FroRocks - Discovering Natural Hair: Features

Showing posts with label Features. Show all posts

Let’s get to know you.

Hello peeps! My name is Claudia .K. Giglio. I’m Italian/Burkinabe and Nigerien(Niger).

So where I live is a bit tricky. For the past 4 years I've been based in Shanghai, but I work mostly in Africa. I work in the development/humanitarian sector for NGOs doing short missions. When I get selected for a mission, it's usually in Africa which makes me visit a different country for each mission. Currently, I'm in Dakar, Senegal.

How long have you been a natural?

I've been natural for most of my life. I had 2 relaxers episodes in between that never lasted more than a year. Last time I had a relaxer was in 2006 - if I remember correctly.

Big chop or transition?

A year after my last relaxer, my hair went from shoulder length to a barely existing rat-tail in the space of 8 months...so I just chopped it.

What’s the story behind you going back to your natural roots?

The real reason behind my chop was mainly motivated by 3 factors:

First, my hair was obviously damaged and I couldn't keep on going out, walking down the street and trying to look all cute when my hair was just a mess.

Second factor was financial. I was a student, living in Paris and was always short on cash to not say completely broke but will always find a way to get some money to mess up my hair even more. At a point, it wasn't just viable anymore. The economical factor led me to the third one, which was more of a question. Why me, a mixed African girl, had to go through all these processes to have "socially decent" hair. Why do I have to spend so much money - that I don't even have to take care of it? Isn't there a way for me to just be me with my "normal" hair?

The more I thought about these questions, the more I got angry and uncomfortable because I had no answers. Then I called my hairdresser to make an appointment that same day.

When I got there, she asked what I wanted and I told her to chop it off. She stared at me, asking if I was sure. Of course I wasn't sure! But I couldn't go on with this bun brush of a hair. I couldn't even look at the mirror during the whole time it was chopped.

I left the salon after a deep conditioning treatment and a bandana tied up. At this point I still hadn't looked at myself until the next morning. I finally saw my short, short, short hair and cried my eyes out. I didn't get out of my studio for the next 3 days. Finally had to go out cause I ran out of food, lol. So I did my hair - dressed well and wore some make up(I usually never do but I thought it would distract people from looking at my hair).

I must say that I never received as much compliments from people the way I did that day. It really help to boost my self confidence and gave me a feeling of being beautiful despite any length of hair I have on.

Do you have an idea what your hair type and porosity is?

Nope. I tried at the beginning but then realised that it wasn't possible. I'm mixed. I have different hair types all over my hair, the back is different from the sides, which are different from the crown and the front is another type again.😳

The thing is, I have thick hair with fine strands. Low porosity with tight S pattern that tangles easily especially near the scalp and still quite easy to manage.

What’s your regimen like?

I travel a lot because of my work, sometimes I end up in places where water and products are scarce and not easy to find. My regimen will mostly depend on the availability of water, so it fluctuates during my missions. I would try to still deep condition once a week and wash my hair every 3 weeks with a mix of Apple cider vinegar and baking soda.

On "normal" settings, I would co-wash and deep condition my hair once a week and wash it thoroughly every 2 weeks.

Any hair products you can’t do without?

Deep conditioner with a lot of slip.

What’s your go-to hairstyle? Any fave hairstyle?

I keep it simple. I usually have a wash and go that rarely lives freely out as I tie it up often.

Challenges you face as a natural.

My main challenge is finding products due to work. Sometimes I'm stationed in places where adapted hair products aren't available. It means carrying enough products to make sure they can last for a few months.
Also, it happens that I might be in places where water is scarce or there are some water cuts. These conditions have made me reflect on solutions to waste less water like using a spray bottle whenever possible to get my hair soaked, always turn off the water when applying products to my hair, doing some hairstyles more often etc.

Do you have any hair/styling secret? 😉

Do you know that applying your styling products on soaked hair, helps with definition and long-lasting curls? Well, now you do!

And pay attention to what you eat. Whatever you put inside your body will reflect outside. Take care of your insides and your body will reflect the love you're giving to yourself.

Has going natural changed anything about you?

As I did not get a lot of relaxers, let's say that I'm less stressed in terms of money and the healthiness of my hair. I acquired a lot of knowledge about hair in general and curly hair more specifically. Focusing on the healthiness of my hair has obliged me to take care of my whole self as well.

Do you think you'll ever return to the creamy crack?

Nope!

Any advice for your natural sisters out there?

It's a process. Indulge in the uneasiness of the journey and accept the mistakes, because it will deepen the knowledge on yourself. The more you fight it, the more you struggle. Nothing gets perfectly done the first time nor the second or third. Bear with it and give yourself much love!

How do we keep in touch with you?

Instagram: @claudia.k.giglio

Let’s get to know you.

Hello peeps! My name is Esther Konama Yeboah. I’m Ghanaian and half English. I’ve lived in Ghana for past 14 years!

How long have you been a natural?

My whole life. Two years ago I went to sisterlocks and half a year ago, I moved to twist locks. I do these myself and don't need to go to a stylist for these.

Do you have an idea what your hair type and porosity is?

Uhmmmm…..no I don’t. Thinking of reading this post on porosity though, so I’ll figure it out, but my hair is difficult and hard work.

What’s your regimen like?

I wash my hair 2 or 3 times every 6 weeks with some form of moisturizing shampoo, whatever I have with me at the time. Every time I wash it, I oil my scalp and roots with coconut oil and Shea butter. Then I re-twist each lock (not sure how many I have) with Cantu moisturizing twist and lock gel and Olive oil Eco styler gel. A couple of times during the month I re-oil my hair a bit and re-twist some in the front rows.

Any hair products you can’t do without?

Cantu twist and lock gel, Coconut oil and Shea butter.

What’s your go-to hairstyle? Any fave hairstyle?

I normally leave my hair loose (I’ve been told it makes me look like a lion with a mane) or tie it high up in a bun.

Challenges you face as a natural.

I did when it wasn’t in locks. I had a fluffy afro before now, and although it was cool, no one took someone with a fluff ball on their head seriously. I couldn’t really do much with it because it was a lot to deal with, all tangly and I was too self-conscious to leave it out, so it remained tied up most of the time. It needed a lot of care to keep it looking normal and healthy but it was always tangled up because people kept touching it as if I were a cat. 😒

Do you have any hair/styling secret? 😉

Secrets? Hmmmm….I switch hair partings throughout the day to stop my hair from hanging too floppy, staying fluffed and wind swept-looking.

What’s the best thing about being natural?

The best thing about being natural is: when you look good, especially when everyone acknowledges it. Then you feel the effort you put in wasn’t in vain! The best thing about locks is: you put almost zero effort into looking good!

Any advice for your natural sisters out there?

Be proud of the hair you’ve been given; it’s a gift. But don’t be mistaken in thinking that you need to have long hair or perfect natural hair and so you labor hard and long on it to no avail. If your hair is hard work, there are other ways to embrace it. There’s no one way to be natural.

How do we keep in touch with you?

Instagram: @essy_ter

Let’s get to know you.

Hi Hi! My name is Ibim-Dennis Sotonye (Sotie). I'm Nigerian and I currently live in Poland. I am a Medical student.

How long have you been natural?

It'll be exactly 2 years by this May 2018.

Big chop or transition?

I transitioned for 9 months and I finally chopped it off in May 2016.

What’s the story behind you going back to your natural roots?

Well, I went through a phase when the harsh winter weather and too much heat destroyed my healthy relaxed hair. It was badly damaged and just didn’t look good anymore. As a child, I was natural until I was 9 and I remember my hair been very long and healthy, so I started thinking of going natural. Although I went through 2 failed transitions before I could fully commit to the journey, I finally did it! No regrets yet.

Do you have an idea what your hair type and porosity is?

My hair type is 4C, Porosity-I have no idea.

What’s your regimen like?

Lol “Regimen” well I’m a lazy and busy natural so my hair is in protective styles most of the time. I wear wigs most of the time and try to wash once a week( no longer than 2 weeks without a wash)

I pre-poo with a basic conditioner and coconut oil for an hour or more, sometimes overnight. Then detangle and section into 4 parts.
Then I wash with shampoo ( Yves Rocher for bouncy curls or Aussie miracle moist) these are the ones I can easily pick up from the store and they are super affordable.
I condition with the Yves Rocher bouncy curls conditioner, rinse that out.
Afterwards with the Aussie miracle moist conditioner, I deep condition with a plastic bag or shower cap over my head for at least 1 hour. (this is done every other week).
Then I rinse with green tea, Condition with Cantu leave-in conditioner and finally, I seal the moisture in with my DIY shea butter, coconut oil, and almond oil mix.

All of this is just on wash day. On a daily basis, I just spray my hair which is usually in cornrows with water and seal with coconut oil at night and tie my hair with a silk scarf.

Any hair products you can’t do without?

Cantu leave-in conditioner or any similar product. It makes detangling a lot easier.

What’s your go-to hairstyle? Any fave hairstyle?

I love to put my hair in a high puff when its out. its quick, easy and looks good.

Challenges you face as a natural.

The routine and finding the time to keep up with it is a real challenge.

Do you have any hair/styling secret? wink

My hair loves water so I try to keep it moisturized all the time.

Has going natural changed anything about you?

Going natural has taught me how to better care of my hair. I don’t use heat at all anymore and I’m more gentle with hair in general since I make other people’s hair part-time. I’m also much more confident when my hair is out and it's looking healthy and beautiful.

Do you think you’ll ever return back to the creamy crack?

Well, yeah. I think I will eventually, but I might miss my curls and come right back. 😂

Any advice for your natural sisters out there?

The sacrifice is worth it. Don’t break your pockets in a bid to buy expensive hair products. A simple regular regimen will do the same thing. If you can’t find the popular ones Youtube hair gurus keep talking about then get what is available or affordable and make it work.

How do we keep in touch with you?

Instagram handle @sotie_ibim
Twitter handle @iam_sotie

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

I still feel bubbly from all the fun I had at the NNHB show.... and to think I almost didn't go. Wheew!

The expo kicked off at 11 am, at Harbour piont, Victoria island, Lagos state but I got there by 2 pm(errr... I had errands to run plus trust Lagos traffic na). The good thing is, I got there just in time for Yagazie Emezi's(she's one of the reasons I was there in the first place) talk about challenging beauty standards through photography.

Another reason I was here, was Zara. She did give some blogging advice I could use.

I liked Kiitana demo on protective styling with crochet braids/weaves, may give it a try sometime.
One thing that struck me was the super friendliness of the guest speakers... Awesome!

Okay.... there are more interesting things I could say about the show but can I just let the pictures do the talking for me?.. Okay, cool!