Shrinkage; A word often said with some level of dread in the natural hair community.

We spend a lot of time trying to escape shrinkage. Our hair can shrink up to 70% of its actual length and apart from aesthetics (you grew your hair and you want to flaunt it) shrinkage can have practical implications. Shrunken hair is more likely to coil up on itself and lead to nightmare de-tangling sessions. This is why we advise that natural hair is kept stretched as much as possible throughout the washing and styling processes.

I always say that I love some level of shrinkage because it creates volume. I’m all about big hair; having said that I know not to let my hair shrink too much because it’s incredibly coily.

My coily hair after moisturising.

When I moisturised my hair this weekend it shrunk significantly. I don’t think I’ve experienced this level of shrinkage in a while and usually I’d tie up or braid it to stretch it out but this time I decided to embrace the reduced length and take the opportunity to show how someone with shorter hair might style their mini twists. I had a lot of fun playing with accessories.

I believe that shrunken hair is happy hair because shrinkage always occurs after it’s had a good dose of moisture.

From ear length to floor length

By Chisha Sinyangwe

I believe  knowledge is power. When we  are equipped  with knowledge  we  are  more  likely  to make informed  choices  on  many  issues.  Hair  is  no  exception.  This  article  will  discuss  the  hair  growth  cycle from  a  biological  stand  point  that,  hopefully  dispels  the  myth  that  black  women  are  incapable  of growing long, healthy natural tresses.

Hair  consists  two  distinct  structures-  the  follicle  embedded  in  the  skin  on  the  scalp,  and  the  shaft which  is  the  visible  portion  above  the  scalp.  It  makes  sense  then  that  a  healthy  hair  shaft  sprouts from  a  healthy,  actively  functional  hair  follicle.  In  fact  hair  follicles  do  not  regenerate  or  replenish once damaged. They were built to last. No  matter  who  we  are  or  where  we  come from, everyone has the  same  growth  cycle (shocker!)Hair on  the  scalp  grows  about  0.3-0.4mm/day  or  about  152.4mm  per  year  on  average,  for  any  person ALIVE.

At any given time a random  number of  hairs  are engaged in one of the three growth stages namely  Anagen,  Catagen  and  Telogen.  We  will  now  tackle  each  of  these  stages  independently  in order to get the gist of what our hair goes through.

The  Anagen  is  the  active  phase  of  hair  growth  which  can  last  from  2-6years  depending  on  one’s genetic  makeup.  To  put  things  into  perspective,  say  I  have  a  hair  growth  phase  that  lasts  2  years, then  realistically  my  hair  can  only  get  as  long  as  about  30.48cm.  What  if  it  lasts  6years?  Then  my hair could get as  long  as  about  91.44cm,  that’s 36 inches!  The  bottom line  is,  the  longer  hair  stays in  this  phase,  the  longer  it  will  become.  Remarkably,  about  85%  of  the  hairs  on  one’s  head  are  in the anagen phase at any given time.

The  categen  is  the  transitional  phase  which  allows  the  follicle  to,  in  essence  make  way  for  the  new. This  stage  can  lasts  anyway  between  two  and  three  weeks.  During  this  time  the  hair  follicle  shrinks to  about  1/6  its  original  length  causing  the  hair  shaft  to  be  pushed  upwards.  The  hair  shaft  is  cut off from its dermal papilla which nourishes it, therefore, hair is no longer growing.

The telogen is  the  resting  phase  in  the  hair  growth  cycle  which  lasts  around  three months.  Around 10-15%  of  hairs  are  in  this  phase.  During  this  time,  the  hair follicle  is  completely  at  rest.  Pulling  out a  hair  in  this  phase will  reveal  a  solid,  hard,  dry,  white  material  at  the  root.  Approximately  50-100 strands  fall  out  daily  as  part  of  a  normal  natural  hair  loss  process  known  as  Shedding.  It  is unavoidable! Once the telogen phase is complete the cycle begins again.

What conclusion  does this information help us arrive at?  It is  clear  that black hair  like any other, is synonymous  with  growth.  Understanding  your  hair  is  a  composite  part  of  developing  a  realistic approach  to  hair  growth.  There  is  now  so  much  information  out  there  via  internet  that  helps  to educate  black  woman  on  how  to  look  after  the  hair  that  grows  off  the  top  of  their  heads.  A  lot  of these  educators  seem  to  simmer  around  the  same  point  that  ‘healthy  habits’  potentiates  hair growth. It is the only way to get close enough to the 6inch per year mark.

Ladies,  remember  that  all  hair  is  good  hair  we  are  blessed  to  have  hair  with  versatility.

By Jo Adeyemo

My longest ever job search recently came to an end after I was offered a position at an online magazine. One of the things I had to seriously consider was how my hair might affect my chances should a potential employer call me in for an interview. I have natural hair and save for a few times in my life I never wear weaves. Generally speaking, sleek straight hair is considered more professional than kinky natural hair so there was always a possibility that an interviewer will judge a natural unfairly because of my hair.

And I’m not the only one who feels that way. A friend with locs (dreadlocks) told me that she used to wear a weave over her hair to increase her chances of getting hired. A few days or even weeks, always to the shock of her co-workers, she’d arrive at work with her shoulder length locs in their full glory. Another friend told me her sister would wear a wig over her natural hair when she attended interviews because she felt otherwise her chances of getting hired were almost non-existent. She’d learnt from experience that she was more likely to get a job when her natural hair was covered up.

Even in a black majority country afros, locs, braids, twists, twist outs, bantu knots and cornrows aren’t typically considered part of the corporate look. I’ve been told that the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) has banned their reporters and newsreaders from wearing locs, though I can’t confirm whether this is true. It’s ZNBC’s prerogative of course but it’s amazing to think the best person for the job could miss out simply because they have the wrong hairstyle.

I’m glad to say I got offered a job after attending an interview wearing my newly done baby locs. But then again I was interviewed by a Scandinavian woman and I do sometimes wonder what the outcome would’ve been if my interviewer was a black Zambian. This is not to say that I think most Zambian employers would refuse to hire a person based on their hair alone but biases exists. A woman wearing a weave or wig will never have to worry about the hair on her head reducing her chances of getting hired. A black Zambian woman in a Peruvian weave all the way down her back won’t feel compelled to take out her weave lest she be perceived to be as fake as the hair on her head. But step into an interview with a fro or locs and you’ll just have to accept the fact that you may be written off as unprofessional, untidy, a rebel making a political statement or a druggie before you’ve said a single word.

People should do what they want with their hair and that includes chemical straightening and wearing weaves or wigs. And those of us who chose to keep hair in its natural state shouldn’t be discriminated against, but the fact is, we are. Hair shouldn’t be political but unfortunately, it is.

*Jo is a Lusaka based writer. She blogs infrequently at Badafricana.blogspot.com

First published August 2013

To say that this post has been a long time coming is probably the understatement of the year. Well… maybe not but bear with me anyway. 

I bought some raw shea butter in Nigeria last Christmas and wanted to make my own hair butter. It took till late May before I got everything else I needed for this project and June 6th before it was made. I had already picked out the recipe I was going to use and felt confident in my decision because it promised to be easy (Full instructions here).  The article specifically said:

“Making whipped shea butter for your hair and body is not only easy, it’s fun!”

So, I set out all my ingredients, containers and spatulas (spoons) and got to work.

I did not take a picture of the raw shea butter because it was unsightly and smelled terrible and so it remained sealed until I was ready to whip up my souffle.

Shea Butter Souffle Making Instructions

Ingredients:

4-6oz of shea butter (According to the small kitchen scale, I had twice the amount of shea butter so I made a double batch)

3oz of coconut oil

1.5 oz of jojoba oil (I had a mixture of jojoba and sweet almond oil)

1tsp of cornstarch (optional) (I didn’t use)

Fragrant or Essential oil of your choice (tea tree oil cut out the overpowering shea butter smell)

Hand mixer or electric mixer (I prefer the electric mixer.) (I agree with the author!)

(For the record, I was not very bothered about using exact quantities and guestimated a lot.)

Instructions:

1. Soften the shea butter in the microwave until the consistency resembles a butter stick at room temp. Be careful NOT TO MELT the shea butter down. 30 seconds should be enough time to get it soft. Add the soft shea butter to the mixing bowl. Whip on medium speed until it starts to look like cake batter.

(I was not allowed to get the microwave or my friend’s kitchen smelling of shea butter, so I hand-kneaded the shea butter through a plastic bag until it got adequately soft – guestimations again!)
2. Slowly add the coconut oil to the mix. The coconut oil should be in a soft but solid form, NOT melted. The coconut oil will start to make the shea butter very creamy and fluffy.

3. Add jojoba oil and cornstarch, continue to mix on medium speed.

4. At this point the mixture should look like fluffy frosting. Feel free to add in your fragrant or essential oils at this point.

5. Once everything is well blended turn the mixer off and scoop your whipped shea butter into an empty cosmetic jar of your liking.

STORE IN A COOL & DARK PLACE UNTIL READY TO USE.

The last 10 minutes of mixing and prepping my shea butter souffle, as captured on my phone’s camera.

It took some mixing to get it to look like this which is nothing like the beautiful picture in the original article and by the end of the process, I had way more shea butter souffle than I knew what to do with. I gave a lot of it away. Why? I found it very greasy and while I still have some of it left for my own personal use, I don’t use very much of it and I don’t use it often. I think it would be a great sealant after a wash and deep conditioning session. Or a good deep conditioner!

Now I remember why I used to spend so much time in mini twists in the first two years that I was natural, they take so long to install that you really want to make the most of them. This is my fifth week with the twists and I’ll keep them in for at least one more week if I can get away with it.

Week 1 of my mini twists

Refreshing My Scalp

 A couple of weeks ago I was asked how I refresh my scalp in between washes. Well, firstly, I don’t tend to use heavy products and never really apply anything directly onto my scalp so I’m less likely to have product build-up. Secondly, I make sure to spritz my hair in between washes. This season, I’m mostly using a mixture of water and aloe vera juice in my bottle. If I find that for some reason I have product build up and wash day isn’t on the horizon then I may use a mixture of apple cider vinegar, honey and water. I spritz the mixture directly on to my scalp and rub with the pads of my fingers.

This Weeks Style

The twists have started to loosen up at the bottom with all the styling, moisturising and washing. My hair looks almost like just a curly fro rather than individual twists.

One of my favourite go to hairstyles is a high puff. I like to thing of it like a mop top; Messy, yet oddly elegant too. There’s something about it that looks like you’ve made much more of an effort than you actually have. I felt like a high puff would be perfect because it would disguise the loose base of the twists and really show off the curls.

I washed my hair over the weekend with a herbal cleanser called Chiswita, applied my leave in conditioner and sealed with avocado oil. For the first time since I went natural I used a brush to smooth down my edges a bit. I then used a band cut from a pair of old tights; stretchy so that it isn’t too tight.

We love curly hair in these parts and everyone has been trying to figure out how I did it.

My Kinky (fake) Dreads are treated the same way as Senegalese Twists or any Braided extensions style

First published 2013

I am using the Crown and Glory technique to maintain my braids. Many people find the website confusing. So be sure to go to the landing page to see all the links. The basic principle is that in order to have healthy hair, one must wash/cleanse the hair regularly, but the style or technique for doing this is what matters. The technique applies to natural, relaxed, colour treated, braided, weaved, locked and all kinds of hair. I have used this method for caring for my hair while in braid/kinky twist extensions for about two years now.

Senegalese/Kinky Twists

Braid Regimen

The Crown and Glory Braid regimen is explained in more detail on their website. In summary, it involves ensuring that your hair is in good condition before you braid. I always pre-poo with coconut oil the night before braiding to deep condition my hair.

If possible, I will remove the alkaline base from the extension by rinsing and drying them before they are applied to the hair. This is not always possible, but if you are in the habit of reading instructions, you will note that this is recommended, especially when weaving hair.

Make sure the braids are not too tight and the parts are not too small. Masai micro twists look amazing, but I love myself and my hair far too much to ever do them. Not worth it. Not in a million years.

I usually rinse my braids with warm water in the evening after braiding or on the morning after. This is just to give the hair a chance to set and to minimise the pain/stress from braiding. No product or massage, just rinsing with warm water to soothe the scalp. I also find it helps to reduce on itching/allergic reaction to the chemicals on the extensions (especially if you didn’t rinse them before braiding).

After washing, I squeeze the water out of my braids and then place a towel over it to soak up excess water, then I cover my braids with a t-shirt to absorb the moisture. I only use a towel with braids. With my own hair I only ever use a t-shirt to absorb water.

These are the main oils that I use. Castor oil is the only one missing from this picture. I generally use olive oil when I have run out of coconut oil

After washing my braids, I would normally apply coconut oil. However, with my fake dreads, I feel my  own hair is quite exposed, so I use castor oil because it is heavy. On wash days, I do not spray my hair. The oil is enough. From the next day, I spray my braids every day or every other day without fail using my moisturising spritz (water, aloe vera juice, Jojoba/Grapeseed oils and tea tree oil – which I keep in the fridge). Depending on what I have been doing that week, I may apply some coconut oil to the hair after spraying once during the week only. This would be if for any reason my hair has been wrapped in cotton or any other moisture sucking fabric. Or, if I have gone to the gym and rinsed my hair with water to wash away sweat, I would need some oil to trap in the moisture.

Remember, the danger of braids is that you forget about your hair, leading to dryness, which causes breakage. Spritzing daily or every other day is a must. Do not drench your hair as over-moisturising can lead to too much itchiness because the hair never gets a chance to dry.

Daily moisturising spritz ingredients

I am very careful to cover my hair when in a dusty environment, especially with these fake dreads. Oil attracts dirt, and castor oil even more. So I will often have a satin scarf on hand. Dust and dirt also contribute to build-up, which adds to tangles, so you want to minimise this as much as possible.

Also, I maintain my regular night time routine of tying my hair with a satin scarf and sleeping on a satin pillowcase. One night, I managed to squeeze my hair into a bonnet, but I noticed the stress on my hairline was not worth it as it was definitely pulling out my hair.

When bathing, I just wear a plastic grocery bag and tie it at the back of my head. A shower cap would probably pull on your hair line.

When styling hair, try to mix it up and bit with styles that don’t tress the hairline. You can undo all the good of braiding by losing your hairline. Again, not worth it.

The way you take down the braids is really important to minimise loss of hair due to product build up and naturally shed hair. Shedding hair is normal, but hair loss is not. If your hair line is disappearing and you keep on doing the same thing which is causing your hair to fall out, this is what Einstein called insanity  – doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

I always wash and condition my hair the night before take down and then apply coconut oil either to the final rinse (called an oil rinse) or apply it to my hair while it is still damp. This is because clean hair has less dirt and buildup so it is easier to detangle. The oil should be applied to damp hair so that the hair is well moisturised to help protect the hair during take down and detangling.

Shampoo Regimen

QUESTION – what person in their right mind would not wash their pots, pans and plates, would not bathe, or not change their clothes or bedding for 3 months? A mad person, right? Then why in the world do some women think it is acceptable NOT to wash their hair for two or even three months. That is just disgusting. Even before I came across the Crown and Glory shampoo regimen, I always used to wash my hair at least every two weeks when it was braided regardless of what everybody said. If I didn’t use shampoo, I would at least rinse with warm water. This is going back as far as 15 years ago when I was at university. Dry shampooing with apple cider vinegar or some other mix is cleaning the hair, so even if water is not used, it counts. NB: a note on dry shampoo. Many people use methylated spirit, which is an alcohol design to dry out. This is a very BAD idea as methylated spirit is too harsh for hair or skin. Apple Cider Vinegar diluted in water is best, followed by properly moisturising your hair after it has been stripped of all oil to minimise breakage.

Shampooing your hair is really important. First of all, because your hair needs to be cleaned regularly to remove dirt and product build-up which when not taken away, prevent the hair from being properly moisturised. Without moisturising, hair is weak and prone to breakage. Hair that is not clean also lacks natural shine and looks dull, leading to one applying more and more products, leading to more dirt and build-up and breakage.

Secondly, dirty hair is GROSS. In fact, not only does it look dirty, it STINKS. Have you ever pulled away from someone because her weave/braids stank? Have you ever seen the look on guy’s (men’s) faces when they notice this too? Ughh!

Click here to read about the Crown and Glory Shampoo regimen. In summary, you should not wash your hair the same way you would when your hair is loose. This means NOT rubbing the shampoo or conditioner into your hair and scalp and then massaging the hair and scalp. If you do this to braided hair, you encourage tangles and also loosen/disturb the braids.

The mist bottle on the left is for moisturising spritz. The trigger gun bottle on the right is for shampoo. In this picture it contains some left over moisturising spritz

Pour some shampoo into a large bottle, add lukewarm water and shake to mix thoroughly. I find that warm water encourages suds, so tepid or cold water is better. Rinse your hair with warm water for about two minutes. This is to ensure your hair is thoroughly wet and any dirt or oil that can be rinsed away has done so. Then spray the shampoo onto your scalp especially, taking care to spray in between the parts. Also spray the length of your hair. Then, allow the shampoo to sit on your hair for a few minutes then gently squeeze your braids. You are in effect massaging the hair, but not disturbing it. Rinse thoroughly and then do the same with conditioner.

I find that with braids, I only use shampoo once a month. Every other week, I will just co-wash (with conditioner only). I will definitely use shampoo the first time and the night before take down.

So this is Masuka’s version of the Crown and Glory technique. It has definitely helped me and I hope it will help you too.

Disclaimer

I have to be honest and say that when I first came across this website two years ago, I think they had much more information on it than they do now. It seems there is a far greater emphasis on selling/marketing their own products as opposed to the technique itself. For this reason, I apologise in advance if you feel that you do not get all the information that you wanted. However, this is just my own impression and I could be wrong about the site.

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Where in Africa are you from?

I’m half Zambian (mum), half Ghanaian (dad) and I grew up in Botswana.

Where you are currently based?

New York, USA. I came to the states for University and am currently working.

When and why did you decide to go natural?

I did my big chop in February of 2013. I decided to go natural for a few reasons. For one, I was inspired by black African women on YouTube who had short relaxed hair for the majority of their lives but were able to grow out long natural hair once they transitioned. Prior to discovering YouTube and learning about natural hair, I was of the mentality that I could not grow long hair or manage my hair without a relaxer or heat. Secondly, I had become too reliant on weave. My scalp was becoming more sensitive as a result, my hair was thinning and my leave out was becoming heat damaged. Although my hair did not look terrible at that stage I wanted a change. Lastly, I wanted to improve the overall health of my body and move away from chemicals as much as possible.

What has been your experience having natural hair so far?

Overall, it’s been a fun learning experience. I’ve discovered that my hair can do a lot more than I first imagined and become more comfortable in my own skin.

What is your hair regimen?

I keep my hair regimen very simple. Once a week, I pre-poo my hair with oils or a deep conditioner, detangle it under running water, wash and then deep condition. Then I air dry, moisturize, seal and style. I usually wear my hair in low maintenance or protective styles during the week. My go to styles are loose puffs and buns. Recently, I started doing simple flat-twist styles as this year I’m trying to do more protective styles without extensions. In addition to making my mornings quick, I find that leaving my hair in protective styles during the week helps with moisture and length retention.

How did you achieve the hairstyle in these pictures/videos? 

Puff

I tilt my head over, gather all my hair to the top of my head and use a large ouchless ribbon to set the puff. I tie/knot the ribbon around itself to secure it. I then fluff the puff using my hands; (I don’t use combs in my hair unless it is saturated in water).

Bun

I start out like I’m making a puff (see earlier description).  Once I have fluffed my hair, I create humps with my hair and tuck the ends under the hair tie.

Twist-out

http://www.afrokanomics.net/general/quick-tips-stretched-fro-using-twists-no-heat

Flat- twist style

Any future plans/dreams for your hair?

Keep my hair healthy and continue to play around with it and see what it can do.

Any advice to those considering going natural?

Just do it! Enjoy the journey and don’t get hung up on texture and length. Appreciate your hair as it is/grows and take time to learn your hair and what is best for it. Use vlogs and blogs as a guide and not as a bible – you need to be able to identify what works best for your personal head of hair.

What prompted you to start blogging and vlogging?

I love writing and teaching so I felt like it would be a great way to share information.

How would you describe your blog in one sentence?

Empowering women through natural hair!

What has the response been like so far?

Positive and supportive.

What are the future plans for your channel and your blog?

I plan to continue blogging and building my website. I’m considering starting a youtube channel; however, if I do, it will not occur anytime soon.

Do you have any advice for aspiring bloggers and vloggers?

Start and keep at it!

Did you know that vinegar is an acid with a low pH that can help improve the health of your hair? The benefits of vinegar include:

1. Tighten the cuticles

If your hair is damaged and the cuticles are upraised (cuticles are the outer layer of your hair, they protect the inner cortex like to how shingles on a roof work), an acidic rinse could help lay flatter and therefore improve shine and remove tangles.

2. Boost your conditioner

Applying a vinegar rinse before you condition could help your conditioner to work better. Conditioners based on quaternary ammonium compounds work better at a lower pH because they stick to hair better. The more conditioner “sticks” to the hair, the healthier and shinier your hair will look and feel.

3. Remove residue

If shampoo isn’t rinsed completely, there can be a dulling residue left behind on hair. This can be especially true if you have extremely hard water, which can result in a buildup of mineral deposits (like soap scum in your shower!). Vinegar can help to remove buildup and let the natural hair shine through. The cleansing quality of the vinegar is also used to fight dandruff, a clean and happy scalp is a healthy scalp.

So, who should use a vinegar rinse?

Anyone that lives in an area with hard water, has product build-up or dull hair, damaged or chemically-treated hair.

So, how do you add vinegar to your hair regimen?

It’s actually really ease to use vinegar and there is no fancy preparation required. Although a lot of the posts on-line make reference to apple cider vinegar (which smells immensely better than regular old white vinegar), you can also use regular old white vinegar to achieve identical results.

The easiest but still effective way to use vinegar is to rinse your hair with vinegar right after your regular shampoo but before your conditioner. Work the vinegar through your hair, make sure to saturate your ends and to massage your scalp. If it is easier, use a spray bottle. Then proceed to condition or deep-condition as normal.

OR if you are a co-washer, then rinse your hair with water before the vinegar rinse and then proceed with the conditioner as you normally would.

source: Self.com

More Apple Cider Vinegar DIY recipes:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2312396_use-apple-cider-vinegar-dandruff.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_4424033_use-apple-cider-vinegar-hair.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_4480406_rinse-hair-apple-cider-vinegar.html

The twists are out!

Many people complain about having to do long term protective styles because they miss playing in their hair. I can not emphasise enough just how much I love mini twists but alas it was time for them to go. Mini Twists left in the hair for too long can lead to knots, tangles and even meshing. I’ve found that washing my twists keeps them from tangling too much but this isn’t true for everyone.

            My mini twist hairstyles.

It’s been just over three months since I decided to alter my regimen to fit in with the dry weather, in that time, apart from the Bantu Knots and Head wraps, I’ve had styles that last at least a month each. It feels as though the weather is turning and although it’s possible that I may do a style that lasts two weeks I think I’m done with the really longer term styles for the year.

Some of the longer term styles that I’ve done in the last few months.

I painstakingly unravelled my mini twists over a period of two days; finger de-tangled, pre pooed with coconut oil, washed for the first time in quite a while with a sulphate free shampoo because my hair really needed it and then decided to do a protein treatment.

My hair has low porosity, its protein sensitive and so simple proteins like yoghurt and mayonnaise work really well for me. This is not true for all people and some naturals find that only a real protein treatment will suffice. One of my favourite mixes is yoghurt, apple cider vinegar, honey and a natural carrier oil, this time I opted for avocado oil. I leave the protein treatment in for 30 to 45 mins and rinse out with a moisturising conditioner. I applied my leave in conditioner, sealed with avocado butter and plaited fikuti (braids) to stretch the hair.

Something about protein treatments makes my hair feel really thick. I think it’s to do with the fact that the strands are fortified. I ain’t gonna lie, my hair overwhelmed me this week. It just would not co-operate and this was the style it wanted to do. I also couldn’t for the life of me find more than three bobby pins so I had to work with what I had. I call this the Messy Mukule Updo because it has a messy mukule pompadour (I explain mukule here) and the rest is pinned up after a bit of twisting.

Mukule Pompadour

Incidentally I found the rest of the hiding bobby pins later on in the day; pesky things.

How to Do It Yourself

My real dreadlocks, in 2009 before I BCd and went loose haired natural

If you want to contact the stylist who did my hair, you can email info@zedhair.com and I shall be happy to give you her details. However, there is no connection to ZedHair and I could very well have gotten a discount I wasn’t aware of, so please don’t quibble if it costs more. Everyone has to make a living, just ask for the cost up front – unlike me, who didn’t. Lol! Similarly, if you don’t like it, that is your business. However, I am pretty sure you will not be disappointed. Kinky Dreads are a great alternative to Kinky Twists (Senegalese Twists) and Box Braids.

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First publishes October 2012

A while back we blogged about the classic egg conditioning treatment. Almost every diy protein treatment contains egg, which is great because eggs contain protein and with the right ingredients you can have a moisturizing protein treatment.

Simple Protein Treatment

1. Add 1 egg into a mixing bowl.
2. Beat the egg and then add 1 tsp. of olive oil and vinegar.
3. Apply the mixture to damp hair.
4. Allow it to set for 10 to 15 minutes, and rinse the treatment from your hair.
5. Apply shampoo to your hair as usual.

Coconut Protein Treatment

1. Combine 2 eggs, 3 tbsp. coconut milk, 2 tbsp. honey, 2 tbsp. olive oil and 1 tbsp. vanilla extract in a bowl. Mix the ingredients with a fork until blended well.
2. Wet your hair with warm water. Apply the mixture directly to your hair, taking the time to massage it into your roots.
3. Allow the coconut protein mixture to set for 30 minutes.
4. Rinse the hair treatment out thoroughly, and shampoo your hair as usual. Avoid using blow dryers or other heat styling equipment to protect your hair.

source: eHow.com 

This weeks hairstyle is a fuller, more textured version of another that I did earlier this year.

I started out with a twist out separated the curls and used and afro comb to pick the roots, make the hair fuller and get rid of any partings.

I parted the hair into three and placed the last two sections into small puffs.

I then pinned the three parts loosely to form a faux hawk.

This week I’m going back to basics and wearing a low bun.

I hardly ever wear styles this sleek and had quite a hard time gathering all my hair into a smooth bun and snapped to of my hairbands. The hair was stretched using braids after I’d washed and conditioned it. I tucked and pinned the ends of my hair into a slightly textured bun. I added a bit of bling for some flair.

This week’s hairstyle is one that I wore a lot during my third year as a natural mostly because I couldn’t yet create a full puff but liked the idea of having one. The hairstyle is exactly the same but the hair is fuller so it creates a slightly different look.

Same hairstyle done in January 2014 with a smaller puff and bigger fringe.

This style is also very similar to the one I did in week 3, the main difference being that the hair is loose instead of in twists.

Week 3

I started out with a braid out, I love a bit of texture. It’s a very simple style. Puff at the bag pinned down into a very loose bun and the fringe section pinned back loosely too. At the right angle and with the right amount of fluffing this can create a voluminous updo.

As you may be aware we have a support group on Facebook called the ZedHair Forum. It’s a space that was created to increase interaction among naturals who follow the ZedHair Facebook page. So far we’ve been able to share pictures, stories and advice. We thought it would be nice to take it one step further and have a physical meet up not only so that we could ogle at each other’s hairstyles but also in order to have conversations in real time and stock up on our favourite ZedHair products as well as discover new ones.

We decided a brunch would give us enough time for a good natter, it took place at the Coffee Gallery on Nangwenya Road in Lusaka.

It was a fun gathering and we shared a lot, not just about hair, but books, classic story film adaptations, traditional ceremonies and Nigerian films, conversation was very random and flowed freely but sometimes took some odd turns.

ZedHair Shea Butter, African Black Soap, Mafura and Mongongo were available to buy and we also introduced two new varieties of our Zambian herbal cleanser Chiswita alongside recipe cards for DIY enthusiasts.

We had giveaways for everyone and a couple of special prizes courtesy of Kutowa Designs and Kalahari BioCare

We plan on having more of these gatherings in different towns and cities. These meet ups will not be a replacement for workshops which are a great way for us to tackle topics in depth.

Our next workshop will take place in October. Look out for announcements about the workshop date and venue and join the ZedHair Forum if you’d like to come along to one of our exclusive events.

Turns out that this month has a bit of a theme to it. Puffs and bins and lots of texture. I’ve been keeping it really simple.

I started this style on a braid out that I did on freshly washed and conditioned hair. I sectioned the hair in two parting the front using the arch of my left eyebrow as a guide, the part went to the center of my hair and then down across to just behind my ear.

I decided to make the puff as smooth as I could without pulling so that the back is a lot neater looking than the front.

Its my birthday week!

I’m clinging on to youth for dear life and boldly wearing what has to be the ultimate little girls hair style; afro puffs.

This style is so simple it hardle needs explanation but here goes; I parted my hair, which was a braid out fine on freshly washed hair, in two. I tied the hair into puffs and pinned the ends away to protect them.

When I do puffs I use stretchy bands with no metal in them because metal can snag on the hair causing rips, tangles and split ends.

This month I thought I’d do something a little bit different. 24th October is Zambia’s Independence Day and ZedHair has decided to commemorate the occasion by dedicating the whole month to illustrating how our fore bearers indigenous knowledge can be used in hair care today. We will be talking about ingredients and methods that have been used for centuries and are still applicable to us today. We’ll have posts on indigenous knowledge but also plan a workshop at the end of the month that will focus on using indigenous knowledge and ingredients to build a healthy hair care regimen.

As part of this commemoration I will use my challenge to show four hairstyles that are undeniably Zambian.

This week I am wearing ifikuti. I wore ifikuti once last year and thought it would be fun to do it again.

Ifikuti, which are essentially braids that are tucked into themselves to form a sort of little bun, tend to be worn at bed time. You see, we’ve always known that our hair needs to be kept stretched or it will tangle, so girls and women with natural hair plait ifikuti before bedtime. Ifikuti aid manageability by reducing knots and tangles that can occur if you sleep with hair in an afro state.

In all honesty most women wouldn’t be seen dead with ifikuti during the day. It’s sort of the way some people feel about Bantu knots. They are not really considered a style in and off themselves. I’ve already worn Bantu knots during this challenge but it’s still difficult to feel confident up and about in my ifikuti.

Part of my inspiration to try this style is my personal woman crush Chimamanda Adichie Ngozi who looked so elegant in them.

Chimamanda Adichie Ngozi

I decided clean lines would work best so used a small toothed comb with metal attachment to make my partings. I made a sort of hexagonal shape with five sections around the head and a section in the middle.

Ifikuti are usually plaited tight from the bottom to ensure maximum stretch but I decided to start plaiting about a third of the way up the chikuti (singular) so that I had very loose look.

The front had to be a little more interesting so instead of tucking the braid all the way in I left some of it visible.

This week I’m continuing with the theme of indigenous Zambian hairstyles. This up-do is based around cornrows or mukule in Bemba, a Zambian language. Mukule is the school girls choice of hairstyle and now only commonly worn by older more sophisticated women if extensions are included.

I’ve actually incorporated mukule in a couple of my previous hairstyles this year.

I’ve been putting off doing this particular hairstyle since I spotted it on Mekony’s Instagram account. I loved it but was not at all confident in my ability to recreate the look. I’m quite proud of how it turned out because I’m not the most dextrous person and just these three mukule took me almost an hour from making the parting to completing and ensuring each mukule looked nice and neat.

I sectioned my hair into 5 parts. I was very particular about getting clean lines.

The biggest section was for the mukule at the back. I parted my hair from just behind either ear to my crown and set it aside with an alligator clip.

I then started work on the two smaller sections. The partings for each of these sections starts at my temples. The section on the left starts wider at the edge of my hairline and reduces in size before it stops at the crown. I also set this section aside with an alligator clip.

The section on the right starts out smaller and widens as it gets to the centre.

The front or top is mostly made up of chunky two stands twists but there is a tiny mukule right at the front. I made a small section about an inch wide across the front just above my forehead.

I only started to braid once I was happy that each section was just the right size. I started with braiding the back section upward and instead of completing the mukule all the way to the tip I decided to two strand the end so that it created more volume for the top of the up do.

I braided the left side from the crown outwards and again two strand twisted the end.

The right side was braided from the edge to the crown ending again in a two strand twist.

I made a tiny mukule in the front section and two stranded twisted the end. I finished off the top section by creating two chunky loose two strand twists.

I completed the styling by pinning the hair into shape. Its really hard to say exactly how I pinned the hair up. I always say just pin according to what you like the hair to look like; big, tight, raised straight up like a 90’s table cut or slightly skewed to the side. Play around with the twists and pins in the mirror until you have a look that you are comfortable with.

There you have it! A simple up-do created with mukule.

This month I’ve been wearing hairstyles that have traditionally been worn in Zambia for eons and jazzing them up a bit. 

Any sort of tribute to Zambian hairstyles wouldn’t be complete without giving a nod to Cotton. Cotton is so called because cotton or more accurately sewing thread is used to achieve the style; it is commonly referred to as African threading in the international natural hair community and can either be a stand alone style or used to stretch the hair instead of heat.

Usually Cotton involves winding the thread closely together on a section of hair so that the hair itself is not visible. I tried this method last year. A hairdresser painstakingly created this intricate style over 2 days and the end result was very similar to sister locs.

My challenge for this year is to create all of my hairstyles myself but I have neither the skill or patience to recreate the style I had last year so I opted for a simpler version. The hairstyle I did this week allows you to wind the cotton further apart and create threaded sections that have the appearance of two strand twists.

The length of thread that you use for your hair depends on its length. I fold my thread in half and knot the end much as I would for sewing. I then grab a small section of hair and starting at the base wind the thread around the hair. Once I get to the tip of my hair I make a knot. I make sure not to knot too tightly as it can be notoriously difficult to undo tightly knotted ends. I have approximately 18 sections on my head, shorter hair would require more sections.

You can can be quite creative about the way you join up the threaded sections of your hair and any on line search will reveal many beautiful pictures of Cotton hairstyles from various countries across Africa. Again, I’m keeping it as simple as possible during this challenge and basically just gathered all of my sections and wound thread around them to create a “tail” below my right ear.

I’ve had this hairstyle before and never would have imagined that I’d be able to recreate it with my own two hands. It only took me a morning to do and if I  didn’t have to try a different hairstyle every week I would definitely keep it as a longer term protective hairstyle. I did this style on freshly washed and conditioned hair. As part of my experiments in the use of Zambian indigenous knowledge and ingredients for hair care I deep conditioned with a mixture that included Moringa and Neem powders instead of my usual Henna treatment and I have to say that I loved the result and plan to keep experimenting with these ingredients.