Product Review: Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Masque

I have upped my deep conditioning game and now instead of doing it when I remember, I make a point to do one every 7-10 days. I'm now all about the DCs and that's all I have been buying and trying recently. This masque was top of my list and I couldn't wait to use it.

Price:

This is one of the few products readily available locally and I bought it for KES 1,590/-. I thought this was quite a reasonable price seeing as it retails on Shea Moisture's website for $12.99 (or approximately KES 1,200/-) so factoring in overheads and profit, it is only a modest markup. It is quite dense so you can probably get three uses out of it, four or more if you mix it with other products so it is good value for money.

Natural Hair Poetry

By Wambui JL

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Monday's hair is a full Afro,

Tuesday's hair a Wash & Go,

Wednesday's hair is Twisted Out,

Thursday's frizz will make you doubt,

Friday's hair is full of zest,

Saturday's hair will be a test!

But the hair on Sunday is co washed, LOC'd, loved and is the best!

M.A.C Launch Party!

My Big Fat Afro blagged an invite to the exclusive MAC launch party at The Capital Club last night. The hair situation was a complete fail: bantu knot out fro-hawk was the plan. Instead, I took a left turn at Frizz City and ended up high bunning it. It's official, I'm in a style-rut. The party, however...was epic. Fun Was Had.  My rubbish phone camera and I were in full stalkerazzi mode. These grainy-ass pics are killing me though! Dear Santa...I need a camera...

Are 4C Hair Bloggers Boring?

I'll just say off the bat that I don't generally hair type. There are far more relevant factors to take into account than curl pattern. But for argument's sake, I'm going to say I'm 4C. 

When I first went natural, I really didn't understand hair typing so I just followed the popular bloggers, specifically, Naptural85 and Kimmaytube (Newbies be like 'who?'). And I believed that my hair could do the same things theirs could. Well. I was wrong. Not only couldn't it, it didn't even want to try. (I still cringe at my attempts at shingling). It finally twigged that my hair was totally different and that I had to find someone with the same texture as mine before I committed haircide and went back to the crack. 

Cue massive stumbling block. I couldn't find anyone. These days, there are a few kicking about but back then, it was tumbleweed as far as 4C bloggers went. I did find those who sorta-kinda-looked-like-mine but they still had curls. Or rather coils.

And my hair doesn't. It doesn't curl or coil or clump.It's edges won't be laid and it can't wash and go. In fact, it's pretty much like having a stroppy teenager growing out of your head. It just wants to be left alone. *slams door* If I do try to force it, it punishes me by matting and tangling and knotting and drying up. My 4C hair may look tough as nails but is very fragile. To make it even more challenging, my strands are fine, therefore lots of handling = lots of breakage. So I learned that, in order to keep it happy and make my life easier, I needed to severely minimise how much I handled it.

Homemade Moisture DCs Do NOT Work!

So lately I've been looking into making my own products for home use. I'm pretty lazy so this is purely because, until local brands have more of a presence, it is hard to come by natural-friendly products locally that are affordable.

My foray into DIYing led me to sites that broke down the chemical composition of conditioners etc. Although I have had to shelve the idea of homemade water-based products as the chemicals simply aren't available here, my research has given me a better understanding of how different conditioners are formulated to do different things.

In order for something to be considered a conditioner, it has to have a conditioning agent/emulsifer (among other things of course) like any -ium chloride coupled with a fatty acid, for example. Leave in conditioners have the smallest percentage of these, at only about 1%, followed by rinse-out conditioners (like Tresemme), which have an average of 3-4%. For Deep Treatments, that percentage rises to 7-9%. Based on this, it stands to reason that mixing a rinse-out conditioner with oils and humectants to give it extra oompf only serves to dilute the percentage of what little conditioning agent it has in the first place, meaning not only are you NOT deep conditioning, you're not even regular conditioning. Technically, the same reasoning should also apply to mixing a purpose-made deep treatment.

How To Stay Sane While Finger Detangling

There's no question about it, finger detangling is the biz. It dramatically reduces breakage caused by combs and brushes. And the less breakage you have, the less split ends are likely to form, the better your hair health and the more length you retain overall. But damn if it isn't a pain in the buttocks. 

Let's face it. Gently separating 150,000 (don't quote me) strands of hair one at a time to remove shed and broken hairs is not for the faint hearted. Yes non-naturals and naturals who comb, pick your jaws off the ground; that is literally what we do.

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To prevent the loss of any marbles during the process, here are a few tips on how to keep finger detangling as mentally palatable as possible:

Which Natural Are You? *Warning: Will cause offence*

1. The Product Junkie

The most common of the species, the Product Junkie, or 'PJ', is often found trawling beauty aisles looking for their next fix. PJs always acknowledge that they are PJs but rarely admit how much they actually spend on their habit. Any amount the PJ confesses to spending on products should be multiplied by 10 to get a more realistic idea. PJs will ALWAYS know what the latest, most desirable, most exclusive product or gadget on the scene is. And they will usually own it, or go bankrupt trying.

2. The OG

Easily identified by the bored look on their faces and the barely controlled irritation in their voices, OGs are those rare creatures that have been natural FO' EVER! Before natural was cool. Yeah, they're those people. Should you be brave enough to try and impart some of your new-found wisdom to an OG, you will be shot down faster than you can say 'Black Hawk Down'. The OG anthem features lines like 'I've been using Dax Pomade forever and my hair is fine'. If your paths should cross, duck your silicone-free head and cross the road, quickly!

3. The Oil Slick

Also known as 'The Heavy Hand', the oil slick can easily be tracked by the stains they leave on every chair, wall and pillowcase that crosses their path. Usually sporting a greasy forehead with a generous sprinkling of resulting acne, the oil slick eats 'dime-sized' for lunch and causes an environmental crisis every time they go swimming.

How To Avoid Long Wash Days

Wow. It's been a minute since I've had a three-day wash-day but I just finished a marathon session that has left me reeling (albeit with cottony-soft hair).

Day 1: (evening) Prepooed with coconut oil. I decided to do a proper full-head, dry, finger-detangle at the same time since I was already sitting around with obscene amounts of oil in my hair. It ended up being worse than death by a thousand paper cuts as my poor planning meant I hadn't bought something trashy to occupy me and, worse, it was hubby's remote night (long story) so I had to endure hours of 'Deadliest Catch', football and boring intellectual stuff like news. Finally finished and had to go to bed in a shower cap (ran out of cling film) to avoid messing up my pillowcase with my greasy head.

Day 2: (crack of dawn) shampooed with Kinky Curly Come Clean (I love this stuff) and was conditioning when I thought 'heck! why not do a henna gloss'. Since I was too lazy to rinse out the conditioner, I slapped on a shower cap (again), mixed the henna and let it 'cook' while I went about my day.

Fierce Fridays!!

braidout!

night-time matutas :)

Name: Monica Kaburu

Age: 41

Hometown: Palermo - Sicily

Favourite Item Of Clothing: Scarves of all sorts, sandals and ethnic jewellery

Can't Live Without: My three special little kids, What would my life be without them? So empty! They give a sense to my life and to all my sacrifices. Everything is worth it.

Country I Most Want to Visit: In addition to going back to Kenya as many times as possible, a tour of Central and South America would be great!

Style Icon: All those ladies around the world who work for women's rights and fight against oppression. Their style is in their character, in their personality, and in the work they put into what they believe. From the famous faces to the common woman on the street; from Isabel Allende to Rigoberta Menchu. From Mother Teresa of Calcutta to Tracy Chapman.

Hair Tip: My Hair represents my mood. In my natural look, I find the grit and determination to face life with strength, energy and intensity. I feel authentic, genuine and original. I feel self-confident.  I am myself!

Is Battery Water Safe For Natural Hair?

yes, that says premium car care
and yes, thats a picture of a car battery

I posted on my page a few days ago about running out of my usual distilled water which I buy from the pharmacy and turning to my car's battery water as a substitute from my spritz.

Quite frankly, I was surprised by everyone's surprise at this. I've been driving (legally and not so legally) for 20 odd years and been a car owner for about 15 so I know a thing or two about cars. Like literally just a thing or two; I'm no car whiz. And one of those two things is that the water that goes into your car battery isn't just regular old water. It should be distilled or deionised.

Whats the difference?

Not much.

Product Testers Wanted!

old products

Harvest of Sunshine shut up shop to reformulate their products and will be launching their new look and new products soon. 

They are currently looking for product testers for their new range of products, namely:

• Hair and Body Buttercream
• Hair and Body Heavy Cream
• Leave-in Conditioner
• Deep Treatment
• Styler

If you would like to be one of their product testers, please comment on the post here. 

Fierce Fridays!

Name: Thandeka Buthelezi

Age: 27

Home: Ennerdale in the South of Johannesburg

Favourite Item Of Clothing: High-Waisted Black Pants. And then of course, I love ALL my dresses! (Can't live without a good dress).

Can't Live Without: Makeup! I am a natural girl but I love all things Makeup. Must have: Revlon Colourstay Foundation.

Style Icon: Solange. I wouldn't say she inspires my look but she has a unique sense of style that she pulls off effortlessly. She wears whatever she wants and looks gorge every time.

Hair Tip: Do what you want to do! Do what makes you feel good about your hair and about yourself. If you want to cut it, go ahead. It'll grow back. Never worry about what the next person thinks and most of all, appreciate your natural hair texture. 

Dear White People: Afro Wigs Are Not A Costume

Yeah. I totally stole the movie title.

this one came under 'costumes for halloween wigs'

I went to a themed party about a month ago where the dress-code was 'Wear A Hat'. Easy enough. I borrowed a hard-hat from my brother even though it matched nothing I wore because I thought it was funny. Plus I don't own any hats. I got to the party and there was a lot of head gear on display, extravagant day-at-the-races hats, some arab-style scarves but by far, the most popular headpieces were .. afro wigs. At least half the people at the party were wearing them! I shouldn't be surprised really; I've been to a lot of fancy dress parties (blame my husband) and afro wigs never fail to make an appearance, no matter how tenuous the link to the actual theme may be. It never really bothered me before; I felt mild irritation but guess I just never took my hair that seriously. A turning point, however, was when I first went natural and went to a 60s night with my real hair and everyone was super amused that I had an actual afro. Me, not so much.

6 Diet And Exercise Aids You Shouldn't Be Without

1. My Fitness Pal

This is a 'free calorie-counter, diet and exercise tracker'. And it is precisely that. Even for those of you who don't like to count calories, this is a fantastic tool for keeping you accountable. It is so easy to discount those three chips you ate off your child's plate, or that handful of nuts you grabbed on your way out of the door, or that teaspoon (or 7) of dessert you devoured tasted when hubby was having his post-dinner treat but those little things add up! More than just calorie counting, it also helps you understand your exercise in relation to your eating and see how and where to make improvements. 

Pros: I have tried a number of diet trackers over the years and this is definitely one of the best. Firstly it's FREE (we like free things), has a humongous food database (they even have local foods like mukimo etc and can help you customise and track your macronutrient content; basically, for those of us on high protein diets, this works wonders. You can use it online via their website or download it as an app on your phone and input as you go.

Cons: The exercise database can be a little hard to work with when you do weights or circuits but I use a heart rate monitor which eliminates this problem.

Leading me nicely into my second favourite tool.

I Did An Ethiopian Butter Treatment And I Loved It!

By Wambui JL of  wambuijl.com

If you're squeamish about fine tooth combs, sulphate laden shampoos, silicon gels, mineral oil, brushing of wet hair and excess heat on your hair...kindly look away.

I've heard about Ethiopian Butter treatments and how wonderful they are for natural hair. I mean it has to be good because I am yet to see limp, dry, sparse Ethiopian hair (though I hear they volumize with weaves). So when my friend told me about this place that does it (affordably), I thought it would be a good treat for my 6-month, DC-starved hair.

I rocked up, was cordially invited in and. because my hair was already clean, she immediately applied some cream coloured gunk of oil that smelled of fermented milk or butter. I asked her if this was ghee and she said that it's the first butter you get after you curdle milk. The ghee in supermarkets is over processed. I was sold...that's natural as natural gets. She also applied some on my face, after spotting my acne scars. 

A few minutes later I was under the steamer wiping oil from my eyes. However, once done, my hair & face felt like butter (pun intended).

Thereafter, things went south.

And The Winners Are.....

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The winners of My Big Fat Afro's First Birthday Giveaway Bonanza are: (all prices are in KES and valued as they are sold locally)

1. Kimberley Ogembo -  Black Butterfly: Wash, Treat and Set; Value 5,000/-

2. Marie Koinange - Urembo: Wash, Treat and Set; Value 4,500/-

3. Sidy Nduta - Hair Master Alex: Wash, Treat and Set; Value 3,500/-

4. Betty Ouma - Afro Siri - Wash, Treat and Set; Value 3,500/-

5. Evarita Kamau - Wash, Treat and Set; Value 2,500/-

6. Lydia Mumina - Amadiva: Wash, Treat and Set; Value 2,500/-

7. Pauline Macharia - Gift Hamper from FlexiCurl Value 3,800/- containing:
Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Moisture Retention Shampoo 13 oz/264 ml
Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Moisture Retention Conditioner 13 oz/264 ml
Amla Powder
Shikakai Powder

To purchase more products from FlexiCurl, Contact Esther Maina on 0721 998 299

8. Myra A. Tuju - Gift Set from My Big Fat Afro Value: 3,800/- containing:
Kinky Curly Knot Today Leave-in/Detangler 8 oz/236 ml
Kinky Curly Come Clean Shampoo 8 oz/236 ml

From my own personal stash boo!

9. Namboka Belinda M - Gift Hamper from Harvest of Sunshine Approximate Value 3,000/-*                    
10. Wanjiru Chege - Gift Hamper from Harvest of Sunshine Approximate Value 3,000/-*  

*Harvest of Sunshine is currently rebranding and will be relaunching their new product line later this year. Products and product value to be confirmed closer to the time.

11. Caroline Nyawira - Gift Hamper from Ciku Beauty Value 2,900/- containing:
Cantu Shea Butter Leave-in Conditioning Repair Cream 16 oz/473 ml
Tropic Isle Living Jamaican Black Castor Oil 8 oz/236ml
Micro Fibre Towel

To purchase more products from Ciku Beauty, Contact Phoebe on 0722 330 765

12. Aida Gathoni Njage
13. Brenda Ndekei
14. Linda Okullu
15. Ciiru Ndirangu
16. Wakonyu Murage

Gift Set from Unilever Value 1690/- containing: Tresemme Naturals Shampoo 25 oz/739 ml
                                                                             Tresemme Naturals Conditioner 25 oz/739 ml

17. Shiro Njogu: Gift Set from Awali Naturals Value 1200/- containing:
Awali Naturals Golden Butter
Awali Naturals Callendula Soothing Balm

To purchase more products from Ciku Beauty, Contact Marion on 0724 061 890
                           
18. Wambui JL - Giovanni Direct Leave-In Value 1190/-

19. Muna Shako
20. Faith Kamiri
21. Faith Mbushi Wanjiku
22. Christine Denoon
23. Sandi Gathuru

Navida Virgin Coconut Oil 750ml Value 575/-

To collect your prize, please send an email to mybigfatafro@gmail.com with your name as it appears above in the subject line and the prize you are getting in the message body.                          
                             

Day 8: Meal Plan and Exercise

MY MEAL PLAN*:

Wednesday 8th October 2014
Breakfast	Omelet:   1 Egg Yolk 3 Egg Whites  ½ Red & Green Pepper 1 Babybel Cheese 1 tsp coconut oil	330 Calories
Snack	100g Yoghurt 1/2 scoop Whey	151 Calories
Lunch	Cheese & Bean Quesadillas 1 wholemeal Tortilla 1/2 cup black or kidney beans (cooked) 20 g cheese	304 Calories
Snack	I Green Apple I tablespoon No added Sugar/Salt Peanut Butter	148 Calories
Dinner	Fish Curry: 170g Red Snapper 50g Courgettes 80ml coconut milk 1/2 can chopped tomatoes Curry Powder	325 Calories
Post-workout Shake	1 Scoop Whey Protein (I use USN Whey Plus in Vanilla) 50ml Milk 1 small Banana 2 cups spinach	247 Calories
Water	2630+ ml	0 Calories
If you work out, make sure you consume extra calories		1505 Calories Protein 124g

EXAMPLE WORKOUT: Ab-athon

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Day 7: Meal Plan and Exercise

MY MEAL PLAN*:

Monday 6th October 2014
Breakfast	Oats: 50g Porridge Oats 50ml Low Fat Milk Cinnamon 1 tsp Honey 1 Scoop Whey	373 Calories
Snack	30g Chicken Pate 2 Crispbreads	173 Calories
Lunch	Chicken Salad 150g Grilled Chicken 20g Avocado 20g Feta Cheese 100g Salad Leaves Balsamic or Apple Cider Vinegar	309 Calories
Snack	50g Cottage Cheese 50g Pineapple 1 Crisp Bread	113 Calories
Dinner	150g Baked Red Snapper Steamed Veg	200 Calories
Post-workout Shake	1 Scoop Whey Protein (I use USN Whey Plus in Vanilla) 50ml Milk 1 small Banana 2 cups spinach	247 Calories
Water	2630+ ml	0 Calories
If you work out, make sure you consume extra calories		1550 Calories Protein 154g

EXAMPLE WORKOUT: Killer Fat Burn

Day 6: Meal Plan and Exercise

MY MEAL PLAN*:

Monday 6th October 2014
Breakfast	Scrambled Eggs on Toast: 2 eggs 50ml Low Fat Milk 1 tsp olive oil 40 g smoked salmon 1 wholegrain toast 1 tsp butter	387 Calories
Snack	50g hummus Raw Carrots and Celery Cut into sticks	184 Calories
Lunch	Cheese & Bean Quesadillas 1 wholemeal Tortilla 1/2 cup black or kidney beans (cooked) 20 g cheese	304 Calories
Snack	10g Almonds 10g Raisins 10g Sunflower Seeds	153 Calories
Dinner	Tofu Stir-fry: 150g Tofu 1 tsp sesame oil Assorted Veg	402 Calories
Post-workout Shake	1 Scoop Whey Protein (I use USN Whey Plus in Vanilla) 100g Natural Yoghurt 15 Grapes	314 Calories
Water	2630+ ml	0 Calories
If you work out, make sure you consume extra calories		1598 Calories Protein 95g

EXAMPLE WORKOUT: Killer Abs

Day 5: Meal Plan and Exercises

MY MEAL PLAN*:

Sunday 5th October 2014
Breakfast	Breakfast Smoothie: 1/2 Cup Strawberries 30g Raw Oats 150g Natural Yoghurt 1/2 cup low fat milk	346 Calories
Snack	Cheese on toast: 1 slice wholegrain bread 1 babybel cheese	141 Calories
Lunch	100g Tuna Sashimi 100g Salmon Sashimi 1 Miso Soup	285 Calories
Snack	1/2 Cantaloupe Melon 50g Cottage Cheese	148 Calories
Dinner	150g Chicken & Vegetable Stew	402 Calories
Post-workout Shake	1 Scoop Whey Protein (I use USN Whey Plus in Vanilla) 50g Strawberries 50ml low fat milk 1 Tbsp Peanut Butter	302 Calories
Water	2630+ ml	0 Calories
If you work out, make sure you consume extra calories		1583 Calories Protein 105g

EXAMPLE WORKOUT: The 100

Day 4: Meal Plan

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MY MEAL PLAN:

Saturday 4th October 2014
Breakfast	Ham Salad Sandwich" 100g Cooked Ham 2 Slices Wholegrain Bread 10g Wholegrain Mustard Salad Leaves	294 Calories
Snack	100g Yoghurt 1/2 scoop Whey	151 Calories
Lunch	My Favourite! Quinoa, Chickpea, Spinach & Feta Salad: See recipe here. You can buy Quinoa from Healthy U	478 Calories
Snack	I Green Apple I tablespoon No added Sugar/Salt Peanut Butter	148 Calories
Dinner	Baked Stuffed Chicken Breast: I large breast 20g Ricotta Cheese Chopped Spinach (If you can get sun-dried tomatoes, add 1 chopped)	399 Calories
Post-workout Shake	1 Scoop Whey Protein (I use USN Whey Plus in Vanilla) 1 small banana 50ml low fat milk 1 or 2 cups raw baby spinach	302 Calories
Water	2630+ ml	0 Calories
If you work out, make sure you consume extra calories		1546 Calories Protein 128g

Day 4: Stretching: Why Skipping It Is Keeping You Fat

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Yes, I just dropped the F-bomb but I'm African. PC is something you surf the internet with.

Back to the topic at hand.

I know this seems like a cop-out post. I mean, you're in the swing of things and you don't want to lose your momentum by taking a whole day off to stretch. What a waste of calorie-burning time, right? 

Wrong.

Most exercise-related injuries are a result of not stretching enough, and when you're injured, you won't be working out anyway. Trust me, it's no fun! Yoga is great, for the few of us you who do it, but according to my sports therapist, you need to be stretching 20-40 minutes per session. Ain't nobody got time for that! As a compromise, he suggests one intense stretching session per week, not including any post-workout stretching or yoga you do. So, since it's Day 4 and I assume we've all been going gangbusters at this hurr challenge, I think we all deserve a lovely break stretch.

Why Stretching Is Important:

• Prevents injury
• Improves flexibility keeping you younger
• Relieves post-workout aches and pains 
• Corrects posture
• Lengthens muscles giving you a long, lean look
• Can be calming and relaxing after a hard workout

How to Stretch:

First things first, don't stretch cold muscles; you can do yourself an injury. Here is a five minute warm-up that you can incorporate into all your workouts:

Day 3: Meal Plan & Exercise

Day 3!! Woop woop! You should be well into the swing of things. The cravings for the things you have cut out will be peaking so make sure you have a good stock of healthy snack to munch on. Keep yourself busy and drink lots of water. If you're a late-night snacker like me, go to bed early!

MY MEAL PLAN:

Friday 3rd October 2014
Breakfast	Soaked Oats: 50g Rolled Oats 100g Natural Yoghurt 10g Almonds 10g Raisins	341 Calories
Snack	50g Cottage Cheese 2 Wholegrain Crisp Breads	148 Calories
Lunch	Mini Ham & Cheese Frittata	278 Calories
Snack	1 can Tuna in spring water 50g Yoghurt Chopped chives and spring onions seasoning 1 crispbread	214 Calories
Dinner	Thai Fish Red Curry: 170g Red Snapper 1 Tsp Thai Red Curry 50g Courgettes 80ml coconut milk 1 tsp coconut oil	221 Calories
Post-workout Shake	1 Scoop Whey Protein (I use USN Whey Plus in Vanilla) 1 small banana 50ml low fat milk 1 or 2 cups raw baby spinach	302 Calories
Water	2630+ ml	0 Calories
If you work out, make sure you consume extra calories		1510 Calories Protein 118g

EXAMPLE WORKOUT: Full Body Toner (you will need dumbbells for this)