The LOC Method For Moisturising Dry Hair

Whether you rock your hair natural, relaxed or texlaxed, dryness is no respecter of texture.

Over this past weekend, one of my male naturalists… Wait! Have I ever mentioned that this blog caters to the hair needs of all sexes?  Well, it does. Okay?..Okay!  As I was saying, he sent a mail asking to know how he could keep his afro from going dry and hard. 

Now,  I do not believe that anyone should break the bank to grow an afro. All you need do is understand your hair and if there’s one thing afro textured hairs love most, it has got to be moisture. The best and most reliable moisturizer remains water and since water dries out quite easily when sprayed into hair, the only logical thing to do would be to find a way to make the water stay longer in the hair…Right?

 So far, the LOC has proven to be one of the best and mostly used methods to keep afro hair moisturized, where:

L-liquid or leave-in-conditioner
O-oil
C-cream

How To LOC

1. Spritz your hair with the liquid, I use water but if you must use  a leave-in-conditioner, ensure it is a water-based leave-in-conditioner (i.e. water should be the first ingredient you see when you look on the side of the bottle where the ingredients of the leave-in-conditioner is written). You can also mix the leave-in-conditioner with water in a spray bottle, the choice is yours;

2. Slather on some oil of your choice (I prefer coconut oil) and

3. Apply a cream (I use Shea butter) to seal in the oil and water.

With this simple and inexpensive method, your hair can stay moisturised all day long.

How do you moisturise? Comment below.

✌

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3 Reasons Why I Prefer Tapered Hair

If you missed the last post, read it here 

I’m still yet to meet anyone (male or female)  who does not love a tapered hair cut but as a natural sista, I prefer my hair tapered for the following reasons:

Saves Time & Energy: there is no denying that styling a head full of kinky hair can be quite tasking but in a case where your hair is tapered, you automatically have less hair to work with and by the time the tapered sections grow out, you would have gotten used to dealing with your own hair.

Hair Grows With Shape: a tapered hair remains a tapered hair unless altered. Even when your hair has grown out into a massive fro, it maintains the taper shape and you won’t have to worry about your hair being blown out of shape by the wind when you don’t have a mirror handy.

Stands You Out From The Crowd: everyone knows there is something extraordinary about people with tapered cuts and fades (especially when the person under observation is female). Be it a fresh cut or a grown out fro, a tapered hair shape singles you out from the crowd and places you right at the center stage. And oh! If you have some great color highlights  in your hair, you just may have won yourself a barrage of Ah!-Ten-sion (attention).

Have a great weekend you all and let it be known that everything is not for everyone. Taper or no taper, you rock! ❤

Hair still in shape

When I colored March-April 2015

July 2015. Notice how the shape remained unaltered

Why I Did The Big Chop Again

Hiya darl!

Welcome to the long awaited third edition of our natural hair series which we started over two months ago. No thanks to my inconsistency 😩

Have I mentioned that three months into my big chop, I was down to another big chop for the second time?

The only difference with this second big chop was that I got a taper cut (Anita Baker style) just to funk it up a bit.

Here are some of the reasons why I big chopped again;

1. I was clueless as to how I was supposed to deal with the tangled mess that my hair had become after I took down the protective twists style that had saved the hair for about two months;
2. Finding a natural hair store and salon was quite a feat;
3. A lot of my friends and even my mum, thought I looked unkept (by the way, my mum’s hair is natural now 😂);
4. When I tried to get advice from a few naturalists on social media, either they were too busy to respond or just gave unsatisfactory replies.

Below, are a few tips to help you stay in the game after you’ve transitioned and finally big chopped;

• Remember it’s just hair and it’ll always grow;
• If you don’t feel comfortable in your TWA, go in for a protective style;
• Don’t compare or compete with others, let your hair thrive at it’s own pace;
• Seek advice from people who are ready to gradually help you through the process;
•  Don’t ever think a relaxer would make things better. If it failed in the past, be rest assured that it would fail today and in many more years to come. It’s not an option. Same thing applies to texturizers.

First big chop

3 months later

Second big chop (taper cut)

Next week, we’ll be talking about quick and easy ways to style your natural hair at home. Until then, please share your big chop experience(s) with us.

Have a lovely weekend!

 

 

 

 

I’m Going Natural- A Beginners Handbook

Yo! beauties,

     How is everything? First of all Happy New Month to you all and err just so you know, I’ve started accepting my Christmas gifts in advance so as to avoid the kind of crowd i saw at the bank a few days ago because of BVN ‘October’ rush. 

About a week ago, I promised to do a little something for those of us that are having challenges with our nashura hair.

So, are you newly natural or have you transitioned and are still skeptical about doing the big chop because you fear for what might become of you and your hair afterwards?

Well! look no further for I have come to dissuade your fears. Everything in this article has been structured to make it easy for you to handle your hair.

 

 

Timing Your Big Chop

  

When I made up my mind to return natural, I was very excited for so many reasons and the temptation to cut off my relaxed hair got stronger as the days went by. Prior to my decision, I got a perm the week before and I did not stop to consider the fact that there was little or no under growth on my head. So, I did my big chop and eventually realized that I should have waited a few months after my last perm. Ladies, before you big chop be sure to wait at least three months from your last perm, this will ensure you don’t get a scalped look after the chop and you can wear your hair in braids or weaves while you wait patiently.

 

Essentials for Newly Naturals

 

At every stage of your hair growth, care, styling and grooming play important roles. To meet these demands from your hair, you’ll need the following basic tools and products;

Tool/Product	Use(s)	Recommendations
1.Wide Tooth Comb	Detangling	Any wide tooth comb would suffice for a TWA.
2. Pick	Adds volume to hair.	Opt for a rubber type pick, avoid metal or plastic combs.
3. Styling Gel	Defines and enhances curls, best suited for a wash and go.	Ecostyler gel.
4. Spray bottle	Helps channel moisture based products like water or leave in conditioner to the roots of your hair.	Any sizable one with an adjustable nozzle.

5. Sulphate-Free Shampoo	To remove excess oils, grease and build up from hair and scalp.	Crème of Nature with Argan oil sulphate free shampoo, ORS Hair Repair Sulphate free Shampoo with Rosemary and Mint.
6. Co-wash Conditioner	Used for regular washes instead of a shampoo.	As I Am Coconut Co-Wash, Mega Growth Detangling Conditioner
7. Satin Scarf/Satin Bonnet	Used in place of regular hair nets to combat frizz and dryness associated with rubbing hair against cotton fabrics.	Stay-On Satin Scarf
8. Leave-In Conditioner	Keeps hair soft, moisturized and makes detangling a breeze.	Profectiv Mega Growth Leave-In Conditioner, Beautiful Textures Tangle Taming Leave-In   Conditioner.

9. Deep Conditioner	Softens dry hair and helps to restore chemically processed hair.	Crème Of Nature With Argan Oil Intensive Conditioning Treatment, Hair Mayonnaise, Organics Deep Conditioner, Profectiv Mega Growth Deep Conditioning Treatment.
10. Coconut Oil	Perfect moisture sealant, boosts hair health and growth.	KTC Coconut Oil, i think a home made one does the magic better.

 

Wide tooth Combs and detangling brush

Pick Combs

Spray bottles

 

Coconut Oil

 

Ecostyler gel

Myths about Natural/Black Hair

1.1.     Natural hair does not grow

2.     It is coarse

3.     It is difficult to comb and style

4.     It is boring and unfashionable.

 

Facts about Natural Hair

1.     Just like relaxed and chemically straightened hair, natural hair grows even better. See images below for proof.

Ten months of growth

Six YEARS Relaxed versus Ten MONTHS Natural

2. It is nothing close to coarse, the ‘type 4’ hair is in fact the finest textured hair which explains why it is prone to breakage and requires careful handling.

3.     Natural hair is not difficult to comb, all you need to do is spray some water and conditioner onto the hair so it is damp and then comb the ends first before gradually working your comb to the roots.

4.     It is very versatile as there are countless styles to suit any occasion.

Natural hair is versatile

Styling Your Natural Hair at TWA Stage & Other Growth Stages

        

Hair growth is gradual so, don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle. Got it?

 

Funny picture of Natural hair growth stages.

 

 

There are innumerable things to try on your new  hair and from experience, I discovered that every time I styled my hair a particular way, there was always something new to learn from previous styling mistakes. The common hair styles are twist outs, finger coils, wash and gos, bantu knots and braid outs but keep in mind that the length of your hair is a determiner of which ones you can wear at a particular time.

  Wash and Go

Procedure

Step 1: wash or co-wash hair using either a shampoo or a co-wash conditioner or     both.

Step 2: remove excess water by shaking your head like you’re refusing something

Step 3: dab hair with an old t-shirt to soak up any excess water

Step 4: apply leave-in conditioner

Step 5: seal in moisture with coconut oil or any other oil

Step 6: Follow with a curl enhancing cream (Shea moisture curl enhancing smoothie) or a curl defining gel (Ecostyler gel).

Different Growth stages showing the ‘wash and go’

 

Maintenance

You can repeat  the wash and go on a daily basis if you have the time, if not, you can just spray water onto your hair the next morning to keep it fresh.

  Finger Coils

Procedure

Step 1: saturate hair with water

Step 2: take a small section, detangle until smooth, moisturize with a leave-in to reduce the dryness that may result from using the next product in step 3 below

Step 3: apply a generous amount of any styling gel (preferably ecostyler) to that section

Step 4: take a smaller subsection from the small section

Step 5: twirl/roll the smaller subsection around your finger from roots to ends, your finger should serve as a roller.

Step 6: continue with step 5 above until you complete that section

Step 7: repeat steps 2 to 6 to finish off.

 

Finger Coils

 

    

   Twist outs

Procedure

This involves twisting your hair when it is either dry or wet and then undoing the twists after some hours or days.

Step1: spray some water to dampen hair for ease of detangling and product penetration.

Step 2: take a small section, you can either apply a twist cream or pudding to section for better definition. I’ve never used a twist cream before and my twist outs come out super defined because shea butter mixed with leave-in conditioner just does it for me.

Step 3: using two strands only, twist hair from roots to ends

Step 4: allow hair to air dry, untwist with care to avoid tangling (go from ends to roots)

Step 5: fluff and style as you desire.

 

Twist and Twist out

 

Night time routine

Re-twist entire hair and wear a satin bonnet before going to bed

                         OR

Use the banding method I’ve described below and then put on a satin bonnet or scarf afterwards.

 

Banding

Banding method:  just as the name implies, it involves using hair ties or hair bands to retain hairstyle while controlling shrinkage at the same time and all you have to do the next morning is take out the hair ties and pick the roots of your hair.

 

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