Curls R Us; Irene is Ab Fab!

My name is Irene Odipo Loderick, 36 years old, from Kenya, East Africa but currently living in the UK with my family. I have been fully natural for three years now and enjoying the journey while learning more and more about my hair.

I was a slow transitioner. Prior to wearing my natural hair out, I lived in weaves for a great deal of my life; from my early twenties into my thirties. I felt naked without a weave! I had to relax my hair so it could blend in with the weave of choice, which, at the time, were always long and silky. Then, three years ago, i just got tired of relaxers and weaves.  I was tired of being just another weaved-up clone walking down the street!
All black women were beginning to look alike, with seemingly the same wig plastered on their heads and I just wanted to break free from the ‘norm.’ I wanted to be free to be me, not worried or paranoid that someone standing behind me would be trying to discern my tracks. At my age, it was really important for me to become comfortable with who I truly was, and that meant embracing every aspect of myself.

 My hair leans more towards the curly side but can be poofy and fluffy. It is quite fine but, at the same time, is cottony and has a tendency to fluff up with no product in it. The texture is not uniform throughout my head; I have a section of hair in the back left of my head that is usually very dry and can be uncooperative. I have to give it much more TLC and it seems to be coming round now and willing to behave.

I wash my hair once a week and condition it after every wash. I usually prepoo the night before, using Vatika Oil or, in the absence of this, just plain old coconut oil. The next morning, my hair is already softened so I finger detangle then wash it using Creme of Nature Sulfate Free Shampoo. I rinse this off using warm water and then twice a month I will condition my hair using a mixture of Full Fat Natural Yoghurt and Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Conditioner for about half an hour under a shower cap, or I use Vitale Hair Mayonnaise to deep condition again for half an hour under a shower cap. I rinse my conditioner off using cold water,spray aloe vera juice onto my damp hair and seal with my whipped Shea Butter mix. Once a month, instead of using Sulfate Free Shampoo, I use Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Shampoo to wash my hair just to make sure that my hair is cleaned quite thoroughly of potential build up; it does not affect my hair negatively so I'm quite happy with that. I'm fortunate enough that the products I use on my hair are readily available at my local Corner Shop just a five minute walk from my house! If at all I might need something that they do not have, I can always get it online on Amazon.

I wear my hair in a bun almost 90 percent of the time. Sometimes, if I have a special occasion, I will do a wash and go using just whipped Shea Butter. I'm not too big on styling products any more as, over time, I have watered my product use down to the point that i'm almost back to basics. I wash my hair and, when it’s damp, mist it with Aloe Vera Juice and seal it with whipped Shea Butter infused with Almond Oil, Coconut oil and Olive oil and leave it to dry. After about two hours, I have a nice fluffy wash and go which I wear just for the occasion but once I'm back home, my hair goes straight back into a bun. I am, however, not impartial to styling my hair and recently started my YouTube Channel where I share a lot of original styling ideas.

I am glad to say that I am truly happy with my hair in its natural state. For me, it's the freedom of being a natural that now allows me to comfortably sit or stand infront of people without worrying about what they may see! I'm free to be me and there is nothing better than that!

For unique natural hair styling ideas, chit chat and so much more, please connect with me on my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/KenyanMystic      

Karibuni!