Hey peeps, I'd like to introduce y'all to another beautiful Nigerian natural!


 Do you remember my earlier post about going green with hair and skin care, well Paige does it like no other and she went a whole step ahead to launch a line of eco-friendly natural hair products, TLC Naturals!!!
Naija babes dey try o!

Well before I keep yammering away.........meet Paige Ellean!!!




Please introduce yourself? Where in Nigeria are you from?

Hiya!  My name is Paige.  I am from Delta State of Nigeria, born & brought up in Lagos, and currently now living in the UK.


How long have you been natural?
I have been natural since the December of 2009

Did you transition or big chop? What motivated you?
I did initially attempt to transition for about two to three years before December 2009.
 Unfortunately, that was an epic fail.  Partly because I was very clueless on the proper care of transitioning hair and partly because I got fed up of all the shedding & breakage I experienced.
 I had enough, walked into a barber's shop in December 2009 and chopped it all off.

What was the reaction of family, friends, and colleagues when you decided to go natural?

My family kinda expected me to do something like that.
Prior to my big chop, I had been into alternative therapies like naturopathy, holistic nutrition and so on.
Me big chopping and sporting a teeny weeny afro wasn't too much of a shock for them.
However, I think they expected it to be a phase that I would get bored of.  Instead, it has become a love affair that is very much part of my life.


Describe your hair? What do you love and/or dislike about your hair?

My  hair is a 4C kinky hair type, with fine, delicate strands.
Some people think I have a lot of hair.
 I don't - I just have a lot of the fine, thin strands, which gives the illusion of thicker hair.

I like that my fine stranded 4C hair can tolerate wash & gos relatively well and has a decent level of hang.

 I hate that I cannot experiment with protective handling or any form of excessive manipulation, which all leads to a major amount of shedding & breakage.

What’s your regimen like?
My hair tells me what to do, I comply and we get along just fine. LOL.
 My hair suffers shedding & breakage from excess manipulation so I keep this to a bare minimum.
 My hair care routine changes to meet the needs of my hair.

My current regimen includes washing my hair using a soap-free, SLS-free all natural hair cleanser from TLC Naturals.
 I do this every two weeks and follow up with a very gentle deep conditioning treatment of molasses and olive oil.
Every other week, when I am not washing my hair, I have a tea rinse using Apple Cider Vinegar diluted with rosemary herb infusion.

I always use a leave in conditioner after washing my hair and seal with a light oil.

 Every 3 days, I moisturise with a hair growth spritz and seal with a hair growth oil.

 I use the hair growth products not necessarily to stimulate growth, but to stop my shedding and breakage.

 My hair grows at a decent rate, but without the TLC Naturals hair growth products, I lose more hair than I grow, giving the impression that my hair isn't growing.

TLC Naturals range

Products I use:
- TLC Naturals Grow It Stimulating Hair Cleanser,
- TLC Naturals Grow It Hair Juice,
-TLC Naturals Grow It Intense Serum,
-TLC Naturals Scalp Therapy Calming Leave In Conditioner
- molasses and olive oil to deep condition
- Apple Cider Vinegar and rosemary infusion as a tea rinse.

My hairstyles are usually very simple.
I wear chunky braids or twists in my hair after washing until my hair gets dry and then I rock a twist-out or braid-out for a few days, followed by a bun, puff or updo for another few days before starting all over again.

What products work for you and what products didn’t? What Nigerian products have you tried and loved? 

I am not very familiar with Nigerian made products, except for TLC Naturals which is made by a Nigerian, me!

I researched, developed and formulated the products  in answer to my hair care needs.

I am very happy to see that more Nigerian entrepreneurs are developing hair care products using natural ingredients and would love to try a few of the products.

Products that do not work for my hair include anything that has chemicals and other artificial ingredients in it.

Do you think having natural hair is time consuming? What’s your favorite go to style when you’re short of time?

My go-to hair style when I am in a rush or when my hair isn't acting right is to just throw it into a puff.

Natural hair care can be as simple or as complicated as you make it.
When I initially went natural, I was doing too much to my hair.
 I was following most of the other naturals with the hair care fads: prepoo, oil rinsing, co washing etc etc ..
 I am not saying that these techniques are bad for the hair.....it's just that you do not need to use all of them all the time.

 The products you use also make a difference.
  For example, since I started using the all natural hair shampoo from TLC Naturals, I no longer need to prepoo my hair before washing and many times, I simply skip the deep conditioning step.
 I still do the GHE (Green House Effect) and/or baggying once every two weeks, using the Grow It products.
 It helps in strengthening my fine, delicate hair strands and stops me losing so much hair.

Shrinkage…friend or foe? How does it affect your styling?

Lol.
I am just so happy to have any decent amount of length retention that I currently consider shrinkage my BFF.

 As my hair got longer and reached my shoulders, I couldn't stand wearing it loose or down in summer.  It was too hot!!
I might wear it down to make yanga small small, but it goes up into a puff as soon as possible.
 In this case, shrinkage has been very helpful in ensuring I do not suffer heat rash around my neck area, due to my hair.
In addition, I'd pick volume over length any day.
 So shrinkage doesn't bother me at all.  I actually embrace.  Bring it on - pleaaaassse! LOL

If you’re stuck on an island and can have only three products, which would you pick and why?

I'm allowed only three?! LOL.
Well, if I was stuck on an island with my choice of just three products, they would be:

1. TLC Naturals Grow It cleanser - which is perfect to wash my hair with and can also double up as a nourishing deep conditioning mask.  I can even use it on my skin too for clear, clean, glowing complexion.
2. TLC Naturals Grow It Juice - to moisturise my hair
3. TLC Naturals Grow It Intense Serum to seal in moisture and condition the hair.

However,  I might swap this for sweet almond oil instead.
 The reason for this is that the serum would be great to condition my hair and seal in moisture, but I wouldn't want to use it as a body oil due to the capsicum content.

 So I would probably just have the sweet almond oil which can be used on the hair, body and face.


How have you been able to maintain healthy hair and retain length?

My hair has been healthy since I started using the all natural, chemical free hair products from TLC.  However, I have only been able to finally retain length since I started using consistently the Grow It hair cleanser (from the start of summer this year) with the other Grow It products

What’s the most memorable part of your natural hair journey?

The first time I did a twist-out was very special.
  I couldn't believe that my hair could look that good.  I thought having natural hair meant I would just be restricted to afros all the time!

What has changed since you went natural? (Physically, Spiritually, Psychologically, Socially…..anythingly!)

Since going natural and probably also as result of getting older, I have become more confident and more secure in myself.
 This with a quiet assurance that my natural hair is good hair is a combination that is unbeatable!

As a Nigerian curly, what challenges have you faced in terms of hair care, styling and people’s reactions? (as relates to the Nigerian environment if possible)

I think the Nigerian community are still getting to grips with the natural hair 'movement'.

Initially, some Nigerians thought I was growing my hair out to relax it; others mistook my finger coils for dreadlocks or dada, as Nigerians call them.

The fingercoils

 Many, however, are impressed with the versatility and beauty of natural hair and have been inspired to embrace their own natural hair too, which I think is a wonderful bonus to my natural hair journey.

What do you think is the biggest natural hair myth especially in Nigeria?

That only mixed people can have 'natural hair'!
This is not true.  I am not mixed.....not even  one quarter, or one eighth.
 I think if someone like me is able to embrace my natural hair, others can do it too.

Do you think one can be natural, fabulous and professional at the same time?

Absolutely!!
You just need to adjust your look accordingly.
 You do not need to wear an afro to work...there are so many natural hair style options for various scenarios.
Natural hair can be sexy, fabulous, glamorous, casual or professional - you just gotta learn how to work with it and it's so much easier than people think.

What’s the best thing about being Nigerian? (Food, Hair, People, Childhood moments, Games, Culture …anything!)

The food, people and culture all tie for number one!!
Then the hair , childhood and so much more. Living in the UK, what I miss most about Nigerian living is the food and the culture.

 I think I eat more Nigerian food living abroad than I did when I was living in Nigeria.
 My mouth is just watering, thinking about the Nigerian food.
 Nigerians do it better, jooor!

Any inspirational words and/or tips for Nigerian curlies out there?

Don't make the mistake (like I did initially) of going natural and expecting your hair to look like someone else's hair.
When I went natural, I thought my hair would be all curly, with springy bouncy coils.
  A lot of naturals seem to do this and they spend obscene amount of money and time on various products and techniques for super perfect curl definition.
No such thing exists - not even for the curly haired naturals.

I now understand that my natural hair is more kinky than it is curly and I have learnt to work with what I have.
 Your natural hair would look so much more beautiful when you work with its inherent texture rather than coercing it into a completely different texture.

Plus, it's nice to know that in a world of curls, girls with kinks like us, can stand out in a crowd - in a very good way!

Where can we find you? 

I am on a mission (LOL) to share pictures of my kinky natural hair and helping people understand that kinky natural hair can be style in so many ways that are professional, fabulous and more!

 You can find my fashion slash natural hair slash wholesome living blog at http://www.chicwithkinks.com. 

 When I first went natural, my only point of reference were pictures of loose curled naturals, the Type 3 and so on.

These were the only pictures that would come up on search engines for 'natural hair'.

I thought my hair would look like theirs when I went natural and when it didn't , I almost gave up on my natural hair.
 I hope that by sharing my various looks and hairstyles, other chics with kinks, would be encouraged on their natural hair journey.

You can find my all natural, chemical free product line, TLC Naturals, at http://www.tlcnaturalsonline.com.
You will find all the products on the website, including the Grow It hair growth products.

TLC Naturals Grow It! Hair Juice

  If you are interested in the products, but are based in Nigeria, just email me and I might be able to work something out for you!


Thank you Paige, for taking part in this series!

Let’s show the world that Nigerians’ Got Good Hair Too!
Paige : Yes ooooo!


I hope y'all are having as much fun as I am in getting to meet such fab Nigerian naturalistas....we plenty oooo and there's lots more to meet!!!
I'm also sure some of you will be interested in these products made by Nigerian naturalistas.....who better to understand this our Nigerian hair but them!!!
..........and for those interested in all natural ecofriendly natural hair and skin products, TLC Naturals is right there!
 Paige Ellean really put a lot of thought and research into this brand!

Till I spill again,
Live Beautifully.Naturally.
Hadassah