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Showing posts from 2015

Cooking oil On Your Hair

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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

Why You Shouldn't Use Glycerine In Harmattan

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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

Can Braids Protect Your Hair From Harmattan?

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Here's a question that has come up and I do know that this is a question on the minds of newbies. Can Braids protect your hair from harmattan? Yes, it can. In fact, in my opinion, compared to weaves,  braids are the better protective style for harmattan. You are able to wash and condition braids more than when in weaves due to the individual strands of the  braids as compared to  the cornrows of the weave. Also,  it's less stressful spraying your moisturizer on your braids than on your weave ( see my Y ouTube channel for how I moisturize and seal my hair when in Braids or weaves). Thirdly,  braids are more airy compared to weaves. Despite these problems,  I'm more of a weave person who tried to become a braids person and failed.  I do love weaves regardless of the season, all that matters is you paying attention  to your hair in whatever style you choose for the harmattan.

Thankful Month day 10 (Motherhood)

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Can you believe is day 10 already? Today,  I talk about being a mom -  the joys of motherhood [YouTube=https://youtu.be/rtkPa-_ZgJ8]

What Is Facial Cleansing?

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Just as we shampoo our hair to remove dirt, facial cleansing is to remove dirt, dead skin and excess oil that can block the pores. There are differing views on the most effective method of cleaning. Some advocate in the mornings because the skin sheds the dead cells during the night so morning cleansing is best. Others are of the view that make ups and stuff need to be cleaned in the night before bed so it'd better to cleanse at that time. Personally, I advocate for both. If you wear make up,  then,  you can use a make up remover and then use a facial cleanser.  I leave out the facial scrubbing for the morning. I simply wet the face in the morning and apply a Scrub. I get to enjoy a fresh face both night and day. What to use for Facial cleansing?  We have  facial soaps and face washes. The difference is that the wash is more milder. I,  now,  use African Black Soap as my facial cleanser and it's doing just well. I love the FC facial washes too. Just like hair products, you have

Cantu Sheabutter Deep Treatment Masque Wash Day

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I wonder why I hadn't tried a Cantu Sheabutter deep treatment masque wash ever since I got the product. For week two of the deep conditioning challenge, I may just stick to one wash because I don't want to loose this smoothness I'm enjoying as regards my hair all thanks to the Cantu Sheabutter masque. I was out of my mind when my stylist couldn't do my hair due to her faulty dryer so I had to seek for a new one. She's a bit far from me but after this experience with her, I may just make that trip all the time. To begin,  she cleansed with renpure cleansing conditioner. Whilst she was washing,  I think she was taking glances at the directions on the bottle and all the products I had brought. When it was time to deep condition, she applied the deep treatment masque to the edges first -  something madam know-it-all doesn't remember to do Lol.  She also read the directions and wanted to follow the time to use the Cantu sheabutter deep treatment masque but I obliged

Thankful Month day 8 (Grandparents, Uncles & Aunts

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There's no one who came to this world by dropping from the skies. Each of us were born to people who  were born to some people- you get the drift. Our grandparents have done their parts in giving us parents who've in turn nurtured and given us what they can. I'm so grateful for my grandparents on both sides of the family. Here's what I have to say about them. [YouTube=https://youtu.be/DLl0mLv1hug]

Thankful Month day 7 (In-laws)

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The dream of every young woman who wants to get married is to get in-laws who will accept and embrace her. God has answered that for me because my in-laws are really fun to  hang on with. From my father - in-law who happens to be in the same field of carrier choice, my mom-in-law who can chat with my mom for hours unend and the sisters and brothers, let's just say they rock. Here's my video about being thankful for my in-laws. [YouTube=https://youtu.be/uP4iLY8Prr4]

Gelatine Hair Mask

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The gelatine hair mask treatment has been on my to do list since Nitty of growingmymane.blogspot.com brought me a pack. What is gelatine hair mask? This hair mask is made with gelatine. My readings about this product have shown that the gelatine has protein just like egg which makes it an effective protein treatment. The advantage of gelatine is that the protein is able to penetrate the hair better than egg protein. To prepare the treatment,  I simply mixed the gelatine with water and stirred. I applied it on the  dry hair and see how moisturized the hair looks. A few days ago,  my hair was as dry as a hay yet after just 2 deep conditioning sessions,  my moisture level increased and now see how the gelatine has settled in too. Mind you,  the hair you see looks nothing like when it's dry. The gelatine is so sticky like gel and when it dried on my face, it was like a facial peel. I went to bed with damp hair.

Deep Conditioning for Harmattan Update

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The first week of the deep conditioning for harmattan is over and I followed everything to a dot. Check out the first wash and the recent wash. What can I say? I'm glad I'm giving the hair the moisture it needs. I'm keeping an eye on moisture overload but at least most of my deep conditioners are balanced. The gelatine hair mask treatment was to provide the protein the hair needs. Gelatine is said to contain hydrolyzed protein which was the purpose for the mask. Overall, I look forward to more gelatine hair mask treatments.

Thankful Month day 5 (SIBLINGS)

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For the whole of November, I'll be sharing all the things I'm thankful for daily. Each day brings new blessings and favour so why not be thankful for what you have? [YouTube=https://youtu.be/NnaVicZt6Tg]

Getting Rid Of Acne With Alata Samina

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Back in the days, I used to see a lot of youtube ladies talk about getting rid of acne with alata samina aka African Black soap. If you've read about how I've come to  use African Black Soap aka alata samina in my facial regimen,  then,  you'll have guessed that the number one factor for the switch is acne. I have an occasional acne breakout, usually at that time of the  month and it can be severe. For the past few days that I've been diligent in cleansing with the black soap, I've seen an improvement in the texture of the skin. Aside that, the African black soap is an all natural soap therefore I'm not exposing myself to unnecessary chemicals. From being rough to more smooth texture and more even skin. The alata samina I use is the market one. There are other already processed black soaps with added fragrances but I don't want to use them because I don't know how those additives will affect the skin. So,  how has my acne been?  Minimal so far. It's

African Black Soap in Facial Care

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A few years ago,  I decided to jump on the African black soap in Facial care bandwagon. Alata samina, as we call it,  is raved as a great cleanser. Well, I tried to use the African black soap at that time thinking I was going to achieve the same results too but it failed. I mean I got some serious breakout so I concluded it wasn't for me. Now,  I'm back to using alata samina and the difference this time is that I have a regimen. I didn't have a regimen back then so I was obviously going about the whole process wrongly. Currently, that's the only thing I use as a cleanser before using a facial scrub. I use it about twice a day if I wear make up. The interesting part is that my face doesn't feel so dry after use! Do you use African black soap in your facial care regimen?

Deep Conditioning for Harmattan

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The challenge for November is to deep conditioning for harmattan in order to boost the moisture in the hair; the aim is deep conditioning twice a week. I'll also use the opportunity to try protein layering to revitalize my ends. Protein layering is applying protein to your ends to minimize breakage. so for the first week, *** I'll be using the ors Aloe shampoo to clarify and then deep condition with Eco Lesterol on Monday. The Thursday : wash will be with tresemme Naturals Moisture Conditioner and deep condition with Cantu Sheabutter deep treatment masque. Week 2 Monday **Cleansing conditioner and deep condition with ORS nourishing conditioner. Thursday : shampoo with sheamoisture yucca and baobab shampoo and follow with Cantu Sheabutter deep treatment masque. Week 3 Monday **co wash with tresemme Naturals Moisture Conditioner and deep condition with Eco Lesterol. Thursday : shampoo with sheamoisture yucca and baobab shampoo and deep condition with ORS nourishing conditioner.er

Can Water Only Wash Clean Your Hair?

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Here's one of the questions that have come up with the water only wash. Can the water only wash clean your hair? There are several things involved in the water only wash cleaning stages. First, you scritch that is use your finger pads to lift sebum and dirt . There's also the position of your head during the rinse. You tilt your hair downwards to allow the flow of water to wash out the dirt as well as make detangling easier. Another the cleaning step is the acv, Aloe vera juice . You can use aloe vera as a cleanser to remove dirt from your hair. It is said to be a mild cleanser which means it won't deplete the sebum coverage. You have to experiment with how often you use to figure out the best time to use it. clay treatments  or  herbal rinses  can also be used to clean the hair during the water only wash routine. However, these clay treatment, according to the website, can undo the sebum coverage. Clays like bentonite are known to clarify so I won't be surprised if

Sheamoisture Yucca & Baobab Shampoo Review

A friend gave me the sheamoisture yucca & baobab shampoo and I was very excited to be trying my second  sheamoisture product. This shampoo sells for around 55gh in most online shops in Ghana so you can easily get it. In the review,  I talk about the consistency of the sheamoisture yucca and baobab shampoo , how I use it and whether I'll repurchase it. [YouTube=https://youtu.be/guvuoQCeZTQ]

Why You Should Chelate Your Natural Hair

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I'm going to talk about the need to chelate your natural hair. Chelating and Clarifying hair, to the best thing of my knowledge, are some things relaxed ladies do very often.  Whereas naturals may not be using a relaxer (some relax their edges), most do use commercial products.  Even using natural products can still cause build up and as a result, a lot of ladies focus on cleaning the hair with a sulfate based shampoo. What about the build up from the water you use to wash the hair in the first place? Have you ever considered why even after clarifying your hair,  you still feel the strands are coated? The kind of water we use especially for those who purchase from the tankers and also use water from the polytanks like me can hinder our whole wash day purpose and result.  Most of these waters are hard, meaning the mineral deposit from them will create build up that can only be cleared using a Chelating shampoo. In addition to this, if you Co wash more often, then,  you'll have a

African Female Celebrities With Gorgeous Natural Hair

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Today's post will showcase African Female celebrities with gorgeous natural hair. Have fun! [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="387"] Becca's natural hair[/caption] [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="442"] Yvonne Nelson's natural hair[/caption] [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="446"] Ama K Abrebrese's natural hair[/caption] Do you know them? Image credits: instagram

We Naturals Hemp Oil Line Review

I'm very thankful for the we naturals hemp oil products sent me by We naturals.  Their new hemp oil line range has awesome products. Check out my review of the shampoo,  conditioner, leave in, hair butter and hot oil treatment. The We naturals hemp oil line is made in Ghana. I know they can send it to you wherever you may be. [youtube=https://youtu.be/NVpfD4Gdq-0]

3 Easy Ways To Use Apple Cider Vinegar On Natural Hair

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Today, I'm going to share 3 easy ways to use apple cider vinegar on natural hair. For most naturals in Ghana, the best known products are usually expensive yet there are very effective ones that are also easily accessible. Apple Cider Vinegar is a hair product you'll always find in my home. Aside haven used it when I relaxed my hair, I do use it on my natural hair too. ***As a final rinse When I want to be double sure the hair's cuticle is closed, I do a final rinse with ACV diluted in water. Also, when I Co wash, I like to use the vinegar to act as another rinse. Somehow, my hair feels smoother when I do that meaning the cuticles are closed. **** Scalp Cleanser Though there are divided views about Apple Cider Vinegar as a cleanser, that is like a shampoo, I, have personally seen how effective it is on the scalp. So, even if it can't clean the hair itself, when it comes to cleaning the scalp, this stuff is the truth! For ladies with dandruff, using acv diluted on the sc

Top 3 Deep Conditioners (Collab With Miranisa and Ghlonghair)

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This collaboration is all about our favourite top 3 deep conditioners. Every since I started my hair journey, using deep conditioners have been a key factor in achieving all the goals I set for myself. I've used a variety of deep conditioners for difference reasons and purposes. However, it's not all of them that have found their way into the stable list. In the video, I talk about the 3 top deep conditioners,especially, for the year 2015. I talk about why I love them, how I use them and how long I've used them. Stella of ghlonghair also shares her 3 top deep conditioners and how they've helped her achieve her almost waist length hair. Miranisa Wallace of msdirectiongh has also been a healthy hair journey for a while now and has achieved almost all her hair goals. She shares her 3 top deep conditioners and how they've helped her get to her current length. Don't forget to subscribe to our channels, leave your questions, suggestions and comments below the videos.

Do You Have To Protective Style ?

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Do You Have To Protective Style? As I continue to make new discoveries about my hair, one of the battles or struggles I've always had is protective styling. The hype about keeping our hair tucked away and protected from the elements is one that everyone on this hair journey is very familiar with. The Eureka Moment Recently, I read about 2 articles about protective styling with both concluding that it's more about less manipulation than keeping the hair hidden. It got me thinking about non blacks. Do they protective style? I don't know - what I know is that they wear extensions for aesthetic purposes. Curly Nikki's article views low manipulation styles as a better option for reasons like being able to care for the hair more than when tucked away. It makes a lot of sense when you look at the fact that the essence of protective styling is actually to reduce manipulation! So, if there are other ways of reducing manipulation, why not do so? The Alternative to protective styl

Does Jamaican Black Castor Oil Grow Hair?

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We continue with search terms that pop up and here's another interesting one. Does Jamaican black castor oil grow hair? The answer I'm going to provide to this question is based on my own experience. Jamaican black castor oil aka jbco has been a popular oil within the hair community. I started using the regular castor about 4 years ago. Now, I use the Jamaican black castor oil because there were claims that it was more organic than the regular or pharmacy castor oil. Well, I can definitely say that if you are consistent with jbco, you'll sure experience faster growth. I've used it to regrow my edges and though I haven't been consistent with it on my scalp, I can attest to the regrowth of the edges. I don't like the tingling jbco; what I had tingles so I didn't want it on my scalp. However, the tropical Isle brand doesn't tingle and that is what I used to regrow my edges. I'm on a castor oil challenge but haven't been consistently using it. I have

How To Care For Your Hair During Pregnancy

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The excitement about having a new life in the family knows no limit so I'm going to share a few tips on ow tocare for your hair during pregnancy. In as much as you want to enjoy the baby, the journey to having the baby can be a daunting task. You get tired, have sleepless night, feel heavy, and all you want to do is count the days your little one is born. When I was pregnant, these things made it easy to care for my hair. **Rely on a stylist when I felt I couldn't do my own hair. For us in Ghana, our salons are relatively cheap so it won't be a problem using one more often during pregnancy. Be sure you are working with a familiar stylist who understands your journey. **Wash during shower; I used to enjoy having the water run over my body so that was an opportune moment to wash even if it's a co wash. ** Use instant deep conditioners like dark and lovely amla legend masque. These work within 5 minutes so you can take your shower and deep condition at the same time. Even

Jamaican Black Castor Oil in Ghana (Update)

Yes, there is Jamaican black castor oil in Ghana. The last time I spoke about where to get Jamaican black castor oil was when it first became available in Ghana. Back then,  there was only one vendor. Fast forward to Now, you can get Jamaican black castor oil at the following places: 1. African Emprezz Beauty shop on Facebook 2. Urbanmakes.com where my friend Dami sells other hair products too. 3. Avery Naturals on Facebook 4. Mejs Naturals who also stocks the Ecoco brand. These are the ladies I know of for  now who stock up on Jamaican black castor oil.

6 Ways To Overcome Hair Setbacks

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As the queen of experiments about 3 years ago, there isn't a setback I haven't experienced and not recovered from and that's why I'm sharing with you 6 ways to overcome hair setbacks. Though I'm not at my goal length, I've had enough setbacks to keep me on track and that has been the case since 2014. I hit full shoulder length in December 2014 after my big chop in January 2014.  after cutting my hair as a result of a henna mishap , colour treatment, protein and others, here are the strategies I employed and still employ when I suffer any setback . 1. Accept that you caused the setback. Whether a stylist trimmed too much hair or gave you a bad braid, you are responsible. Why didn't you complain during the process? Why didn't you get up and leave? If it's your hair breaking, what did you fail to do? 2. Trust that you can and will recover from the setback. No matter how bad the problem, there is always a solution. Believe in your ability to bring your

3 Ways To Use African Black Soap In Your Regimen

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Clarify African Black Soap aka alata samina shouldn't be used so often because it acts as a clarifying shampoo. In its undiluted form (no oils added) , it gets rid of product build up. Usually, it's safe to clarify about once a month to remove traces of the silicone build up from conditioners. Even if you use silicone free products, you may have been using butters and creams. However, African black soap can't remove mineral deposit from hard water. Moisturizing shampooAdd some oils to your liquid alata samina. To prepare liquid African Black Soap, mash the alata samina, soak it in water or add warm water and allow it to sit for a while. Add a few drops of natural oils and essential oil to preserve it. Viola! This reduces the drying effect of the alata samina. Sulfate Free shampoo If you want a natural homemade sulfate free shampoo, then, the African black soap is here for you.

3 Hair Styles For Labour And After Delivery

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[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="396"] My cornrow ponytail[/caption] When the moment of labour arrives, the last thing you want to ti have some hair flowing and shipping your face. All you want to do is get the baby out and be free.  About a month to delivery, you are tired, easily stressed, anxious and sleep is a luxury. To make the process less stressful, here are some hair style tips for you. 1. Cornrow ( with or without extensions; All back style, Ponytail): As my no.1 go to hair style, I'm glad I had this sooner prior to delivery. Having the hair cornrowed into a small Ponytail makes you fly and ready for the marathon Lol. For the whole period of labour, my hair wasn't a concern at all for the 2 weeks after birth too. Short weave on: The goal is to have your hair off your face so installing 8-24 inches weave isn't useful. A cut is better to make your sleep easy. A new born has a sensitive skin and allowing your weave to touch the