrying it for 3 more days.

Here is  another simple style I did for my little sister some time ago. If I can't think of something new, I'll be wearing this next week.

  

 

Anyone care to share some simple styles with us? Send pictures to eskinks@gmail.com or give me a description in the comment box below. It'll be fun trying to re-create what I can't see.

Q&A: KINKY TWISTS

Nikki

Hi all!

 I’m going to be addressing some hair questions I get from you awesome readers. The focus today is on KINKY TWISTS.

#1 HOW DO I KEEP KINKY TWISTS FROM UNRAVELING AT TH ENDS?

Ans- Simple. You can do any of the following 4 things:

•  Pick the ends of the extensions before twisting so that they are uneven. When the ends are uneven, it would be easier for you to finish the twist without it unraveling.

• To be sure, you can get kinky/marley extensions that respond to hot water. For instance, I use Noble kinky extensions (dreadlocks). This particular brand shrinks when dipped in hot water.  
• HOW TO: After I’m done twisting all my hair, I dip the ends of the twist in a bowl of hot water for some seconds. Take them out and towel dry hair. (Dipping hair in hot water should be done in sections)

 NOTE: Safety is key when dipping your hair in hot water. If care is not taken, you can suffer from awful burns. Try not to do this around kids and if you are not sure on how to go about this, please get help from a professional.

•  Get some sewing thread and tie up the ends using the African threading technique

• Finally, you can burn the ends using a lighter. Again, safety must be topmost in your mind when doing this. I repeat, if you don’t know how to go about this, get help from a professional. DON’T DO THIS AROUND CHILDREN. You might harm them or they might copy you (even after they have been warned) without knowing the consequences of their action.

#2 HOW DO I SLEEP WITH KINKY TWIST?

Ans- Get a satin bonnet or tie a satin scarf. If you can’t be bothered with the afore mentioned, a satin pillow case would be fine. There is no need to fuss over your hair while it’s in kinky twists. Sometimes, I forget to tie a satin scarf while in this style and I don’t experience any damage after take down.

Some words of advice though, if you want your kinky twists to last longer than they should, tying your hair with a satin scarf before you sleep would slow down the aging process. At least thats what works for me.

#3 HOW LONG DO KINKY TWIST LAST?

3 Months old twists

Ans- Depending on how well you take care of your hair, kinky twists can last
for as long as you want them to. Why? Because the texture of the extensions is very close to our hair type and so when your hair starts sticking out it doesn’t look as rough as it would if you use extensions with straight stands (e.g Expression).

Warning: Try not to wear this hair style for too long as our kinky hair can easily knot up with the fake, making take down day a pain.

#4 CAN I WASH MY HAIR WHILE ITS IN KINKY TWISTS?

Ans- Sure, why not. I rather wash natural hair while it’s in kinky twists than when it is in extensions with straight hair strands because our kinks won’t stick out looking different from the straight extension. (That’s what gives it that rough look). All you need is some warm water and your favorite conditioner for co-washing, shikena.
Like I said in another post, I refrain from washing my hair with shampoos while its in protective styles because I fear that I might not be able to get the shampoo out completely (even after rinsing). But if you have done this before and have not experienced any problem them go right on with your regimen.

***

That’s all for now.  Remember to be extra careful with the fine hairs at your hair line. A protective style can be damaging if not done properly. In this regard, I make the hair strands at the edges more than the extensions so that my hair is strong enough to carry the weight.
Lastly, The moment I see build up at the roots that won’t go away after washing, it is time to take out the extensions. Keeping it in for much longer can cause your hair to matt/knot up.

Thats it. Till next time ladies, enjoy your natural journey!!

P.s. if you have questions that you would like answered send a mail to eskinks@gmail.com or simply leave a comment below. Bless!