My First Henna Experience; Will there be a Second???

I have quite a number of grey strands on my head. The why beats me really, lol. I found the first strand when I was a teenager and I was I should let it be that removing that one strand would cause more to grow out. So I left it believing others won't pop up, o boy! was I wrong!!! Hahaha! As years went by they kept on multiplying. I actually kinda like them but still I don't think I'm ready to flaunt grey hair yet.

I started thinking of ways to cover up the grey strands. I considered semi-permanent hair dyes/colours but after doing some research online I decided not to, especially because my hair is already chemically altered i.e. relaxed/texlaxed. Another chemical would probably be too much for it to handle without falling apart.  I finally decided to go with natural dye (Henna) especially because of the other benefits of henna asides natural colouring. I should do another blog post on the benefits of henna.

PREPARATION

• I steeped 2 bags of green tea in about 1.5 cups of hot water and allowed it cool.
• I mixed the steeped tea gradually into 200 grams of henna powder purchased from www.olori.com.ng in a plastic bowl and stirred with a plastic spoon until i had a nice paste. It was quite thick at this point but you will find out why soon.
• I covered the bowl and left it in my kitchen cupboard overnight. I also applied my pre-poo mix to my hair, wrapped my hair in clingfilm, covered with a shower cap and left it overnight.

APPLICATION

• I Shampooed with Creme of nature moisture and shine sulphate-free shampoo and wrapped my hair up in a tshirt.
• During my research on henna application and results I found that it tends to make hair dry and hard like a strong proteintreatment. I decided to tread with caution go for Curly Nikki's conditioning henna treatment. see here
• I divided the henna mix into two because it seemed like a lot (I poured the other part into a plastic bowl with a lid and poured in the freezer for later use). I then mixed in a sizeable quantity of Tresemme naturals nourishing moisture conditioner. This made the thick paste a little thinner and it was just perfect for me. The consistency was like that of set yoghurt.

• I then proceeded with the application using the method in the  video below 

                            

• The application wasn't as messy as I thought it would be, although I took precautions; protected the floor with newpapers, used gloves and wore an old tshirt. My edges and ears were also protected with vaseline to prevent stains.
• I left the henna in overnight and rinsed under a tap with warm water. It took a while before the water ran clear. I used Vo5 herbal escapes pomegranate and grapeseed conditioner for the rinsing.
• My hair felt quite strong just like after aphogee two step protein treatment and even better. I deep conditioned with aussie 3 minutes miracle deep conditioner to infuse some moisture back into my hair.

I really loved the results. My hair was strong and well moisturised and also very shiny. As regards colour, my grey strands are now copper red i think? was so happy. Grey strands are gone. My normal hair colour is almost jet black so I know it will take a while and several applications for there to be a significant colour change. I see highlights of red when I'm in the sun though especially my roots. Unfortunately, I couldn't get this in pictures, tried so hard but finally gave up.

There you have it! my first henna experience. Will there be a second? definitely! I'm officially a henna-head and I'm loving it. Going  forward I plan to apply henna once a month. My next application is later this week. 

What are your thoughts and experiences of henna and/or other natural dyes? Are you a henna-head? Please drop a comment.

Washday: First length check of the year

Hello darlings,

I've had a couple of washdays these year but I decided not to post them because they were pretty much boring and I've been wigging it to protect my hair from harsh harmattan. However, harmattan seems to be gone for good now. Yippee! ! !

I'm currently 6 weeks post and my washday went thus:
Prepoo: I decided to skip the pre-poo step this week. I had to go out so I had very little time that i had to manage well. Not pre-pooing just this once shouldn't ruin my hair. Lol...nah
Shampooed with my fav shampoo, Creme of nature moisture and shine sulphate-free shampoo diluted in a spray bottle. I lathered twice.
I squeezed out excess water and applied Aphogee two minutes reconstructor. I've not been able to use this conditioner since my touch-up because I ran out. I ordered for another bottle from Sizzelle and thankfully I got it beforethis washday. I also ordered for Nupur Henna and Tropic Isle JBCO (Rosemary). I covered my hair with a clingfilm and within the 5 minutes I wanted to keep it on for, I mixed up my deep conditioning cocktail.
Washed the Aphogee two minutes reconstructor out with lukewarm water, wrapped my hair in a cotton tshirt to absorb excess water and then applied my deep conditioning cocktail. The cocktail had the following in it; Aussie 3 minutes miracle deep conditioner, Motions moisture plus conditioner ( as per this week's #washdayexperience theme - use up an old product), Roux porosity control conditioner, a tablespoon of Tropic Isle JBCO  ( Rosemary ) and few drops of peppermint oil.
I wrapped the hair in cling film and used my Hair Therapy Wrap as heat for source. I rinsed my hair with cold water after about 10 minutes and tshirt-dried for another 10 minutes.

As I mentioned here, I will be participating in challenges this year. The first one is the 6 inches challenge by Dabs of Naija Hair Can Grow. The first step for the challenge is to take a starting picture with a length check shirt and send it in. Hence I had to do a length check but since I flat-ironed my hair just 6 weeks ago, I couldn't do that so soon. I decided to use the cold air tension instead and I actually love the results. See below.

                   Starting length for 2016
After the length check, I simply put my hair in a top - knot, half-down do and went my way. This washday took just 1 hour and 30 minutes including styling and I believe it's my shortest ever.

P.S.: If you are in Nigeria and you would like to order for a length check tee, contact me through my Facebook page or twitter or dm on instagram.

How was your last washday?

2016 Hair/Blog/Business Goals

Happy new year lovelies, may 2016 bring fulfilment of dreams and purpose for each one of us. Thanks for the love and support in the last quarter of 2015 which when this blog was launched. I appreciate you all.

So in the spirit of a new year/new beginning, I want to share my goals or targets for this year with you all. This would help to keep me accountable and for reference purposes.
HAIR GOALS
LENGTH RETENTION: I would love to retain about 5 - 6 inches this year. This should get my hair to MBL (Mid - back length) or there about.
HENNA TREATMENTS: I did my first henna treatment in December, 2015. I will continue to do henna treatments once a month or once in two months.
DAILY MOISTURISING AND SEALING: At the beginning of my hair journey I wasmore diligent in daily moisturising and sealing but over time I have slacked off and the effect was there  (breakage). I will be diligent with moisturising and sealing daily or once in two days this year no matter how busy I am.
PROTECTIVE STYLING:  I want to be more adventurous with P.S. this year. I will try out new styles both simple and complex.
HAIR CHALLENGES: I will be participating in a number of hair challenges, they help to keep one focused.
EXERCISE & HEALTHY EATING : My goal is to work out at least 3 times a week and to have meal plans for a healthy diet that I will follow strictly.
HAIR HEALTH : The most important hair goal for me this year is to maintain and improve the health of my hair.

BLOG/BUSINESS GOALS 
WIDER AUDIENCE: I will work on increasing the blog's readership/followership especially in Nigeria. So far, a higher percentage of my blog visitors are from the United States. I want to reach out to more of my Nigerian sisters so they know healthy and long "Naija" hair is not amyth.
CONTENT: This year, the blog would do mre than just documenting my HHJ (Wash days, styles). I will post educative blog posts and product reviews that could help other ladies on HHJs.
GIVEAWAYS: I hope to do a couple of giveaways this year on the blog/social media.

BUSINESS 
EXPANSION: I want to expand the market and capacity of my small hair-care business  (Sale of hair products, unrefined shea butter, whipped unrefined shea butter, satin caps, satin pillow cases and so on). I might also go into salon business, that is still under a lot of consideration.
RECIPES/FORMULATIONS: I hope to perfect DIY recipes that I have been using for myself and for friends and family. When I get standard recipes, I would then determine the marketability.
BRANDING: I will get a logo and choose a tag line for the blog and my small business.

So help me God!

What are your hair/blog goals for 2016?





Philippians 4:13 - I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency].