I’m wearing Kinky Twists right now, kinda short ones (it’s been a while), and the day before I went to the market to get it done, I decided to blow dry my hair myself.
The last time I braided my hair, it was a bit of a disaster. They couldn’t handle it at the salon, even with the blow dryer and their big combs. My hair was feeling like Titanium. The dryer only succeeded at drying my hair, not stretching it. And the braids that followed got rough pretty fast. I complained on Twitter, and on the blog, and a few people suggested I try the Tension Blowdry method. Thank you guys for all your tips, they are much appreciated! ❤
I looked it up, expecting something mega (Natural hair and all the terminologies), but it's actually very simple.
What is the Tension Blow-Dry Method?
The Tension Blow Dry method is simply you, your blow dryer and your heat protectant. No combs.
Preparation:
You wash and detangle your hair, and when it’s damp or dry, put in your leave-in/ heat protectant
How-To Tension Blow-Dry:
Pull a section of hair down, hold it taut at the ends, and run the dryer down the section you’re holding, from roots to ends.
So, the dryer is doing the drying/blowing, and your hands provide the tension LOL. That’s my way of understanding it.
I had my hands full, and with no tripod or anything, I couldn’t make a good video. Plus, it was late at night, and the lights weren’t so bright. But this video below from Ms. Alicia James of Easy Natural Hair shows you how:
If your hair is long enough to section, it’s best that you section it whenever possible- to wash, to air dry, to hold while you style, and even now, to blow-dry. This helps to keep it out of the way, and stretch it just a teeny bit.
So I washed my hair that Thursday, deep conditioned, and put in some Cantu Shea Butter Leave-In Conditioning Repair Cream as my leave-in, sealed my ends with Jamaican Black Castor Oil, and left to air dry for a few hours.
HEAT + WET HAIR = BAD IDEA
Directly applying heat to wet hair gives you bubble hair. LOL. Water gets trapped in your hair as a bubble, and bubble hair is more brittle, that is, easier to break. Let your hair dry or be really close. It’s also a good idea not to put the nozzle of your dryer so close to the hair. The scientist, Jc of The Natural Haven Bloom explains this phenomenon here.
So, hair is clean and (kind of) dry, sectioned and ready to go.
before
Let’s get to blow-drying.
I Used:
Aphogee Keratin Green Tea Restructurizer (heat protectant) and
CeCees Curls Whipped Shea Butter.
On second thought, I shouldn’t have used the shea butter because I’d already sealed with the JBCO (a little too much oyel in the mix) and the Restructurizer is a heat protectant. I’ll review this Aphogee product later. For now, just know it’s good. 🙂
I spritzed with the Restructurizer, held my hair taut and went to town.
I kept my dryer on the medium heat setting, and tried not to get so much heat on my ends. The ends are the oldest parts of your hair, the most fragile, the most prone to dryness and breakage. As you can see in the photo below of my first section, there’s still a lot of texture in there. I didn’t dry it out bone straight.
first section
I went section by section, undoing to blow dry, and retwisting after. Can you see how different my twists look now?
After
I asked my hair braider to take a picture so you could see it up close, how nicely stretched the hair was.
I loved my blow-out results! And I will try my best to resist the temptation to do this too often in the future. My hair was soft, and shiny [& just as thick] and I’m looking forward to my first proper blowout (like to wear out) when I grow a few more inches. 😉
Yes, these tips apply to relaxed hair too. 🙂
I was a little worried about the way I used the Restructurizer because it’s like “flavored water” for your hair. By flavored I mean, packed with protein & heat protectant goodness but it’s still a water-based spritz. So next time, I won’t spritz it seconds before I blow dry. Rather, I’d spritz and leave to dry before I go in. I don’t want bubble hair 😦
And one last thing, I read that it is good to do a blast of cool air on your hair after you blow-dry it, but I didn’t because my dryer doesn’t have a cool setting O_o. Just two- medium and high heat. Yep, new blow-dryer is now on my Wishlist.
So guys, that’s that. The entire process took me about an hour and thirty minutes. Don’t be scared oh, I’ve observed I’m quite slow with hair things.
Do you blow-dry? Any blowout tips for girls to try in the future? Leave us a note in the comments!
Love,
AB
xx
P.S. You can get the Aphogee Green Tea Restructurizer at Perfect Trust Cosmetics, Abuja & Sizzelle Store in Lagos, which also delivers Nationwide. CeCees Curls is available in Abuja as well. For contact information for all 3 vendors, please see the Where-to-Find Directory.
In November, I got this shampoo from Perfect Trust Cosmetics, ASG Shopping Complex (opposite Ascon Filling Station), Ademola Adetokunbo Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja. It cost 2000 Naira. Not bad at all, considering it retails for about $10 in the obodos.
I’m halfway through my bottle now, so it’s safe to say, it’s time for a review!
But have you noticed? This is a Sulfate Free Shampoo! It is also free of Parabens, and Mineral oil.
Product Description:
Perfect for all textures: Wavy, Curly and Kinky.
Lavish in the ultimate shampoo experience as your hair is gently cleansed, moisturised and detangled with lemon balm, rosemary and hops.
How I Use:
As usual. I Pre-poo. Get hair wet, then work shampoo through hair, focusing on the scalp. When I’m satisfied, I rinse clean. (I like to use warm water to wash my hair, same applies for co-washing)
Smell: like Baby Shampoo. Good enough for me.
Consistency: It is kind of thick- not as light as other shampoos I’ve used.
The Bottle: It’s okay, but over the last three months, I’ve done a bit of traveling with it in tow. I swear I close it tight, but it manages to open somehow. So be sure to tie it up!
Cleansing & Moisturising: One wash is enough to get my hair and scalp clean, but when I washed my hair after NYSC camp- the dirt was unbelievable. I didn’t realise Obubra was that dusty! Beige lather yo. I washed, rinsed, and I just had to wash again. I was impressed that my hair did not feel stripped at all.
Detangling: I normally don’t bother to detangle my hair at the Shampoo stage, but as this product claimed to have detangling properties, I put it to the test. Yes it has some slip.For a quick note about Slip, please go here. I was able to gently finger detangle as easily as I would with an average conditioner. However, its slip definitely cannot compare to a very good conditioner- so you may still want to skip the detangling tip at this point.
Anyhoo, this product definitely does as it says. It washes clean, it is non-stripping, and it can detangle too!
Would I Buy This Again?
Yes! Apart from my little reservation about the bottle and the opening thing, I’m pretty happy with this shampoo! 🙂
If you’re in Abuja, you could check Perfect Trust Cosmetics, and if you’re based anywhere else in Nigeria, you can get this on Olori.com. For more deets about both stores, look them up in the Where to Find Directory.
Did You Know?
‘Curls Unleashed’ is the Natural Hair Line from ORS (former Organic Root Stimulator)
Do you Shampoo? Have you tried this Shampoo? Do you like it? Would you try it? What’s your favourite Sulfate Free Shampoo?
Finding products to treat your hair to can be a bit of a chore in our beloved country. There are quite a few vendors, but then most of them are online, and if you’re out of Lagos, it may cost you some in delivery. I’m grateful for all these stores giving us options (I am) but you know, sometimes you just want to walk into a store somewhere really accessible and go about your business.
Whether you’re a Product Junkie or a bare necessities kind of gyal, we can all appreciate the awesomeness that is having options. I hate not having options. It makes me feel tied. I’m back in Lagos now but yesterday, my two K-legs found their way to a beauty store called Perfect Trust in Wuse 2. And have they got options for you! I didn’t have money to blow but I was so excited!
On the shelf right now: African Pride, African Pride Dream Kids, Aphogee, Cantu, Crème of Nature Professional, Elasta QP, Elasta QP for men, Folicure, Hawaiian Silky, Hollywood Beauty, Jamaican Mango & Lime, Jane Carter Solution, KeraCare, Organix, Miss Jessie’s, Mizani, Nu Naat, One N’ Only, ORS, Profectiv Mega Growth, Roots of Nature, Selsun Blue, Tressemme.
I’m not getting anything in a while as my bathroom shelf is becoming a little too crowded for my liking.Okay, I need me some rinse-out conditioner and oils, but after them, no more.
I did get something from Perfect Trust though, a product that had been on my list for a while- the Aphoghee Keratin & Green Tea Restructurizer. And get this, it was 600 naira cheaper than I’d have got it from a certain store in Lagos. Score? I think so!
Also, if you’re looking for a sulfate free shampoo to try, I noticed they have one from Jane Carter Solution. I also spied a Jamaican Mango & Lime product for men.
I’ve updated the Where To Find page guys, to include Perfect Trust and 3 other vendors. The Where To Find page is a budding directory of where to find natural hair friendly products in Nigeria. The next time you’re wondering about where to get what, visiting the page may just help 🙂 If any shop you know isn’t listed, please leave a comment and I’ll get it on the list. Let’s grow this, together. Special thanks to everyone who has contributed to the directory since I put it up!
Have you been to Perfect Trust? What did you think? Will you be going soon? Hope this helps!
The Kink And I 