Ghanaian Emprezz

I don't have a make up remover because I wasn't keen on one until I began wearing make up daily. Now,  before I pick up one,  I still need to improvise so I use opted for removing make up with oil. How does that work? I pour the oil on a cotton shirt or micro fibre towel and use it to clean the face. The oil sticks to the make up thereby removing it from the face. Just as oil and water do not mix, the oil on the face doesn't cake there Lol. I follow up with my homemade facial scrub,  witch hazel and acne  treatment. My facial scrub is a homemade one too until I find time to go to the drugstore to pick up one of my favourite scrubs. As we celebrate the season of resurrection, let's remember to remove our make up before retiring to bed. Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube - www.youtube.com/EmprezzAbena

A few week ago, I embarked on a facial care journey. One of the products I use in combating acne is the clean and clear acne pimple medication. This is an update of the facial treatment for 23/March. I poured the oil mix on a micro fibre towel and whipped the make up off. I washed with Forever Clair wash and cleanse. I applied honey lemon scrub and left it for some hours. With the honey lemon scrub. I washed the scrub off and applied witch hazel and followed up with clean and smooth acne treatment for the night. The clean and smooth acne treatment deserves a full review so I'll only say that it's been amazing product. I've increased my water intake so I can use the washroom more often. This gives the body the opportunity to eliminate toxins from the body.  Give or take, in about a week's time, my skin will be back to normal again leaving the scars as my focus. The lesson here is to take precautions when using biotin. You need to flash out excess biotin from your body to

The first I ever bought was the ORS aloe creamy shampoo and have always mentioned it in my product videos. As soon as I discovered the multi purpose use of this shampoo,  I stuck to it and haven't thought of looking back. I do have one I want to try but that's for later on the year. Here's a video on the reasons I love this shampoo. I have several wash day posts with the ors aloe creamy shampoo. Product review: ORS Aloe Shampoo My Natural hair regimen How to use shampoos on relaxed hair My Current Hair Products Hair Product Selection Made Easy 10 Hair Products Worth Buying (2015 edition) Deep Conditioning Dry Hair If you've not subscribed to my channel, www.youtube.com/EmprezzAbena,   please do! [YouTube=https://youtu.be/3KJXBzb6tE8] Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube - www.youtube.com/EmprezzAbena

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="199"] top knot bunMy meditation these days about hair have changed drastically from yearning for what others have to getting what  I want.[/caption] Until somewhere June 2011, I had no idea that ladies had taken matters into their own hands to grow healthy hair. A Healthy Hair journey is all about keeping your hair healthy. So why is length such  a big deal? It's because healthy hair can give you the retention of growth and ultimately translating into length. My  journey is such  a difficult one to comprehend. But my last big chop hasn't necessarily set me back. If anything  at all,  it's helped me achieve what I wanted which is healthy hair.. The dyed hair is gone and I'm good. The mantra that most people recite is health over length and it's rightly so. The desire for healthy hair is so strong that I don't mind the big chops. They gratify a desire for health. That said,  I don't want t

Hair vitamins or supplements can contribute to our overall health when used appropriately. For the past months, supplements have been an integral part of my daily routine. I started with biotin and added some hair, skin and nails later on. When others embark on a hair journey, the key motivation is long hair. Since one can't grow long hair overnight, these supplements come in to reach our goals faster, enjoy more thickness and also get to show off all our hard work. Each bottle of supplement has its own directions and dosage. That's the first thing to examine when purchasing these products. In addition to that, each ingredient has a role to play and if you have an allergy, it may impact negatively on the body. If you ask me when to take vitamins, I'll say do an experiment and find out because we have different bodies and respond to products differently. When I can, I take the supplements in the morning with my breakfast. When I forget, I take it before going to bed. The key

One of the ways I curbed shedding was using black tea but that wasn't at peace with my hair therefore I switched to coffee which had no hardening effect after and later I discovered  coffee rinses for hair growth too. I'm incorporating coffee rinses again but not just to prevent shedding.  Caffeine is known to promote hair growth so I'm aiming at killing two birds with one stone. The good thing about coffee too is that  I don't need to brew it with hot water. The one we have easily dissolves in cold water too so it will be easy adding it to my wash days. Actually,  I've already done one rinse already and the focus was on the hair line. I poured the rinse particularly at the hairline. I can't measure the impact but as long as I notice less shedding  and the hairline filling in,  it's OK. Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube - www.youtube.com/EmprezzAbena

When I was given the  Cantu sheabutter for natural hair line,  I knew my stash wasn't complete without a key product which is the cantu sheabutter for natural hair deep treatment masque. Deep conditioning is a must if you want to achieve healthy hair and a good one at that. For anyone embarking on a journey, your deep conditioners can make or break your strands (in the literal sense). I bought one from Mejs naturals on Facebook and have since used it for my deep conditioning sessions. After several uses,  here's my review of the Cantu sheabutter for natural hair  Deep Treatment Masque. I explore the consistency of the product, the smell, how long it takes to work, how often I use it, the price, ways to use it different from the deep conditioning as well as whether I'll continue using it. Let me chip in that you can always contact me for any product and I'll help you find it or purchase it. [YouTube=https://youtu.be/xog3HPASGdQ] Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTub

It's not everyone who takes biotin and goes Scott free with regard to acne breakouts so today,  I'm sharing my 1 tip to stop biotin acne breakout. Biotin has been known to aid in hair growth and nails growth. Personally, I've been taking biotin in different forms for about 3 years now and counting. [caption id="attachment_2897" align="aligncenter" width="300"] biotin[/caption] Biotin, although water soluble, can create havoc if taken in excess in the form of acne breakout. A lot of solutions have been given to curb this problem. The first suggest is to increase your water intake in order to dissolve the biotin in the system. Others also advocate starting from a low dose and gradually work your way up to a larger dose. Even though ladies try all these techniques, these seem to have yielded nothing. Recently, a friend complained about biotin breakout so I put to test what I'd suspected all this time and she had amazing results within days. A

I'll go over how to do the inversion method for the sake of those visiting for the first time or hearing about this hair growth technique for the first time. This technique is aimed at growing one inch of hair in 7 days. You do it continuously for a week, once in a month. Pregnant women are not advised to do this method. There are other categories of people prohibited from doing the inversion method for hair growth so do read on it before doing it. If you doubt your condition, google it and see the suitability of the inversion method for you. I nearly skipped today's inversion method because of a headache but the Scalp Massage really helped. All you need is your natural oil and a timer. Some advice you warm the oil, enough to dip your hair into it and not be scalded. This met I set the timer to 4 minutes after applying oil on the Scalp. I began to massage as the head was tilted forward for the inversion. Inversion Method : 3 Benefits Inversion Challenge 24th November-1st Decemb

When naturals in Ghana ask me what to do or not do with their hair, I tend to smile because it means starting from the basic Regimen and sharing some dos and don'ts of natural hair in Ghana. ** Make sure your hair is at least damp before combing. Be sure to ditch the small tooth comb and use a wide tooth comb. ** Use a moisturizer as often as you need to and find ways to retain moisture. Our weather is usually dry for the most part of the year so look into moisture retention if you want to gain length. My new technique is to moisturize 3 times a day if necessary and deep condition twice a week if needed. ** Limit the use of shampoos. At least a weekly use is enough. As a natural, you can go without a shampoo for weeks if you have been using natural oils. **Find a good sealant. Many of the so-called natural oils may not be enough to seal YOUR Hair. Some hair do well with grease eg Vaseline and Dax. So don't worry yourself with Natural oils all the time. One caution will be to cl

Well,  I came across a post about the relaxer pH, I found them quite interesting. Our hair has a pH of 4.5-5.5 and these relaxers have a highest of 14. That's how strong they are in order to work on our hair. Source : black hair media The pH balance determines how harsh the chemical is. Research has shown that the lower the pH, the less damaging the product is to your hair. Water has a pH of 7. Anything less than 7 is considered acidic. The lower this number gets the greater the acidity. Any pH greater than 7 is considered alkaline. The higher the number gets the greater the alkalinity. A one point difference in pH's could have a significant impact on your hair A product with a pH of 13 is 10 times more alkaline than a product with a pH of 12. This same product would be 100 times more alkaline than a product with a pH of 11. The pH levels even tend to vary among the same products from batch to batch. A relaxer that worked great for you the last time you touched up, may cause mo

There's a general post already about relaxed hair dos and Don'ts but it's been requested that  I do dos and don'ts of relaxed hair specific to Ghana, especially,  with the kinds of stylist we have. Dos 1.  Take your own neutralizing shampoo, protein deep conditioner and leave in. If you have apple cider vinegar, add it as well as roux porosity control. Some stylists don't have anything. 2. Keep an eye on the comb used to spread the relaxer. Some stylist will scratch your scalp with it. 3. Be sure the stylist isn't too busy when applying relaxer ; she might leave it on for too long. 4. Do base your scalp if possible before going to the salon.  5. Also,  in case you want to do your prepoo or hot oil treatment, do it yourself before going. You may be surprised to know that some stylist will dissuade you from doing these treatments with the claim that they will damage your hair when they are the reason our hair isn’t thriving.  6. Guide the stylist to  deep conditio

Huddah Monroe is a Kenyan. She calls herself Kenya's sweetheart and that is rightly so because her insta feed is simply stunning. [YouTube=https://youtu.be/yTWzzZHUBIs] Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube - www.youtube.com/EmprezzAbena

The world of DIY hair care isn't complete without kitchen products including baking soda and though the actual Scrub I used was the ORS scalp Scrub,  I couldn't have done it without baking soda which therefore, makes it a baking soda scalp scrub. Since this week's wash day experience is all about something new,  I was really excited about the scrub. The ORS scalp scrub has been in my stash for over a year, waiting for me to purchase  baking soda which is a needed ingredient. Well,  I finally, bought one at shop rite, Accra mall and did a scalp scrub with it. The preparation of the  scrub is easy and the results were pretty good. It is recommended that the scrub is done once or twice a month so that's what I'll be doing though I may probably go beyond the month. To begin the process,  you'll need a mixing bowl, the baking soda also called bicarbonate of soda, ORS scalp Scrub and a spoon to mix the ingredients. In the video,  I show you the whole process from the

In this post, I will  share a DIY amla powder hair mask with you. I love using amla powder so I just had to film the process this time. The purpose of the treatment was to not only strengthen the hair but give it some boost for the harmattan. As the season draws to a close, we have to prepare the hair for the hot season that's to come which can dry out the hair. In my opinion, my hair is thriving better than ever due to taking preventive measures. Therefore,  I'll be doing more hair treatments to give it all nourishment it needs. I'm not doing experiments, I'm using products I know already. If it's not the case,  I'll alert you. When washing out the Amla hair mask, do so under running water and use a wide tooth comb to get rid of particles. Here's the tutorial [YouTube=https://youtu.be/zGtH3mI7uzU] What did you do this weekend?

I bought the forever Clair natural skin Lightening Soap for hyperpigmentation as a result  of walking through the sun. If  didn't like how my face especially looked. It's been about a couple of weeks since I started using the fC natural skin Lightening soap for hyperpigmentation,  scars among other. Does it work? The soap costs between 10-20gh depending on the retail shop. I used it twice a day as directed.  You leave it on your skin for 3 minutes before washing off. I did exactly as directed and I did see a huge change in my skin,  especially my face.  Due to this,  I'll be grabbing two more soaps soon plus the body Cream or lotion. It smells ok, very mild and lathers well. I noticed that it lathers  well if you use a wet sponge rather than  on dry sponge. If it's not working for you,  perhaps, you ought to follow the instructions for use. In addition,  you may have to use the whole like for effective results. Does it bleach the skin? No, it removes the dark spots and

It's all about making the right choices so you hair thrives when it comes knowing how to choose a relaxer to suit your needs. We already know of no lye and lye relaxers,  their various components  and uses. However,  even if you choose one of these,  how do you know it will work for you? You certainly need to know your texture. Naturals base their product choices usually on their texture in order to achieve desired results. In the same way,  you need to know your texture to choose from mild relaxer  to strong relaxers. There are relaxers for fine to medium textures and those for coarse textures so know your hair type and use that to help choose a relaxer. Another factor to consider is whether you want bone straight hair or texlaxed. If you want to have some texture, then,  a mild relaxer is best. Sometimes,  it's assumed that no lye relaxer processes less faster but there are some which actually work faster than the lye. The last tip on how to choose a relaxer is your budget. L

Since the harmattan has been pretty severe even in Accra,  I've been asked to recommend the best hairstyles for harmattan. [caption id="attachment_7409" align="aligncenter" width="169"] Cornrows[/caption] I recommend basically 3 styles for harmattan so check it out. [YouTube=https://youtu.be/Ew1TaxQsMPM]

Have you tried cooking oil on your hair? Well,  I have. I remember just doing so out of curiosity. What I used was frytol cooking oil- the one made from peanut or groundnut butter. I had run out of coconut oil, I think and needed to prepoo before using a shampoo which contain sulphates. I remember scanning my brain to find out which oil I could use. I went to the kitchen cabinet and frytol cooking oil was the first thing I saw! I poured some into my hands and it was quite thick. I prepooed with it for some hours . Unfortunately, I don't remember if I shared the results on this blog. What I recall is having very oily hair after the prepoo. It was worth trying though. Now, after all these years, my definition of cooking oil goes beyond what we use in the kitchen. I don't use frytol again; I've switched to a healthier one, the sunflower oil. I might even move to coconut oil very soon for some basci frying eg omelettes. Most of us limit our understanding of cooking oil t

Glycerine can be a good humectant but there's a reason why you shouldn't use glycerine in harmattan. Dabs explains why you shouldn't use glycerine in harmattan. Read on Naijahaircangrow.blogspot.com