Hair Progress

November 26, 2017 Uloaku Enyingwa 0 Comments

Length Check

• I skip the use of rinse out conditioners after shampooing, it makes my wash day shorter and having a well detangled pre-pooed hair just makes this step easier to skip.
•  Sealing my hair with coconut oil mixed with shea butter to make a better sealant and give more shine.
• Trimming more frequently than twice a year now.

Natural Hair Tip #18

November 07, 2017 Uloaku Enyingwa 0 Comments

Single Strand Knots

1.  Make sure hair is properly detangled, starting from the end to the root.
2.  Keep the ends of your hair regularly coated with oil or thick butters, as this adds weight to it, preventing it from curling around each other and forming knots.
3. When braiding/twisting your natural hair, twirl the ends around your fingers, this makes it curly at the end and prevents it from knotting.

Using Okra Gel for Twists-out

October 22, 2017 Unknown 0 Comments

Hi Ladies and maybe Gents, My name is Oluwatoyin Yetunde Sanni and you can simply address me as Oluwayetty. I'm a software developer by profession who is deeply in love with her natural hair. I went natural about 5 years ago because I wanted healthy hair. During this period, I've tried the TWA, the dreads and had to cut my hair twice because it was growing too wild to be nurtured.

Over time, you'd be reading more from me about my adventures with my hair of course 😉. Today, I would like to talk about how I used Okra gel to achieve a super soft defined twists out on my 4C hair.

What is Okro? Better not to assume everyone knows that.

Why Okra for the hair?

1. It is 100% natural with no chemicals.
2. It is less expensive, the picture above is about one-quarter of a dollar.
3. Okra’s also high in Vitamins A & C, folic acid, calcium, zinc, including biotin, all of which make it incredibly nourishing for the hair.
4. Protein and oil found in the seeds of okra are enriched with amino acids with the likes of tryptophan, cystine and other sulfur amino acids which is really great to give dry or damaged hair some strength. 

Okra gel Preparation

1. Cut 3-10 pieces of okra vertically.
2. Boil the okra until frothy and slimy.
3. Strain the mixture into a container.
4. You can add lemon or oils if you like(I added just extra virgin olive oil and Vitamin E to make it last longer). This was what mine looked like after the preparation. I allowed it to cool(kept it in the fridge) before using it on my hair.

Using Okro gel for leave-in

I started out on a freshly washed hair, that I sectioned as you can see in the picture below. Because my hair was a bit dry as I left it in sections and slept immediately I finished washing, I mixed some water, castor oil, almond oil and tea tree oil in a spritz bottle. I call this mix the "Yetty's Hair Therapy". 

• My hair was still moisturized even after two days, thanks to the spritz I applied every day before I unraveled it.
• There were no flakes of any sort. My hair was completely flake-less if there's a word like that.
• The twists were easy to unravel and separated to further smaller sections to have a full hair. There were no tangles at my ends which is a first-time experience for me.

• It doesn't have much hold; I think I wasn't really surprised with this since the hair was really moisturized and soft. I can live with hair that's not so crunchy.
• The slimy nature can really piss one off especially if you're not careful with how you handle the movement of bringing it out of the bottle to applying it to your hair. 

I did really love the Okra gel as a detangler and styling product for my twists-out. I can live with the CONS, they ain't much of a big deal to me. I will definitely give this many tries since my hair seems to love it.

Have you ever tried Okra gel before? How was your experience? Good, Bad or Ugly? Do you want to give it a try? I'll be waiting to hear from you in the comment section. Until we FRO again, See ya! 

Natural Hair Tip #17

October 03, 2017 Uloaku Enyingwa 0 Comments

Remedies For Dandruff

September 04, 2017 Uloaku Enyingwa 0 Comments

• COCONUT OIL: Is said to be a very good moisturizer, and applying it to the scalp can help to restore scalp health and reduce flaking, coconut oil penetrates easily into the hair shafts and scalp and gives a deep moisturizing, hydrating and conditioning effect. It repairs damaged shafts and follicles, detangles the hair, reduces dryness, flakiness, and irritation of the scalp. A well conditioned and clean scalp is adept at keeping dandruff out, coconut oil in your shampoo or any hair product can be useful in treating dandruff.

1. How to use: Massage your hair and scalp with the coconut oil at least for 5 minutes. Put a shower cap on your hair and leave overnight. Next morning clean your hair with your regular shampoo. Follow this remedy regularly if you are facing this dandruff issue continuously. You can also use your coconut oil with Rosemary oil, Jojoba oil, Lemon juice.

•  TEA TREE OIL: It’s been said that few drops of tea tree oil in your shampoo can go a long way in the treatment of dandruff.


• GARLIC: Crushed garlic mixed with honey is also a good remedy, garlic due to its antimicrobial properties aids in the removal of dandruff. Massage the mixture into your scalp before shampooing.


• OLIVE OIL: Olive oil is one of the best natural conditioners that you can find for your hair. Unlike regular store-bought conditioners, which only clog and irritate your scalp, olive oil will help moisturize a dry scalp and will soothe flaking.

1. Massage some drops into your scalp and cover with a shower cap overnight. Follow your regular shampoo routine in the morning. For a quicker cure, look for a shampoo that contains olive oil.

• ALOE VERA GEL: Fresh Aloe Vera is enough to deal with dandruff. Cut around 3 inches from an Aloe Vera leaf. You will find a gel like substance inside the leaf. Extract that gel from the leaf and apply it on your scalp with the help of your fingers. Massage it gently so that it spreads deep inside the skin pores and moisturizes the scalp. You can also decide to use it with tree oil.


• APPLE CIDER VINEGAR: Apple cider vinegar changes the pH of your scalp, making it harder for the yeast to grow. Make a mixture of Apple Cider Vinegar and water. 

• You can use a shampoo containing Salicylic acid.
• Tar-based shampoo (Neutrogena)
• ketoconazole shampoo

Frospiration! | Onyi

June 18, 2017 Uloaku Enyingwa 0 Comments

Let’s get to know you.
Hi there! My name is Ekeocha Onyinyechi Emmanuela. I'm a Nigerian and I currently live in Lagos. I am a Pharmacist.

How long have you been a natural?
It will be Exactly 2 years by this July 2017.

Big chop or transition?
I had a big chop on the 2nd of July 2015.
What’s the story behind you going back to your natural roots?
At some point there was a huge fuss about natural hair which I didn't understand at the time, all I knew was I wanted to join the train, so I tried transitioning for about 5 months cos I had really long beautiful hair and was scared to do a big chop at the time but it wasn't just working out for me cos I really loved to fix my hair with a leave out and I wasn't taking proper care of my hair at the time😩 so I relaxed my hair again.. Fast forward to the time I had breakage and knew my hair was just so unhealthy, I did a big chop on the 2nd of July 2015.

Do you have an idea what your hair type and porosity is?
 Errmmm... I think my hair type is a combination type between 4a-c mostly a&c .. I have low porosity as well..

What’s your regimen like?
I'm a very lazy person so I keep it simple.
Cleanse (I dilute shampoo with olive oil) and deep condition every 2 weeks and moisturize daily or every other day depending on the protective hair style I have on at the time..
On a very good day I do all the extras including pre-poo with oils and a conditioner,  moisture and protein treatments ...

I utilize the LOC method
L- Leave in conditioner or water
O- coconut oil
C- Shea butter

I massage my hair with oil every now and then... my goal is to do this at least 3 times in a week but laziness is the culprit.
I mostly finger detangle my damp hair and I never use heat.
I sleep with a scarf at night

Any hair products you can’t do without?
WATER, Shea butter and Coconut oil, Conditioner.

What’s your go- to hairstyle? Any fave hairstyle?
Lol... I don't know how to style my hair oh.. so I just put it in a bun, so Afro-puff is my all time go to style... I do cornrows every now and then, I also love wigs because they are versatile and easy to style even in a hurry(it comes in really handy for lazy people like me)

Challenges you face as a natural.
The wash days... I literally start preparing my mind for it like a week before the day..
Urghh!! having to go to a salon and meeting stylists that have no clue on how to handle natural hair..

Do you have any hair/styling secret? *wink*
I pretty much get tips from blogs and YouTube but in all MOISTURIZING is key, detangle your hair when it's wet because hair breaks easily when dry..

Has going natural changed anything about you?
I became more conscious about taking good care of my hair and in turn taking better care of my health as it's all linked to each other..
I've gained more confidence... I now appreciate the beauty of being natural and looking beautiful..

Do you think you’ll ever return back to the creamy crack?
Lai laiiiii.. I really doubt that! At least not anytime soon 🤔. I feel like my hair is healthier in this state and I get to take better care of it being in its natural state.. Plus I love the attention my natural brings when I walk into a room.

Any advice for your natural sisters out there?
Love your hair ladies.. we all have different hair types.. admire people's hair yes.. get tips from bloggers with similar hair types but love your hair .. let your own hair be your hair goals...

How do we keep in touch with you?
Instagram handle: @mz_onyiie

Remedies For (Excessive) Hair Shedding And Breakage

February 26, 2017 Uloaku Enyingwa 5 Comments

Hello guys!

So, the last time we talked about hair shedding and breakage, and analyzed their differences.
Now to the real deal!
Don’t weary; don’t fear, there is always a solution to everything. So, what can I do about my excessive hair shedding or breakage?

First we start with (Excessive) Hair shedding
I keep putting excessive because, looking back at the last post, I highlighted the fact that hair shedding is normal though can become excessive if the body system (hormones) responsible for this are aggravated. Point is: you don’t need to worry about your shedding until it gets excessive.
So what can you do if your hair shedding is excessive?
First of all, do not stress on your hair shedding, stressing on the hair just makes it worse, if that problem has been solved, next is to:

• Eat healthy: Iron is said to be a very important factor in hair shedding, deficiency of iron in your meals could lead to excessive hair shedding. Point is, take your balanced diet, do not lack any nutrient and the problem of hair shedding could be solved.
• Drink enough water.
• Exercise daily.
• Stay healthy: Go for regular check-ups, because excessive hair shedding associated with other health-related issues could be a major indication of a pathological condition.
• Shed weight: If you seem to be overweight, shedding little weight can help better hair growth.
• Keep your scalp in good condition: try as much as possible to keep your scalp healthy, basically, washing your hair from time to time to unclog hair pores. In case of dandruff and other scalp related infections, immediate treatment is of great importance. These are very important factors because excessive hair shedding is caused by imbalance in the normal physiological state in reference to the last post, these factors can help in bringing the body back to normal in case of any imbalance, e.g.  For a woman who just put to bed, these are important to restore her normal physiological state.
• Lastly, be good to your hair; make it a great duty to take good care of your hair and your hair will be good to you.

That should do for hair shedding.

Hair breakage
There are so many theories as to how to stop hair breakage, well for me two things are involved, first which is how to prevent hair breakage then we can move on the second one which how to stop or reduce hair breakage.
There will probably be less breakage problems if people knew how to prevent breakage. So we are starting with how to prevent hair breakage.

• Reduce or stop applied heat: Most of the time, stylists may use a flat iron that is way too hot and scorches hair, making it break off. The excess heat leads to the damage of hair strands and hair shaft thereby leading to breakage; this is because stress is placed on the hair follicle.
• Avoid chemicals: e.g. hair colouring treatment should be avoided especially when you notice applying it causes you to have more hair loss.
• Air drying of wet hair should be practised more often.
• Stop wearing tight protective hairstyles:  When this is done, so much pressure is placed on the hair follicle which could gradually with time lead to complete or total hair loss. Choose hairstyles that put any tension on your scalp.
• Wrap your hair in a cloth or scarf at night: This can help reduce tangling and damage to your hair.
• Buy hair products that is good for your hair type. Avoid Sulphate! Stay away from products with sulphate, alcohol, or glycol, which strip oils or dry out hair.
• Detangle your hair gently: First by lubricating the strands, then gently detangling, with a wide tooth comb.
• Try to find out how often you should wash your hair.
• Take good care of your ends: they go through more tugging, tangling than the rest of your hair. Apply adequate amount of oil.
• Look for a moisturizer that is water based: good moisturizers are water based.

That will be all for that.
Now, what can I do if my hair is already experiencing breakage: Severe or not hair breakage could become very worrisome, but here are some tips to transform your hair.
The first thing to provide your hair with every important nutrient externally: just like when you are malnourished the doctor advices you to eat this and that to get better, it is exactly the same with your hair, look for remedies, Natural or any type that has been tested harmless and helpful to your hair.
Some natural products include:

• Black soap as a shampoo.
• Oils: Jojoba oil, Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, Castor Oil, Sesame Oil, Almond Oil.

Let’s give a procedure:
To control hair breakage leading to hair loss, warm one tablespoon of oil and apply it to the scalp every night after you shower or bath. Rub it in gently until the oil is absorbed into the scalp. Leave it overnight for best results.
And all the procedures given above for preventing hair breakage should be followed religiously and your hair will be just fine!

Hair Shedding? Or Is It Hair Breakage?

January 29, 2017 Uloaku Enyingwa 0 Comments

Hey guys!

It’s been a while since my last post. 2 months now or so? Do pardon me for going AWOL on you,  I’ve been so busy with my new job, it takes up about 99.9% of my time. I’m hoping to find a balance between this new job and blogging. I’ve missed blogging about natural hair and I may not be as frequent as I used to be but I’ll try my "bestest" to give a post or two weekly/bi-weekly.

So, I am going to be writing on something that concerns many “naturalistas”, which is hair shedding and hair breakage.
Have you ever taken your big comb to straighten out your twists or to untangle your hair and you see strands fall off as you comb?
Probably also after combing your hair,  you see a large pile of hair stuck on your comb?
I understand this could get very worrisome, we have all been there, I guess…
The problem here is discerning what exactly the problem is, which brings us to hair shedding and hair breakage, the next couple of posts will be analyzing these problems, getting to know which one affects you and how to address the issue.

Now, most people tend to mistake these hair conditions, which is the beginning of failure in resolving the matter but put your mind at rest, we are about to take your hair to the very next level.
Let’s start with hair shedding…

What is hair shedding?
Hair shedding is described to be a normal process which occurs daily, it is said that we lose about 50-100 hairs a day, therefore hair shedding can be said to be normal. Shedding is a way of the body getting rid of old hair strands to create space for the growth of new hair strands.
When does your shedding become excessive?
Hair growth is controlled by Hormones. Basically, a hormone called the Growth Hormone, when there is a physiological imbalance which could occur due to:

• Stress
• Post Pregnancy
• Weight loss
• Sickness
• Change in diet (low protein)   etc.

These factors which cause physiological imbalance cause fluctuation of the hormone which leads to hair loss, it is usually temporary and stops when the body is restored to the normal physiological state.

You may also ask,
Why do I shed a lot of hair and my friend or sister doesn’t?
Everyone has a different genetic makeup, and our body systems or how our bodies respond to our genetic make-up. Hair growth is divided into four different stages and the last being the Telogen stage where shedding occurs, these stages occur at different lengths of time which is usually determined by your genetic make-up.
So, Vanessa sheds less hair than you do probably because her Telogen stage length is shorter than yours!

How can I be sure it’s hair shedding and not hair breakage?
This is quite simple, long strands of hair about the length of your hair you see on your comb are most likely shed hair from your scalp, this can also be confirmed by picking up a strand, to check the ends, and at a particular end you will see a white bulb which is of Keratin, if absent its most likely breakage.

That should explain shedding.
Now, let's talk about hair breakage.

What is hair breakage?
Hair breakage is an abnormal form of hair loss, it is exempted from the normal 50-100 hair that should be lost daily. Hair breakage occurs before the final stage of its growth which is the Telogen stage (Shedding stage).  It occurs due to hair mismanagement and other possible causes. And since this is abnormal, it is certainly not a good sign for a supposed healthy hair.

When does hair breaking occur and what are the causes?
Unlike hair shedding which occurs due to internal body changes (Hormones), Hair breaking occurs most of the time due to external factors, external stress on the hair, it could include:

• Overheating/Frequent heating.
• Over-processing/Frequent bleaching- this could make your hair brittle making it prone to breakage.
• Frequent touching or twirling of your hair(hand in hair syndrome)- At some point, you start to pull out strands.
• You style your hair too tight- too much pressure on the hair could lead to pulling out of hair strands.
• Dry hair.
• Use of poor hair products or hair products your hair isn’t compliant with.
• Poor diet amongst others.

How can I be sure its hair breakage?
When your hair is breaking, the strands are short or shorter than the actual length of your hair and of course, there is the absence of the white bulb at any end of a strand. Hair breakage occurs from any point of the hair, the top, middle or bottom, but unlike hair shedding it doesn’t pull from the scalp creating the absence of the white bulb.
Now, what can you do to take your natural fro to the next level?
Watch out for the next post!
If you have any questions or need clarity on anything related to this topic let me know.

Have an awesome week ahead!