Hi people, what's been on?!!!

Guess what?
If you are based in Abuja and Calabar save these dates on your calender for special weekend treats for you and your peeps!
You don't have to be natural, anyone with hair or the potential to grow hair is very very welcome!
Take these opportunities to meet the right people for hair tips, get hard to find hair products, grow your business, meet cool people and just chill!
We really do need a break from all the chaos!!!

So where are they?

PLACE: ABUJA
DATE: 30th AUGUST
WHERE: LUMO NATURAL HAIR SALON AND SHOP
SPONSORS: MANAGEMENT OF LUMO NATURAL SALON
GOODIES: FREE ENTRY
                   DISCOUNTS ON SERVICES!!!
                   OPPORTUNITY TO WIN GOODY BAGS!!!
                   SHARE AND LEARN HAIR AND SKIN BEAUTY SECRETS!!!
                   MEET NEW PEEPS!!!
                   .....and more!!!




PLACE: CALABAR
DATE: 20TH SEPTEMBER
WHERE: BAY'S BAR AND LOUNGE
SPONSORS: NATURAL NIGERIAN , THEKINKANDI

Hi people, what's been on?

This post has been a long time coming but I wanted to make sure it's something that can be sustained before I share. If you've been following me on Instagram @nappilynigeriangirl, you'd already be in the know. With a lot of projects on my plate it's easier to update on instagram.

A lot of people have been complaining (myself included) about how difficult it was to find a salon that caters to natural hair in Nigeria. This has been taken care of in Lagos with about three natural hair salons (I know).
- KLS Natural Salon
- Tunmise Natural Hair Salon
- O' Naturals Natural Hair Salon.

There's a natural hair salon in Abuja too
- Lumo Naturals Natural Hair Salon and Spa.

For more deets see here

To my knowledge, there's no salon for naturalistas based in Eastern Nigeria, so when a friend of mine decided to set up a hair and nail studio, she suggested I help her put together   a natural hair section in the studio and I agrred!

So for naturalistas based in Eastern Nigeria, I'd like to present to you FemmeFatale Hair and Nail Studio

located at
 Shop B9, Frances Plaza,
Oby Okoli Avenue,
Behind Acorn Filling Station,
UNIZIK Temp Site,
Awka, Anambra State
Nigeria.

For a period of time, I'll dedicate two days for one on ones with naturalistas. On Fridays and   Saturdays I'll be available for one on one consultations and styling (on appointments only) at the salon. To book your appointments or for more enquiries, you can send me an email on nappilynigeriangirl@gmail.com

So, what sort of services will be available?

1. There is a Nail Bar with a dedicated nail technician to 'get your nails did' and if you want you can pamper yourself with a massage at the same time. Pedicures and foot massages also available ( I noticed men love this a lot and snuck in when the women were out...hehehe!)
Available for perfect chip free nails are the gel manicure system, a nail dryer (no more waiting hours for nails to dry...lol!) , acrylic nail systems (some women try o!) and top quality nail polishes from brands like O.P.I. , Sally Hansen , Milani e.t.c.

Sample nails.....nope not mine. Unfortunately I'm a chronic nail chewer #hidesface

2. There's a Beauty Studio where you can purchase good quality hair, skin and beauty products from top beauty brands such as L'Oreal, Clinique, Body Shop, Bath and Body Works, Neutrogena, Clarins, Aveeno, St.Ives, Makari e.t.c
For natural and organic hair and skincare buffs like moi, there's a myriad of products for you too.


3. There's a professional Makeup studio for special events with affordable personal ( for makeup newbies) and professional makeup training.

Guys are not left out (they are part of our natural hair supporters team after all with genuine designer perfumes, wristwatches (hmm girls love this too o!) and sunglasses. So while they are waiting for you to get your nails and hair done they won't be bored. Thoughtful, no? Lol!


4. The Hair Studio.... of course! Women and Children with natural hair and relaxed hair who desire healthy hair are absolutely welcome.


Stylists have been trained to handle your treses like fine silk (or I wouldn't want to be a part of that o!).
-You can get your relaxer touch ups in a professional manner (roots only abeg with no burns).
- You can get your hair professionally trimmed and shaped (not cut up and slashed)
- You can get your hair texturised professionally with uniform results...not #whatdaheck!!!!
- You can get your hair professionally colored with highlights, lowlights, ombre effect or an all over dye with proper pre- and post- coloring care to avoid damage. Yes o...coloring is a pretty big deal!
- You can get your weaves put in and old weaves refurbished.
- You can get a big chop too! Lol!

For naturalistas,
- Get your hair shampooed, cowashed or clarified with a variety of low sulfate, sulfate free, cleansing conditioners, soda and ACV rinses.
-You can get moisture and protein deep conditioning treatments including my personal favorites the manshanu D.C. and henna.
- You can have a regimen and haircare kits put together for you and implemented for healthy long hair. This is also available for relaxed hair!
- You can have your hair dyed naturally with henna+ indigo/hibiscus mixes.
- You can have your favorite Bentonite, Rhassoul clay treatments.
- You can have a taste of my favorite Indian Oiling and Ayurvedic treatments.
- You can have your hair loc'd , reloc'd and washed professionally (you won't believe the amount of gunk that can be hidden in locs. Believe me when I say normal shampooing doesn't get it all out!)
- You can have your hair safely straightened without heat damage.
- My best part, you can have your hair styled!
See for yourself!

Fauxlocs

Kinky Twists

Strawsets

Crochet braids

Curl definition and enhancement

My hair after using the Tightly Curly Method

Hi people, what's been on? I hope everyone is healthy and free from Ebola. Y'all know the drill, stay safe!

Today, I'm going to review yet another leave in conditioner, Kinky Curly Knot Today. This leave in has been the holy grail of a lot of 'obodo oyibo' naturalistas and because there was enough reviews about it to help out any naturalista looking for products, I didn't see any need to add mine to the bunch.
That is until someone asked me how good it really was.

I told her it should be good since it has won many awards with regards to natural hair care. She was like yes she had read the reviews of naturals in America, Europe, Australia etc but how well did it work for Nigerian hair in Nigeria.

Together we decided to look for reviews by Nigerian naturals and despite the popularity of the product and how it was readily available in Cadabella Stores nationwide, we were only able to come up with one review by LoveIfeyinwa.

So relunctantly on my next shopping, I decided to grab this and a bottle of the Kinky Curly Come Clean Shampoo to try out. Did it live up to the hype???


Let's see....

Hi people, what's been on? Happy New month guys!

Natural haircare shouldn't be stressful

It's getting busier and busier so I may not post as often as I'd like this month. Before I disappear, I'd like to share my little wash routine that gets my hands out of my hair in less than an hour.
Yep...I said it....less than an hour.

I really don't get it when people complain about the long hours it takes to wash natural hair.     When I say it isn't supposed to be so complicated it's like I'm 'forming natural hair veteran/guru'.....but that's not it.
 I'm a lazy impatient natural that really don't want to spend more than 30 mins wet. Not only that, I get cold very easily and the sooner I'm warm and dry the better.

The popular reasons for a long wash day are very thick hair, very kinky hair and very long hair.
Well, my hair is full, long, kinky and prone to tangling and yet my wash day doesn't take a day and a half. If it does, it's probably because I'm doing too much.



Before I start, here are 'pre wash day' tips to help you save time.

- Purchase a shampoo and conditioner with slip (feels slippery). It makes combing your hair easier and faster.

- Reduce the amount of DIY products you use. They can be quite messy and hard to rinse off. Save them for when you have time. As much as I love my DIY mixes, I have store bought products that offer similar benefits.

- Always braid or twist hair before bed. Even if it's in a protective style like kinky braids or twists. This helps prevent bedtime tangling. Extra points it you sleep with your satin scarf, bonnet or pillow.

- Prior to wash day, increase your moisturising game. Make your daily leave in conditioner your friend. This not only reduces dryness and unnecessary breakage on wash day, it also makes it easier to detangle.

- Gradually stretch and detangle your hair. My hair is in a bun most of the time and the middle of the bun can mesh and get tangled. So before wash day, I up my moisturising game using my LOC mix and then gradually detangle and put my hair in loose twists and pack up in a ponytail. This helps keep my hair stretched.  If you aren't so neat with twists or braids, you can do them and hide them under a wig or scarf.

- The night before wash day, I'll either apply manshanu (adds an extra 10mins to my wash day) or a slippery conditioner mixed with coconut oil to my hair. Then fingerdetangle, put my hair in 'washing' twists and cover overnight.

WASH DAY PROPER..

- I apply shampoo to my scalp alone. Then work into a lather (or something like it when I'm using a cleansing pudding). I smooth in the direction of hair growth to reduce tangles especially now I have more hair to deal with.  Then I rinse allowing the run off to wash my ends. All this while my hair is in four or six twists.

- Then I apply a deep conditioner to each twist.
I'll untwist, apply a glob of deep conditioner,  smooth through hair and loosely twist away. I'm currently loving SheaMoisture African Black Soap Purification Masque. I increase the slip by mixing with a conditioner like VO5 Conditioner, Trader Joe's Nourish Spa, Tresemme or Kinky Curly. I'll cover with a shower cap while I shower. The heat of the shower (verry hot) is enough to get the D.C. flowing.

- When I'm done showering, I rinse off the D.C. with very cold water.....my head only. My body safely out of reach.

- I use VO5 conditioner to cowash the D.C. away if it's oily.

- Then I blot my hair dry. Since it's still in twists, rinsing doesn't completely remove the conditioner which suits my highly porous hair just fine and the reason I buy natural/light conditioners.

This takes me less than 45mins because I don't like being wet and cold.

STYLING

I don't like styling my hair on wash day because my hair is very very fragile when it's wet so the less I do to it the better.

If I wash early in the morning, I make loose twists and style my hair like this:



If I wash at night, I make loose twists and style my hair like this:



If I have an outing that day, my hair is most likely going to be styled like this:




I get creative about two days after wash day. My hair is much stronger then.

Before styling, I apply castor/palmkernel oil mix to my scalp and coconut oil to my hair. I currently add Kinky Curly Knot Today on top to give me some slip during styling.

So that's it for wash day....about an hour from start to finish.

Hope this helps someone.

Till I spill again,
Live Beautifully. Naturally.
Hadassah.



What's your wash day like and how do you keep it short?