Natural Head ✉: MVV Talks Kink!

About a week ago, I was surfing and came across a pretty blog which I immediately fell in total love with. A great concept beautifully put down by good writing by three Kenyan girls called The Girls of the Round Table. A beautiful concept I thought as they had an idea of implementing something that should have been there or, is assumably thought to be. 

So via Twitter, I met one of the lovelies and from my avi we had a common ground: Natural Hair! I tell you, natural hair brings the world together! Anyone who wanted proof? Ther you have it ☻ So I asked MyVintageVanity [Funky names, huh? Just check out their blog!] to share something about her Natural Hair journey and she was kind enough to share it with us. Her Hair Regimen and in case there any philanthropists without a cause, A Natural Hair Wish List. Check it!

"Thanks for having me on your lovely blog Siri!

It’s been 19 months since my BC, but I went properly natural about 11 months ago. Going natural has been one of the best decisions of my life, no doubt.  My hair is so much healthier, and I’m definitely taking care of it much more than I did when it was relaxed, now that I don’t visit the salon often and have to rely on myself. That means I know what every single product going into my hair contains, and I feel more in control of my hair.

My Hair Care Regimen

Right now, I’m doing this thing where I braid my hair every other month. I’m partial to Afro Kinky extensions because they blend so well with my texture. When my hair is in braids, I spritz daily with a handy home-made moisturising spritz courtesy of the girls at Kurly Kichana. I deep condition weekly to keep my kinks and curls in prime condition.

When my hair isn’t in braids, I wash it with conditioner only, but I’ll use baking soda every other week to get rid of build-up. I usually keep my hair in three-strand braids, which I’ll dress up with hairbands and bows during the week and rock a braid-out for the weekend.

Products I swear by

When I first went natural, I scouted the streets of Nairobi looking for all sorts of products for my hair. It’s a phase all naturals go through, because we’re so inexperienced and need to try everything before coming up with product staples. Well, little did I know that the most essential things I’d need could be found in my own kitchen!

1. Olive oil

Liquid gold, I tell you. It gives my hair a high like you wouldn’t believe. I use it for my hot-oil treatments, I mix it up with other ingredients for my home-made deep conditioner (more on that in a bit), and I use it for sealing moisture in when I do my braids.

It has a million and one uses which makes it quite economical. It’s amazing for your skin, and will get rid of blemishes. Want another beauty secret? When your nails are on a nail polish break (which, ladies, is a must from time to time), spread some olive oil on them daily for amazing results. It’ll moisturise cracked nails and give them a new lease on life! And, for all my fellow foodies out there, who doesn’t love to cook with olive oil? I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: LIQUID GOLD, baby.

2. Water        

It’s basic, but it’s essential. Water = moisture = mandatory for us kinky-haired girls.

3.Baking soda

It is essential for getting rid of build-up and tonnes more gentle than shampoo. Did you know that sodium bicarbonate is the weakest base? Perfect cleaning your hair without the harsh side-effects of most shampoos! I’ll use it every other week, especially when I need my hair free of build-up for, say, henna treatments. My baking soda supply never runs low, especially since, like olive oil, it’s a jack-of-all-trades. It’ll get rid of household stains, clean and whiten teeth for those extra special days, and you can bake with it (and all the foodies say YAY!).

4.Honey and banana

I know you don’t normally associate honey and banana with hair, but don’t freak out; I haven’t lost it (yet). Honey is a humectant. That means it’ll keep hair moisturised by holding on to water molecules. Sure it’s sticky, but it’s nothing a little baking soda won’t get rid of. The banana is optional, but it contains potassium and amino acid called tryptophan and lots of vitamins and natural oils which, Google tells me, are good for your hair. Also, honey and bananas go together like straws and berries (strawberries, gerrit? I’m lame. Deal with it). Given these awesome facts, who wouldn’t want banana in their hair? Plus it’s yummy. :-)

I’ll usually use both to make my home-made moisturising and hydrating deep conditioner, the recipe of which is outlined just for you below:

1. ·         Honey
2. ·         Mashed banana (about the consistency of honey)
3. ·         Olive oil
4. ·         Coconut oil

I estimate the amounts, so just go as the spirit leads you (which spirit, I won’t specify :-p). Pop it in the microwave for a few (and by a few, I do mean a few. Burnt scalp = not nice) and spread it all over your hair. Cover with a shower cap and lounge around for a bit. 15-30 minutes will be adequate, but I wouldn’t advise anything over an hour. Wash it out with baking soda, use some cheapie conditioner, then style as usual. Feel free to marvel at how soft your hair feels now. You’re welcome. :-)

5. Kids’ Organics by Africa’s Best™: Shea Butter Detangling Moisturising Lotion (enriched with olive oil)

I generally trust Kids’ Organics products; I figure they wouldn’t put crazy things in products marketed for kids. Although looking at Beautiful Beginnings, I could be wrong.  Anyway, this stuff is pretty awesome. I’ll apply some just after washing my hair and comb through it.

6. Organics by Africa’s Best™: Olive Oil Leave-In Conditioner

Works like a charm and smells good too. I usually add a few drops of this into my moisturising spritz for some extra oomph.

7. Organic Root Stimulator™: Olive Oil Heat Protection Serum

I’m sure you’ve noticed by now that anything with “olive oil” in the title tends to attract me. :-) Anyway, Organic Root Stimulator™ is a brand I trust, and their olive oil-enriched products make my hair smile. You know how much it loves olive oil. :-) On the rare occasions that I straighten my hair, I always use this. I’m heat-shy, on the whole, but I’m all for switching it up from time to time!

My Wishlist

1.  Shea Butter

Does anyone know where I can get pure shea butter in Nairobi? Do tell!

2. Kinky-Curly ™

This is a brand that I see on all the hair blogs. Their products contain no petroleum, mineral oil, plastics, silicone, wax, carbomer, acrylics, paraben or alcohol. I won’t pretend to know what all those are but I do know this: Kinky-Curly™ products must be really safe!

Alas, ladies, there’s a catch: it’s not available in Kenya. How unfair is that? I am especially coveting the Curly Custard, shown below, which I intend to use to rock a wash-and-go.  In my experience, wash-and-go’s tend to look better when they have a holding product to give structure.

That’s it from me (and, wow, this post is long)! Thanks again, Siri, for having me. :-)"

No madame MVV, Thankyou! I hope you enjoyed our first Natural Head ✉ 

Guest Post courtesy of the lovely MyVintageVanity of The Girls of the Round Table. Check out their blog >>> HERE in case you did not catch the other link ت

Have a lovely time,

Siri Nusu.

Guest Post: 30 Things to Stop Doing To Yourself

1. Stop spending time with the wrong people. – Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you.  If someone wants you in their life, they’ll make room for you.  You shouldn't have to fight for a spot.  Never, ever insist yourself to someone who continuously overlooks your worth.  And remember, it’s not the people that stand by your side when you’re at your best, but the ones who stand beside you when you’re at your worst that are your true friends.
2. Stop running from your problems. – Face them head on.  No, it won’t be easy.  There is no person in the world capable of flawlessly handling every punch thrown at them.  We aren’t supposed to be able to instantly solve problems.  That’s not how we’re made.  In fact, we’re made to get upset, sad, hurt, stumble and fall.  Because that’s the whole purpose of living – to face problems, learn, adapt, and solve them over the course of time.  This is what ultimately molds us into the person we become.
3. Stop lying to yourself. – You can lie to anyone else in the world, but you can’t lie to yourself.  Our lives improve only when we take chances, and the first and most difficult chance we can take is to be honest with ourselves.  Read The Road Less Traveled.
4. Stop putting your own needs on the back burner. – The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too.  Yes, help others; but help yourself too.  If there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do something that matters to you, that moment is now.
5. Stop trying to be someone you’re not. – One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that’s trying to make you likeeveryone else.  Someone will always be prettier, someone will always be smarter, someone will always be younger, but they will never be you.  Don’t change so people will like you.  Be yourself and the right people will love the real you.
6. Stop trying to hold onto the past. – You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading your last one.
7. Stop being scared to make a mistake. – Doing something and getting it wrong is at least ten times more productive than doing nothing.  Every success has a trail of failures behind it, and every failure is leading towards success.  You end up regretting the things you did NOT do far more than the things you did.
8. Stop berating yourself for old mistakes. – We may love the wrong person and cry about the wrong things, but no matter how things go wrong, one thing is for sure, mistakes help us find the person and things that are right for us.  We all make mistakes, have struggles, and even regret things in our past.  But you are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles, and you are here NOW with the power to shape your day and your future.  Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come.
9. Stop trying to buy happiness. – Many of the things we desire are expensive.  But the truth is, the things that really satisfy us are totally free – love, laughter and working on our passions.
10. Stop exclusively looking to others for happiness. – If you’re not happy with who you are on the inside, you won’t be happy in a long-term relationship with anyone else either.  You have to create stability in your own life first before you can share it with someone else.  Read Stumbling on Happiness.
11. Stop being idle. – Don’t think too much or you’ll create a problem that wasn’t even there in the first place.  Evaluate situations and take decisive action.  You cannot change what you refuse to confront.  Making progress involves risk.  Period!  You can’t make it to second base with your foot on first.
12. Stop thinking you’re not ready. – Nobody ever feels 100% ready when an opportunity arises.  Because most great opportunities in life force us to grow beyond our comfort zones, which means we won’t feel totally comfortable at first.
13. Stop getting involved in relationships for the wrong reasons. – Relationships must be chosen wisely.  It’s better to be alone than to be in bad company.  There’s no need to rush.  If something is meant to be, it will happen – in the right time, with the right person, and for the best reason. Fall in love when you’re ready, not when you’re lonely.
14. Stop rejecting new relationships just because old ones didn’t work. – In life you’ll realize that there is a purpose for everyone you meet.  Some will test you, some will use you and some will teach you.  But most importantly, some will bring out the best in you.
15. Stop trying to compete against everyone else. – Don’t worry about what others are doing better than you.  Concentrate on beating your own records every day.  Success is a battle between YOU and YOURSELF only.
16. Stop being jealous of others. – Jealousy is the art of counting someone else’s blessings instead of your own.  Ask yourself this:  “What’s something I have that everyone wants?”
17. Stop complaining and feeling sorry for yourself. – Life’s curveballs are thrown for a reason – to shift your path in a direction that is meant for you.  You may not see or understand everything the moment it happens, and it may be tough.  But reflect back on those negative curveballs thrown at you in the past.  You’ll often see that eventually they led you to a better place, person, state of mind, or situation.  So smile!  Let everyone know that today you are a lot stronger than you were yesterday, and you will be.
18. Stop holding grudges. – Don’t live your life with hate in your heart.  You will end up hurting yourself more than the people you hate.  Forgiveness is not saying, “What you did to me is okay.”  It is saying, “I’m not going to let what you did to me ruin my happiness forever.”  Forgiveness is the answer… let go, find peace, liberate yourself!  And remember, forgiveness is not just for other people, it’s for you too.  If you must, forgive yourself, move on and try to do better next time.
19. Stop letting others bring you down to their level. – Refuse to lower your standards to accommodate those who refuse to raise theirs.
20. Stop wasting time explaining yourself to others. – Your friends don’t need it and your enemies won’t believe it anyway.  Just do what you know in your heart is right.
21. Stop doing the same things over and over without taking a break. – The time to take a deep breath is when you don’t have time for it.  If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.  Sometimes you need to distance yourself to see things clearly.
22. Stop overlooking the beauty of small moments. – Enjoy the little things, because one day you may look back and discover they were the big things.  The best portion of your life will be the small, nameless moments you spend smiling with someone who matters to you.
23. Stop trying to make things perfect. – The real world doesn’t reward perfectionists, it rewards people who get things done.  Read Getting Things Done.
24. Stop following the path of least resistance. – Life is not easy, especially when you plan on achieving something worthwhile.  Don’t take the easy way out.  Do something extraordinary.
25. Stop acting like everything is fine if it isn’t. – It’s okay to fall apart for a little while.  You don’t always have to pretend to be strong, and there is no need to constantly prove that everything is going well.  You shouldn’t be concerned with what other people are thinking either – cry if you need to – it’s healthy to shed your tears.  The sooner you do, the sooner you will be able to smile again.
26. Stop blaming others for your troubles. – The extent to which you can achieve your dreams depends on the extent to which you take responsibility for your life.  When you blame others for what you’re going through, you deny responsibility – you give others power over that part of your life.
27. Stop trying to be everything to everyone. – Doing so is impossible, and trying will only burn you out.  But making one person smile CAN change the world.  Maybe not the whole world, but their world.  So narrow your focus.
28. Stop worrying so much. – Worry will not strip tomorrow of its burdens, it will strip today of its joy.  One way to check if something is worth mulling over is to ask yourself this question: “Will this matter in one year’s time?  Three years?  Five years?”  If not, then it’s not worth worrying about.
29. Stop focusing on what you don’t want to happen. – Focus on what you do want to happen.  Positive thinking is at the forefront of every great success story.  If you awake every morning with the thought that something wonderful will happen in your life today, and you pay close attention, you’ll often find that you’re right.
30. Stop being ungrateful. – No matter how good or bad you have it, wake up each day thankful for your life.  Someone somewhere else is desperately fighting for theirs.  Instead of thinking about what you’re missing, try thinking about what you have that everyone else is missing.

~Written by Marc of Marc and Angel Hack Life