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A little update of products I’ve just started /been using that have been great for my hair. (In the photo I have just deep conditioner, blown out and flat ironed my hair. I then wrapped it overnight after using a bit of the Got2b styling oil all over it. I got a trim last month)

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I kind of made a deep conditioning mask It was bomb

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after the bentonite clay mask. my hair loves me

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I'm only getting to know about gorilla snot and I'm blown away. w o a h

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(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhUD01EVglw)

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She’sGotNigerianCurls ‘Fro Feature: Tara Ojora of Nature’s Locks

What’s your name and where are you from?

Hiii! My name is Tara Ojora and I’m from Lagos, Nigeria! 

Have you been natural all your life? If not, please tell us how and why you decided to go natural

Nope!! My hair journey has had a million ups and downs but, long story short, I relaxed my hair when I was 10 years old (end of 2005) and then I went back to my natural hair in 2011 (around Easter). I decided to go natural because my hair was in THE WORST condition ever! It was weak, dry and limp. My hair was like chin-length but the hair on the crown was literally like an inch long!

Tell us about your Big Chop Day or if you transitioned, about your transition journey.

My hair journey is kinda weird because I transitioned and big chopped! So I cut my hair quite a few times while it was relaxed but I did the major ‘Big Chop’ in 2010. However, I was still relaxing my hair for a few months after that. I decided to stop in mid-late 2010 and transitioned until my hair was at a length where I felt comfortable cutting off the relaxed bits. So a bit of both!

When you have your natural hair out/when you first went natural, is/was there a reaction from family or friends, especially those from the same country you’re from and/or when you go back to your home country 

Hmmmm…well any Nigerian knows how outspoken Nigerians can be lol! So yeah, I got a few comments from some Aunties and people I knew about my hair looking messy or ‘out of control’ and stuff like that. But being naturally stubborn, I just laughed and ignored them and carried on wearing my hair out and wild! But generally speaking, people haven’t been very negative about my hair - at least not to my face!

What recent issues have you had with your hair and how are you resolving/have you resolved them? 

My hair has a tendency to get very dry and tangled, causing breakage, long detangling sessions and a very frustrated young woman! But I’ve been able to combat this by finding out what products work best for my hair and keep it moisturised. I’ve also been wearing stretched styles (e.g. braid outs, twist outs) and protective styles more often. It has really helped!

What made you decide to take your healthy hair journey seriously and how’s it going so far? 

I think I decided to get serious about my healthy hair journey because 1) I saw so many pictures of people with thick, long, beautiful hair and I wanted that! And 2) in 2013 (when I started embracing my natural hair), I got to a point in my life where I became very health conscious and I became very aware of what I was putting in and on my body so that naturally extended to my hair. And so far, it’s going really well!! I’m really enjoying the journey. Even though I complain about my hair sometimes, doing my hair is genuinely therapeutic for me! And I love seeing my hair get stronger and longer due to the TLC I give it.

What do you think of this new era were in, where many more ladies are big chopping/transitioning and embracing their natural hair?

I think it’s great! At the end of the day, it’s your hair and you can do whatever you want with it but I just love the way natural hair looks. And I feel that whenever ladies embrace and love themselves as they truly are, it’s a great thing.

How would you describe your hair and your relationship with it?

Lol wow interesting question! I would say that my hair is a little temperamental and stubborn at times lol. It has its moments when it just REFUSES to cooperate and I’m like “ARGHHHH just work with me!” so it can be a bit of a love-hate relationship but the love probably outweighs the hate a little bit lol What’s your typical, current hair regime-wash days, styling, protective styles��� So generally speaking, I cowash my hair once a week (unless I’m rocking a wash and go, in which case I cowash every 3-4 days). And I deep condition once a week! That’s like my cardinal rule! I’m trying to keep my hair regimen pretty simple so after deep conditioning and cowashing, I apply a leave in, sealant (usually coconut oil or shea butter) and a styler then I either rock a wash and go or I do a few braids or twists for a braid out or twist out! I shampoo my hair usually once every 3 weeks to really clarify it and get rid of any build up. I am currently about 7 months into a heat free year and it’s going pretty well!

What are your three favourite things about your hair? 

1) The versatility - I can do almost anything with it!!

2) The volume - I love love love big hair!!

3) The thickness - my hair has gotten super thick over the past couple of years and I love it

How do you feel about shrinkage and how do you deal with it?

I find shrinkage pretty annoying to be honest lol! Like I’ve worked so hard to get my hair to this length and it just shrinks!! I generally just wear stretched styles (e.g. braid outs, twist outs) or I just make myself accept it.

What are your favourite hair products so far? 

Well I am probably the queen product junkie so I’m just gonna tell you my top 5 or else we’ll be here forever!

1) Giovanni Direct Leave In Conditioner

2) Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie

3) Coconut oil

4) Shea butter

5) Any Shea Moisture deep conditioner!

What are your favourite protective styles? 

For protective styling, I usually do box braids, two strand twists or the classic bun!

What 3 pieces of vital advice would you leave to other naturals?

1) Deep conditionnnnn!! It is vital!!!

2) Moisturise and seal!! There’s nothing more annoying than spending the whole day washing and moisturising your hair and it ends up like tumbleweed because you didn’t seal

3) Use the right products for you. Try different types of products and see what works for you. Just because it works for your friend, it doesn’t mean it will work for you. Don’t stick with a bad product just for the sake of it. 

Any favourite natural hair bloggers? Please link them if so! We can never have enough naturalistas to look up to and learn from 

Ooooh loads! I love Natural Neiicey (youtube.com/naturalneiicey), Mahogany Curls (youtube.com/mahoganycurls), Curls Understood (curlsunderstood.com), Black Girl with Long Hair (blackgirllonghair.com). These are just a few!

What forms of social media can we find you on? 

I also have a natural hair blog called Nature’s Locks so: Website: www.natureslocks.blogspot.com

Instagram: @natureslocks

Twitter: @natureslocks

Facebook: Nature’s Locks

Snapchat: natureslocks

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ShesGotNigerianCurls ‘Fro Feature: Enang of http://ibegan.wordpress.com/

What’s your name and where are you from? 

My name is Enang Ukoh and I’m from Akwa Ibom state but I lived in Lagos till I was 15.

Have you been natural all your life? If not, please tell us how and why you decided to go natural

I haven’t been natural all my life but definitely a good majority. I decided to go natural after an unexpected haircut. I asked for bangs and before I knew it my hair bra-length hair was jaw-length (real quick)! As I wasn’t really used to having short hair I started researching how to grow my hair out and I stumbled on the YouTube natural hair community. After watching hours’ worth of videos, I decided to try going natural.

Tell us about your Big Chop Day or if you transitioned, about your transition journey.

Other than that life changing haircut, I didn’t big chop. It was a long and slow two years of transitioning. As I transitioned a gradually trimmed my hair until I just had a small section of straight hairs at the top of my head. In that time there was a lot of experimenting and figuring out what styles and products made my hair look and feel good. I think of my transition as a time of self-discovery. I learned to appreciate myself and not rely on the validation of others to feel pretty because there were way too many bad hair days and way too many people “reminding” me how much better I would look if I just relaxed my hair.  

 When you have your natural hair out/when you first went natural, is/was there a reaction from family or friends, especially those from the same country you’re from and/or when you go back to your home country 

I get very mixed reviews about my hair now but of course after sometime you learn to take the good with the bad. As my hair is much longer now and I can do more things with it, the reactions are more positive. There are the people who can’t fathom how I manage my hair, there are the people who are thrilled that I am embracing my dense kinky curly fro, and there are the people who are still waiting on me to relax my hair (loool yea that’s not happening)! I suppose as the years go by, people would be less panicked about how I manage my hair.

What recent issues have you had with your hair and how are you resolving/have you resolved them? 

Recently my hair has been feeling unusually “crunchy”. I realized that I might have overdone it on the protective styling and failed to moisturize my hair as much as it needed so it dried my hair out. I started out by deep conditioning my hair more but there was no reviving my ends so I trimmed my hair. Its feeling a lot better since the trim and all the extra conditioning tlc.

What made you decide to take your healthy hair journey seriously and how’s it going so far? 

Taking my healthy hair journey seriously was really fueled by how I fell in love with my curls as I started seeing them forming. As crazy as it sounds, I had been natural 10 years before I relaxed my hair but I had never truly appreciated having curly hair until I decided to go natural. I get lazy about it sometimes but I usually snap back in at the first signs of “trauma” to my hair.

What do you think of this new era were in, where many more ladies are big chopping/transitioning and embracing their natural hair?

I think it’s absolutely amazing! I believe that we are creating a solid foundation for future women to embrace themselves as they are. Your hair is not an abnormality that needs to be tamed and trained to fit the mold society has created. Of course if you choose to have your hair straight then that is perfectly fine as well as long as it was your choice and not something you felt compelled to do in order to be seen as acceptable.

How would you describe your hair and your relationship with it?

A year ago, my answer to this question would have been that my hair runs my life but I have fixed that! I didn’t go natural to be enslaved by my curls. I love my hair but I don’t allow it govern my day.

What’s your typical, current hair regime-wash days, styling, protective styles… 

I don’t think my hair regime is particularly consistent I generally just do what feels right at the time. Typically however, I co-wash weekly unless I feel like my hair needs to be shampooed, I detangle in the shower just because the water pressure does half the work for me. I use either the shea moisture coconut and hibiscus leave-in or the curl-la-la, coconut oil and then my whipped shea butter mix to seal in the moisture. After this, I either twist, braid or pull my hair into a puff and call it a day. If I’m really pressed for time I would just leave my hair as is. This is usually a horrible idea though seeing as I have 4b/4c hair and that doesn’t really recover from wash and go’s too well.

What are your three favourite things about your hair? 

I love how curly it is when wet, I love how soft it gets with the right conditions and I love that doing my hair de-stresses me.

How do you feel about shrinkage and how do you deal with it? 

Shrinkage doesn’t really bother me anymore. Well except when I’ve only just done my hair and it rains! Then it just makes me mad. Other than that though I embrace my shrinkage, can’t live without it so I learned to love it.

What are your favourite hair products so far? 

So far, I really love the shea moisture coconut and hibiscus line. My whipped shea butter just cause it locks in moisture like a bawse and coconut oil.

 What are your favourite protective styles? 

Flat twists, braids and buns

What 3 pieces of vital advice would you leave to other naturals? 

-Just do you boo. Not everybody will love your hair but just make sure you love it.

-Just because it worked for everyone else doesn’t mean it would work for you. Your hair would have a mind of its own and you just need to listen to what its saying to you

-Relax. It’s just hair, it will grow and it will break but just have fun with it.

Any favourite natural hair bloggers? Please link them if so! We can never have enough naturalistas to look up to and learn from 

Naptural85 is my absolute fave!!!

What forms of social media can we find you on? 

My blog: http://ibegan.wordpress.com/

My Instagram: @Supermaksy

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She’sGotNigerianCurls ‘Fro Feature: Eniola

What’s your name and where are you from? 

My name is Eniola Folarin and I’m from Lagos Nigeria.

It’s common for us to have our hair permed at a young age to make our hair more manageable. Was this the case for you? Could you tell us a bit about that

Yes. I got my first relaxer when I was really young. 

When was the first time you had a relaxer and what was that experience like?

Growing up, my experience with relaxers was not the best. Sometimes I would get burned by the chemicals, other times my scalp would become so tender after relaxing. I started relaxing my hair myself when I was 16 and that made the process a bit more bearable

How often do you get relaxers now? Is there a reason behind this? 

I haven’t gotten a relaxer in over 2 years. I went natural in my second year of university because my relaxed hair was breaking.

What recent issues have you had with your hair and how are you resolving/have you resolved them? 

The most recent issue with my hair was breakage (due to excessive manipulation). I have since chopped off the damaged ends which was about half my length. I was nearly bra strap now I’m back to shoulder length.

What made you decide to take your healthy hair journey more serious and how’s it going so far?

I decided to have a healthy hair regimen when I realized how much I dislike extensions. I still get  braiding extensions except I am no longer dependent on them. The journey has not always been easy but seeing my healthy hair and how much it has grown, makes it all worth it.

How would you describe your hair and your relationship with it?

My hair type is 4b/4c. Its love hate really. There are days I can’t stand how coarse and kinky it can get and other times I love the versatility of it. I won’t say no to a looser hair texture though.

Is there much focus on hair care around you-friends/family? Could you tell us about that

There isn’t that much focus on hair in my family although there is more awareness of natural hair.

What’s your typical, current hair regime-wash days, styling, protective styles… 

I have my hair in twists most of the time either with my own hair or braiding extensions. Typical wash day is a dry detangling session, followed by shampooing in sections. (I have started to shampoo my hair while its dry and I’ve found that it works better for me and saves much time) conditioning and finally deep conditioning. Sometimes I may do a protein treatment.

Is there anything out of the ordinary you’ve done/do to your hair, or are considering? (Hair experiments-e.g a certain cut, dyeing…) could you tell us about this? 

No. When it comes to my hair, I like to keep it simple.

What are your three favourite things about your hair? 

I like the colour of my hair, I love my silver strands of hair, the springiness of it and how well it takes to products.

What are your favourite hair products so far? 

Herbal essences hello hydration conditioner, Cantu shea-butter leave in conditioner, Namaste organics avocado and coconut leave in conditioner and inner beautee 100% organic sheaolive.

What are your favourite protective styles? 

Twists, twists and twists!

What pieces of vital hair care advice would you leave to other ladies? 

Stick to what works for you and deep condition regularly.

Any favourite hair bloggers? Please link them if so! We can never have enough naturalistas to look up to and learn from 

I like Jenell stewart of Blakizbeautyful on Youtube and KinkyCurlyCoilyme.com 

What forms of social media can we find you on?

I've got a blog called Weirdo’s Wise Words.

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A Hair Heart to Heart with Tabitha of Craving Yellow up on Antidote Street, now!

https://antidotestreet.com/blog/a-hair-heart-to-heart-with-tabitha/

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‘Fro Features: Theodora

What’s your name and where are you from? My name is Akunwa Theodora and I grew up in Lagos, Nigeria. I’m originally from Delta/Benue state though. Have you been natural all your life? If not, please tell us how and why you decided to go natural No I haven’t been natural all my life. In the summer of  2013 I decided to get a hair cut and I shaved the sides of my head. Then I did braids from September to December, and when I took them out I had natural hair mixed with retouched hair. And so I just cut off the relaxed hair so my hair would be even. Tell us about your Big Chop Day Okay so…! I just took out my braids and I was like, wtf why is my hair two different textures. Then I remembered natural hair is different from relaxed hair. So I was like, this is interesting, I’m going to try short natural hair today. So I took a pair of kitchen scissors, stood in front of the downstairs bathroom and began to cut the relaxed parts. Then one of my best friends, Joshua, called me and was screaming about Beyoncé’s surprise visual album. And I dropped the kitchen scissors and ran upstairs to DL the real album of the year. 4 hours after screaming at the videos I realized my hair was half cut. Then I cut it all off and went to bed covered in Beyoncé’s approval.

What made you decide to take your healthy hair journey seriously and how’s it going so far?

I started reading about the effects of the relaxer on natural hair and I was like nah. Also the whole construct of society against African hair. I felt taking my own natural hair seriously was a kind of solidarity with my background and culture. It’s going good so far. How would you describe your hair and your relationship with it?

Lol basically my hair talks and I listen. I don’t mind though, I give her what she wants and she gives me what I want ;) 😂 What’s your typical, current hair regime-wash days, styling, protective styles…

I don’t wash my hair often. I use more conditioner than shampoo. Twists outs when I have me hair out, or like a double ponytail. Protective styles: braids and wigs.

What recent issues have you had with your hair and how have you resolving/are you resolving them?

I’ve been braiding my hair down for my wigs and my hair always feels dry and too stretched when I take the braids out. So now I moisturize often when I have my wigs on. My scalp tends to get cold and tender in the winter so I learnt to keep my head covered, at least when I’m out for long.   

What are your three favourite things about your hair?

The colour. I have dyed bits. How hard it is, lol, people think it’s problematic but it makes my hair really resilient. Shrinkage, cause my Afro feels real when it he springs are condensed.

How do you feel about shrinkage and how do you deal with it?

Lol I like it. But if I want to stretch it out I braid my hair and then loosen it after a few days What are your favourite hair products so far?

Shea butter, styling gel and coconut oil.

What are your favourite protective styles?

Long twists What 3 pieces of vital advice would you leave to other naturals?

Don’t worry about the length, beauty takes time. Heat on your hair is never worth it. Invest in a silk scarf, that shit works. What forms of social media can we find you on?

Acupoftheo.tumblr.com

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‘Fro Feature: Ashley

What’s your name and where are you from?

I’m Ashley 21, and from Brooklyn NY

Have you been natural all your life? If not, please tell us how and why you decided to go natural

I wasn’t natural all my life. I got my hair relaxed in the summer before seventh grade. I was 12 at the time. It wasn’t until 2010, when I was 15, when I decided to go natural.

Tell us about your Big Chop Day or if you transitioned, about your transition journey.

It was in 2011, my junior year of high school and I was 16 and had my first weave. I took it out and my sister helped cut the relaxed ends and I spent another year or so with protective styles

What recent issues have you had with your hair and how have you resolved/are you resolving them?

I used to be insecure about my hair because I didn’t know how to style natural hair and at one point it was at an awkward length and I felt like I always had to do something with my hair to look decent. Then in late 2013 I cut it (November) to a short cut and I loved it. I could wake up and knowing my hair is cute and I could leave without doing anything to it. Then for a wedding I cut the sides and back making it into a flattop/curly top. For my birthday in January I colored the top and kept this haircut every since. I find now that my hair is convenient. I’m very lazy and I know that I won’t be the girl who always does her hair. So I matched my hair with who I am. I love my hair now, and I think I’m gonna keep it in this style for a while

What made you decide to take your healthy hair journey seriously and how’s it going so far?

Well after being relaxed for a few years, I started to get bad reactions from the chemicals. Every time I would touch up my roots, I would get really bad headaches and my scalp would be so much more sensitive, and I got burned easily. So all of these things starting happening all at once and I couldn’t deal with it anymore so I decided to stop relaxing my hair.

What do you think of this new era we’re in, where many more ladies are big chopping/transitioning and embracing their natural hair?

I think it’s so cute. I like the idea of people just embracing their hair in what ever state it was in.

How would you describe your hair and your relationship with it?

My hair is very soft, coily and fuzzy. It has extreme shrinkage and it can get dry and tangles easily. And A LOT of baby hair. I love my hair. It does gets kind of annoying sometimes (ie the fuzziness).

What’s your typical, current hair regimen-wash days, styling, protective styles…

For a year after my BC I wore weaves, twists and braids. It wasn’t until 2013 when I cut my hair (very short) and kept it that way. There was only twice where I wore protective styles. Currently every 2-3 weeks I would get a haircut where I trim the sides me the back of my hair (I rock a flat top). I wash my hair every week and use oils/ products throughout the week. As for styling, it depends. I would either just wash it, and let it air dry, or style it wet (Bantu knots, twists braids), or I would blow dry my hair and style it into bantu knots where it’s really big and curly.

What are your three favourite things about your hair?

1. I can wake up and fluff my hair and leave the house without much styling. Saves so much time!

2. I love how coily it is. I enjoy playing with them.

3.The color! (I recently colored it in cherrywood.) I love watching my new growth

How do you feel about shrinkage and how do you deal with it?

I used to hate it. But now, I embrace it. I just let my hair do what it does.

What are your favourite hair products so far?

I currently use some oils including jojoba oil, which is my favorite. I also use cantu products: the Moisturizing curl activator cream & the Coil Calm Detangler.

What are your favourite protective styles?

Wash and go. It’s the easiest and fastest. Also my blown out bantu knots. That’s the style that takes the most time.

What recent issues have you had with you hair and how have you resolved/are you resolving them?

What 3 pieces of vital advice would you leave to other naturals?

- HAIR IS HAIR. It will grow back.

- What ever style hair you have (from very curly to very kinky), love and embrace your hair

- Bored with your hair? Change it up! Go with your comfort zone.

What forms of social media can we find you on?

Instagram/snapchat: asherrj

personal tumblr: sorryimhuman.tumblr.com

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@fresherthanyourballs

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ig: margo_ashleyy

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Once again the absurdity of my inner thoughts overwhelms me, and I want to crawl out of my skin, escape my ugly, awkward flesh and be a skeleton, naked and anonymous. - Isaac Marion

Ruth Chapa

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Who’s got a COMB? 💇🏾 #NeedsConditioning #Tired #Thinkingofthetimeitwilltake #Help 😩😫

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This video series explores the emotional reasons Black women LOVE their hair

You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t have a tear-jerking, getting-teased-because-of-their-locks memory, a horror story about getting her first perm, and/or a moment when she finally learned to embrace her natural texture on their way to self love.

Gifs: MADFREEtv

WATCH THE VIDEO