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.

Spring Break 2012

This year, I am having my first Spring Break! Yipee! I am going to be hanging out with close people in my life and the truth is, I cannot wait! I will be leaving town this weekend and I will be headed out to the sun. My Spring Break essentials are:

1.) Chillimango Vest - $12 

2.) Forever 21 cropped burn-out tank - $8.90

3.) Wrangler Girls Jeans - [Gift]

4.) Leather bag - [Gift]

I am super-excited. I will be on a long road-trip and getting my hair wet a lot with swimming and foreseen water games, so I did a corn-row stretch last evening. As i said in a previous post, corn-row stretching is a nice and comfortable way of protective styling and with salty water, chlorine etcetera and fear of over-combing my hair, this will definitely save Nolan. I will also be saved from styling my hair every morning.

 Since I travel light, the only hair essentials for my trip are:

1.) My satin hair bonnet. It protects the hair from hard friction from cotton/wool materials while sleeping.

Preventing split ends too.

2.) Extra Virgin Olive Oil [EVOO]- It is my favorite moisturizer as it locks in moisture in hair and prevent frizz. Since I have cornrows on, I am mainly using it for hair health purposes, Strengthens hair strands.

I did an experimental manicure yesterday. It went down south but I will stick to it!

Left hand

Right Hand

Also (a) major essential(s) are Moisturizer and Sunscreen:

In different environments and with different weather/climate, you must care for your skin. This is to prevent coming back home looking like a troll or having Vampire skin. I am totally against flaky pale skin if you can prevent it. I will be posting on my trip- so you will be updated :)

Have a lovely time,

Siri Nusu.

  

DO-4-SCHOOL #2 'The Fedora Poof'

This is hat week for Nolan. Hat week is the first week of the month. I wear hats to school since back in High School, my teachers didn't let me wear them in class. The 'No Hats' rule. So since I joined college last year, I was happy to live out a teenage dream. LOL! For my Do-4-School on Monday, I dressed up my poof [after a corn-row stretch] and wore my grey fedora.

What is a 'corn-row stretch'? A corn-row stretch is simply braiding few cornrows with natural hair and letting the style stay for some few days. It is one of my favorite ways of protective styling. I visited my parents last weekend and got the chance to get my corn-row stretch done.

I prefer two. It's fun to dress up :) I also got the chance to dress up my Ankara Bow on my road-trip.

A great week to you :)

Siri Nusu.

FROSPIRATION #1

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The above photo of Solange is my hair goal for the year. Hopefully by 2013 ☺   

The Children... LOL.

The Man...

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I love the fact the hat is not hiding the hair; just acting as an accessory.

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Since I started my Natural journey, I have picked up several habits here and there. One of them includes frequently checking my favorite hair blogs which have their own bookmarked folder. Frospiration is a segment that I will be posting often on my aspirations for Nolan, my hair. I will be posting photos from my favorite hair blogs. They will all be credited to their sources. The photos more or less describe how I'ld like my hair to look like at some point of its journey. Other photos will just be of super-cool hair, though I do not necessarily want to pull them off ☺.

Have a lovely time,
Siri Nusu

DIY Hair Accessory: Khanga Hair Bow-Tie

Khanga has for a long time been one of the richest coloured and versatile materials that I have ever known. It has been used as a wrap by African women for decades and decades. I personally adore Khanga material and recently made a Khanga Hair Bow-Tie, which I clip into my fro depending on what I'm wearing.

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So on my Twitter [@sirinusukurls] I posted a twitpic of the Khanga Hair Bow-Tie that I am now going to show you how to make. It is very easy. This is our goal[The magazines, a photography thing I learnt ت]:

Items Needed:

1.) Khanga material

2.) A Ribbon

3.) Scissors

4.) Hair clip(s)

How to make the Khanga Hair Bow-Tie:

1.) Cut up a strip of Khanga material depending on the size you wish you Bow-Tie to be.

My measurements were 60*7 [cm]. I wanted a thick bow-tie, that's where the 60 cm comes in.

2.) Fold the measured Khanga material into a rectangular shape. Make sure the colours are on the right side, which is the frontal part.

3.) Tie in the ribbon at the centre of the rectangle material. Please make sure it is at the middle. We no want no lobe-sided bow-ties. No!

As you tie in the Bow-Tie, make sure you even it out. Tuck and fold where necessary.

As you tie the ribbon, make sure it is firm and that you tie the knot at the back of the bow-tie. Again, firmly!

4.) As a hair Bow-Tie, fit in a hair clip at the back.

I hope you have gotten the drill. I told you it would be easy ت. I have done it from different Khangas as it is easy and fun!

Any questions, email me at sirinusu@gmail.com. I hope you liked the DIY ☺. Oh! And remember,

Have a lovely time,

Siri Nusu.

Product Review # 1: Dr. Miracle's 'Feel It' Formula Intensive Spot Serum

This is the first Product Review and I have posted my first vlog for the blog! Woot-Woot! So many firsts. Aaaah! OK. Dr. Miracle's 'Feel It' Intensive Spot Serum is my first culprit of our product review.

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The Good Stuff:

1.) Smells good on hair :)
2.) Controls frizz. Yipee!
3.) Promotes Healthy Hair
4.) Promotes Hair Growth ☺ Great for hair experiencing slow growth.
5.) Makes Hair Grow! [Awooo!]
6.) Has a relaxing Menthol feel :) [Aaaah!]
7.) It's light!

8.) Good for anyone with some trouble with split ends.

Not so Good Stuff:

1.) The recommended use of the product for twice a day weighs down curls.

2.) It can get a little greasy on curls if used frequently, which is what is recommended.

3.) Very Slow [for those who want results fast].

I would recommend this product to anyone with split end problems, slow growth and hair breakage. You an get it in your local cosmetic store. In Nairobi, you can get Dr. Miracle's products at Super Cosmetics branches and Nakumatt supermarkets. You can also buy it online on Amazon.com.

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Check the video out and subscribe to my YouTube channel☺. More videos coming ☺.

Have a lovely time,

Siri Nusu.

Do-4-School #1: The Girly Fro

Today I wore my fro 'girly' [Lack of a better word ◔_◔]. Yesterday I stretched out my hair with minimum heat. I do it once a month. My hairdresser, Eunice did it just right. She first detangled it using her hands with my EVOO, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and water spritz. Yes, I carry some of my products to the Salon. Then applied minimum heat to straighten out the hair. Minimum heat I can only describe as whatever your head is comfortable with. You know those blow-drys which were created too hot to melt everything including your IQ? Not that kind of heat. Comfortable heat which does not damage the hair strands by making them weak and does not encourage hair breakage.

Oh! So I stretched out my hair and liked the length. Nolan's growing alright! That's my hair's name BTW. Do not judge! Ü Today morning as I prepared myself for school I thought,

"Why am I going to school with straight hair? I miss my curls!"

It had only been 9 hours! Now I understand, just a little bit when my sister's friend thinks I'm a hair fanatic. Anyway, I immediately removed my shower cap and wet my hair. Out came some little gorgeous curls. The length has improved thanks to protective styling and was now in the 'Shamba Gal Phase'☺. I loved it!

I then dried it and dressed up. Spritz sprayed, ✔ ! Bow-tie for accessorizing, ✔ ! I was ready to go. Here is what I chilled with the whole of my school day.

I fixed in my blue Ankara hand-made mini bow-tie. I will tell you more about that on my next post. Good news coming your way! ☺

Have a lovely time,

Siri Nusu.

My BC Story: Bringing Confidence Back!

I did my BC [Big Chop] in September 2011. My hair, at the time was the only thing that I thought was not natural on my body. For quite sometime then, I had wanted natural kinky hair. When I visited the salon and saw girls with natural nappy hair, I was getting worried. More, jealous. Worried because I thought I was not embracing my roots, my African beauty. No, this does not mean if you have relaxed hair you do not embrace your African roots [if you have them]. I just have a trait of over-thinking. Jealous because I thought to myself that my then thick long relaxed hair was fake, like a wig [I like wigs by the way. No hate.] That was wrong thinking but I just could not help myself from thinking that.

So the night I decided to chop off my then thick beautiful relaxed hair, so much for modesty, I was shockingly happy. I was experiencing a smoothie of emotions blend by an unknown expectation. It was one long weird night. When I woke up the next morning, I headed to my then hairdresser Pam and told her to chop it all off! You would not imagine the shock on the smooth-skinned round figured lady. I had just bombarded her with news from the future which is even more distant than the future she was looking forward to. The woman was furious! She shook her head over a bijillion times [Yes, bijillion is a word in my vocabulary. Sad, huh?]. She wen ton and hid the scissors demanding that I sit down and give her five legal and convincing reasons of why I wanted to chop off the hair that she drooled on when flat-ironing it and applying relaxer on.

"My Dear, hauko serious!"[My Dear, you aren't serous!], Pam said with her saddened motherly tone.

I was heartbroken by her concern of how boyish I would look and maybe, how harder it would be to make friends, harder than it was originally. I had made up my mind. Not even her puppy eyes would change my mind. Well, they were tempting! Very tempting. So I sat down on the three-wheeled chair, a towel lightly thrown on my shoulders, and it was show time. She sterilized her hair scissors and did it slowly. I had time to change my mind. She then put her chubby soft heavy hand on top of my head and asked again,

"Uko sure kabisa? You know if I was you singewahi fikiria kukata nywele mzuri kama hii?"

Are you completely certain? You know if I was you I would have never thought of cutting nice hair like this?

"Twende! Tukikaa hivi nitachange mind!" Let's do it! If we delay, I just might change my mind. I sombrely said. I have never had such an affirmative voice in scare in my life. I liked it. She started cutting the hair from the back, "Just in case uchange mind. Bob si mbaya." Just in case you change your mind. A Bob cut is not bad, she said- to more or less calm herself. I saw the first bunch fall off. Now that was difficult. I thought I was going through late adolescence crisis. "Why am I doing this?" "What will Mum think?" "Do you know how much money you've spent on your relaxed hair for the last 4 years?". Questions flocked my head.

As Pam continued cutting off my hair, I was slowly calming down. I then realized that the hair on ladies heads you see everyday is a big deal. Molded in an emotional string of emotion. At least myself. As the amount of hair increased on the floor, I then saw a flash of things that held me back fall of my shoulders. My head became lighter. Literally. I felt the insecurities that were dragging me down then fall off. It was a relief. As Pam evened out the hair, I felt a rush of two specific emotions: Relief and Scare. The second was something I was to work around. I was scared of my then potential comfortability with my inner beauty.

That day, I turned a new page. Experienced a new me. A new emotion: confidence. It was the best decision I made in 2011.

Yes, gentlemen. Hair is a big deal for ladies. Now you see why women pay that little attention on those strands on their heads. A big deal, alright.

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I would love to read and share your BC stories. You could send them to me on sirinusu@gmail.com and we could inspire and encourage each other - no matter how simple or complex your story is.

Have a lovely time.

Siri Nusu.

Who is Siri Nusu©?

Siri Nusu are two Swahili words that mean Half a Secret in English. My real name is Wacherah. Pronounced 'Wa-she-ra'. I am Kenyan. As I type this, I am 19 years old. I am a university student majoring in Economics & finishing my Freshman year in two weeks now. Woot-Woot!  So much about myself ت

This blog is dedicated to Natural Hair. Yes. I have 'a lot of love and appreciation for natural kinky, nappy and curly African hair. From Fros to locs, I love them all. I recently did my BC and since then, my natural hair fad has magnified. This blog will not only feature my hair journey and tips but everyone else's who would love to share their story. 

Half of my Secret is that I have a natural hair fad. I would love to know and share the other half with my readers and contributors. What's Half your Secret?

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RIP DANIEL