It's a Fro-liday!!

The fro and I are on holiday!! For the first time since I went natural, I've decided to give myself and my hair a break and braid it up. 

After visiting a few braiders, the incredulous looks I was given when I asked if they could use no blowdryer AND no comb persuaded me to do my own hair. Something I swore years ago I would never do again. And now I remember why. 

Post-Baby Shedding And Regrowth

see the shorter hairs?

Over the last year or so, I have  gradually noticed what I can only describe as a kinky halo all over my head. It's more noticeable along the part lines and it means my hair never looks neat; after a few days of wearing flat twists or two strand twists, especially if I wet my hair in between, my head is covered in kinky little knots which make the style look weeks rather than days old. Drives me mad. On top of that, now that my hair has got longer, it is much more noticeable (to me at least) that my roots are thicker than my ends, no matter how many trims I do.

Protective styles vs Low Manipulation Styles

My hair journey has taught me lots of things. The most important of these is that my hair doesn't do well open. On the few occasions I have dared to wear an Afro or a puff, it has turned into a shrunken, tangled, single-strand-knotted mess by the end of the day. Detangling after always involves a tearing sound that pierces my length-chasing heart and I usually have to follow with a trim. Not good.

Does this mean I never wear my hair open?

3 Trimming Practices That Are Losing You Length

Traditionally, black women have struggled to grow hair past a certain point and most are therefore deathly afraid of scissors, afraid to lose a single inch, even if the hair is thin and damaged.  

source: curlynikki

The irony of not trimming your hair is that saving all that dead length can actually have a negative impact on your length retention. Trimming doesn't technically encourage growth but it removes split ends, damaged cuticles and single strand knots which means less breakage which in term means longer hair. But there are occasions when trimming hair the wrong way is just as detrimental as not trimming at all:

New Coconut Oil In Stores Now!

ZThere seems to be a coconut oil shortage in Nairobi. Which is really frustrating because it's not like we're importing the stuff. Particularly sad to me is the fact that Coast Coconut Farms has apparently taken a large international order and can't service their local market until December. Shame on you Coast Coconut! 

So I've been on the hunt for a new coconut oil. A few months ago I stumbled across this oil but my sister pilfered it before I even got it home and when I went back to the shop they were gone. 

I came across it again recently in Nakumatt Karen so I bought a few bottles and I LOVE it. It's from Navida Foods and it smells and tastes gorgeous! It's cold pressed so it as not to lose any of its nutritional value. It went onto my hair like butter, leaving it silky after my prepoo and was very affordable (Kshs 575/- for 750ml). Love. 

The drought is over. 

Update: Email response from Navida:

Dear Nina

Thank you for your interest in our virgin coconut oil and we are happy to hear all feed back from our oil.

You can find it in Nakumatt stores around the country, Elixir in Westlands, Organic Farmers market in Karen, Healthy U has our premium oil under their own label. I hope you have success and will enjoy the oil.

Navida Natural Foods

+254 787265966 - +447766003064

www.navidafoods.com

Hard, Dry Hair? Understanding Porosity Can Help You Fix It

Porosity is a word I've been seeing around since the start of my journey and I just never really got it. It seemed too science-y and complicated and I couldn't be bothered with understanding it. When people talked about having low or high porosity hair, I glazed over. 

photo credit: cheezburger.com

When I started my blog and wrote this article, I really wanted to include porosity but I couldn't seem to formulate my thoughts coherently; all the reading I'd done on it was floating around in a jumble in my head. So I gave up even trying. 

Until about a year later when I was shingling a friend's hair and had to wet it before we proceeded. I started spraying with gusto and was astonished when she had to get up to get a towel because the water was running down her face and neck. I know I have a heavy hand but this was El Niño-esque. Even after letting it sit for 5 minutes, her hair didn't seem to have absorbed much water. If anything, most of it was sitting in beads on top of her hair. 

My hair, in contrast, soaks up any drop of moisture it comes across. Whether I want it to or not. Yet I struggled with chronic dryness for a long time, despite twice daily remoisturising sessions. 

This, my friends, was the dreaded porosity in action. 

Product Review: Part 2: Qhemet Biologics Burdock Root Butter Cream

In Part 1 of the Qhemet series I reviewed their Amla & Olive Oil Heavy Cream. In Part two, we will be comparing the Burdock Root Butter Cream.

The Good, The Bad And The Ugly of Natural Hair

1. When you do a twist out and in your head it was going to turn out like this..

photo credit: frostoppa.com

...and instead it turns out like this..

photo credit: workingwithmckinsey.blogspot.com

5 Common Mistakes New Naturals Make

Its all very exciting going natural. Exciting and scary. Most of us have no clue what our hair texture is because we've had it relaxed so long and before that, our mums or hairdressers always did our hair. So off we go on our natural journey, determined to make it work. Or die trying.

photo credit: thecurlyqueen

Here are the five most common mistakes new naturals make. I've made them all. And then some.

A Lazy Natural's Hair Regimen

I've been neither down, nor out. Just focused on my fitness, which I had started letting slide.

yes we do!

The result? I have streamlined my hair practices. Those who know me know I'm a product junkie. I believe the (marketing) hype. I'm always looking for the Holy Grail. I. Love. Stuff. Love it. But the last three months I've been trying to finish up or give away all the surplus products I've been hoarding. As a result, I've also worked out that I didn't need half the stuff I had. I think I've succeeded in trimming the fat, health wise and hair wise. My hair regimen is now quicker, simpler and easier than it ever was. Leaving me more time to focus on other things.