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.
Okra or Okro known in many English-speaking countries as ladies' fingers or ochro, is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It is valued for its edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with supporters of West African, Ethiopian, and South Asian origins.
Why Okra for the hair?
- It is 100% natural with no chemicals.
- It is less expensive, the picture above is about one-quarter of a dollar.
- Okra’s also high in Vitamins A & C, folic acid, calcium, zinc, including biotin, all of which make it incredibly nourishing for the hair.
- 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
- Cut 3-10 pieces of okra vertically.
- Boil the okra until frothy and slimy.
- Strain the mixture into a container.
- 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.
There are actually different ways the Okra gel can be used; Some use it as a final step conditioner after a wash day, some use it as a detangler, some use it to simply lay their edges for styling purposes, some also use it as a wash and go and some use it for a twist-out which was my case.
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".
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| Forgive this poor picture, still learning the art of Hair Photography |
I went further to spritz each section of my hair with Yetty's therapy in order to make my hair slightly damp. I then began sectioning it into smaller portions, applied the gel(it is really slimy, I'd advise you get the kind of bottle I used to store mine, to avoid getting all of the environment messy). In each smaller portions, I applied my okra gel while carefully detangling by strands running my fingers from the tips of my hair to the root. Gosh, it was the best feeling ever and the most stress-free detangling method. I also have to say I have not been using any comb on my hair for about 3 months now and I only used my fingers and the super detangling ingredients from my okra gel.
After properly detangling, using few drops of the Okra gel and my fingers, I added my homemade whipped shea butter to each portion starting also from the tips to the root. I added the shea butter to seal in all the goodness that comes with the Okra gel, we don't want it to waste, do we? The shea butter also added some shine to my hair. The next thing I did after the application of my shea butter was twist my hair all the way to the tips while making sure my ends were well moisturized with another little addition of the shea butter to the tips.
I had my hair in twists using the above steps and I had very minimal breakage like never before.
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| Back view |
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| Front view + dripping ends (Tired face) |
I left the twists on for about two days while I spritz my hair once a day. On the day I was set to let out the hair, I first added a few drops of anti-frizz argan oil to the tips of my fingers while I gently separate my twists.
Few things I noticed while I do this:
- 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.
I made sure the anti-frizz argan oil was always on my tips every time I detangle. After separating it to the level I felt satisfied with, I used an afro wide-tooth comb to lift my roots to have a fuller look with the twists-out and here we go:
I wore this look for about 3 days and here's my review of the Okra gel:
PROS
- My hair was still soft and moisturized all of the days I wore my twists-out.
- Detangling with NO COMBS has never been that easier.
- My curls were still very much defined even as the hair grows old. That is something I haven't seen happen to my hair in a long while with other products I've tried.
- There were still no flakes after 3 days.
CONS
- 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!
INGREDIENTS TO AVOID IN A DEEP CONDITIONER
Knowing what ingredients you are putting in your hair and the effect of using them can give an entirely new edge to the health of your hair. In my previous post under this series I shared some of the common good ingredients you should look out for.
In this article I’ll be sharing some common ingredients you might want to avoid in your deep conditioner. These ingredients may not serve any purpose or may even be harmful health wise.
1. BAD ALCOHOLS
Names like isopropyl alcohol, propyl alcohol, propanol alcohol, isopropanol alcohol, SD alcohol etc, are bad news for natural hair. Our hair needs all the moisture it can get and these alcohols do the exact opposite. They cause the hair to become dry.
2. PARABENS
Parabens are preservatives widely used in cosmetic and beauty products to prevent microbes from growing. Therefore they make the product shelf life longer.
Studies have linked parabens to breast cancer. Cancerous cells were found to contain parabens, although it haven’t been conclusively said that parabens causes cancer.
Some examples of parabens are: butylparaben, ethylparaben, isobutylparaben, methylparaben etc.
Given the fact that parabens are widely used in lots of beauty products, it will be advisable to avoid it when one can (starting from your hair products maybe) to be on the safer side. Try looking for paraben free products.
3. SILICONES
Silicones are great for detangling and combating frizz. To identify silicones look out for ingredient names with “cone”, “col”, “conol”, “xane” or “zane”. When it comes to silicones one has to know the one that’s good to use (water-soluble) and the one you might want to avoid (water-insoluble).
Water-Soluble
These silicones do not cause build up and can be washed out of the hair with only water. Examples include: cyclomethicone, dimethicone copolyol.
Water-Insoluble
These ones tend to cause build up and is difficult to remove. It can’t be removed with only water, one has to use a clarifying (sulfate) shampoo. So unless you want to subject your hair to sulfates (more on this later) you should avoid water insoluble silicones like dimethicone.
4. LANOLIN, MINERAL OIL AND PETROLATUM
These ingredients may react differently according to hair type and textures. Although some with natural hair use them for sealing and taming frizz, they can clog your pores and hinder hair growth if used on the scalp aside the fact that they aren’t moisturising in anyway. If you’re absolutely sure that you want to use these ingredients, make sure you use them on your hair and not directly on your scalp. The best alternative still remains using moisturising sealing ingredients like natural oils.
BOTTOMLINE: It’s best to do a little research before buying your deep conditioner. Check the ingredient list. The higher the ingredient is on the list, the higher the percentage of that ingredient contained in the product.
DO NOT forget to always choose what works for your hair and is healthy for you!
What ingredients do you avoid in your deep conditioner? Please do share.
Watch out next for tips on how to know your deep conditioner is really effective!
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE GETTING YOUR NEXT DEEP CONDITIONER
Here comes the second article in the deep condition series. If you missed the first article, you can get all the scoop here!
When it comes to buying a deep conditioner choosing the right one really matters. There are lots of brands out there and it could get quite confusing to make the right choice.
A deep conditioner that’s beautifully packed or one with the nicest fragrance doesn’t always equate a good one. We also do not want to splurge on a deep conditioner, only to find out it’s not as effective do we?
I’ve found that the trick to identifying a good product is by looking at the ingredients list at the back of the product. I first scan through for ingredients that may not be good for my hair before looking for the goodies that could penetrate my hair shaft so as to get the desired effect. For the sake of this post though let’s start with the goodies!
Basically a deep conditioner should contain ingredients that falls under these categories:
Water/Aqua is the first ingredient you should find on the list and it’s the most moisturizing of all moisturizers. Other moisturizers include: Aloe Vera, Panthenol, Glycerin, Fatty/Moisturizing Alcohols (Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Lauryl Alcohol, Myristyl Alcohol)
These ingredients help condition the hair, making it easier to detangle and comb through. Examples of some common conditioners: Amodimethicone, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetrimonium Chloride, Propyl Glycol Dicaprylate, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine.
The word “hydrolyzed” simply means the protein molecules has been broken down to smaller particles to make them more penetrable. A protein deep conditioner should contain one or more of these proteins: Hydrolyzed Keratin, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Hydrolyzed Oat Protein, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Hydrolyzed Silk Protein.
Deep conditioning treatments don’t last for a long period, sealants are required to help make the hair stay strong and moisturized for a while. Your deep conditioner may contain some of these sealants: Lanolin, Shea Butter, Phenyl Trimethicone, Olive Oil, Coconut Oil.
While there are tons of other ingredients contained in a deep conditioner, I tried not to go all chemistry on you and summarized it as best as I could. Never been a fan of chemistry anyways.
At the very least, the next time you go deep conditioner shopping you’ll have this trick up your sleeve.
Upcoming post! The next post under this series will be the ingredients you should be wary of.
Until next post.
xx
Uloaku.
After making the decision to go natural either by transitioning or big chop, your healthy hair journey begins. You may find out that the products that worked on your relaxed hair aren’t working anymore.
This means getting new products that promote healthy scalp and beautiful hair.
These are the basic hair products you’ll need for taking care of your hair:
Deep Conditioner: Yes! This takes priority over other products. Our natural hair has the tendency to dry easily, so deep conditioning is a must! The benefits of deep conditioning are numerous. It restores internal hydration to the hair, provides intense moisture, balance the pH of the hair, cuts down on frizz, helps maintain internal moisture balance, promotes elasticity, adds shine and luster, strengthens hair,...should I keep going on the benefits? I could go on and on. I’m sure you get how important deep conditioners are now.
Leave In Conditioner: It adds extra moisture to the hair. It improves manageability of the hair making it smoother, more flexible and makes detangling easier.
Shampoo: Getting a good shampoo (preferably sulfate and paraben free) is an important step to remove buildup from hair.
Rinse Out Conditioner: After shampooing comes conditioning. You may want to try some below. Rinse out conditioners aids in detangling hair during wash and can also double up as co-washers for days when your hair is slightly dirty or when you don’t want to shampoo.
Natural Oil: They are used to seal your ends after moisturizing to lock in moisture for the hair.
Wide Tooth Comb: This helps prevent much breakage when detangling hair. Small tooth combs are terrible for detangling hair, they cause a lot of breakage. You shouldn’t use them unless you have a teeny weeny fro.
Satin Bonnet or Pillowcase: Wrapping your hair in a satin bonnet or using a satin pillowcase helps protect your hair and prevent pulling and breakage while sleeping.
Other products that may not be very basic:
- Hair Curlers (rollers, flexi rods, perm rods, curlformers etc) can be used to achieve curly hairstyles without heat and blend in different textures for transitioners.
- Stylers, like holding gel, edge control and setting lotion or mousse, can help from your wash and go, to twist or braids. The right products won’t make your hair stiff or contain drying ingredients that can affect your hairline.
- Hair Accessories like bobby pins, hair bands etc.
Here I made a short list of hair products you may want to try out. Keep in mind that what works for one hair, may not work well for another. We all have different textures.
Deep Conditioners
- ORS olive oil replenishing conditioner
- Shea moisture raw shea butter deep treatment masque
- Soft and beautiful botanicals deep condition repair masque
- ORS hair mayonnaise
- Cantu shea butter deep treatment masque
Leave in conditioners
- Africa’s best organics olive oil moisturizing growth lotion
- Dr. Miracle’s leave in conditioner
- Profective mega growth daily leave-in strengthener
- Elasta olive oil and mango anti-breakage leave-in conditioner
- Shea moisture strengthen, grow & restore leave in conditioner
Shampoos
- ORS olive oil creamy aloe shampoo
- Dr. Miracle’s conditioning shampoo
- Alberto vo5 shampoo
- Creme of nature Eden hydrating shampoo
- Shea moisture coconut and hibiscus curl & shine shampoo
Rinse out conditioners
- Vo5 moisture milks
- Gentelle hair fruits coconut conditioner
- Herbal essence hello hydrated and totally twisted
- Aussie Moist
- Suave naturals ocean breeze
Natural Oils
- Coconut oil
- Olive oil
- Castor oil
- Almond oil
- Jojoba oil
- Grapeseed oil
Are you transitioning or a natural? What products works for you?
