My Hair...My Fault

Hello Ladies,

   I know I took you all back to “school” last week in an attempt to help us all speak the same hair “lingo”. However, this week as promised I begin my "Hair-Story"…note here that I am just a regular African woman, born and bred in the motherland who has “experimented” with different hair styles, products and regimens “for the greater good of the African woman” (still waiting for my “pulitzer” or whatever notable prize they give people for self experimentation these days….lol, just kidding).

   Anyways, I would love to think I have always had a great head of hair and I've totally felt comfortable carrying just my hair without braids or extensions but then again there were those days when I got upset at new growths sprouting out and making my hair texture uneven or when I got bored of the relaxed hair and ended up braiding, twisting or touching-up the new growth.

   There were also those days when I’d bump into a commercial where they’d make promises like  “your hair will reach your ankles in two months” and of course since I wanted more hair I’d go out and get myself the “magic potion”.

   I have braided, woven, twisted, relaxed, dyed, stretched and even threaded my hair…yep, you read right I HAVE THREADED MY HAIR not only when I was a kid but also as a grown woman. If you live in Africa, in my case-Nigeria, you know precisely what I mean by “threading of hair”. 

   I did my compulsory one year National Youth Service in one of the villages of a state in the west and thought to myself “Hey, no one knows me here and my employers wouldn’t mind if I threaded my hair with black, rubber threads to school” so that’s what I did- Rubber threads, the locals had a way of making all strands of threaded hair into a single bun…and that’s exactly what I did. Yeah, I went the whole nine yards for my quest for long, thick, healthy hair (didn’t last long though as the headaches they caused were excruciating…)

  Funny thing is, I’m actually thinking about doing that again…could be sooner than you think, watch this space ;-)

For those that have no idea what “threading” in Africa looks like

   I must add here that just the way science has proven that there are no two people with the same finger-prints, iris, tongue prints and DNA on the planet there are likewise no two people with exactly the same type of hair. 

   What I mean in essence is that your hair is unique to just you. In its pattern, density, thickness, strand strength and sometimes color. With every twist and curve, your hair defines itself.  You may even have multiple textures in your hair. Your own natural, afro—type hair is not like the hair of any other on the planet. Therefore, its wants and needs may differ-this may also define your hair’s ability to retain length. 

   Nonetheless, due to the hair having the same structure as explained in my previous post there are basic hair care routines and regimen that every hair needs.

   This blog is out to give you such tips and fundamental hair care information on how to take care of your hair be it nappy aka natural afro hair or relaxed. However, you may have to find out for yourself particular hair care products and regimen that will suit your individual hair needs. There are no secret potions or hard and fast rules to having great hair other than patience and consistency. When you find that regimen that works for you, stick to it and be patient.

   In my hair journeys, I have spent so much time trying many products and brands and have sometimes hit jackpots but the desire for more hair makes me shift from what I find to something else and I end up losing everything.  

My advice to you is to find what works for your hair. You can check your hair out in the mirror, wash it, dry it, look at it and understand what you are seeing is what your body has given you, how you have treated it has resulted in its condition – and then decide to work with your unique crown to make it the healthiest it can be. It may take longer than others, but eventually you will find the method that works well for you.

It’s your choice.

   Focus on using healthy products meant for your hair and healthy styling techniques. It may sound cliché, but in order to have healthy hair on the outside, you must also feed your body with healthy food on the inside. In order to have hydrated hair, you must have a hydrated body. Drink plenty of water, limit your sugar intake. Cover your hair when out in full sun for extended periods of time and stay away from petroleum based pomades and greases or too much glycerin.  Use rich, natural conditioners and leave-ins and be gentle in styling techniques.  In basic terms, that is all you need to do to succeed.

   Our mantra in Diva’s Hair-Story this week is “Love Your Hair…Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize” ….say it with me “Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize”, say it like you mean it “Moistur….(*Sheesh* Never mind, I’m starting to sound like a yoga instructor, blah*)”but I’m sure you get the point. 

   The need for moisture in hair care cannot be overemphasized being that the hair itself (aka “hair shaft” as seen in the diagram below) is rooted in the “hair follicle” which in lay man’s terms is referred to as the scalp, note here that without the excessive hair shaft the scalp looks and feels exactly like the skin that stretches all over our body. We all know what happens when we do not moisturize our skin or even take a bath…now imagine, having an unhealthy or unkempt scalp that the hair shaft is founded on, it ends up dry, itchy and scaly-this encourages dandruff formation, likewise lack of moisture on the hair shaft itself encourages split ends and sometimes major hair loss.

The Hair Structure with Dandruff-infested scalp

 

Here is what a damaged hair strand looks like

Split-Ends as seen under a powerful microscope

  For those of us wondering what my hair is up to these days stay tuned next week when I reveal what my present journey is and my reasons for taking it, we shall also discuss the difference between hair oils and moisturizers, their functions and importance amongst other things.

   It has come to my attention that some “brothas” have been visiting us out here, please feel free to subscribe, comment and ask questions. Get your wives, mothers, sisters and girlfriends out here and they’ll love you for it. Contrary to popular belief, most women feel comfortable and would rather carry their natural hair on a regular day than weaves if only their hair would respond positively to them or they knew what to do with it.

Enjoy your weekend everyone and remember “LYH-Moisture, moisture, moisture”.

Love,

Diva…xoxo

PS. *Now looking for Mama “Ireti” to thread my hair the old fashioned way* Watch out for the photos…coming soon, lol