Lazy Hair Week: How I Styled My Hair Last Week

Hey hey! How you doin'? We're actually halfway through the year can you believe it? This year is going by pretty fast. 

I had a really lazy hair week the whole of last week. After I washed my hair with the Suave Naturals Conditioner, I decided to do Goddess Braids for the week because I didn't really feel like styling my hair everyday during the week and I also didn't want a long term protective style.

I've been doing Goddess braids a lot though, so I decided to do it with a middle part instead of a side part for the first time in a really long time. I've always felt like a middle part wouldn't fit me but I wanted to give it a try anyway. I actually liked how it came out and I had the style for the whole week. 

The day after I loosened my goddess braids, I was trying to style my hair for court. I didn't want to go with just a puff so after I put my hair in a puff, I twisted the ends of the hair that was left out and used a bobby pin to pin it at the back. This was my first attempt at a bun and I really liked it. It also took just about 10 minutes so I'm happy to have found another style I can try out with my hair that doesn't take too much time. 

I'll keep practising it so I can put a pictorial of how I did it when I'm really good at it. 

My first attempt at a bun

Goddess Braids

If your hair isn't in a long term protective style, how have you styled it lately? 

Have a wonderful week!!

Oyime :) 

Product Review: Suave Naturals Soothing Lavender Lilac Conditioner

                        

Hey guys! How was your week? Mine was pretty weird. There was so much rain and traffic and I got to work late a few times. I couldn't wait for the week to be over but now, the weekend is over too  :(. 

Remember how I said I'm on the lookout for protein free conditioners. I was at Goodies a few weeks ago and I came across this Suave Naturals Lavender Conditioner. I read the ingredients and did a quick search on Google and there were no proteins in the ingredients. I was so excited that I used it once I got home because it was a cds day so I didn't get home as late. 

INGREDIENTS: 

Water, (Aqua), Cetyl Alcohol, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Fragrance (Parfum), Lactic Acid, Potassium Chloride, Disodium EDTA, DMDM Hydantoin, PEG-150 Distearate, Tocopheryl Acetate [Vitamin E Acetate], Panthenol, Propylene Glycol, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Passiflora Edulis Flower Extract, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Extract, Rose (Rose Canina) Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Extract, Red 33 (Ci 17200), Blue 1 (Ci 42090).

DESCRIPTION: 

It has a strong smell and it smells a bit like air freshener. It's not watery and is quite thick. It's also really easy to get the product out of the bottle. 

HOW I USED IT: 

I used a mixture of the conditioner and Shea butter to deep condition with heat and then I used the conditioner to co-wash. I was a bit disappointed because it didn't clean my scalp that well and my hair felt a bit dry. 

I decided to give it another try last week. I used it to deep condition and co wash again but this time, it left my hair feeling so dry. Usually when I deep condition there's a noticeable difference even before I wash out my deep conditioner but this time, my hair didn't feel moisturised even after deep conditioning. 

My hair just felt really dry and brittle the whole week and I had to keep moisturising it. Another thing I don't like about the conditioner is that it gives no slip to your hair. The only bright side was that my scalp felt clean. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

For now, I don't think I'm going to use this conditioner again. Maybe when I get a good deep conditioner I can just use this conditioner to cowash. 

For 450 naira though, I guess I got what I paid for. I would have been upset if I had spent a lot of money on the conditioner. 

For my hair I'll give this conditioner a rating of 2.5 stars. 

Have you guys used this conditioner before? If you have how do you use it? 

Oyime :) 

Outfit Post: Wedding Guest Outfit

Helloo people! How are you and how was your weekend? I had a wedding to attend with my friends on Saturday but the rain was serious and I almost didn't make it. I got there around 3:30 even though my plan was to get there at 1 but we stayed for some hours and it was a lot of fun.

I got the dress I wore to the wedding from Dami of What Dami Did. She makes really beautiful outfits and I was so excited when I got my dress. 

As for my hair I decided to just go with a puff. I stretched my hair the night before with small braids and my hair was really stretched when I loosened the braids. The rainy season had other plans though so it shrunk a lot. I didn't mind though because it felt soft so thanks humidity ;) 

Dress: Dami. You can contact her on 08178905927

Shoes - Asos

Earrings - New Look

What did you get up to last weekend?

Oyime :)

7 Foods For Healthy Hair

Hey guys! It's Friday again! What are your plans for the weekend? Will you be attending Naturals in the City 11 (NITC 11) tomorrow? I would really like to be there even though I have a few places to go. I'm going to try and make it for an hour at least because, I always miss this particular meet up and I've wanted to go since the last Naturals in the City meet up I attended in November 2013. 

We all know that our hair is a reflection of what we put into our body. If you're healthy your hair is healthy. I know that when I slack in my water intake my hair feels quite dry and it usually feels better when I'm well hydrated. 

There are many foods that contain a lot of nutrients that boost hair growth and health. These are a few that promote healthy hair and are easy to find:

ALMONDS: Almonds contain high contents of biotin which help promote hair growth and thickness. I eat almonds once in a while as a snack when chocolate or biscuits are nowhere to be found and I don't want to leave my house. I also drink almond milk as a substitute for dairy milk and they sell it in a lot of supermarkets in Lagos. 

BEANS: Beans contain a lot of protein,  iron, zinc and biotin, which promote hair growth.

CARROTS: Carrots contain beta-carotene which our bodies convert into Vitamin A.  Vitamin A promotes production of sebum from our scalp which reduces dryness of our hair and  promotes shiny hair. 

EGGS: Eggs are rich in protein, iron and biotin. Our  hair is mostly made of protein and eggs help to strengthen our hair and encourage hair growth. Bear in mind that it is the yolk that contains most of the nutrients for hair growth and not the egg white.

FISH (SALMON, SARDINE, TUNA) : These contain omega-3 fatty acids. Your body doesn't produce these on its own but needs them. They help promote hair growth by thickening and strengthening hair. I'm going to introduce more tuna into my diet. I don't like salmon or sardine that much.

SPINACH: Dark green leafy vegetables like spinach contain a lot of nutrients that are good for healthy hair. They contain Vitamin A, beta carotene, iron and Vitamin C. They reduce breakage by keeping your hair moisturised. This shouldn't be hard to get since we use it in a lot of our meals. 

SWEET POTATOES: Sweet potatoes also contain beta carotene which our body turns into Vitamin A. 

I used to hate sweet potatoes when I was younger because I always felt hot food should have salt and not sugar. Now, I like sweet potatoes though I prefer them fried. It's healthier to eat boiled sweet potatoes though. 

Have a great weekend!! 

Oyime :) 

Photocredit: Food52.com

Washday With Rhassoul Clay

Hey hey! How are you guys doing this fine Monday afternoon? Okay honestly I don't like Mondays but I'm trying to be positive about Mondays so :D.

I took out my bob box braids on Friday because, they were done a bit tight and already looked rough but the main reason was because I was already tired of them. I also really wanted to try my Rhassoul clay. 

On Friday night after taking out my braids, I prepood by oiling my scalp with castor oil and spritzing my hair lightly. Then, I put my hair into 2 braids and did the greenhouse effect overnight with a shower cap. 

RHASSOUL CLAY WASH 
I've wanted to try Rhassoul clay for quite a while. I've tried Bentonite clay before and while it cleansed my hair, it made it feel really dry. I know this was mostly because I didn't cover my hair with a shower cap when I used it but either way, I read that Rhassoul clay is more moisturising than Bentonite clay so that's why I wanted to use this instead. 

How To Use: 
First, I got a plastic bowl and a plastic spoon to use for my Rhassoul clay mix. You're supposed to use a plastic or a wooden spoon because a metal spoon can react with some of the ingredients in the clay. 

I mixed the clay with water, glycerine and castor oil. You can use the Rhassoul clay alone or mix it with Aloe Vera juice or oils. 

I didn't section my hair, I just parted my hair with my fingers and put the mixture all over my hair. 

Here's what I did wrong. You're supposed to have the clay on your hair between 5 and 15 minutes so that it doesn't dry out your hair.  However, it probably took me 10 minutes or more to get the clay on all parts of my hair and after that I still covered my hair with a shower cap for about 10 minutes. Oh yeah I also took pictures but that only took like 3 minutes :) 

When I washed it out, my hair felt a bit dry or maybe I just expected it to feel a bit more moisturised. Anyway, like I said, I let the clay sit in my hair for too long and that's probably why.

What I noticed though, is that my hair didn't get tangled like it would have if I had just shampooed my hair with any normal shampoo and without washing it in sections.

After washing my hair, I put it into 3 sections and moisturised it with a mix of my new leave in conditioner, Kinky Curly Knot Today (which I'll do a review on when I've used it a few more times), glycerine, castor oil and Shea butter. 

One thing I really like about Rhassoul clay is that it seriously shortened my washday. All I had to do was put the clay in my hair and wash it out. There was no need to shampoo, then deep condition, then rinse out with conditioner. 

Another thing I like is the fact that I could wash my hair without sectioning it and my hair still didn't get tangled. 

You can also use Rhassoul clay as a face mask. 

What I don't like about it is the smell. It smells like rain and sand but then again it's basically mud. It's also really messy.

You also have to work really fast when you're using it so the clay doesn't get dry when you're not done applying it to all sections of your hair.

I'm really happy with it still and I'm going to start using it as a cleanser once a month. 

I got it from Sizzelle for N2,300.

Have you used Rhassoul Clay before? How did you use it and what was your experience with it?

How To Go Natural: Big Chop vs Transitioning

Source: Seventeen.com

Hey guys! How has your weekend been? 

I've gotten a few questions from people who want to go natural so I want to give a summary to anyone who is thinking of going natural and isn't sure how to go natural or which way to. 

There are basically 2 ways of going natural. You can either transition or big chop. 

TRANSITIONING 

Transitioning means growing out your natural hair before cutting off the relaxed ends. 

You can transition anywhere from 3 months to 3 years, it really depends on you.  While transitioning, it is important to trim your relaxed ends as often as once a month so as to reduce breakage, split ends and tangling. 

You also have to take extra care of the line of demarcation/ separation, which is where your relaxed hair and your natural hair meet as this part of your hair is very prone to breakage.

Source

Pros: 

1. If you're not ready to have short hair or you don't think you'll like short hair, transitioning is the way to go. 

2. I think one of the pros of transitioning is that the hair that breaks is your relaxed hair and not your natural hair so a lot of people who transition end up retaining a lot of length by the time they finish transitioning. 

Cons: 

1. You have to learn deal with 2 different hair textures. 

2. You need to reduce heat usage so as to avoid heat damage. This can be hard especially since you have 2 different textures and you want them to blend. 

You can read some tips for transitioning here & here


BIG CHOP 

Source

This means cutting all your relaxed hair off. I big chopped after about 4 months of transitioning. 

Pros: 

1. You will only be dealing with your natural texture with no straight ends.

2. You can get to know your hair and learn how to take care of it especially if you have short hair. 

3. Having short natural hair saves time and is quite low maintenance.

Cons: 

1. You can't do a a lot of styles with really short hair.

2. You might not like how you look with short hair. If you don't, you can just wear a wig or get a protective style like braids or twists until you 'fro grows a bit. 

I hope this helps anyone who is trying to decide or has made the decision to go natural. Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!! 

Oyime :) 

What I Did Last Weekend: 2015 Salon Day Out

Hello helloo! It's Friday woohoo! Is it just me or is this month going by pretty fast?

I went for The Salon Day Out organised by Dabs of Naija Hair Can Grow last weekend. I wasn't sure I was going to go but as the day got closer I started considering going mostly because I wanted to buy a few new products. My cousin also wanted to go so I was happy I would have someone there with me. 

When I got there, the show had already started. There were so many vendors and I was able to get the things I set out to buy and even more which i'm really happy about.

The Savvy & Chic Beauty Hub Stand, Beauty Boon & The Handmade Soap Boutique

The tickets for the show cost 500 Naira and the ticket doubled as a voucher for the products from the Savvy & Chic Beauty Hub. I got a Strawberry Shea Butter Cup from the stand and it smells really good. 

I also got Rhassoul Clay and Kinky Curly Knot Today Leave In Conditioner from the Sizzelle stand which I'm still really excited about. These were the 2 things I actually planned on buying. I'll let you guys know how it goes when I try them out. I also got face sponges for exfoliating from The Handmade Soap Boutique and it came with 6 little face sponges. 

My Goody Bag & The Shea Butter Cup 

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to stay to watch the Hairlista's competition or take a lot of pictures so after doing some shopping I had to leave.

From what I saw, the show looked really good and a lot of effort was put into it. I would definitely go for the next one. 

You can read recaps of the show on: Berry Dakara's Blog & Stella's Addiction

Have an awesome weekend!

Oyime :) 

4 Hairstyles To Try Out This Year

Hey guys!! How has your week been so far? 

You know how I said I want to try new styles this year.. well I've been thinking of what my next style should be. There are a lot of styles we can do and life is too short to keep doing the same styles over and over again. It's good to experiment once in a while and yes, I'm also giving this advice to myself. If you are thinking of new styles to try, here are a few that you might like:

1. FAUX LOCS 

I've been seeing a lot of people doing faux locs since last year and I think they're really cute. This style is definitely on my to-do list especially since I'm a braids lover.  

2. BOB BOX BRAIDS 

I have bob box braids currently which you can check out here, so this is for anyone thinking of trying it out. It looks really different and I think it fits everyone. If you're tired of long braids you should definitely try this out.

3. TAPERED CUT

I've always liked the look of a tapered cut but I haven't considered actually doing it. Maybe if I ever think of cutting my hair again I'll do a tapered cut for a while first.

4. COLOURED HAIR

I have always wanted to colour my hair. My plan 3 years ago was big chop and then dye my hair burgundy but I chickened out. Now, I keep giving excuses but maybe one day I'll finally do it.

Have you guys tried any of these styles? If you haven't which styles are you willing to try out?

Oyime :)




Photo Credit: Pinterest, Black Girl Long Hair and Klassy Kinks

Bob Box Braids !!!

Hey guys!! It's Monday again *sigh. Hope you had fun last weekend! I went for the NHCG Salon Day Out yesterday which was fun. What did you get up to?

So, I tried something new about a week ago. Bob Box Braids! Do you remember this style from when we were younger? Who would have thought it would be back. I never did it though, because I wanted longer braids the few times of the year I got to do braids. 

This was impulsive for me because, my plan was to thread my hair and put it in mini twists for a week or 2. I had washed my hair the night before and re-moisturised it in the morning. When I thought about the stress of threading my hair and then spending hours twisting the next day, I called the lady who does my hair to ask if she was available to do my hair. She was, so I told her I wanted to do really big braids. 

On my way to the salon, I was complaining about how I'm always doing long box braids and how I want to do something different. Then, I remembered Ekene of The Kink and I's post about Bob box braids, quickly googled some pictures and decided to do it. I was a bit scared because I haven't done really short braids before and I didn't want to be stuck with something that wouldn't fit me. I didn't want to do the same style again though, so I decided to just do it. 

When I got to the salon, the hairdresser had already cut the braiding hair into 3 sections because, she thought I was doing my usual style. When I told her what I was doing, she cut those 3 sections into 6 which made it really short so she had to keep adding hair as she was braiding.

The first thing she did was, zig-zag cornrows of about 5 lines at the back of my hair, and then she made the braids long enough to cover them.

After braiding, she burnt the ends and then cut off the rest of the braids. I don't mind the burnt ends look but because of how short the braids are, the ends keep irritating the skin on my neck.. and me to be honest. It's quite annoying just having burnt ends on your neck. The next time I get them done, I shouldn't have this problem because I'll make them longer and I'll use rubber bands at the end of each braid instead of burning them.

I usually pin both sides with hair pins because it looks nicer that way and I can also get the hair out of my face. 

I'm really happy I tried something different this time with my braids and I'm looking forward to trying other styles this year. Have a wonderful week guys!

Oyime :) 

It's A New Month! Haul of The Week

Hey guys!! I know it's been a new month for about a week lol but this is my first post of the month! Can you believe we're practically halfway through the year?  For me this means NYSC will be over soon :D.. the only thing I'll miss about it is getting Thursdays off.

This week, I made some impulsive buys and I'm so excited about them which is why I'm sharing.

R&R Luxury Scented Candle 

I went to the R&R store in Lekki with my cousin. I didn't plan on getting anything but I ended up leaving with this scented candle. It smells amaziiing!!  I love things that smell nice and make wherever I am smell good. On their website, they say the candles are made from natural fibres and fragranced with their unique blend of oils. I think it was a really good buy for N2,500.

I like R&R Luxury because all their products are natural and you can use them for your skin and hair. The next thing I want to try is one of their liquid Shea luxury soaps and one of their oils.

R&R Luxury Black Soap

 I also decided to try out the black soap from R& R. I like the minimal packaging of the soap and all their products actually. I've used the black soap twice and I really like it so far. It doesn't have a particular smell, it smells very 'earthy' and it has a slight lavender smell. I can't place the smell so I'm not sure if it's lavender though. 

There are many benefits of black soap from what I've read. It helps in clearing your skin and I know you can also use it to wash your hair but it might not work the same way for everyone. 

I'm really happy with it and it was just N500. 

ColourPop Lippie Stix

Since I'm a bit of a lipstick lover I was looking for new lipsticks to try and I saw these on BeautyRevNG. I wasn't sure about buying any of the ColourPop lipsticks because they looked really small on the website. 

When my friend got it and I realised it's actually not as small as it looks and it's also matte, I really wanted to try them out. I got 2 colours and I've used one of them twice and the other once. I also like them so far and I'll do a review on them very soon so be on the lookout for that :) 

The lipsticks are N2,000 each on BeautyRevNG

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!! 

Oyime :)