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Showing posts from March, 2012

Children Can Grow Long Hair

Most often, mothers pray and hope that their babies will grow up to have longer and healthier hair. This will not come automatically. Just as you have a hair care routine, the child must also have a routine. Since kids play a lot in school especially with sand, you'll need to take extra care of the hair to prevent tangles and matting.  Your child's hair texture might be different from yours.Thus, the same products may not work for both of you. To care for a child's natural hair, you'll need: Shampoo  Conditioner Deep Conditioner Satin Bonnet Shower Cap Wide Tooth comb Hair clips/bands My friend  Nana in Takoradi has developed a basic wash day routine for her four year old daughter. She washes the hair every week but prior to washing; Base the scalp with coconut oil mixed with shea butter  Leave it for about 3 hours Wash with mikesh shampoo, Condition with mikesh conditioner Leave it for 10min  Comb and  rinse. Towel dry it and  bas...

Leele (Henna) For Our Hair

In the Northern part of Ghana, I know Leele  is used to beautify the palms of brides during their wedding ceremony. The designs were extremely lovely to behold. It is also known as "Zabila" in the North. Now, this same product is also beneficial to the hair. Some of its benefits include strengthening the hair and cleansing the scalp. Go Here to read more on Henna. To use Leele, watch jerseystylezz give a step-by-step method of application. For those who cannot watch the video, the steps are provided below the video. Ingredients Gloves (to protect the hand) Vaseline to proctect forehead, ears and neck Dark Shirt   Perm Applicator brush (or just fingers) Conditioner Deep Conditioner Cinnamon (check super markets, Makola market, Shoprite @ Accra mall or A & C mall at East Legon) 4 Green Tea Bags 2 Cups of Water 100-150g of Henna   Directions  Heat water to right before boiling Transfer water back to measuring cap and see...

Natural Is Cheap

1Gh¢ Note In the hair world especially for naturals, you are encouraged to learn about your hair. I've noticed  people struggling with caring for their own hair which sets in  frustrations sometimes. They rely on hair dressers to do everything for them which can be costly.  A lot of the complaints about going natural has to do with acquiring products. If it comes to braiding, weaves or any other style, I rely on my hair dresser to get it done. However, I take measures to save on other things.  At The Salon Deep conditioning can cost 10 Gh¢,  Hot oil treatment is around 10 Gh ¢   Conditioner wash can cost 5 Gh ¢.    DIM (Do-It-Myself)  I conditioner wash (co wash) my hair every week so I save  240Gh ¢  per year.  I deep condition and do my own hot oil treatment every month thus I save 240 Gh ¢  a year (approximately, a total of 480 Gh¢ or $ 268). Product Costs Now, the average cost of a box of relaxer is ...

Natural Hair Regimen For Relaxed Hair?

Over the course of the month, some readers with relaxed hair have on different occasions inquired about  applying natural hair care regimen to relaxed hair. It dawned on me that relaxed sisters follow the blog. In Today's  piece, I provide  applicable aspects of natural hair care to relaxed hair. As simple as it may seem, I know  we've become so accustomed to our hair care regimens just that we hardly recognize defects in our routines. Let us dissect some of the changes we can apply. Sleep on a satin pillowcase, use a satin scarf and if it keeps coming off, do what I do ( add a shower cap for a firm hold). Cotton pillow cases cause the hair to dry out since it absorbs moisture in the hair. Use a wide-tooth comb when detangling hair to avoid breakage. Add deep conditioning  to your hair routine. This will give your hair some moisture Find a protein treatment like Aphogee Two Step Protein Treatment to strengthen the hair. Be sure to follow application inst...

Three Types of Product Junkies (PJs)

Source How often do you buy hair products? An aunt of mine told me a story about a course mate in school. This person loved to photocopy any available material because she was not regular at lectures. One day, she unintentionally photocopied the entire holy Bible. What a shame! There is another incident where a course mate was so fond of making photocopies of other people's notes. On one occasion, he realized he had copied his own notes ! Who is a Product Junkie (PJ)?. Any one who buys every hair product he/she comes across. Every hair care line promises us beautiful bouncy curls but promises are not realities. What works on my hair might not work for you. Even if it does work, we may not have the same results. Sometimes, a little goes a long way. I have observed three categories of product junkies be it natural or relaxed. The first group of PJs purchase products because they can afford to do so. They do not feel the impact on their pockets. They have a budget allocated ...

Natural Hair Won't Mare Your Wedding

One of the questions I find myself answering most of the time is "won't my hair need some changes for my wedding?" The answer  is, " why do you want to use a day to change something you've worked on for years?" I  understand how attached we are to our wedding day but the truth is that no pastor or priest will use your hair as an excuse to cancel the wedding. No relative can   prevent you from getting married with your natural hair if you don't give them the opportunity to do so. Your husband -to-be has lived with your hair  from the beginning so I bet he wouldn't stop the wedding because you chose to wear your natural hair.

My Hair is "Hard".

Every now and then, I come across men and women who are fascinated about the fact that I keep my hair natural . Some go to the extreme of touching my hair which is really strange for me because i have the same hair they have on their heads. Some ladies display intentions of also embarking on the hair journey but are constrained by the fact that their hair is "hard". At first my initial reaction would be ,"nobody's hair is hard". But the responses would always be that I was lucky to be blessed with soft hair.

Reward Your Hair

After writing about honouring our hair texture, I asked myself,"how do I honour it? I thought of giving my hair a reward for all that it has done for my beauty! Learning to reward yourself for achieving milestones can propel you to greater heights. It give you a sense of fulfillment. Do you recall the moments you school when you did well in a test in one of the difficult course? I bet you told yourself," As for this one, I will buy a bottle of champagne! In the 7th month of the hair journey, I bought  two new conditioners as a reward for my hair; one of which has received a lot of positive reviews. On my next wash, I quickly went in for a conditioner. I immediately noticed it had a sweet smell and a nice slip  for detangling. That meant there was not the need to buy any detangling product! I had killed two birds with one stone. I plan to give my hair another reward on my 12 months mark. OK, how about rewarding your hair with a variety of styles! sdecordovaxxx shows ...

Honour Your Hair Texture

Some few months ago, I had a conversation with a friend (let's say Akua) at school about our hair type. Whilst I was bemoaning the fact that my hair was too coarse, she was grumbling about having fine hair. It was hilarious and ironical! Imagine what was going through our poor minds! Akua complained that she could not do any style that could last a day without using a gel or pudding. I, on the other hand, could make do with sheabutter or any form of oil and I'll be done for  the week. So whilst Akua had to find ways of getting rid of build-up from gels and other thick products, I used less products. But I had difficulties with detangling the hair without a conditioner with a good slip whilst Akua could easily do so with only water. This is a typical case of the phrase,"one man's meat is another man's poison". Even though this encounter occurred some months ago, each time I hear someone complain of her hair texture, I recall the conversation and smile. L...

Alternative to Locs

My sweet divas, from now to next week, I will be posting hairstyles you can rock for the easter! Spice up your celebrations with this new way of getting locks. Join BlckHair4u  and HealthyHairJourney Keep striving for a gorgeous look! Emprezz

Hair- An Enemy of Intimacy?

Ladies, I can imagine the look on your faces but let's be honest, hair can sometimes be a problem during intimate moments in our relationships. We would do everything possible to preserve a hair style even to the extent of choosing how we lie during sleep time.  What would be your reaction if  bf/dh wants you to lay your head on his lap. You would make sure you tilt your hair to preserve your hair do! But have you considered the fact that these men are in our lives not only for our outward beauty but for our inner beauty? Do you wonder why you bothered to get the hair done in the first place? Ok, ponder over this. Your girlfriends will applaud you on your hair style but at the end of the day, the number one priceless comment will be what your partner says. Laughing? Yet, we get uncomfortable should our partner makes an attempt to touch the hair. Grumbling, frowning, mumbling things only we understand are some of the reactions we put up in defense of our hair style. The n...

How To Do A Sock/Donut Bun

It's creative Friday and today, it's about a bun style. Grab a pair of socks and join  hmoo8 and tonidaley80 . Don't forget to send me some pictures when you try it!

Isn't It...?

Isn't it hilarious when your hair dresser can't read anything on a product? Isn't it ironical when your hair dresser gets angry because you brought your own hair products? Isn't it funny when your hair dresser gets frustrated because you kept telling her what to do? Isn't it absurd when your hair dresser charges you the same amount after using your own products? Isn't it comical when your hair dresser doesn't know the tool or product you are describing? Isn't it amusing when your hair dresser can't prevent  you from coming to her salon  after a disagreement? Emprezz

Our Men and Natural Hair

Many of the fears we have concerning natural hair is related to our relationship with the man in our lives; whether our boyfriend or husband would be appreciative of our choice of going natural. Our situation in Ghana, perhaps, isn't different from what pertains abroad. Most Ghanaian men are accustomed to straight hair or weaves. To keep the natural texture of your hair might raise some concerns like: * Would he still find you attractive? One gentleman,  sjsafety18 , addresses this in his video and provides channels for handling such matters. Take a look at it.

School Barbering

We were at one of our morning assemblies when our headmistress requested the presence of all the girls in one of the classrooms. Several thoughts run through my mind: another exam talk, our skirt length, washroom hygiene etc. When we got into the classroom, she closed the door and the rest was a session with the head's pair of scissors! I can see you smiling because you've had such an experience back in school. Our teachers could turn into barbers at any time during school sessions. If you become a client, you'll go home with your hair looking like some mice  had bitten some parts off. All this was to curb our desire to grow to hair in preparation for leaving school. I sit down and reflect on whether the stress was worth it because keeping bushy hair has nothing to do with passing your exams. This practice has not ceased and until the " keep your hair in a low-cut" policy is changed, we will always have a school barber. Share your experience diva! Emprezz ...

How To Do Bohemian Hairstyle

The Bohemian hair style is a quick and easy hair style for either relaxed hair or natural hair. The beauty of this hair style is that it doesn't require much braiding to create. It can also protect your hair against moisture loss and breakage. If you can't create your Bohemian style, just employ the services of a hair dresser to do it for you. You can also add extensions for a fuller look.

Hair no be Firewood

Do you think a tree just turns up as a firewood? There's the  saying that "body no be firewood". Well, i agree! You have to cut down the tree, allow it to dry up, take it home, chop it into pieces and then you have your end product - firewood. By the way, not every wood  can become firewood. How's firewood related to hair? With our hair, we have fantasies that one day, we'll wake up and all that we have to do is brush our long "mane". We, however, forget  that the European ladies we strive to imitate have their own hair care system. They spend time on forums reading about what to do to their hair. What do we do? Wake up, *comb the hair, put it in a ponytail and off we go until the next wash day or touch up.

Do A "SuSu" For Your Hair

We can get stuck up in old habits that seem proper. We still sleep on cotton pillow cases, don't tie our heads in satin scarfs or use cheap conditioners that end up aggravating our hair problems. I'ts true that the economy is "hard" but can we at least save some of the money we spend on scratch cards? By the end of the month, with as little as 5 Gh, we can afford products like: 1. a good conditioner (with 5 Gh, you can get an Optimum or ReFlexion conditioner) 2. leave-in ( 6 Gh for a bottle of One Step leave- in) 3. oils eg coconut oil or sheabutter from Accra central or Madina market (1.50 Ghp for any oil) 4. Rollers (2 Gh for a set regardless of the size)  So for the rest of the year, let's put in more effort to have some stable products for the salon visit.  Your hairdresser can also help you find what works for you so talk to him or her! Let's see the change! Emprezz

Whose Fault? The Hair Stylist Or The Client?

 I give the relaxer to my hairdresser but she doesn't read what is written on the relaxer box and proceeds to apply it. Me: "Please make sure you don't spread the relaxer to the tips". Hair dresser: "ma ti (I've heard you)" I sit for 10 minutes for the relaxer to  work. Me : "e shi shi me (it's burning me)" Hairdresser : "just wait for a minute more so that your hair can relax" (the popular believe that the longer you sit, the better the effect) Me : "I can't wait". "Wash it out quickly"