Story Story

So my hair has been naturally full and long (Nigerian definition of long), for genes sake, I'm from Gombe, Northern Nigeria (not like all of us have long hair oh, but yea, the fulani thing) but in 2009,  my hair went downhill after 3 years of carelessness, laziness, and ignorance. 


I had short hair in secondary school so the barber was my only source of hair advice and washing and combing 1 inch of hair lenght was a breeze. After graduation, it gradually grew back but once it hit 'long' levels I could no longer manage it. My friend even called me a runaway slave. haha, i'm pretty carefree plus with lack of black people in my school, I had NO one to look fine for, Oyibo kids just think I'm a hippie (not a hot mess). 

(My hair at its peak in Dec, 2008. Right after this, it just spiraled downhill)

So my hair was lacking moisture and only surviving on genetic gifts, nothing more. Last year (April, 2009), I relaxed my hair (which I do myself usually) and rinsed it out too early.  I STUPIDLY re-relaxed the hair AGAIN (I know, EVIL and FOOLISH) and it was bone-laxed. This chemical overload was the tip of the ice-berg. My hair exploded from there. Eventually by end of summer, it became split-endville, was breaking like crazy. I had to cut off almost 5 inches as the salon lady (in Nigeria) was begging me not to. I've got a couple more inches off since then and now I just 'dust' the ends and focusing on some major length boosting. Since then, I have become more intelligent.

And then the film GOOD HAIR came out, Tyra show and blogs all started talking about hair: quitting weaves, trashing relaxers, and going natural. My hair is also VERY full, so being natural has been ruled out of the equation (for now) so when the whole hair craze started, my response was seeking a regimen that would revive my dead hair without having to go natural. Healthy relaxed hair. Please I am a Tangale girl, Nigerian to the bone, as black and African as they come so having nappy hair will NOT bring me closer to my roots neither will straight relaxed hair de-Africanize me.


Anyway, my sister just went natural and like most natural sistas, she spent everyday of Christmas break reading and lecturing me transitions, the big chop, natural oils, detangling combs, organic hair products, the devil called hair chemicals, mineral oils, sulphate etc. So I got hooked on the hair care thing.


My hair when I was a kid was GOOD: natural and healthy but I had a bevy of combers and plaiters who could do it for me unlike now that I don grow finish, I cannot manage natural hair especially when I am on my own with no money for a salon visit in America!

(One day, 1991)

My guilt for refusing to dump relaxers made me go on a mission to get my hot mess of a mane together, strong, long again, minus the split ends, porosity, and dryness. So my old regimen consisted of only washing the hair and blow drying. My frugality then did not allow me look at the 'conditioner' aisle. really? I know! I also used grease to keep it shiny (not as much as 9ja hair dressers sha.... those women can GREASE and fry hair eh).  I quit the cheap shampoos, bought Extra Virgin Coconut oil, Olive oil and Castor oils (both white and Jamaican black), leave-ins, moisturizer, and heat protectant as well as sleep with my hair under a satin bonnet.


Now, I'm in the labor force (yikes), I have been forced to take hair care and appearance seriously. I flat ironed my hair myself FOR THE FIRST TIME two weeks ago and slowly perfecting the art thanks to online tutorial from other regular folk.
So far the hair is growing again, the spilt ends have been depopulated but not completely, the hair is getting moisture and not breaking due to dryness. I'm aiming at more thick growth, fixing the porosity, and making it stronger and longer.

(The hair now June, 2010. Clearly, there are fewer strands, the ends are thinner, but thank God, its growing)

Conclusion, I am not a hair expert, I'm still a student of hair issues and learning so this blog is about me, my relaxed hair, and my two cents on regimens, products and other random hair stuff.


ps. natural chics no hating pls..., love your relaxed neighbour, thanks ;) And pls no Akata-Oyibo straight hair yarns, methinks that is an irrelevant topic on a West African hair blog. In my Northern Nigerian culture long hair is valued hence the reason behind my goals.