Poofy in Puerto Rico

I don't know why Z never put this up, but I found it while browsing through our drafts posts and decided to share. I've been in the middle of exams for the past few weeks but I'll be back with posts and videos soon (if I make it out alive).

In the meantime, feast your eyes on the gorgeous Zara and our dear late Poofy (RIP boo).

A Natural Hair Workplace Challenge - Part 1

Source

Last week was a pretty interesting one for my hair. I've been on a protective styling kick for months, but one day, I got so tired of hiding my hair that I took out my week old twists to have a good frolic in my kinks. It was only meant to be for a day but I enjoyed it so much that I rocked out with my fro out for a week. What's more, I changed my hairstyle every day that week.

Some of you asked me in the past how the reception of my hair here compares to its reception in Nigeria. Part of my hair challenge last week was to find out how far I could push it here.

If you read my previous posts about my time in Nigeria, you will remember that I was criticized constantly in my white collar job for having natural hair. It didn't matter what style my hair was in, it just seemed to really bug them. Bear in mind that my hair was in twists most of the time and was never out at work. But it just wasn't good enough for them.

Fast forward to here and now. I am working at the same type of job in the same type of environment. This time, I am the only non-caucasian person in my workplace. I am also the only woman in that office although I deal with a lot of female colleagues in other areas of the bank on a daily basis. I also go on client meetings and meetings with bank execs, etc.

Since I started working there, my hair has been in some variation of loose twists and has rarely, if ever, been out. So far, the reaction to my hair from my colleagues has been neutral to positive. Mostly they're just amazed at how many different ways I can style my hair, and how it never stays the same for long. I haven't gotten a single dirty look or snide comment. Not one.

So this past week I thought I would change it up by rocking a different style to work every day. I will talk about these and what I hoped to achieve in part 2.

Twist & Curl Tutorial on 4C Hair

Product Review - Let's Get Naked!

As you guys know, I live in Ireland which is a natural hair desert. It's tough to find even relaxed hair products in stores so you know I have a very tough time getting products for my hair. I end up having to pay ridiculous shipping costs to get things delivered or pestering people coming from Nigeria to bring me shea butter. For the longest time, I had to make do with this... until I discovered Naked.

Naked is an awesome body care company that produces body and hair care goodies that are sulfate, paraben and petrochemical free and at least 97% natural (the remaining 3% is made up of emulsifying agents and preservatives). They are great for people with sensitive skin issues and they smell divine! Divine! And for the icing on this yummy cake, it's super affordable! For example, the set pictured above consisting of full sized shampoo, conditioner and leave-in comes in a bundle that costs only £9 (about $14 or €10.50). That's for all three combined! These products aren't made specifically for people with afro textured hair, but they work fine on my hair.

I stumbled across this while shopping in Boots one day and I couldn't wait to take them home and try them. I've been using them for several months now and I don't think I'll be putting them out of rotation anytime soon. 

I'm gonna be reviewing the set pictured above, but they've got a good few different kinds to suit specific hair needs.

Naked Rescue Intensive Care Shampoo

Ingredients

Aqua , Cocamidopropyl betaine, Sodium cocoamphoacetate, Sodium lauroyl sarcosinate, Glyceryl oleate, Coco glucoside, Glycerin, Citric acid, Prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) extract, Helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed extract, Parfum, Guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, Wheat amino acids, Sodium hydroxymethylglycinate, Potassium sorbate, Sodium benzoate, Linalool, Coumarin

This shampoo looks like and has a similar consistency to any other clear shampoo but OMG it smells amazing. Like coconuts and some other essential oils that I can't quite place. Unlike a lot of other sulfate free conditioners, it lathers up really well and produces loads of satisfying suds. Fortunately, while your hair feels clean at the end of the wash, it doesn't feel stripped. Just clean and wonderful smelling. 

It isn't as rich as creamy sulfate free shampoos and doesn't provide slip. It does just what it's supposed to, which is clean your hair and scalp. Despite this, my hair doesn't feel as dry or tangled after shampooing with it as with other non-creamy shampoos and a little goes quite a long way.

Naked Rescue Intensive Care Conditioner

Ingredients

Aqua, Cetearyl alcohol, Brassicamidopropyl dimethylamine (derived from brassicacae oil), Olea europaea (olive) fruit oil, Butyrospermum parkii (shea) nut butter, Passion incarnata (passion) seed oil, Dicaprylyl ether, Glycerin, Lauryl Alcohol, Cocodimonium hydroxypropyl hydrolyzed wheat protein, Aspartic acid, Hydrxypropyl oxidized Starch PG-Trimonium Chloride, Starch hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, Sodium lactate, Sodium chloride, Parfum, Chlorphenesin, Urea, Citric acid, Coumarin, Linalool, Lactic acid.

This is a thick conditioner with almost a deep conditioner like consistency. It feels very rich and has the same amazing smell as the other products in this set. It also has a lot of slip.

While I like using this conditioner, I don't think it makes my hair feel significantly better than say Tresemmé or Herbal Essences conditioners. This is probably due to the fact that my hair has very low porosity and it is difficult for moisture to penetrate. This being said, my hair feels nice and conditioned after I use it, but not "butter soft". It smells amazing though and for the price and the fact that it's nearly all natural, I'm not mad at it.

Naked Style Little Miracle Leave in Conditioner

Ingredients

Aqua, Cetearyl alcohol, Polyquaternium-37, Hydrolyzed vegetable protein PG-Propyl Silanetriol, Brassicamidopropyl dimethylamine, Aspartic acid, Ceteareth-20, Dicaprylyl ether, Lauryl alcohol, Argania spinosa (Argan) oil, Butyrospermum parkii (Shea butter), Parfum, Tocopheryl acetate, Chlorphenesin, Benzyl alcohol, Dehydroacetic acid, Coumarin, Linalool.

This also smells gorgeous and is a handy little product. It is the consistency of a good conditioner but also feels quite light when you apply it to your hair and has mild hold. I use it as part of my LOC moisturising regimen. On its own it doesn't do much for my dense, dry hair but combined with oils and butters, it's fantastic. I imagine it would work better for people with smoother strands and less dense hair.

Overall I would give this range 7/10 for the following reasons:

Pros
Cheap
Easy to find
Sulfate, Paraben, Petrochemical and Silicone free
Environmentally responsible
Doesn't jack up my hair
Smells fabulous

Cons
Needs help (oils and butters) to handle my dense, dry hair

I will keep using these products because overall, they don't hurt my hair (or my pocket) and I like their philosophy.

Visit their website at http://www.nakedbodycare.co.uk/.

Will you be trying their products?

Shrinkage Shots

This morning I woke up with my scalp itching like crazy so I decided to do a quick wash. Didn't have time to style it before work so I ended up rocking a wash n go.

My texture in front has been altered by the dye so it kinda flops down instead of standing up. *shrug *

So I did an apple cider vinegar rinse and conditioned with Tresemme split remedy conditioner. Then I wrapped a micro fibre turban around my head while I got ready.

By the time I was dressed, my hair was a little more than damp (microfibre cloths are awesome). I spritzed lightly with aloe vera juice, sealed with castor oil, then topped it all off with aloe vera gel. I got moisturised hair for the whole day :)

I didn't need to worry about my ends because my hair shrank so much that all it brushed against was air.

The tangles I had to deal with at the end of the day were not fun though. I dealt with them using the same combo of products as above and finger detangling. This combination gave sooooo much slip. Then I put my hair in twisted Bantu knots to stretch it out for tomorrow.

Big hair tomorrow me thinks. :)

Curlicious Diva - Id from Ireland

Meet Idowu, a gorgeous natural from my own home!

1.      Where are you from and what do you do? 

I'm from Dublin in Ireland and I am a student, advisor, Youtuber, and Blogger.

2.      Why did you decide to go natural? 

I always hated relaxing/perming my hair. After a horrific relaxer/perm experience, I decided no more. So I searched on YouTube “what to do with hair that’s not relaxed” and I saw beautiful natural hairstyles and so I decided I’m going natural.

3.      What was the experience like? Did you transition? Was there any opposition? Support? 

At the start of my journey I was very excited, going shopping, youtubing different hairstyles, learning new things. I transitioned for a year and one month while gradually cutting off relaxed ends each month. There were numerous oppositions, It was hard blending the two different textures in my hair, I received numerous negative comments from people, my hair was hard to manage and I even thought about relaxing it.

4.      How long have you been natural? 

1 year 4 months

5.      How has being natural changed your outlook? 

I tend not to care what people think about me, I use a lot of natural products now for my face, skin, and I also eat healthier.

                                                                                                 
6.      What’s a typical hair day like for you? What are your go to styles? 

On a typical day I would normally wet my hair or spray my water and oil mixture on my hair and style. I love my puffs and wash and gos. 

7.      What are 3 products you can’t live without? 

Shea Butter, wide tooth comb, conditioner.

9.      What treatments have you tried, colours etc.? 

I tried the henna treatment caca rouge, wasn’t a huge fan of it. I only saw a little bit of colour change.

10.  Tell us about being natural in Nigeria. Is the reaction positive or negative? Where do you get hair products? 

I don’t live in Nigeria, although when I went there with my natural hair for holidays I was told to relax/perm my hair, I don’t think the natural hair community in Nigeria is big. I get all the Shea butter that I use for my hair and skin in Nigeria, and it’s amazing!

11.  How do people regard your hair at work? 

They absolutely love it, and are so fascinated by it.

12.  How do you deal with negative comments related to your hair? 

I actually haven’t received any in the past year, I would usually just tell them that its my hair and not theirs.

13.  Have you got any advice for prospective naturals? 

Being natural really is a beautiful thing, you will see an improvement in your hair health, its cheap, and easy once you get the hang of it.

14.Do you have a website or space where ppl can find you? 

 Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/iolatunji18?feature=mhee                                                             Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/I-to-the-D/287623864644489?ref=hl

15.  Anything else you'd like to add? 

I am a proud naturally beautiful person.

Thanks so much for sharing with us Id.

If you would like to be featured as a Curlicious Diva, email us at litk@leaveinthekinks.com :)

My Hair Isn't Growing?

March 2009 

July 2012

So the last time I did any kind of documented length check, I was still in the TWA stage. My hair has grown quite a bit since then but not at a rate I'm happy with. I do get pretty annoyed when I see natural hair interviews where the girls are like "oh I went natural 5 minutes ago" and their hair is like down their backs already (I'm exaggerating of course lol).

 I big chopped in 2009 with maybe a couple of inches of hair and now, 4 years, numerous trims and some poor hair care practices later, my hair is probably just past BSL. I will do a proper documented length check soon so stay tuned.

 Now I know that my hair is growing, but I wasn't retaining much length due to my lazy hair care regimen. Another thing I realised is that my hair doesn't grow half an inch a month. True story! It's somewhere between a quarter and half an inch, with some parts growing faster and some slower. Remember I dyed my hair about a year ago? Well I measured the new growth under the dye recently and it wasn't near the length it would be if it was growing at half an inch every month. Bear in mind that I have been eating healthy, exercising and taking hair, skin and nail vitamins and this is my growth rate even with all these factors. This discovery definitely took some pressure off me and allowed me to stop obsessing so much over the length of my hair and just take things as they come. I did feel that as a hair blogger there were standards I needed to adhere to, and I guess the reason you haven't seen much of my hair is because I didn't feel it was up to par. But at the end of the day I'm human and some things are beyond my control.

 Anyway, in the process of my healthy hair journey, I've discovered a few things:

 1. My hair likes to be left completely alone. I tend to see more benefits from protective styles if I leave them in for at least 6 weeks AND take care of my hair while it is hidden away.

 2. Sealing is my hair's best friend. Especially with raw shea butter.

 3. Finger detangling and washing in braided sections are the shiznit.

 4. Washing my hair while in braided or twisted protective styles will lead to matting, tangling and breakage on take down. No bueno. Best thing to do is try to keep the scalp clean.

 5. Styling on stretched hair is the only way.

 6. Comparing my hair to other people's will only drive me crazy.

 7. Protective styling constantly drives me nuts because I miss my hair and I want to play with it.

 8. I love loose twists.

The reason I'm currently interested in retaining as much length as possible is because I want waist length hair by my wedding. Is this possible? Absolutely! But it will take a lot of dedication on my part. So my gameplan is this:

1. Continue with my healthy lifestyle

2. Protective styles that mimic my hair or give me easy access to my hair (e.g kinky hair wigs and weaves)

3. Seal and moisturize regularly and not as an after thought

4. Don't obsess over the length by checking every day

5. Trim as needed.

I know a lot of people are in the same boat as me (feeling that their hair just isn't growing), but it really does help to take a step back and let it do what it do.

 Now say it with me... WOOOOSSSAAAHHHHH.... :)