....it's okay to ask for help when you need it!

In my life journey, I've stopped listening to anyone who tells me to be strong....and I've stopped telling people to be strong. 

It's very okay to show emotions. 

It's very okay to cry if you need to.

It's very okay to feel like giving up.

It's very okay to just want to curl up under the sheets!

Take all the time you need to heal. 

A wound that never heals is an ulcer.

A wound takes time to heal under a scab....hidden away from the elements.
It's okay to get away from the elements to heal properly.

A wound has a period where it bleeds and hurts. All this is necessary for it to heal properly!
It's okay for you to cry and hurt. You mustn't put up a strong front. It's not a weakness biko.


Don't be so strong that you begin to shatter.


Don't become so strong that you become a statue of your pain.

Don't be so strong that you forget how to be kind, soft, gentle, graceful and vulnerable.


Don't be so strong that you become apathetic.

Don't be so strong that you can't be flexible and open to new experiences.

Remember the stronger the coffee, the more bitter it becomes!!!☕



Deuteronomy 31:6 

Matthew 6:27

 Luke 12:29


💦 Tell us, do you always feel strong? Do you feel bad for feeling 'weak'?

I rarely do rodsets on my natural hair because it's devastating to spend so much time putting them in, spend an uncomfortable night sleeping in them........only for me to unravel in the morning and......

either it didn't dry completely or

it dried but didn't come out looking perfect like in the YouTube videos!

Not one to give up easily, I experimented with different ways of getting a perfect rod set without putting in so much effort....

....and voila!

I went from this

Happy New month beautiful ladies!!! 

New Month, New start, right?

So, remember how in our last IG Live, I talked about consistency and sticking with the different ayurvedic ingredients that work for you?

Well, I took my own medicine and for the past months, I've been consistent with  Ayurvedic herbs that work for me.

My hair is healthier, has grown longer and my definition is on point!

 It's easy to be consistent if your routine is simple and doesn't require a lot of steps.

When adopting a regimen, my first question is 

'Can I keep this up when I'm 90 years old?' 🤔🤔

Anyways, the video above shows my easy, simple and stress free Ayurvedic haircare routine for super definition on my Type 4 natural hair.

I had an interesting conversation with the beautiful @rachelasakome concerning this question.

👉Here's the SHORT ANSWER.

It can grow for as long as your genes decide! 

👉Here's the LONG ANSWER.

The active period your hair grows is called the ANAGEN PHASE.It lasts between 2- 6 yrs and it is regulated by your genes. So, your hair grows for 2-6 yrs, sheds and is replaced by new hair. It's a cycle.🔄🔄🔄

The average GROWTH RATE is 0.5 inches per month or 6 inches every year.

The anagen phase and your growth rate determine the longest your hair can grow before it stops growing and has to shed. This length is called TERMINAL LENGTH. 

If your growth rate is 4 inches every year and your ANAGEN phase lasts 2 years, your terminal length is 4×2= 8 inches.

 Most naturalistas definitely grow more than 8 inches in 2 yrs!💃💃

On average, the ANAGEN phase lasts 4 yrs and most growth rate is 6 inches per year.

6×4 = 24 inches of hair before it sheds. That's long hair abi?

Most people rarely reach their terminal length due to breakage caused by manipulation, poor diet, use of chemicals , hair dyes, combing, heat styling etc.

So before you blame your genes, check your hair care routine!

Personally, I never knew I could grow my hair waist length considering my slow growth rate (4 inches per year) and having fine textured hair. 

My hair only grew shoulder length and then hit a growth plateau due to breakage.

 It was only when I changed my hair care routine that I was able to grow waist length. 

Right now, I want to see if I can reach knee length. I may or may not reach that goal....but we'll see.

I don't know my terminal length yet.

 I would need to pluck (not cut) a section of my hair to monitor the growth for 6 yrs or more to find out.......and I'm not about that struggle!😂

🌈 Do you believe length is determined by genes only?

Hi guys, what's been on?

How's our new reality courtesy of 'Rona treating you?

I'm trying to keep things as normal as I can. This period made me promise myself to never neglect the little things that keep me happy. 

One of which is blogging.......and of course doing my hair.

I'm trying to get more proactive with styling my hair. Yes, constant manipulation breaks my fine natural hair but I can't keep living in constant fear of breakage. 

The best solution is to have a selection of beautiful protective styles that require the least manipulation....especially when it comes to updos on fine type 4 natural hair.

Apart from breakage, the other problem that deters me from doing more updos is my sensitivity to bobby pins. 

I've noticed that after a while, bobby pins cause my scalp to itch. This prevents me from having a protective style in for as long as I'd like. 

So....I try to avoid using bobby pins as much as possible when styling. 

I'm looking out for plastic bobby pins or maybe stainless steel bobby pins.

Have you seen these before?

For today's protective style, I made use of one ouchless band and several loose twists to create an updo that if well maintained, can last me 1 week.

For the front, I made 3 loose twists. One was swooped to the right and the other two to the left.

For the back, I packed my hair into a low bun, made 3 loose twists and tucked the ends into the ouchless hairband. 

Shikena!

ProTip: If Ecostyler has been leaving your hair full of flakes, you should definitely try this gel.
I've completely made a switch from Eco because this gives me the much needed hold without the flakiness and the occasional itching.
I've used it on different Type 4 hair (thick, super coily, fine, low porosity, etc) and it's yet to disappoint me.

I really should get into the right head space to write a detailed review about this Nigerian brand.
 I'm such a perfectionist and want to make sure that I leave nothing out in my descriptions because I know how important products reviews are when trying to decide which hair products to purchase.

Perhaps you can help me out with what you'd really like to know about a product....like maybe it's texture, price....anything you feel you'd love to see when reading product reviews.

I've mastered the art of being unbothered with my natural hair. 

Don't get me wrong, it isn't the easiest hair to live with. 

The pictures on my Instagram doesn't fully explain my reality. 

Thus, this post is an insight into what living with my fine type 4 natural hair is like.

This is a good thing in most naturalistas' book.

The reality is...my hair feels soft because my strands are thin (fine textured). 

My porosity is high and my hair can't withstand styling. 

For this reason, my IG feed does not show a lot of styles....and I'm still wondering why I started a YouTube channel sef.

It may be boring but it's either I accept that or deal with breakage. So, I focus more on hair health.

The wrong ingredient and my hair would fall out. It's scary!

I inherited this from my mother's side of the family. It would have been a recessive trait which I may not have inherited if only my dad didn't also have allergies.

 This is why it bugs me when salons put products into unlabeled bottles and why I'm so fascinated with ingredient lists. I need to avoid any triggers. 

This is my reality. 

 Some people will say, 'Oh that's great!'.... but it isn't so great when I see my scalp at the same time I'm watching naturalistas with thicker hair rock big twist outs!

The good thing though is I don't have a lot of hair to handle. It's easy to slick down and it absorbs products quickly (high porosity things). 

Can all your hair be packed into a bun like this? See how small the base of the bun is. That's the magic of fine natural hair.

My sisters tease me a lot about this 😂 but you would never believe this reality because my hair is long. 

I grew it by focusing on retaining length rather than trying to speed up my growth rate.

 It's a longer process but "it doesn't matter how you start, how long you take but if you get there". 

Again, it's all back to the fine textured, high porosity thingy. 

If I use heavy products, it's difficult for my hair to absorb moisture. This is why I use a light hand when applying butters.

 If I use light products, my hair absorbs it like a sponge and asks for more.

So I have to maintain a sweet point between heavy products and light products when trying to moisturise my hair. Most times, I just settle for lotions.

This method has also helped my hair retain moisture better.

Same reason as above. Strands and porosity. 

This is why I don't consider twistouts, braidouts etc as protective styles.

What's protective about a style that will revert as soon as I step out the door?

What's protective about a style I will have to redo every night?

I'm really happy for those who can live in twistouts, braidouts, bantu knot outs etc.......it must be nice.

...and not because I need a trim!

It does this because my strands are fine and there's a lot of it!

For this reason, I can't afford the 'luxury of an afro'. I need to keep my ends organized ...like phone charger cables.

I do this by keeping my hair in twists or in a wash'n'go. Twists and the gel cast keep my coils in place.Left on their own, they form knots and tangles.

Stretching also help prevent tangling BUT since my hair reverts quickly, it means I would be manipulating my hair often to keep it stretched.

Also, remember my strands are fine....this means more breakage due to more manipulation. 

A real catch 22 situation right???

To avoid stress, I just embrace my shrinkage. 

	In this picture, my hair was stretched in a braid out. By evening, it had shrunk up to chin length. Is this what I'll be doing everyday biko?

I could go on and on.

This post is not about me complaining. 

It's about me letting you in to see that my hair and I aren't perfect by the general natural hair community standards. 

As someone who has been natural all her life, my best advice when it comes to caring for your hair is:

Stick with what works for your hair in terms of products, styling and regimen. 

Also, your hair does not need to be like anyone else's but YOURS. 

The little clips on IG or YouTube never tells the whole story.

.

🌈 So let's get real....what are the realities of caring for your hair?

P.S. If you need help figuring out how to work with your hair so you can achieve your hair goals, you can chat with me on WhatsApp here.

I plan to have this in for at least 3 days! If you'd like to see the final results, I'll be sharing on my Instagram page here

PS. Be careful not to thread your natural hair too tight so your hair doesn't pull out!!

Hair always grows but if it breaks faster than it grows (poor length retention) you may experience a growth plateau.
Improper detangling is the most common source of breakage.

Here's a video showing how to detangle Type 4 natural hair to reduce unnecessary breakage which leads to poor length retention. 

This is the detangling routine I use to grow out my hair. 

I'm currently on a hair growth regimen and my goal is to see if my hair can grow tailbone length. 

Join me on Instagram as I share all I'm doing to achieve my hair goals.

Conditioner washing a.k.a co washing is a method of washing hair without the use of shampoos. Hair conditioners are used alone to wash the hair.

Naturals with very kinky, tightly coiled hair will benefit from this type of washing as unlike shampoos it cleans the hair without stripping it of natural oils.

If you notice your hair gets dry, dull and hard easily, this may be your miracle!

How do cowash work to cleanse hair?

Conditioners contain fatty acid alcohols such as cetyl alcohol, cetearyl alcohol etc. These are emulsifiers and mild non ionic surfactants. Emulsifiers help make oils soluble in water and vice versa. Surfactants weaken adhesion forces that hold grime to hair and help make it easy for them to be rinsed out.

Conditioners thus can act as auxiliary cleansing agents though with poor foaming capacity. 

 BENEFITS OF COWASHING 

- Softens and moisturises hair for longer. Very good for transitioners because it softens new growth so less breakage at point where relaxed hair meets curly hair.

- Reduces tangles.

Conditioners reduce static electricity and friction  between hair fibres. They do this by forming positive charges which neutralise negative charges in hair formed during combing, brushing, when hair is damaged and when alkaline hair products are used.

- Defines curls/coils. You get to see your real curl pattern and there's ease of detangling.

- Hair grows longer as the hair breaks less due to less dryness.

- Conditioners are usually acidic. Low pH protonates keratin proteins giving hair a more compact structure. They also help preserve dyes in colored hair.

CONS:

- Over use of conditioner can soften the hair to the point where it breaks.

 So moderation is the key.

If you hair feels too stretchy and limp, you've overconditioned.

This can be reversed by doing a protein treatment.

- If you use a lot of products, stylers and creams that aren't easily rinsed out with water, cowash cleansers may be insufficient to completely get scalp clean. This could lead to buildup and itchy scalp.

It is thus advised to introduce clarification with a sulfate free shampoo at least once a month. 

HOW TO USE COWASH CONDITIONERS ON NATURAL HAIR

-Look for inexpensive conditioners that contain low amounts of cationic polymers, insoluble silicones, heavy butters/oils and proteins. For this reason, deep conditioners which are usually high in the above are not suitable for cowashing. 

Choose instead lightweight rinse out conditioners and dedicated cowash cleansers.

Check here for recommendations. 

- Shampoo hair if it's your first time of co washing.

- Part hair into two or four sections depending on hairlength and thickness.

- Apply conditioner to each section of wet or dry hair.

- Wash scalp with fingertips by massaging in direction of hair growth. Gentle scrubbing motion helps dislodge dirt and grime for easy rinsing. Rinse out with warm water.

- Reapply conditioner...this time from the ends to midway avoiding scalp. Detangle hair gently from tips to root using a widetooth comb.

Optional: Twist each detangled section.

-Rinse using cold water. This adds shine.

- Blot dry without disturbing curl pattern, apply oil/ butter and leave to air dry.

Because this method of washing is gentler on natural hair, you can cowash whenever your hair is dirty or sweaty.

However, do not cowash often as constant wetting and drying causes hair to expand and contract which can weaken it. Limit washing to once a week.

Hi guys, what's been on?

Sooooo, I finally finally braided my hair! I've had the extensions since forever but because of the hot weather, I wasn't motivated to braid my hair.

Braids are usually not my first choice because of the reasons here but they are cute.

I created this video to demonstrate protective ways you can install braids on fine, breakage prone hair so you can get the most growth while your hair is away.

I'll be doing another video to show how I maintain my braids so they last.....so subscribe and hit the notification button!!!

I plan to have these braids in for two weeks kpere! 

Hi people, what's been on?

 Sooooooooo......with the right handling and care of our natural hair, we shouldn't really have the drama of excessive breakage, shedding, dandruff and whatever other problems associated with hair....abi???!!

However, due to changes in weather, water hardness, products and generally because our systems enjoy surprising us once in a while.....ish happens!


This post is an answer to the question of

What treatments can I use for what natural hair problems?

What can I do if my hair feels dry no matter how consistent I am with moisturising? 

What do I do if I experience unnecessary shedding and breakage despite my healthy diet and care I take during detangling and styling?

Well, it's useful to have one or two treatments to sort of reset our hair to default setting.

Here are some suggested natural hair troubleshooting links.

- Before you think your hair has a problem with breakage and shedding, here is why seeing short hair doesn't always mean breakage and here's the reason why shedding is normal

- Here's the reason your hair is breaking and how you can stop it

- If your hair is fine and breaks easily, here are treatments you can do once a month to keep make it stronger.

- If your hair is longer and you are trying to reduce breakage and retain length, you can join me in my Indian oiling treatment ( you can also use palm kernel oil) and

  my henna treatment once every 1-2 months

- For uncontrolled shedding, if you finger detangle exclusively, you might be shedding because of the reason I observed here. To control excess shedding, you can try the moringa tea and ginger root rinse

- If you are battling with dandruff and itchy scalp, here's the what , why and how to stop it

- Wrong detangling methods can lead to unnecessary pain and breakage. To make things easier, try to prevent tangles from happening in the first place and maybe try switching over to fingerdetangling. Here's how to fingerdetangle right.

- Don't think your current moisturiser is doing its work, here's how to make your own. A crucial step in keeping your hair moisturised is sealing. Here's what sealing is and how to seal effectively. You can try the LOC step which is explained in more details in this post

- Still having moisturising issues, it will be good add moisturising deep conditioning treatments into your washday as often as you can and follow up with daily moisturising.

Useful deep conditioning treatments include:

    Manshanu aka cow ghee deep treatment

    Palm oil deep treatment

    This effective DIY deep treatment

I've also used some deep conditioners that worked for me. Recommendations include

Cantu Deep Treatment Masque and Shea Moisture African Black Soap Purification Masque

You can also do the green house treatment midweek to prevent loss of moisture.

Please let me know if you have any more concerns that hasn't been dealt with and if you have any tips and tricks, please to feel free to share.

Till I spill again,

Hadassah A.

Hi guys, what's been on?

 I haven't blogged on here because Instagram...lol!

It's super easy to upload a picture on Instagram so I'm there most of the time!

You can check me here!

I've sha missed sitting behind the computer and sharing my deepest thoughts about my hair, life and products I've used without trying to summarise them like I do on Instagram.

I've also created a YouTube channel so I can make detailed videos about my hair care process or even share a bit of myself and what I do besides natural hair care.

I'd love it if you subscribe so I won't be talking to myself...lol!

Anywhoo, I tried out a lot of new natural hair products recently....especially from Nigerian brands.

While I used some Nigerian products that damaged my hair, I also discovered some gems that have made it to my holy grail products.

Today's review will be about ShanyiOrganics hair products.

On Instagram, they kindly reached out to send some of their products for me to try out.

They sent me these:

As usual, I'd be giving you my unbiased review of their products....so prepare for a long post!!! ☺

MY HAIR TYPE

My natural hair is 4b/4c with high porosity fine textured strands. It is 20 inch in length with medium density.

My major issues when caring for my hair are:

• Breakage especially as my hair strands are longer and older. I also have color in my hair.
• Dryness due to high porosity and sprinkles of grey hair
• Tangles due to thinness of my strands and high shrinkage rate.

I love products that tackle these issues effectively.

THE REVIEW 

Unlike lots of Nigerian made shampoos tend to be, this shampoo isn't black soap based! Yayyy!

I explained why you shouldn't use black soap on your natural hair.

The chalky green shampoo has a watery consistency. I was afraid that one slip up and I'd spill the whole bottle!

I wasn't a fan of the fragrance which is reminiscent of toothpaste.

On wash days, I love my bathroom to smell like a tropical paradise...it's the only way I can be motivated to go through with it.

😂😂😂

Discouraging fragrance aside, the shampoo was very moisturising...I never experredit!

It foamed well but not like a sulfate shampoo would! 

It didn't leave my hair feeling dry or tangled after rinsing.

Price: N3000
Size: 8oz
Product promise: 

Reduce your shedding ‘hair ball’ from a tennis ball size to NOTHING! Breakage Be Gone, For Good! This botanical infused smoothie is specifically formulated with strength boosting ingredients and herb extracts to reinforce the hair cuticle, revitalizes damaged and weak hair and fosters a healthier and stronger hair.

Ingredients:

This product was weird and I'll tell you why in a bit.....

Let's start with the positives.

The smoothie has a thick creamy consistency like whipped butter.
I liked that it is manshanu based. Manshanu  is derived from cow milk and does wonders for dry hair.
  Here's my review of manshanu and why it's a good ingredient for moisturised hair.

Again, the fragrance put me off!

It was a cross between spoilt milk and toothpaste. I didn't like it at all.

Curious to see if it performed better than it smelt... I kept using it.

It went onto my hair smoothly but I noticed it didn't have much slip ....and being a tangle baby, I need me some slip!

Now here's the weird bit...it numbed my scalp and fingers.
 It was so strange...like a topical anesthetic agent was applied!
 When I noticed the loss of sensation, I raked my comb through my scalp trying to feel a little pain but all I felt was numbness. 

I thought it was all in my head until a friend tested it and noticed the same thing. 

I checked the ingredient list to see if there was a numbing agent... perhaps to prevent discomfort during detangling but there wasn't any.

Biko, has anyone else experienced this while using this product???

3. Knot Free Moisturising Milk Shake

Price: N2500
Size: 8oz
Product promise:

Knots and Tangles melts like ice with this ‘Milk Shake’. Soft, moisturized hair ISSA GOAL! Our Moisturizing & Detangling Leave In Conditioner softens your hair for easy manageability, improves hair elasticity to drastically reduce hair breakage when detangling and revives dry, dull and brittle hair by deeply moisturizing, nourishing, and strengthening hair strands.

Ingredients:

This is a leave in conditioner.
 It smelt way better than the first two...a little like the shampoo but milder.
 It is silicone free, mineral oil free and paraben free.
The key ingredients are coconut milk and aloe vera.

The coconut milk reminded me of an experiment I did to check if coconut milk and lemon juice could naturally straighten Type 4 hair.

Fun fact!
I can splurge on leave in conditioners because I don't have to rinse it out..... it's less painful to spend a lot of money on....lol.

With the ingredients my hair loves in this particular leave in, I was expecting it to be moisturising and have good slip for daily use.

Buuuuutttttt,  I'll just say that this is not a leave in conditioner I'd reach out for when my hair is dry, tangly and needs a pick me up.
It did little for my hair.

4. Curls Delight Curl Sculpting Souffle 

Price:N3000
Size: 8oz
Product promise: 

Getting bouncy, soft defined curls has never been this delightful! Poppin’ curls is your birthright, GO GET IT! Our Curl Sculpting Soufflé is a frizz free, non sticky PH balanced formula that gives you moisture rich, shiny and bouncy ultra defined curls while acting as an excellent moisture sealant.

Ingredients:

Like the deep conditioning smoothie, this product is creamy and thick but unlike it, this souffle smells way better.
It smells a bit like bubble gum with some mint in it.

Of all the products I was sent, this Souffle was my favourite on my hair.
 It did everything that was promised. 

Moisture: Check!

Slip: Check!

Ease of styling: Yes yes yesss!

Curl definition: yup yup yuppy yup!

I was super proud of myself for not just giving up on this line! 

In fact, this is one of the best products I've used this year and I'm saying this with all of my small chest!!!

I used just the Souffle and a leave in to achieve this uber moisturised curly do!

5. Growth Magic Hair and Scalp Oil

Price: N3500
Size: 8oz
Product Promise: 

This herbal infused ‘Growth magic’ is everything you need for itch-free scalp and thick healthy ‘Rapunzel kinda-hair’!

It is formulated to reduce hair loss and breakage, revive weak & damaged hair, stimulate healthy blood circulation in the scalp region, and promotes healthy hair growth.

Ingredients:

I'm wary of all these companies that claim their hair growth oil will give super fast hair growth in like 3 days!!!

Most of these oils do not even contain active ingredients scientifically proven to stimulate cell regeneration needed to grow hair.

I applaud this company for not making dubious claims. 

The ingredients listed can achieve what the product promises.

For example, the main carrier oil for the herbs is palm kernel oil. This oil is similar in composition to coconut oil. I have nicknamed it Nigerian Black Palm Kernel oil and wrote a post on why you should choose this oil in your quest for better length retention 

I absolutely enjoyed using this oil during the harmattan months and when my hair was straightened. It did prevent breakage. 

I don't usually have itchy scalp but I used it on a client with itchy scalp and it worked like a charm.

As for stimulation of the scalp, the tingle from the mint does the job.

Overall with less breakage, calm scalp and stimulation, I can see how one can retain length for longer hair. 

I use it in the following order ...Oil then leave in and cream...O.L.C. so to speak. 

6. Moisture King Daily Hair Juice

Price: N2500
Size: 8oz
Product promise:

Wake up your curls daily with a dose of this ‘thirst quenching juice’.

It leaves your curls refreshed, hydrated and ready to slay the day!

A Spray A Day, Keeps Your Curls Awake. Infused with deep moisturizing plant extracts and essentials oils that help keeps itchy scalp and lingering odor at bay.

Ingredients:

This is the hygienic version of your water and conditioner mix in a spray bottle! 

Guys, if your DIY mix is 3 days old....throw it away and wash your spray bottle with bleach or disinfectant. Your 3 day mix has been a lovely breeding ground for bacteria!

The difference between this product and your DIY mix is 'preservative'.
 Preservatives prevent the growth of bacteria. By diluting your conditioner in water, you weaken the preservative it originally had.

This spray mist is lightweight and doesn't leave the hair feeling sticky. I didn't mind the fragrance of this one so much but it could be better. 

Mint and lavender essential oil is a tricky mix and can smell medicinal if not done well.
Unfortunately, the nozzle wasn't working and I had to transfer the contents to another spray bottle.
I used it as a curl refresher. 

Ehennn....I'm done with my review.

Here's a summary of my favourite products in this line....

If you read my review from the beginning, you deserve a medal....or wait...how about a giveaway of my favourite products?

What would you like to try???

Also, if you've tried this line, I'd love to read about your experience in the comments section!