I DID IT AGAIN!!!

Hello dolls and gents, Look at me now. POW!

I am back. Don't worry I will save the gist abt life this and life that for later (or maybe never), now back to my big reveal :). Ok I am so excited to present to you my new look that I have been rocking since early September. So let me know what you think cuz this look is here to stay.

CHECK OUT MAKSINS HAIR FOR QUALITY HAIR, HAIR ACCESSORIES, AND BEAUTY SUPPLIES....PLUS THERE IS A GIVEAWAY :)

Hello my luvs, long time I know, but this is not the time to yap about life this or life that. Today I am featuring my girl and her brand Maksins Hair. Please go check her out because she strives to deliver quality products to each of her customers at an affordable price. Plus there is a massive giveaway, which we girls love :)...so hurry and grab yours now! To know more about the brand, rules of the giveaway and the uber cool prizes to be won by three lucky winners, click here.

Are You A Deeper Life Member????

Source

Lately I have been having conversations with women here in Nigeria that go like this:

Lady: Hey is that all your hair?

Me: Yes

Lady: oh okay, so are you a Deeper Life member?

Me: No, it is a personal choice to wear my hair out this way.

Lady: But why don't you use a relaxer to straighten your hair then?

Me: I do not want to straighten my hair because I like having a curl pattern.(Didn't she get the 'it's a personal choice')

Lady: Okay. (Looks at me as if I stole her blackberry or sth).

Me: Struts off with my bad self knowing I left an impact anyway.

Well folks that is the story of a kinky girl's life here in Nigeria. The way natural hair is perceived in Nigeria is sickening. I will feature more of these convos on this blog henceforth because they are well...fun hehehe. Remain blessed folks.

Be Hair Inspired: Photos Of The Day

How is it going people! I hope you are all having a wonderful and blessed week. So today, while checking out what was happening in the natural hair world, I couldn't help but gasp at the pictures on Curlynikki (I adore her blog)of her on MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry. I will post the pictures she took with some other beautiful naturals as well on the show. My heart is always filled with joy when I see women carrying their own hair with so much confidence. The woman with the gray fro is on point and Actress Nicole Ari Parker is looking lovely with her TWA. Congrats Nikki for doing a good job on the show and you look stunning. As always I will put the pics below for you to see that it's possible for you to exude such beauty and elegance with your own hair (curly or straight). The key is to work with what you have, make the best out of it, and then rock it with CONFIDENCE. Source Source

Be Hair Inspired: Photos Of The Day

I am still smiling from ear to ear after seeing pics of some Naija babes looking so take away. They exposed most if not all of their hair growing from their scalp, whether chemically straightened or not. These ladies were looking so beautiful and fresh, I like to see women rocking something different. The pictures are from Bellanaija at the “Music for the Pair of You” Event in Lagos. Enjoy and get inspired. The girl in the red with the red hair accessory is just too cute. That is a mean side hair bun.

Focus on girl in the middle with the locs

Leave the dude and focus on the ladies' hair

Things to Ponder: Quote of the Night.

"In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different."- Coco Chanel

Brandy @ The 2012 Billboard Awards: It's All About The Hair!

Okay Brandy's hair at the Billboard Awards is F.I.R.E. The hair is just making my day right about now, and if Naija was not so hot and all, I would rock this particular hairdo. I know this is not all hers, but my oh my the volume and the way the hair is layered with such perfection is making me drool. She looks stunning and I am glad she left the braids at home for a change. Glad that these celebrities are switching it up on the red carpet. You can rock it big, curly, and tightly coiled also :).

She knows the hair is just too fierce. Werk!!!

Just Had A Hairgasm!

Yes you heard it right hairgasm. According to the urban dictionary, it is the feeling you get seeing the final look of your hair, and when the feel of it all makes you want to go home and play with your self if no one else will because you look just that great. From now on this will be a new feature on this blog and I will try my best to capture my hairgasm moments :). I have posted pictures of my hair and me feeling funky with myself, but henceforth these posts will be titled 'Just Had A Hairgasm'. These is definitely not my first hairgasm neither will it be my last. If you haven't had a hairgasm with your own natural hair, then you are missing a beautiful thing. Okay enough of the hairgasm talk, let me now show some pictures of my braids and twists combo revisited. Good night and remain blessed.

Be Hair Inspired: TY Bello

Hey beautiful people, hope your day is going well and productive. I have always admired women with beautiful afro textured hair, be it their natural hair or with extensions. I would like to share my findings with you all and hopefully you too will be inspired by their beautiful manes. Today I could not stop myself from just drooling over fellow Nigerian TY Bello's hair. You all know this talented lady, a singer and photographer, TY Bello. Her hair is always fierce, and not long ago she opened up on her hair secrets on twitter.

Its taken me a couple of years of practice with natural hair texture to figure out what works for my hair. I have natural hair and texturise very lightly though, because I start to have my hair break once my texturised curl pattern is different from that of my natural growth. A few years ago, Banke Meshida introduced me to kinky curly, so I use the whole range. I love my own hair, but work has me on the move all the time and I find that unless its twisted ,my natural hair tends to revert with naija humidity.. So my sisters.. I’ve learnt to love my weave.(Source)

You heard it right, she texturises her hair to loosen her curls and still maintains a curl pattern. She also is not afraid to rock a weave that blends in well with her texture. I love her method and I do it as well, because it gives me the ease to work with my curls which lessens breakage. TY Bello is a fresh of breath air in a society that is anti-afro texture like Nigeria.

Natural Bridal Hairstyle

Hey luvs, I had promised to feature my bridal hairstyle I did a year and half ago for a photo shoot. The general perception out there is that natural hair is not elegant or suitable for weddings (especially for the bride)as would be straightened hair. Well I am here to tell you that these perceptions are wrong, and you can look beautiful with your own hair if carried with confidence. It does not matter whether straight hair or not, you can be as pretty as you wanna be if you put a little creativity into your look. I hate following trends so would rather think outside the box when it comes to my style and all. This hairstyle was actually done without putting too much thought into it and just winging it. I actually started off with stretching my hair out with plaits and sectioned out the back using bobby pins to create a french roll. The front was left out to create a variation of the pompadour look. It was really effortless to create and did not cost a penny to do :). I wanted to also add some kind of hair ornament but they didn't want me to distract from the dress which was the focal point. I will post some pictures and a link to one of my favorite blogger's site, Curly Nikki. I pray this perception of 'natural hair and wedding do not go together' is dispelled in the near future.

Check out Curly Nikki's site to see some beautiful natural hair brides.

Product Review: Africa's Best Organics Olive Oil Leave-in Conditioner

I have not done a product review in ages and know I am late with this one, but it is all good. The Africa's Best Organics Olive Oil Leave-in Conditioner is one of the first leave in conditioners I got in Nigeria and it has remained a staple product for me. It left my hair so silky and gave it the slip I needed for detangling. I use this leave in after my deep conditioning and hot oil treatment. When using it a little goes a long way, so do not use too much to avoid product build up. This leave-in works wonders when applied to preserve braids/twists or any style you are rocking. I apply it and then use a satin scarf to tie down my hair, and voila wake up in the morning to a perfectly moisturized and sleek look. I use it mostly for my night time hair routine and it helps with maintaining my braids and twists. Normally if my hair is dry, I mix this product with some castor oil and it feels great. Pros: Great for moisturizing and preserving any style for a sleeker look. Very inexpensive (Click here to pick up 3 for $10). Cons: Can be a bit greasy if you apply too much at once or use everyday causing product buildup.

Solange Knowles Looking Elegant for 2012 Met Ball: Head to Toe She Nailed it!

OMG guys, Solange Knowles blew it out the park in her a bright yellow strapless Rachel Roy gown at the 2012 Met Ball in NYC. Is it just me or have I been noticing that Solange is really coming into her own and this makes her look more put together. I love her hair and how she blended the extensions with her natural hair texture. You rock girl! Below is the fabulous gown, natural looking hair, and her neutral makeup look. I love when a woman pulls off an effortless look on the red carpet.

Scarf Day Again :)...

Hi Luvs, hope you all are doing well and kicking off the week in great spirits. Currently my hair is undergoing a one week break in plaits from my previous hairstyle. I decided after washing my hair thoroughly, deep conditioning and hot oil treatment, to just put them in jumbo plaits and let my hair rest from the stress. As you all know, with running errands and all, we all have to figure out a way to look presentable. Today I decided to just wrap up my hair in a scarf and get going. Remember when wearing a cotton scarf like I did,you should always wrap your hair in a silk or stain scarf/bonnet to avoid breakage. Below is a picture of the day with my favorite accessory. I also attached a video link of my favorite natural hair vlogger, Taren916. Enjoy and remain blessed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YK39RyoACeA

Braids and Twists Combo Review :)

Hello My luvs, I am finally back from my seemingly long NYSC hustling (Naija no easy o). We thank God nonetheless for everything, and I am grateful for his mercies and grace in all I do. Currently, my hair is under some serious work because I have had my braids and twist combo style for close to a month. The style really held up, and since it was all my hair used for the braiding and all, no breakage occurred when I finally took it down. My edges were intact and shedding was minimum. My hair stylist will surely be getting another request for the same style. Anyway let me not bore you all with my love for this style. Below is a picture of my hair without the braids on a chill day. Trust and believe I will be sharing more creative ways to wear this style with you all. Remain blessed and watch out for my natural hair wedding feature post of yours truly, moi!

Current Hair Style: Braids and Twist-out Combo

I am rocking a cool hairdo and I am loving it, because for the first time I had my own hair braided up at the sides and then left out part of my front hair. It will be the second week rocking this hairstyle and I think I will do more of them in the future. This look was achieved by braiding up both the sides of my hair and french rolling it in the middle, then I left my hair out in the front for a twist out. I used a lot of bobby pins for this style so be ready to have them handy. Below I will post pictures of the look, but remember not all styles is for everybody, so try and make it your own if you choose to try out a new hairdo. The key to styling is to find a style that best flatters your facial shape. Remain blessed luvs and hope y'all had a lovely Easter.

Protective Styling: Two strand twists

Okay so I am finally back from camp where I was serving my country for 3wks (3 weeks of intensive military style bootcamp known as NYSC). This service is a one year affair, but we have to all come to camp for 3 weeks and then after that we serve in our respective roles assigned to us for the reminder of the one year. Anyway I digress, this post is not about my NYSC experience and all but about the protective styling I rocked while in camp for the 3 weeks. So I knew there was no way I was going to rock my hair without putting it up in some protective style. I decided to go for some kinky twists and I wanted them uber long so I could pack it up anytime I wanted to. My hair braider did an awesome job and it held up well for the 3 weeks. Below is a picture of me in camp during our carnival outing with my twists. Enjoy and remain blessed.

Viola Davis ditch the wig for Oscars.

Hey lovelies how is it going, hope your week has been fabulous. So as I was watching the Oscars this week I was blown away by how a woman can own who she is and not be dictated by the norm. I am talking about no other person than Viola Davis. She looked elegant with her TWA and owned the red carpet while at it. I loved her confidence and the fact that she mentioned her husband being the main reason for stepping into her true self. I like a woman that gives credit to whom it is due. I respect the fact that she came out in a very formal setting as the Oscars with her natural short hair and looked very beautiful. My oh my did she look breathtaking, and I will include a picture of her with her short wigs and a picture of her natural hair at the Oscars (lovely Vera Wang gown). The moral of this is that we women of color need to embrace our natural hair whether virgin or relaxed.The ultimate goal is for us to be comfortable with our own hair regardless of any form of extensions we wear. Are you confident enough wearing your own hair to any occasion whether formal or informal, and if so do you feel beautiful while doing so? I leave you with this question for you and your conscience to answer sincerely. Have a lovely weekend loves :) Viola's short wigs and natural hair

Viola Rocks her own hair for Oscars 2012

Had to show the gown :)

Viola Davis featured in the LA Times magazine

Now compare it with her short wig and tell me what you think.

Styling Feature: Pompadour...part 2.....

Few weeks back I traveled out of town for like a 3-day stay and wanted a style that will prevent me from manipulating my hair that much. To cut down on styling my hair each morning, I had the back of my hair french rolled very tightly by my mom (using lots and lots of bobby pins) while leaving out section of hair in the front for my pompadour style. Now rewind to a week before my travel, which I did a hot oil treatment (EVOO and Castor oil),deep conditioned, and put my hair in medium two strand twists. The morning of my travel I unraveled my twists and of course french rolled the back, and then pinned up the left out hair in front without combing out the twists. My entire 3-day stay I rocked a pompadour style, and all I did was brush up my french roll and pin up my front hair into a pomp. In the night before bed all I do is to moisturize with my butter mix and then tie up my hair. Below are pictures of the twists I rocked for a few days and then pictures of my pompadour styles while out of town. I hope you all have great weekend and remain blessed.

Styling Feature: Pompadour

Currently, one of my go to hairstyle is the pompadour and I have been incorporating it into my daily styling regimen. This particular hairstyle gives me a more sophisticated and elegant look which I love. It is very important when choosing a style, to go for one that helps accentuates your facial features, and this does it for me 100%. I adore this style because I can get creative with ways of making it my own and just having fun with it. Pompadour hairstyle to me is an elegant style for both a day and night look. I always put a twist to this style by either french rolling the back of my hair, creating a bun, or wrapping up the back of my hair with a scarf. The pompadour dates back to the 18th century when it gained initial popularity among fashionable women such as the mistress of King Louis XV, Madame de pompadour, which the name pompadour originated from. A pompadour can be achieved by combing the sides of the hair back, while pulling the top of the hair forward and curling over itself. However, there are different ways as to how to achieve a pompadour, and pictures below will show how these styles can be worn giving you ideas on how you can make it your own.

Men do rock pompadour too you know :)

In my subsequent post to come I will be showing you how I rock the pompadour hairstyle and what I did to achieve the various looks. Remain blessed.