CURLFORMER-FABULOUS CURLZZ!!

I decided to try curl formers.
All i used was a conditioner and nothing but a conditioner. No holding product whatsoever!!! I was skeptical at first and was really convinced it was going to be a failure. But i was determined to fail and post it proudly on my wall.
Well, after tossing and turning the whole night through, i was wrong. But before i go any further please permit me to lament. Sleeping in curl formers is no child's play. I had a horrible night and someone will have to pay me to sleep in them again. Never ever again. Hooded dryer on cool and loads of heat protectant!!!!    
But i loved the curls soo much.

I started on really wet hair. I began from the nape of my neck and worked up wards ). The trick is to start with slightly bigger chunks of hair at the nape and fill in the back and work forward (otherwise you will run out of curl formers unless you have more than 40 pieces as i had and secondly it made my progress easy and fast). I first passed the hook through a curl former then gently twisted my roots before pulling the hair through it (I hope this is understandable, if not kindly leave me a comment in the comment section below). The hook can be a bit tricky but please be careful before you rip all your hair out. It gets easy after you get the hang of it.

Extra wide and long curl formers (40 pieces)

TWISTED DEEP CONDITIONER MIX

I have read on a few blogs and have watched several YouTube videos on the benefits of coconut milk for natural hair. I already know the benefits of coconut oil for hair and am a firm believer as it is already and so I had no qualms about trying out coconut milk.

Now the twist here in terms of how I used it is that I didn’t want to go the route of all the bloggers and You tubers I had read and watched. I decided to jazz my mixture up and have fun in the process. 

I wanted a power packed mixture. After looking through my stash I had an eureka moment with the light bulb going off and all, lol. I decided to mix bentonite clay (bought this from the shea butter cottage), coconut oil, argan oil and coconut milk. I had to use a little more elbow power to get my mixture smooth.
Coconut milk from the little research i carried out is purported to tame frizzy hair, promotes hair growth, improve scalp condition and condition the hair.

STYLE OF THE DAY

Even though I meant to deep condition after washing my hair, it’s Wednesday and that can only mean salsa. I am definitely not your everyday twist girl. With my length it takes forever to install, hurts my tuchus and gives me single strand knots. I like twists but am not crazy about them. On the other hand I am your everyday UPDO girl. Few accessories and I can create masterpieces.

A leave in conditioner, argan oil for sealimg, four hair bands and two bobby pins later I was ready to step out and conquer the world.

Enjoy your hair

Courtsey of Whoissugar (she flat twisted the hair at the back but i was hard pressed for time and so a bun it became)

WASH DAY

Next after the overnight prepoo was washing. I shampooed and then conditioned.  Both the shampoo and conditioner cost GH C1.99 at Shoprite and you can find it at game as well. The shampoo didn’t strip my hair at all, in fact because of the oil and honey I had prepooed with my hair was still insanely soft after shampooing. I applied the conditioner and worked it into my hair section by section and lightly finger detangled to get the shed hairs from my hair.

Shampoo GH C1.99

PREPOO TIME

I decided to prepoo on the spur of the moment. Since my hair was already in its loose state, all I did was divide into four sections. As I always say, doing everything hair-related in SECTIONS has been one of the hair practices that has saved me a ton of hair. It makes every process less painful.

I first applied my oil mix on dry hair. I warmed the oil in hot water for just a few minutes to make it lukewarm but not scalding hot (no one wants to fry their scalp). I massaged my scalp and applied the oil to the length of my hair with particular attention to my ends (the oldest portion of my hair). I was heavy handed with the oil and for good reason. For me massaging the scalp allows blood circulation which promotes hair growth. Secondly the oil lifts any dead tissues and flakes from my scalp so that I don’t have to subject my hair and particularly my scalp to any rigorous scrubbing. I have a sensitive and a highly irritable scalp and so this is what works best for me.

Oil mix: EVOO, Coconut Oil, Almond Oil & Grape seed Oil

WEAVE TAKE DOWN: PART 2

I do not follow the regular way of doing things because I always find ways of putting my own special twist to jazz up activities that ordinarily would have been mundane. As I always say, it is your hair and so ENJOY!!!!!

My palette. Where it all began

WEAVE TAKE DOWN: PART 1

My hair and I have been missing in action for a minute now. Three reasons.

LIFE. 

SCHOOL WORK. 

LAZINESS.

Blow-dried and ready for a weave

HOMEMADE DEEP CONDITIONER

Before i did my very last henna treatment, i knew i had completely run out of deep conditioner. My broke self and my self imposed frugal status prevented me from running out and buying a jar.

I then remembered something i read online a few years back when i started my natural hair journey "Whatever you put on your hair should also be good enough to eat". And so with this in mind i went on an excursion in the fridge. I didn't know what i was going to achieve but at the end of the day i got a very low budget deep conditioner. My hair is enjoying a smoothie. lol!. SOFTHAIR.BOMB.COM

CURLY FEATURE : NANA KESEWAA (aka the other half of Naturallybeautiful-gh)

Hello Fam, meet Nana Kesewaa from Ghana.
Its such a long story but meet the other half of naturallybeautiful-gh. I will say she is the brain behind this baby. She is also the author of  http://www.thesingleafro.blogspot.com/. She has such an overwhelming command of her words and describes things and situations soo vivdly its amazinnnngggg!!!!!

     Please introduce yourself

Nana Kesewaa Dankwa is my name, I cut my permed hair off in 2009 December 1st after about 7 years of keeping permed hair. Thus this year I will celebrate my 4th year of being liberated to enjoy my own hair.

JEBA NATURALS HAIR DEODORIZER REVIEW

 Hello Everyone,
So a while back, i was contacted by a rep from JEBA NATURALS and given a few products from their line to try out and post a review. My lazy self has finally gotten round to posting this review but it was worth the wait.

(250ml/Fl Oz)

JEBA NATURALS

Sometime ago I was contacted by a rep for JEBA NATURALS, a Ghanaian hair product line right here in Ghana. I was given two of their products to review. These products were given to me for free but this is not going to influence my review in any way since it is going to be my honest opinion and am not being paid to do this.

Hair product lines in Ghana should start this practices of giving product out for review instead of shoving chemicals down our throats. A lot of people are joining the healthy hair and life band wagon and companies need to tap into this. A few companies have already embarked on giving products for reviews and give aways. Kudos and we need more product lines to sit up and learn from this.

In a separate post i will document (with pix as usual) my honest thoughts (aka my REVIEW) about this product.

CURLY FEATURE : KUNLE

Hello fam, meet our very first curly feature in this new series. 
Meet KUNLE from Nigeria

Please introduce yourself.

My name is Kunle, a performer, singer-songwriter/ guitarist and I am from Nigeria.. 

HAND DRYER WITH COMB ATTACHMENT

On days when i need someone else to braid my hair, this tool on the right heat setting can do no wrong with me. I got this hand dryer at Madina Market . Brand New but it just didn't come in a box.

GHANAIANEMPREZZ'S HAIR AFFAIR!!!! MEET AND GREET AND SWAP EVENT!!!

Ok fine ladies and gentlemen, Ghanaianemprezz is organizing a meet and greet and swap event on November 2nd. Its about time y'all. Come out in your numbers and support a sista.

 

EHALAKASA 2013 & SALSA (AFRIKIKO)

I met a lot of natural haired beauties at this festival but i was particularly fascinated with these afro dudes.

This gentleman was rocking a puff so strong and loud that i was immediately ashamed of the weave i had on.

Some guys are really informed about natural hair.
Trying to get him to feature on the blog.

I was intrigued.


AFRO DUDE NO. 2

Meet my salsa buddy Nii Okanta Ankrah, I met this dude's large afro before i met the personality behind it. He and his hair are lovely, period!!!!
I just had to touch his afro (well, i asked for permission first lol).

My jaw dropped and I was blown away when this man started breaking down what he does to his hair in terms of maintenance. He talked about co-washing, deep conditioning, Spritzing with water, moisturizing and many more. He spoke "my hair language"
Am still trying to get him to feature on the blog so that he can tell us everything he does.

EHALAKASA FESTIVAL 2013 (SPOKEN WORD)

I was fortunate enough to have had the first encounter of this festival at the first venue ( SMOOTHY'S) last night. Thank you Nii Okanta Ankrah for the invitation. Even though we didn't stay for long i had an amazing time.

 For all those interested in this festival you are in luck. Because there are going to be FIVE ENCOUNTERS @ FIVE different VENUES (well the first one has already taken place and so technically there are FOUR  more to go)

 5 ENCOUNTERS / 5 VENUES

PROGRAMME LINE-UP

1. WED. 23rd OCT. 2013
    Poetry/Spoken Word
    Venue : SMOOTHY'S
     Time : 7:00pm

2. THUR. 24th OCT.2013
     Music (Acoustic)
     Venue : REPUBLIC BAR & GRILL
     Time : 7:00pm

3. FRI 25th OCT, 2013
    Dance / Theatre / Talk
    Venue : DU BOIS CENTER
    Time : 7:00pm

4. SAT 26th OCT, 2013
    Mega Concert
    Venue : ALLIANCE FRANCAISE
    Time : 7:00pm

5. SUN 27th OCT, 2013
    Ehalakasa Talkparty
    Venue : NUBUKE FOUNDATION
     Time : 7:00pm

THE BIG CHOP

My Room Mate has just been influenced. This just happened an hour ago before this post. I think i did a good job. lol

She had a good and healthy amount of hair

LAZY DAY HAIR

Just having one of those days when i cant be bothered with whats on top of my head.

I achieve most of my buns whiles in the shower. I use absolutely no gel whatsoever but rather the pressure of the water stretches my hair so that i get a decent bun.

TWA HAIR INSPIRATION: ELLYN

Hair Inspiration for all y'all with TWA.
There are soo many options for Tiny Weeeny Afros.

HAIR AFTER HENNA

I can never do without henna. My hair thrives on it and it is always manageable and so shiny after each treatment. I totally love me some HENNA!!

My hair always seems darker indoors.

VERY CURLY FRIDAY UPDO

Perm rod set achieved on two strand twists. I installed the perm rods overnight but it was a bit uncomfortable for sleep and so i took them out in the middle of the night.

I rolled each twist on a perm rod. i used the red ones because i didnt want my curls too small. I aired dried and so i had no use for the heat protectant. But if you use the hooded drier or a hand drier please make sure you apply a heat protectant.

HAIR OF THE DAY

After a long and deserved protein treatment and a thorough wash, my head and hair felt like mine.
 I transformed 8 simple two strand twists into a low chignon. With the help of my barrette of course.

8 Huge two strand twist pulled back with a barrette

STORY OF MY LIFE - I HAVE GOT REAL ISSUES!!

Dandruff and I.

This blog is not just for the cute hair stuff but also to document the not soo cute stuff too.
Hello my name is Abi and i suffer from severe dandruff.
Name all the dandruff medications and hair products and i can assure you that i have used them all before.
Its soo embarrassing when i have it flaking and flying all over my clothes. Not Cute!!!!!!
The length of my hair just wont allow me to have a clean scalp during wash times. Drats!! 
The edges of my hair gives me the most concern.
I always spend extra minutes washing my hair and no one has got time for that.
I miss my TWA aka short hair.

After 8 weeks in a weave, this is what i was left with - a scalp full of flaky flakes.

CO-WASHING ???

 Some naturals like to co-wash.
Co-washing is just using only conditioner to wash your hair and completely eliminating shampoos on such wash days. Well, i don't have anything against this routine and i don't have a solid reason why i don't co-wash but i just don't.

Instead i like to use a shampoo bar i got from sheabutter cottage in-between my wash days. Let me explain.
In-between my wash days when i really have the urge to completely soak my hair or feel water on my scalp and when my hair isn't feeling weighed down by products or isn't soo dirty, i use my shampoo bar.

Cioccolatina HANDMADE & NATURAL Rhassoul Shampoo Bar

According to the packaging it says
Fragrance-free with Rhassoul, Panthenol, Fair trade Unrefined Shea, Organic Argan Oil and Olive Oil.

The directions on the packaging says
Gently massage into wet hair, work up a lather and rinse thoroughly avoiding contact with your eyes. Keep drained with a soap dish at all times

BRAID STYLES!!

I LOVE BRAIDS!

Braids with extensions

BLOW OUT -- CIRCA 2012!!

I lightly blew out my hair.

LAZY DAY HAIR..

Lazy Slow Day
Lazy me
Lazy hairstyle!

I did not have the urge to do anything to my hair. My Favorite go- to hairstyle. THE BUN

Low bun done on 2 week old wash and go. A protective style to keep my hair off my shoulders but not so tight as to put pressure on my hair line

FOR ANY OCCASION HAIR!

Hairstyle for any occasion. 
Just a quick and easy style for anytime of the day, work or time out. I did a simple braid out and then decided to put it in a bun.
Styled by myself!

MINI BANTU KNOT-OUT

A hairstyle for any day and so easy to achieve.

Freestyle Bantu Knot. I applied absolutely no product. I had already moisturized and sealed with amla oil the previous day. Remember that less is more.

Unraveled the knots

PREPOO/BAGGY METHOD

 This is what i do before i wash/shampoo my hair on wash days. I sometimes prepoo and baggy the night before i wash or continuously for several days. What i love about this method is that apart from making my hair so soft, i can always throw it into a bun and go about my daily activities without anyone realizing it. The wonders of natural hair!!!!

One of my Favorite Oils so far. I cant wait to try out Jamaican Black Castor Oil

PROTEIN TREATMENT

 I am a frugal naturalista on a very very tight budget (well, i will like to believe that) and hence am an advocate for D.I.Y's. This is the run down of my protein treatment. I do this once a month as well as my regular deep conditioning. I try not to skip this treatment because its very vital to the strength of my hair and length retention.

Some people are protein sensitive and so find what works best for you and stick with it. No two hairs are the same and so do not be afraid to tweak mixtures and procedures to suit yourself.

Be good to yourself

Egg Yolk

Considering the length of my hair, I used two egg yolks.

To thicken my mixture for easy application and for all the other benefits, i added a deep conditioner of choice and my oils (adding the deep conditioner is optional since the egg on its own works perfectly as a protein treatment)

HENNA APPLICATION

Am not a professional or a pro at henna and its application. I just do what works best for me and the health of my strands. You are welcome to ask any questions in the comment section.

Natural Henna from SHEA BUTTER COTTAGE

MICRONIZED RHASSOUL CLAY

Rhassoul Clay has an extraordinary power of absorption which makes it more effective than other clays for cleansing, detoxing, and general hair and skin treatments. 
The Rhassoul Clay treatment works great for detoxification (detox), which improves your skin and hair by removing impurities. 
Rhassoul Clay Treatment can be used every 1-2 weeks, as desired.
 It doesn’t strip away your natural oils nor does it harm your hair if used more frequently. 
 It’s a really good “deep cleansing treatment” that is amazing for your hair.

BENEFITS OF RHASSOUL CLAY (FOR THE HAIR)

1. Strengthens
2. cleanses profoundly (especially good for sisters who don't use shampoo or do not shampoo often)
3. moisturizes
4. enhances volume 
5. gets rid of dandruff

Micronized Rhassoul Clay from the SHEABUTTER COTTAGE

THE EXPERIMENT PT 1

Lets have some fun People!!!!! Those who are close to me are aware that when it comes to hair (especially my hair), i love taking chances. When we talk about our hair and colouring it of any sort, what immediately becomes synonymous with this is BREAKAGE of a certain degree. Well my objective of this experiment is to find out whether its the hair dyes that cause the damage on their own accord or negligence on our parts after the application. For this, i have only one box of "Pigeon Blond" hair dye (the blondest i could find for this process). I am going to apply this to the ends of my hair (the weakest and oldest part of our hair). Oh! and another objective is to find out if i am going to achieve the exact colour on the packaging. Well this is an unecessary risk but its just hair, right? Lets have some fun!!!!!. These are the before pix, stay tuned for the after pix when the deed is done.

THE SHEABUTTER COTTAGE

 Well, if you are not seated i urge you to find one and whiles you are at it pls sit up straight for this NEWS. Ghanaian owned UK based SHEABUTTER COTTAGE IS SETTING UP SHOP IN GHANA.

I am completely stoked!!!! For those of you who know of this company and the lovely woman behind it, Mrs. Akua Akyiaa Wood, you know why i am soo excited. You cant go wrong with all natural products!! I had the opportunity last year to lay my hands on a few of her HANDMADE products and others she carries along side and i must confess they are the bomb.com. She is doing amazing things in Uk with her products and i have seen positive reviews on soo many blogs.

She is officially launching her products in Gh on 22nd JUNE and i hope you know what this means!! Her business is a fair trade company and i will be glad to buy from her anytime because she gives back a percentage of her sales to the northern parts of Ghana by putting up various facilities (like KVIP's etc).

Lets support a worthy cause and at the same time invest in all natural products for the longevity of our health. Support this business. Ohh!! and did i mention She is Ghanaian. Lol. Proudly Ghanaian. Spread the news and creat the traffic cos these products are worth all the hype and much much more.

Check out the other amazing products at her website akuawood.co.uk (and you cant get lost)

In the coming weeks i will be doing a few pictorial reviews of her products. Stay tuned.

Aritha Powder

Featured: Naturalista Abiba

I GOT FEATURED

So a while back i got featured on Naturalista gh. This is a blog about natural hair and make-up by a very talented friend of mine. Check her page out. Below is the post from her blog.

Featured: Naturalista Abiba

Hello Naturalistas,
I have the pleasure of featuring the lovely naturalista, Abiba from Accra Ghana, who’s hair is ah-maziiiiiiiing and to die for by the way. Kindly take a seat, a chilled glass of juice and enjoy with a slice of your favorite cake, mine is victoria sponge cake, as you read this. Please leave any questions and comments you might have for Abiba to address, she’s loaded.

AND SO IT ALL BEGUN!

Alright, so let me break it down for y’all.

I didn’t grow my hair overnight (just saying). I have been natural for 4years and 4 months now and i must say it has been an interesting journey. When i think of all the Cedis i have wasted on products just because i saw someone on YouTube rave about it, i cringe inside (and sigh and shake my head). I learned the hard way that no two heads sprouting natural hairs are exactly the same.

I have had to try so many products and regimen till i found what works currently for me. I have had to tweak this same regimen over the months to suit my hair and the limited time i have.

I started with a tinny weeny Afro. I had (and trust that i still do) wanted to chop off all my hair but my sweet mother was sooooo against it. I learned and accepted a bit early prior to my natural hair journey that “ITS JUST HAIR AND IT WILL GROW BACK”.

I chopped off all my healthy long relaxed hair for two reasons,

1. I had always (and i vehemently still do) loved natural hair and wanted a piece of the action, lol. But on a more serious not i wasn’t enjoying being in other people’s styling chairs. Those familiar with this know very well the kind of treatment we have to endure at the mercy of such stylists.
It ranges from a myriad of problems, its either your hair is not being washed well or they are practically scrubbing the life out of your scalp. The pulling and just the disrespectful treatment in general. And Boy! going to the salon has gotten quiet expensive with time.
Its as if we are going to be sprouting golden strands after every visit.

2. The second reason is that (am soo ashamed to say this but) I had to prove a point to my mother. She swore my hair wont grow back if i cut it.
Well, i have always liked a good challenge and from the looks of things i hit the ground running and am winning. lol

Ladies to rock a short fade needs a lot of courage, confidence and an attitude (not an ugly one i must say) not forgetting a reason why you chopped off your hair in the first place. Trust me, this “good reason” will keep you focused when it gets tough (like when you can’t quite achieve certain styles).
You need to carry yourself like the queen that you are. Don’t let anyone tell you ish.

I will talk about my regimen in another post because this is getting super long.
Stay tuned

A BLOG????

On this sleep deprived dawn of thursday October 10, 2013, i have decided to start a blog. I am not soo sure about this but when i think of my own little space to rant and post stuff i love so much on nights when i cant calm my mind enough to sleep, it sure is comforting.

My name is AB, welcome and keep me company y'all.