TIPS TO HAVING HEALTHY LONG HAIR

Hey there guys!

Today it's all about growing our hair ladies!!!... Ladies love hair, but men love them more. (On the ladies, I mean). There are also men that love to grow their own hair too, just the way some ladies don't like hair. Whether you like hair or not, whatever little you have on your hair, you want it healthy. I hope we can all agree on that. For the purpose of this discussion, I'm sticking with growing a long healthy hair, (on your head). 

Let's take a trip down memory lane, rewind 5 years back to 2008. I had a short, shaggy, almost nasty hair. There are almost nothing on the front of my head especially at the sides. My brothers never stopped teasing me about it. They said one day I'll become like Mr.T. [If you don't know Mr. T, then the hair cut on the black guy from the movies "The A-Team" is exactly what they mean]. I could pack all of it (my hair) together in the middle of my head in a mini-bun but it was very light. There were a few things I was doing all wrong but had no idea. I'm going to list them below;

• I retouched (relaxed with a creme relaxer) every month, sometimes every 2 weeks. Reason is stated on point 3
• I never used to steam my hair.
• I used whatever type of relaxer I came across or was told did wonders at the time. (I have an incredible pure African hair texture). The type usually referred to as "stubborn" hair. Back then I used "Venus super", sat for almost an hour, waiting and still at the end, the hair came out like I did nothing to it. (Reason for point 1).
• I carried my weaves from a total of 2 weeks and washed, then carried my natural for another 2 weeks and retouch. Yep! it was that bad.
• I dyed my hair a couple of times, and it was my friend who helped me not the proper way.
• If you bring a scissors near me, to cut off the split-ends, it meant war! (For goodness sake I was trying seriously to grow my hair. Didn't the stylist realize that?)
• I did use some treatments though.

Fast forward by 1 year to 2009, I met a good hair stylist, those from my mum's generation. She still believed in washing and rolling and setting your hair. AS opposed to iron straighteners preferred by the younger generation. She thought me a few good things which I now practice and I have a healthier and a tiny bit longer hair. (Still having issues with relaxer kit I can trust). The Nigerian market believes in making fake versions of products that as doing well in the market. *Shaking my head*. I'll be sharing those tips on this blog.

Move forward to another year (2010), I travelled to the north for a period of 1 year. Had to change stylist too. This time they were Northerners too. Their type hair treatment consisted of a lot including snake oils. I chose the ones I felt comfortable with. One good thing they could do was a very good weave. Weaving protects the hair and helps with its growth, but when done too tight, it could go the other way.

After meeting with these stylists, these are the tips I adopted. It worked for me, may not work for everyone. The thing about hair just like skin is; you have to find what works for you.

MY TIPS

• I started retouching my hair every 3 - 4 months. 
• I learnt that the ideal time to carry a weave-on for is 4 - 6 weeks. I use products that I can use routinely for my natural hair for me weaves, meaning no oils just creams.
• Every 6 weeks, I treat and steam my hair with products like cholesterol, Shea butter, placentine, coconut oils e.t.c.
• Good shampoos and conditioners are advisable.
• I also use good relaxer cremes now, even though I have to battle through the fake ones occasionally.
• If you used natural weave-on then you can wash your hair with the weave on your head. It prevents smells and helps to moisturize your scalp. I can't say the same for synthetic weaves because some of them tangle. So, know your products.
• To grow both the back and front of my hair, I use a good stylist who can weave it, picking every strand.
• I stopped dying my hair. Still tempted though.
• I'm no more afraid of chopping of the split ends. I realized they cause more harm than good.
• Finally, I do protective styling especially during the drier times of the year like harmattan. I am the ultimate "side fringe" queen (with no hair brought out). That is my hair style for every weave I have on. Be it straight, curly of wavy; long or short. It doesn't matter, unless it's braids of course.

Protective Styling

Forward to 2013, and my sister (you'd know her by now from by relationship posts), is now obsessed with anything to make hair her long and bouncy and she is the inspiration behind this post. She has her own home made mixture she uses to steam her hair and it works because when she's done, I always love her hair. All shiny and bouncy and all. Her mixture contains Shea butter, mayonnaise, eggs and honey. She massages it into her hair in sections, wraps up the hair in a plastic bag for about 30 minutes then rinse.

I still insist on knowing whats good for you and your hair. A tiny gist before I leave. Indians are a group of people I believe to have to longest hair ever. When I went to India, I decided to try out some of their hair products. I can say that when I used all the products, it didn't do much, probably because it wasn't meant for my type of hair.

So finally, when it comes down to it, do what works for you and stick to it. I now have a healthier hair, stronger, a bit longer. I am also no longer scared of becoming Mr. T.

Cheers to having long healthy hair.

IS WEARING WHITE OUTFITS COST EFFECTIVE ON THE LONG RUN?

Take a look at the topic of this post and please give me your answers in the comment section before you continue reading. Is wearing white clothing truly cost effective? Please don't tell me this is true because I loovveeee..... colors soooo much and I also don't like to feel like I'm wasting my money instead of spending it. You know there's a difference between wasting and spending right? (Topic for another day).

As you would have guessed by now, most of my post don't come through any specific portals. But from events that happen everyday, discussions with colleagues and family, things I think about or an experience I had or seen someone experience. So, as you would have it my brothers started their arguments again. One for, the other against, and the last a neutral zone. Since my last brother is now back, I happily relinquished the post of the third wheel to him. He does the job so much better than I in any case.

The argument for that day started with where they go to do their clothes shopping. My first brother, also known as "the hype man" (because he exalts everything he does and believes he has all the answers), decided white was the best color to have for all outfits. The second who is always on the against side of the arguments, for once decided to concur. That left the third neutral brother in a fix. He now had to argue against. 

The first two argued that the colored outfits fade with time and you'll need to buy and buy to replace the faded ones. The third (being a lawyer that has worn black and white for at least 6 years), claimed to be more experienced in dealing with white clothings. He argued that with continuous washing and wearing, the pure white outfit may begin to retain stains and become and off-whitish shade. He said it required high maintenance, since it can't be worn more than once before washing. He also argued that it is got a really bad stain, then you'd have to discard the outfit totally.

They all agreed that white outfits especially white shirts made a person look clean and smart. I guess I agree to that too. Anyway, I decided to share this with you and to get your opinions on the matter. Hit me up with your comments.

Cheers......

HOW TO PREVENT EASY WEAR AND TEAR

Some many times, I have been confronted by colleagues and co-workers with question of where I do my shopping? Or how I manage to artfully combine my outfits? Sometimes up to the point of taking them to places that I shop or doing the shopping for them. Of course, this is not a bother to me, not even slightly because I enjoy shopping and I believe 99% of females do. When asked how I keep it together? My reply is always the same. I learnt how to prevent easy wear and tear. These are my few tips and tricks to doing the same;

• Bountifulness: No! I'm not saying go out and buy the whole market or have a closure fit for a princess. In our times, a celebrity with 300 pairs of shoes. You don't have to have something in every color and shade, but you can afford to have staples in basic colors like black, grey, brown, nude, white and navy. You can afford to have more than a pair of black shoes and bag. The essence is so you don't end up wearing one particular cloth repeatedly until it begs to be set free. Too much wearing leads to too much washing and then tearing.
• Pop it up: Now you have the basic colors in more than one outfit like 2 at least of each in pieces like shirts, skirts, trousers e.t.c. Spice up your closet with some colors. You don't have to look all beat up in shades of black and blue like most Nigerian lawyers look in the name of profession.
• Budget: I know, I know, so many clothes already! where do I get the money? Easy, you don't have to buy everything at once unless of course, you do have the money to spend. Pick up beautiful pieces one at a time. If you prefer to do your shopping at once then plan and save toward it like you'd do a major project. Remember, looking good is good business. The outfit I have on in both pictures look put together, however, each of the items that comprise of the items were bought separately in different shops, at different times, sometimes years apart and even in different town. 
• Quality: What would be the point in buying lots of clothes with low quality. Clothes that fade off after washing once. This is the key to preventing wear and tear. Buy clothes and accessories that last. Occasionally you might not be so lucky, but for the most part, you are. Another pointer, durability doesn't always mean expensive.
• Soaking: I still haven't understood the reason behind soaking clothes for so long especially in hot water just to make them clean. What happened to your soaps and detergent?
• Washing: Mind the kinds of soaps used. Look at the label and follow instructions. Wash light colors separately always. I once bought a beautiful white and black jacket, quite expensive I might add but without looking at the washing instructions, I dipped it into water and the black ran all over the white. This also goes to show like I said before, not every expensive clothing is of high quality.

These are the few tips to preventing easy wear and tear that I have for now. Hoping you have a better dressing experience. Shopping too of course. 

Cheers....

FASHION FRIDAY: MIXING PATTERNS OF TEXTILE FOR CLOTH DESIGNING

This is something I love to do so much and I do it often with my bedding designs. The mixing of patterns in bedding designing however, doesn't even come close to what I do with my clothes. The clothes, after making are usually very unique. Let me just say at this point that the idea of mixing patterns of textile materials wasn't originally mine but my friends' Monica Aletor, also a medical doctor and a good one at that but I have to say she missed her calling because she should have been an artist or a designer.

Back in November, 2009 when we were going off to NYSC (Nigerian Youth Service Corps) camp, she showed up at the airport with a skirt that had so many colors and patterns you'd marvel. At first, I didn't understand the outfit but later, I got to know that she'd sewn all the little pieces of left over textile materials into a beautiful skirt, much like the story of Joseph in the Bible with his coat of many colors. Dolly Parton sang about it too. 

Anyway, I immediately decided to try out the concept, luckily my Mum had  lots of left over Nigerian textile materials to part with, so my sister and I made skirts out of them (1st photo). Sometime later, I noticed it was the new trend in Nigerian fashion. People were making different outfits from mixed textiles ranging from dresses to skirts and jackets. Textile manufacturers, I guess decided to make it easy for all and started making one textile material that came in different patterns. 

To me however, nothing beats having to personally select the patterns you like and making something original out of it. You see sometimes, "lack is the birth of creativity".

Cheers....

FASHION FRIDAY: SEXY UNDERGARMENTS

Finally, I got a setup in mind on how to talk about fashion without sounding too cliche. I'm not one to beat around the bush and so I'll go for this hot sizzling topic but first answer this question;

• What is sexy to you personally? I don't want some dictionary definition or what you think it should be. No, I want your thoughts on it and please don't be shy. Drop your comments, would love to read them. I'll start by telling you what sexy means to me

To me, sexy doesn't mean scantily clad and walking on the streets. In this part of the world and I'm pretty sure most other parts, it's considered dirty dressing. Sexy is putting on an outfit you are comfortable in but absolutely smashing HOT!!! In the same vain, sexy undergarments have to be comfortable while sizzling. They should not be worn just when you think someone else (particularly the opposite sex ) will be watching but everytime. Certain designs of lingerie make certain people feel sexy while for others it's about the colors and  patterns. There are colors and patterns that have been attributed to sexy underwear and they are black, red, white and animal print, particularly leopard.

Red is a color that is naturally connected with things that are hot like chilly/pepper or danger. Same goes for black. The white sexy girl wants to feel like an innocent in her outfit, if you'd just recall the purpose for wearing white in weddings started to showcase the innocence of the virginal bride. For the animal print, lots of people say it brings out their hidden animalistic sides. Undergarments should be soft and light-weight and cool on the skin. Some beautiful textured materials to choose from are silks, lace, chiffon or pure cotton. Now whether you decide to go for the G-string or the fully covered types is entirely up to you and how you feel in them.

A thought crossed my mind and I decided to share with you my friends and readers. While some people have only one color of undies in their collection, some others may have an array of colors. If you fall into the group of people who love to have them in as many colors and patterns as possible then this is for you. Why not match your clothings with your undies? Take for example, you are wearing black pants and leopard print top, why not wear black panties and leopard skin bra? First of all, it makes you look forward to dressing up everyday and secondly, it brings the sexy back into your love life by keeping your partner interested.

Hey guys, you are not left out. I know lots of speedos and G-strings are on display on stores and the internet for you selection, but you have to be very careful what you pick. Any very tight underwear that might generate heat is definitely not safe for you and your unborn children. This is because the heat prevents the generation of sperm. So while trying to look exceptional sexy, we do appreciate it, just make sure you selected the cotton type of underwear. Otherwise leave the sexy for the supermodel who wear them just for a photoshoot.

Have lots of fun, feeling sexy with yourself. Cheers....

Photo credit : 

http://www.amazon.com

DRESS UP WITH COLORS TO MATCH THE DAYS OF THE WEEK

Hey's guys as promised last week I dressed up all week with clothes to match the days of the week. I mean picking a color say maroon and wearing it on a Monday and so it's Maroon Monday. I had a friend join in but she couldn't keep up for some reason or another. So it's just me showcasing my week as it went, starting from Sunday.

STRAWBERRY SUNDAY:

Off to work

Off to Church
Outfit designed my moi

MAGENTA MONDAY:

Ready for Monday morning work

TANGERINE TUESDAY:

More work

WHITE WEDNESDAY:

Outfit designed by me

TURQUOISE THURSDAY:

On call

Also designed by me

FLORA FRIDAY:

Friday at last!

SILVER SATURDAY:

Work again!

Okay! outing time, off to a wedding ceremony.
Outfit designed by me

I had so much fun playing dress up! a few of my colleagues and a patient of mine wanted to know what I was wearing each day of the week and what name I called a particular shade of blue, green or purple. I hope you'd just try it out. So much fun, believe me.

Cheers!!!

A DELIGHTFUL PLACE TO SHOP

As promised, I have begun my search for places to shop for beautiful clothes and outfits starting in Benin city, Edo state. The first shop to be introduced to you my esteemed readers is the "Delight Boutique and Lingerie". A friend of my took me shopping one day, a few months ago and we happened to enter this shop, At first, I thought it was like every other shop lining the streets of Benin these days. Many with mass-produced clothes at very high prices. However, to my surprise, I found out that they were quite different and in many ways too;

• Good customer service: this is what determines whether I'll take a look around any shop I enter. To me, "No warm welcome, No shopping".
• Good stuff at very affordable prices: For such a boutique, you expect their prices to be way higher than those in the market, but again they surprised me with the price. Now please don't go thinking they cost less because truthfully, the clothes are worth the prices. 
• A one-stop shop for the ladies: from undies to nighties, dresses, skirts, jewelries e.t.c. No need going to so many shops to get what you need.

So dear friends and readers, If you live in Benin or you just happen to find yourself in Benin and you want to go shopping, visit;

Delight Lingerie and Delight Boutique located at #44 Akenzua Street (near the stadium road junction) and #28 Airport road (near Observer newspaper, opposite Ede shopping complex, vegetable market). 

You'll be glad you did. I can tell you that I'll be going back there again.

Mobile number: 080 5284 6627

Happy Shopping guys!!!

FASHION AND STYLE

Is this a topic I should dabble into? I ask myself. Yes, I claim to be a fashionista not just because I think so but also because I've been told severally. I try to market my products to people and they are looking at my outfit and the next question I hear is do you make clothes? Sometimes it's do you sell female clothes and accessories. When my answer is no, the next question becomes; Where do you shop? With these constant questions I sometimes wonder if I should have gone into clothes designing instead, I already design most of the clothes my tailors make for me. However, I believe this is a very huge project to undertake now. Maybe it will be a project for much later.

Since it is not an easy fit to get into designing outfits for people because while beddings and interiors usually have almost fixed dimensions, humans come in different shapes and sizes; some tall or short, some slim or fat and others just in between.  I've always talked about style, how to incorporate it into our daily living and all. But what exactly is fashion?

Fashion is a general term for a popular style or practice, especially in clothing (dresses, skirts, jeans, trousers, shirts and tops e.t.c.); accessories (handbags, shoes, wallets, e.t.c.); jewelries (rings, necklaces, bracelets and bangles, earrings, watches, necklaces e.t.c) or home designing including furniture. Fashion refers to a distinctive and often habitual trend in the style with which a person dresses as well as to prevailing styles in behaviour. It also refers to the newest creations of textile designers.

From the above definition it seems I'm already practicing fashion, and discussing only a bit of it. For now, I'd make do will giving tips on dressing up and occasionally finding great stores to shop especially for folks who live in Nigeria. Note that I don't follow all trends, infact I like to see myself more as a trend setter not a trend follower. I'm going to be starting with Benin City, Nigeria as it is where I live and charity as they say begins at home. So ladies and gentleman, pull out those check books, we are going SHOPPING!!!