Hairspiration! : Glory

‘Ello baes!

Have you missed us? We have missed you!

To kick off the long Sallah weekend, Glory’s kinks are here to give life in abundance. Please, enjoy!

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Bantu knot out

Hiiiii please tell us about you!

Well hello! I’m Glory, a software developer living in Lagos. Besides software, I have a wide range of interests; from Nigerian politics to gourmet cuisine, photography to minimalist design, healthy lifestyles and so forth. But this won’t be complete without stating just how much of a natural hair enthusiast I am! I adore natural hair of all textures, densities, colors, etc. I have a keen interest in natural hair care.

Washday: Rush Rush

Don’t sweat the small stuff. Really. Of all the times I’ve had to lose sleep in my life, I can only think of one time that it was worth it. Seriously. In uni if I stayed up the night before a test to read the two chapters that I hadn’t yet studied- it always happened that those chapters, or whatever material would not be relevant in the test the next day. So many small small things like that, but I can’t just keep calm, you can call me a “forcer”.

Now yesterday was Monday. I was supposed to be in court today so I needed a hairstyle that would not make it too difficult to wear my wig over it. A goddess braid or Celie twists would have been super cute solutions but your girl can’t cornrow or flat twist, and my brain wasn’t working too well, so I decided to do my go-to two-strand twists. Before the twists though, I had to wash my hair first. With small breaks, I was on this matter from 6pm till 1am.

Guess what. The judge could not make it this morning because she was stuck in traffic. I did not wear the wig. After washing I could have gone to sleep in chunky twists at 11pm and jejely worn a puff today. Never again should I put myself through this kind of struggle. The sufferhead I like to carry sometimes. And, cornrows and flat twists aren’t rocket science, I had better learn!

Normally, after a protective style, I make plans for a weekend, or 3 free days. Take hair down on Friday and pre-poo, wash on Saturday, style and dry on Sunday. This time, I was in a proper rush and as a result, I was not as gentle as I should have been. Ripped through some places, I was racing, just to finish. How is that for living life on the edge? (  ._.)

Here’s a quick run down of how that went:

1. I loosened my braids. First I cut them in a bob shape to see what that would be like. Not bad, but I’m thinking a longer bob may be it for me. I’m not sure.

I’m pretty sure though that I cut off some braids at the wrong points, losing some hair. 😦

2. After loosening the braids, I had mini-twists to take down too, thanks to the box braid method I used (see this post). I loosened those too, and as I did so- in sections of 8, 10 twists, I dry detangled with plenty coconut oil, and put my hair in chunky twists- about 10 in total.

3. I shampooed, Felicia’s way. I applied my shampoo (L’Oreal Ever Sleek Shampoo) directly to my scalp, before I wet my hair. I rubbed my scalp with my fingertips to lift the dirt, and I rinsed off with warm water.

4. Then, I applied my deep conditioner, the Nothing But Intense Healing Mask to my hair in four sections, and combed each section through. I wasn’t rough with the comb. Normally I’d use just my fingers, but I needed to move fast. I covered my hair with a shower cap and let it sit for 20 minutes, and rinsed with cool water. My hair wasn’t feeling as soft as it should have. I think this could be because I haven’t been deep conditioning every week. Because of the protective styles I’ve been wearing this year, Washday has been like once a month. I’ll need to step up the frequency or start using heat again, if I continue at this rate.

5. To save the day, I did an oil rinse with Hempseed Oil. This oil contains ceramides and it’s supposed to be really good for relaxed, or otherwise processed/damaged hair. I thought twice about “wasting” it (Ceramides patch frayed cuticles. They are best left-in, rinsing them away is a waste of their goodness) but it is the only oil on my shelf apart from coconut oil and my precious castor oil. I applied it to my wet hair, and 3 minutes later, rinsed off with warm and then cool water. Much better.

6. Finally. I moisturised and sealed with the Cantu Shea Butter Leave-In Conditioning Repair Cream & the Carol’s Daughter Mimosa Hair Honey. 

7. I gave myself two hours to twist and made a run for it. I finished just in time. The result: slightly chubby twists. I expect them to get puffy at the roots and frizz even, but I’m hoping they last some days.

It’s a rainy afternoon in Lagos. Rainy season is here, and I’m contemplating protective styling again, this time a weave. Best weather for weaves, in my opinion- as long as you keep dry of course!

Still. I definitely need to learn how to do the flat twist thing, and find inspiration for more conservative natural hair styles on awkward length hair that would not require stretching first.

How are you today? How was your last Washday?

Love,

AB,

xx

Here’s What’s New!

Hey guys,

Long time no speak!

It’s not that we just forgot about the blog o. This adulting/ trying to adult thing isn’t easy. Why did nobody tell us????

This is me being overly dramatic, life is not that hard, but it’s taking some adjusting to.

1. Cheers to New Beginnings!

Your girls have finally started working full time, with stable 9-5s, or in my case, 8 to 6 or so soon thereafter as my Oga deems fit.This is awesome, it feels like NOW our career journeys have officially begun. Help us thank the Lord! 🙂 I think my face is reacting to the change in the worst way, but hopefully we will stabilise soon. MeeMee graduated with the highest honours two weeks ago, I’m so- I’m so- I’m so proud of her!

On My Mind: Bob Box Braids

Last year, I fell in love with these bob box braids on Whitney Madueke (above)

Inspired by Cleopatra or the 90s, depending on your point of reference, this is a different, very pretty,  retro-chic way to wear box braids.

     

The good news is, anybody can look good with this + it’s pretty easy to achieve. I tried getting it done at my braiders’ on Monday, and it was a big big flop, I took it out the next day. After much reflection on the experience and YouTubing, I think I have it figured out, hear hear!

Bob Box Braids: What You Should Know

1. Your braids should not be thin. Medium sized – fat braids are the way to go.

2. The length of your bob should be carefully determined by the shape of your face, for best results. (I love all the pictures in this post, but the first girl’s face is shaped like mine. I could be daring and cut it lower, but I’d begin with cutting it at her length)

3. When preparing your extensions, do not measure them for the exact length you want your braids. This is what spoilt my attempt. Measure them for longer braids, and then cut off when you’re done. Why? Because the thickness is everything, without it, you have no shape, no bob. You know that as you braid hair normally, it tapers down and gets thinner toward the bottom of the braid. The point at which you cut your braid should be just as thick as the point you started- meaning, your bob braids should be uniform in thickness from top to bottom.

4. Seal the ends of your braids. You can burn them individually with a flame from a candle or a lighter. Very 90s I know! After burning, smooth with your fingers. You can also band the end of the braid (with tiny rubberbands) when you get to your desired length, and cut off the rest of the extensions, as Whitney did. See below:

5. Don’t sacrifice your hair at the nape! This is a bob right? What about the back of your hair? If you have a very teeny weeny afro, you don’t have to worry about this. For me though, in my awkward length phase, I’d definitely end up chopping off my hair at the back, following this process. For the back, what my hairdressers did (and which makes sense, really) is that they braided the back of my hair up into one zig zag cornrow, for about three lines- and made the rest of the box braids long enough to cover that space. The braids stopped at my neck, and did not expose the cornrow beneath. Got it?

Still not convinced?

Here’s an idea- the next time you get box braids, when you’re ready to loosen them, cut them in a bob shape first and see how you like it.

I was really unhappy with my hair- so upset. So upset that I can’t show you the pictures I took LOL sorry. Let me just put it this way- when done wrong, “bob braids” can have you looking like you’re in A-Levels, or like you’re a certain kind of 40 year old. Make of that what you wish ( ._.) I showed them what I wanted over and over, and they assured me they knew what to do. I was visibly upset after it all so, they offered to redo it for me. My poor fro suffered. All the manipulation! Still not convinced about letting them do it, I decided to get long braids instead. After a few weeks, when I’m tired, I think I will do the cutting myself.

More about box braids soon, but this is all for now.

What do you think about this look? Have you tried it? Will you be rocking it anytime soon?

Love,

AB,

xx

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Pictures of Whitney Madueke were taken from her Tumblr and YouTube

All other pictures in this post are from Pinterest.

 

Hairspiration! : Toyin

Hello! My name is Toyin .C. Akinjiola.

I’m 20, a Gemini and I stay in Lagos. I recently finished my Biochemistry undergrad programme at the University of Lagos so I’m eagerly but not so eagerly awaiting NYSC. I currently spend my days blogging, reading and catching up on all the dramas I possibly can.

What inspired you to go natural?

I haven’t always been natural. I became fully natural in 2014, March to be precise. I was bored with my hair to be honest, during my relaxed days I was always wearing weaves. When the weaves came off, I was usually at a loss with what to do with my heat damaged and scanty hair. I felt going natural was a chance to start anew and also experiment with my confidence, I needed some serious balls to go from long weave to team no hair.

How did you do it?

I transitioned from December 2013 to March 2014. During my transition period, I literally stalked your blog and every 4C natural hair blog to gather all the information I could on kinky hair. I initially planned on transitioning for a year, so that by the time I did my semi big chop I could wow my mum and everyone I knew with my Solange like mini fro, this did not happen. A fine day in the month of March, I went to the salon to install box braids. As the stylist combed the life out of my hair, I just told her to cut all the relaxed ends off instead of braiding it. That’s how I became natural.

Tell us about your hair! Does she have a name?

Nope, my hair doesn’t have a Name. I’m a 4C natural I believe, but I truly do not have any idea when it comes to the curl science of my hair.

How do you care for your hair? Do you have a regimen? Any staple products?

I wash my hair approximately every two weeks , I’m currently trying to find a good shampoo so I just sub with Black soap at the moment. I plan to stop using this as soon as I can, because it really dries out my hair. To combat the dryness, I deep condition my hair usually overnight with a mixture of Vo5 conditioner, random conditioners I have, olive oil, coconut oil, castor oil and Shea butter.

I try to keep things as simple as possible with my hair, so it’s basically wash, deep condition, seal and style all the time. This plan is simple and affordable for me at any time. My staple products are my Cantu Shea butter leave-in-conditioner, ORS Olive oil smooth-n-hold pudding, Shea butter, olive, coconut and castor oil. Most importantly Water. My hair is dull-ish brown in colour, so when it’s extremely dry it isn’t a pretty sight.

What are the things your hair cannot do without?

Water , Cantu Shea Butter Leave in conditioner and olive oil.

What have you realised your hair doesn’t like at all at all?

Hairstylists that love to play tug of war and lack of moisture.

How do you like to wear your hair?

I love to wear my hair as high as it can possibly go. My to go style is usually a bantu knot out, although sometimes it comes off as a bantu what-i-don’t-know! I’ve never tried a bun or updo, I don’t think my length is there yet and I’m really not an updo person, never was. My favorite styles obviously are my bantu knots and knot outs because they come out the best or leave me with something I can work with. I’m a box braids girl, when it comes to protective styling. I’ve tried yarn twists and I loved it. For the past year I only fixed my hair twice and I was really uncomfortable. I used to love weaves. Really.

Yarn twists

How do you feel about shrinkage? Do you fight it? Do you embrace it?

When I think about shrinkage , I think versatility. It’s amazing how my hair can look like I just did a big chop one day and the next I have a mini to medium fro. If I ever need length I fluff and finger detangle my hair or stretch with a scarf, then I move on. I absolutely embrace shrinkage, it keeps things interesting.

Have you received any negativity from others towards your hair? How did/do you deal?

I have been asked questions mostly by older females about my reason for going natural , then they proceed to lecture me about how it doesn’t look good , my aunt once told me I looked like a ruffian one time and how guys won’t like it , then most of them offer to pay for my hair . As a student I’m always in the mood for “osho free” so, I always accept. So now when I’m in need of a protective style I just carry my 4c kinky ruffian hair like that and visit them and I listen to them , then they offer to take me to the salon. I’m confident in my 4c hair and the choices have made thus far, so I usually laugh off any negativity directed towards my hair.

Are you facing any hair challenges right now or bad habits you’re trying to break?

I have scanty edges , and this is not due to bad hair care but genetics . Some days I feel no amount of JBCO can help, but to be truthful I never remember to use it.

Do you have any hair goals?

My short term goals would be to straighten my hair and to try more styles, its time I stopped doing the same style over and over . I’m the most boring natural ever. My long term goal is to achieve a fro worthy of the fro wall of fame , also to keep loving my hair and whatever curves it throws.

Any last words to anyone considering to go natural or a new natural?

If you decide to go natural , before you do check out your reasons for doing it , and don’t do it unless all your reasons are pointed towards you . It’s always good to find out as much as you can but no knowledge is like you trying things out first hand, so be calm, don’t overload yourself with information (it is not jamb) and just go with the tide. When Natural, you can learn from others and even make them your point of contact, LOL. What you shouldn’t do is compare your hair in all its glory to theirs and feel inferior. As all fingers aren’t equal, I believe no two fros can be.

More Toyin?

Visit her blog: lifewithcassandra.wordpress.com and follow her on Instagram : toyiin_a

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Thank you so much Toyin for sharing with us! 🙂

If you’d like to be our Hairspiration sometime, just email hello@thekinkandi.com. Have a great weekend guys!

Love,

AB,

xx