Hi people, Happy New Month!!!!

You know what month it is? It's August which means my product shopping ban is over!!! It's kinda hard because I recently discovered some gems in the local market which I couldn't purchase, try out and give y'all feedback on.

 Today's post therefore will be yet another crochet braids post....well yes......because there's a problem.

........So problem....
What are the perfect extensions to use for crochet braids that's
- available in the Nigerian market (so you save money on shipping and time on waiting)
- affordable
- soft
- easy to detangle
- able to hold curls well and give smoother sets?



I love the popular brands of marley hair (JanetNoire, Equal FreeTress etc)...why?
Because unlike the regular brands of afro kinky twists in the market, it's softer, doesn't tangle easily and makes beautiful curls.

The downside is if it's out of stock in your favorite natural hair stores, what next? And shipping costs plus the waiting time.....
And remember not every state in Nigeria is blessed with a natural hair salon or store....Lagos, I'm subbing you and what if I wanted to do my hair like yesterday??!!!

So if you don't have access to any of these, what are your alternatives???

I've tried out different types of marley hair available in the Nigerian market.
Supreme Afro twist braid - hard and itchy
Noble Afro twist braid - hard and itchy
Expressions Afro twist braid - .......... and ........... (Fill in the blanks for 5 mks ;))

I wonder why these companies still think that Afro kinky hair should be hard and itchy....my real afro kinky hair isn't hard and itchy!!!
Oh and just so you know...marley hair and afro twist hair are the same thing IMO...it's just that marley hair sounds tusher...don't use it in the market tho.

Anywho, my favorite brand for kinky twists is First Lady brand.
 It's soft, curly, doesn't have that plasticy shine etc.
 Recently, they came up with their own brand of Afro Kinky Twist which is way softer than the ones available.



I've used it initially for crochet braids and while the hair was soft, it tangled up.

Previously

I revisited it again...it's the softest so far, bae!
....and discovered something......

DETANGLE BEFORE USE!

Combed it out first before installing and curling

My attempts to detangle other brands of hair (Supreme and Noble Afro Twist Braids) had always ended up in vain. (which is probably why I gave up on detangling).
 A lot of work put in and still no end to the tangling.....and that's coming from someone who takes pride in being able to literally detangle a spiderweb (after zapping the spider of course!!!).

However, in this case, my attempts met with good success.
With a paddle brush (Finally put that Miss Jessies curl brush to good use) and good method of proper detangling (starting from the bottom of the tangles...please see YouTube for details), I was able to brush through two packs of hair easily.
 (Hadassah 1- Hair - 0)

I first tried the Denman brush, then the Miss Jessies Paddle brush and the paddle brush worked better in detangling the hair. Start from the tip and brush gently.

Then I crocheted the hair in using the usual crochet braid method....again please see YouTube.....
I wrapped the ends around flexirods, dipped in hot water (use a mug, it's easier), allowed to dry and voila.....curls that could last a week or more.
(Hadassah 99- Hair -0)




P.S. Pls check YouTube for tutorials...I doubt I'll start one soon....unless y'all agree to set up everything, handle the editing and uploading and all I have to do is demonstrate and go!!!!

So solution???
If you love to try crochet braid curls but don't have access to the popular brands of Marley Hair, why not look into your shokoto and try out First Lady Afro Kinky Twist.
 It's about N800- N1000 too.

Also, for those looking for a substitute for
 FreeTress Water Wave braids.....there's Amigo's Dancing Curl Bulk (N800-N1000) and Expressions Multi (N400-N600)


P.P.S. I'm not compensated in anyway for this post. I should be..... but my compensation right now is that hopefully with more people demanding softer Afro Kinky Hair, it'll become widely available and I'll use my waiting/waka around time for something better..... like detangling spider webs!

Oh and if you found the market that stock these brands in your area, why not help a sister out and share the locations in the comments section below.
If you liked or disliked any of the above brands, do share your experiences too!

Till I spill again!
Live Beautifully.Naturally.
Hadassah A.