Hiya,
How's everyone doing? I have gotten quite a few entries for the 6 Inches of growth 2014 Challenge but I WANT MORE!!! We can do this, enter your starting picture by sending me a mail with the subject 6 INCHES CHALLENGE and you can win $100 worth of the best brands of hair products.

This post is all about getting there, I want to get there and I know you want to get there so together we have to constantly be aware of all we need to do to retain that growth. Like I always say, your hair is constantly growing at the roots, constantly but the reason it seems like its been the same length all your life is you have been unable to stretch it beyond its bare minimal limit!! Its like sugar...have you ever watched them make candy?

Simple sugar goes from looking like this;




Who Knew Sugar had it in it to become so large, so intricate and beautiful but yet so fragile it can break and crumble down to the pieces it was formed from with any slight aggression like a strong tug or adverse condition like heat, the sugar will simply melt away!

Think about it, isn't our hair just like sugar. The longer and more stretched it gets, the more fragile it becomes, the harder to manage it becomes but the more beautiful it becomes when you get the hang of things and you start to see the reward as your ends start to pull away from your scalp!!

''So how is it going to happen for me this 2014, Dabs?'' I am sure that's what's on your mind... well I am here to simply reiterate these tried and tested tips. By the time you have read through this blog from when I started in 2011 till now, you will realize that the process to longer healthy hair is and has remained the same, if you look through other hair blogs again you will realize its the same process and it can be summed up into these few words; GET YOUR HAIR IN A ROUTINE!! What I and other hair bloggers call a hair regimen!

You will not have long hair in 2014 if your hair is not in a routine, just like toddlers, your hair begs to be routinized, it thrives when its routinized. It wants to know that every Saturday it will get pampered with fresh clean water, a nice mild shampoo or a conditioner that will keep it conditioned and soft. It wants to know that it will be tucked away for just two weeks and allowed to breath fresh air soon after, get some protein and be strong again!!

Your hair craves your attention...I always have to constantly remind myself that I am on a mission to long, healthy hair. Just yesterday I saw a friend in the cutest weave I have seen in a long time, she looked like a million bucks, I was sooo tempted to go get a pack and get my hair all weaved up but I had to put the breaks on because I know my hair can't take it and that's just me. It will be so much stress on it since I have not sewn on a weave in about 4 years, it will be so out of routine that I'm sure I will loose so much hair and regret it...but as I mentioned, that's me, since I want to try the hairstyle, I did my research and there are other ways for me to have the weave on without sewing it. I think it will be absolutely fine if you decide that in 2014 your routine will be putting in weaves every 6 weeks or on the 8th week of your relaxer stretch or just for 2 weeks. that's fine as long as you know to deep condition and do protein treatments if your hair likes those ( the only way to find out is to try it at least once) and as long as you are considering the impact your decision has on your hair.

Brings me to my next point. In 2014 be willing to experiment. It just comes with the territory and it doesn't have to be expensive. You need to be willing to try different techniques, products and hair recipes till you find what clicks, especially if you are just starting your hair journey. It takes at least a year before you start having staples...don't be committed especially if what you are committed to is not working.This is the one time you are allowed to be a girl about town! LOL Don't be committed to hair product brands, a hair stylist, even my blog- LOL!! Committed in this context means don't get stuck... your hair is dry and breaking, do your research on this blog, on other blogs, try out what we are saying, try different products, techniques and see which advice/product works the best....gone are the days when you use the same brand for all your hair needs...now if you find a brand that gives your hair all it needs then of course you are in luck, please stick to it ( but I strongly doubt that will happen).


For experienced hair journeyers ( people like me who have been purposefully taking care of their hair with the aim to make it grow longer and healthier for say at least 2 years), this year might be the year to stream line!! I must confess I get excited when a new product catches my attention- I start to imagine it will be the answer to all my hair needs but after the excitement comes the reality check, I literally have a conversation in my head; 'Dabs look at the ingredients, how is this product different from your other 6 bottles of hair moisturizers from different brands...' Then I drop it! Except I see that the ingredient list contains something my hair needs I don't pick up a new bottle of a hair staple I already have that works for me and I think if experience hair journeyers have such conversations there will be a lot less product junkies in the world-LOL.

Finally, in my earlier illustration of sugar and its ability to stretch, the one factor I left out was WATER. Sugar can only stretch in syrup form and to make syrup, you need to add water! In 2014, your hair is NOTHING without water! LOL ( I am the queen of dramatic expressions, pardon me) Your hair will need water internally ( drink more water daily- note to self) and externally. Naturals this point is particularly for you- you will need water to keep those knots at bay, have water handy in spritz form, through hair treatments and in your hair moisturizer which should be water based. My dear sisters, make water your friend this year and you are bound to retain length.


With these few points I have scratched the surface of our hair growth game plan for 2014, my next post will be breaking down the basic 2014 hair needs; tools, techniques etc. I do realize that there are more newbies than oldies and I am here for you!! Unfortunately, the Salon day out for January cannot happen because of the Savvy & Chic Hair Beauty Hub Launch. But hopefully I can make it up to everyone in February. Till then, I am going to make sure my hair does not turn grey because of all the work that has to be done before the Launch...Thanks for all the support ladies, please share your new year hair tips below, let's help each other!!!

Xxx
Dabs


*Photo Credits;here

Hiya,
So this post is going to give a lot of naysayers something to ponder about and give NHCG believers more boost!!

Let me start off with the conversation I had with my sister when I started the blog. 

Minx- 'Oju are you not giving people too much hope with this your blog? Is this hair matter not all about our genes?As in some people are born with natural abilities to have long hair and others aren't?'

Me- 'I don't entirely think so minx, while genes have their role to play, I have seen too many hair guru's before pics and you'd have never guessed they could grow long healthy hair. In any case the blog is all about bringing the best out of your hair;if it's full, healthy and neck length after all the TLC, so be it, at least you put in the effort.'

Now that was my position on that issue till LAST WEEK!!
As the avid hair researcher that I love to be, I was browsing through the web and came across THIS article and let me tell you my excitement cannot be contained! 

Let me break down the article to you in my own Naija way so that you can see for yourself Korokoro that we ALL( Black, African, Naija, kinky, Z pattern hair) can have hair that is AT LEAST Bra-strap length long!! 




It's a bold stance, but you will see where my confidence comes from, READ ON...


Basically the writer starts with the explanation of the term 'TERMINAL LENGTH'  which is the time from which a strand of your hair sprouts out from your scalp, goes through the 3 hair phases-(anagen-the growing phase, catagen- the intermediate stage and telogen- the resting stage)  and naturally falls off(sheds). 

The usual terminal length time is from at least 2 years to at most 6years.

Now the length of time your hair takes to reach terminal length be it 2 years or 6 years is decided by your genes. Most people from African decent are within the 2/3 years range while ladies from Caucasian, Asian decent have a longer span of 4/6 years.

So that part we cannot do anything about! 

But you have to think, what does 2/3 years terminal length do for you? Why is that most ladies seem to have stunted growth?- Why are so many ladies at the same hair length for forever?

Okay lets do the math, the first question we should ask ourselves is this;

How many inches of growth do I get each month? For most people it's about 1/2 an inch 

Then you will ask yourself, so how many inches should I grow in a year? For 1/2 an inch of hair that's 6 inches in 12months.

Now if that's the case, how many inches should you grow when you reach your terminal length in 2 years(that's the minimum) -12 inches of hair which is pretty much about BSL hair!!!

Sorry for dragging you through a math class but I want you to see for yourself that getting 12 inches of hair in 2 years should not be a big deal at all and that's for even 'slow growers', ladies who supposedly don't have 'the hair genes'! it should be the standard, as in EVERY NAIJA GIRL SERIOUS ABOUT THIS HAIR ISSUE SHOULD BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE BSL LONG HAIR FOR REALZ, FOR REALZ!!

So the issue then becomes, if the numbers add up so easy why is it that most ladies are not seeing the 12 inches of hair on their heads; if you have been with me on this blog long enough you can guess why! It's the same reason I got the inverted V!!

You see when you start taking care of your hair, formulate a hair regimen, protect your ends etc, you are not going to reap immediate benefits, the ends of your hair which have suffered from all the years of neglect cannot automatically become healthy,  your TLC to your hair would have prevented further damage but the ends most likely have to get trimmed off before they split and break off themselves and depending on how bad the damage is, it may take another few years before you can fully retain the 6inches a year.

Looking at my hair;that's where I have been in 2012 from the start of this year I have cut out about 6 inches of my hair( I cut out about the same amount last year) meaning I was unable to retain the growth due to the pervious damage from color treated over processed ends, When I look at my hair now from root to tip, its worlds apart from in 2009/2010 and I believe I am done cutting and now ready to reap the fruits of my diligent TLC to my hair without any more interruptions.

For me, the interruptions in my healthy hair journey have been damaged over processed ends but for many others its damaged ends topped with that nagging voice that says this is impossible, similar comments, assertions and believe that this is impossible, there is no way and I mean no way they can grow long hair down their back!! That's for mixed chics or girls from Rivers State( that's the reaction I got at my last salon visit; the salon lady goes 'where are you from?' I say 'Rivers State', then she goes 'ah ehen una get hair for that side na!!" Really? Have you seen my many cousins, aunts and even my Grandma's hair?, now there could have been a lady sitting by me hoping her hair could turn out like mine and that statement could have totally discouraged her if she didnt fit the criteria of being a 'Rivers girl!!'. How Wrong!

So am I saying we can have butt long hair like Indian ladies? Maybe if your terminal length is 6 years that's 36inches of hair before it falls off but most likely not but you can have BSL long hair for sure, do you get me? Which Naija girl will not be satisfied with BSL hair!!

 I am throwing the ball in your court ladies, the year is almost over, we have experienced our ups and downs with our hair and you have till December to decide what you want to do to/ about your hair, do you need to get a severe cut so you are left with stronger healthier ends? Do you need to go natural because relaxers are messing with your hair? Do you need a relaxer  because being natural is not doing much for your hair? Decide because come the 1st of January 2013 the NHCG 6inches growth challenge will begin!! 

and its gonna be worth your while!! I will keep you all informed and updated about the challenge but just know that you will receive all the support you can get from this platform and we all together will show those naysayers that whether na Igbo hair or na Delta hair or na Yoruba hair or Hausa, Calabar, Kalabari, Ishan hair- All na Naija hair and it can grow!! If you believe this notion then Ill see you In January by God's grace and We'l grow some hair!!

Stay tuned, I am coming up with all those posts I promised to put up about salon profiles and product reviews!!

Xxx
Dabs

Hiya,
So a lot of hair terms are used very loosely in Naija! 

You hear things like, 'my hair does not want to grow o' Really?! Have you taken a look at your scalp lately and seen those tightly formed curls sprouting out?!
Or you hear 'my hair can break eh!' . The hair on your comb you are calling broken hair, is it really broken or it's shed hair.
The one that makes me laugh the most is 'my hair is toooooo strong/tough, Kai' I laugh when I hear that because that was always my go to line for the hair problems I faced before I started my hair journey, I find myself making that excuse even now when asked why I won't go natural, lol hair being ' strong' should be a good thing and not a problem right? that it is dry and brittle and therefore hard to deal with means it is crying for moisture, with moisture every 'strong' hair must surely be 'soft'!

If you have found yourself giving those excuses, take your time to answer the quiz below and consider the remedies to the questions so you can effectively identify your hair problems and tackle them accordingly.

Is your hair breaking? 
The most common problem people complain about, but like I asked above, is it really breaking? Before you start to fret examine the hair on your comb, if you see a white tip on the strands then your hair is simply shedding, if you have about 10 to 15 strands on your comb then thats minimal breakage ( everybody's minimal gauge is different, study your own and find out what your normal hair loss pattern is)  but patches of broken hair signify more extensive damage. To prevent the damage, build a hair regimen that comprises of a good balance between moisture and protein.

Does your hair have elasticity? 
Take a strand of shed hair, place it on a flat surface and mark where it ends.

Now gently pull the strand away from its roots without allowing it to break;


Your  hair should be able to stretch a considerable amount of its length before breaking. If it can’t be stretched without breaking then it has lost some elasticity and strength, it is in this case you can say your hair is NOT strong! What you will need to do? Up your intensive moisture game, as with everything African hair related, moisture is key. You can make a hair spritz with light oils mixed with water and don't fail to deep condition or co-wash every weekend until you see some improvement, stretch your shed hair strands regularly to gauge your elasticity  level.

Do you have shiny hair or is it dull looking, dry and brittle? 
Dull hair is a result of loosened cuticle layers, look at a tree,  the trunk isn't just one big flat log of wood. It's bark has layers upon layers of overlapping wood that give its trunk the strength and thickness, my dear ladies na so our hair be too! God just replicated the same process on each strand of hair, your hair is shinny and reflects light when your cuticle layers are tightly bound together, when they begin to loosen up, split ends that cause brittleness are created and dull and dry looking hair is the result, to avoid that you know the drill by now, Moisturize and Seal daily!

Is your hair Porous? 
Porosity assess how easily the hair accepts and releases moisture and the products and treatments you give it. When your cuticle becomes damaged and is no longer tightly aligned, it will fail to provide proper coverage to the hair shaft ( see my tree illustration above) as a result your hair will be like a basket used to fetch water, how will that work! To prevent this from happening your focus should be building the cuticle again and keratin a very important component that links hair bonds together needs to be infused in your hair through regular protien treatments, either using eggs or specially formulated hydrolized protien infused hair products like this one I found;


Eating a well balanced diet with lots of fresh fruits and raw vegetables ( I wish I was a better example in this regard) can help with this issue. Limit the amount of starches, fatty and processed foods you consume  and drink plenty of water. 

Do you have split ends?
Who doesn't?!lol! It's the volume that counts! You will know if the volume of split ends in your hair is excessive if you answer this question in the affirmative;  Does your hair tangle a lot? tangling and snagging is all caused by frayed/ split  hair  fibers and that is why your hair is growing but you might not notice any change because your split ends have not given it a chance to show. Regular, strategic trims can avoid excessive split ends, my latest post on trimmed ends can guide you. Avoiding heat especially on your ends can also prevent more ends from splitting.

So there you have it, our first NHCG hair quiz! I have a feeling most of you will pass this quiz because of the many emails I get of ladies telling me about how much their hair has improved. But for those still figuring things out, don't be discouraged, just get with the program and give your hair time to catch up, it surely will!

Xxx
Dabs

Hiya,
Can you believe it, the year is almost over!!!Welcome to Sweet November Y'all!! Wishing you all things sweet!!!Well I hope all my hair tips and tricks have been helpful to you my dear readers, I will keep coming back here as often as I can to let you in on simple hair secrets to keep your hair growing longer and stronger cuz believe it or not, Naija hair can grow o!!!

This time around I have come up with a post focused on getting the ends of your hair healthy and strong. As you all should know, the ends of your hair are the oldest part of your hair, if you have long hair your ends sometimes can be over three years old that is why you must look after them and prevent them from breaking off and getting limp and weak if you are to record any kind of hair growth progress. The BAGGING method is a great way to focus on your hair ends, infusing them with the needed oil and conditioning treatments they might be lacking due to their age. Look at your ends like you look at your grandma, if you are travelling with her and wanna get off the plane, do you shove right past her and leave her to wobble down the plane stairs not caring if she falls down or gets hurt? I'm guessing not, rather you would hold her hand and make sure you carefully usher her down the plane step by step, going at her own pace. That's the same way you should treat your ends! you should give them the most attention in whatever treatment you do to your hair. Work your way up gently till you get to your young and agile roots!!

Ok Ok enough rambling already, let me show you how to bag your ends!!
WHAT YOU WILL NEED;
A Cellophane Bag(Roll down the mouth)
AND  Your collection of hair oils and conditioner (optional);
Simply pour your oils and conditioner if you want in the cellophane bag;
Mix the oils in the bag or you could apply the oils directly to the ends of your hair which should be held in a ponytail. Bag your ends with the cellophane bag and its contents(if you choose to pour them in the bag) and MASSAGE your ends!!
Secure the Cellophane bag round the ponytail with a clip if you have to;
Leave your bagged up ends over night, this will allow your ends soak up all the oil and conditioner giving it the needed attention and strength to withstand breakage and split ends. This method will NOT mend split ends but if done regularly, it can prevent you from having more split ends!

Why the Cellophane bag? The cellophane bag serves the same purpose as your shower cap in hair treatments, it prevents air from getting into your ends and drying them out but rather creates heat at the ends of your hair thereby allowing your hair shaft to open up and absorb all the oils. You can Bag your ends as a Preepoo treatment Step and then Co-Wash after you take em out. Either way, your ends will thank you for bagging them!!

Hope this post is helpful!! I do not want to believe I and my sisters are the only Naija girls with growing hair oh!! so please if you have before and after pics of your hair since you started your hair journey please send them to the facebook page 'Naija hair can grow' and lets send a message to all those Naija gals who have given up on their natural hair abilities. I'm expecting your feed back. Thanks for stopping by!!


xoxo
Dabs!!

Hiya,
As you must know, in every society there must be a common language of communication that members of that society understand and can translate. Well its no different in the black hair society  and to care for your hair you must understand effectively the various terminologies out there concerning your hair! I also will be using these terms quite frequently in their abbreviated form and so you understand what I'm saying, its best I introduce these terms to you right away!

HAIR LENGTH
So your hair is relaxed but what is the length of your hair and what is your goal length?

Most Naija babes are at Chin length hair (CL) and with CL hair the most common look is a bob and it will look good if your ends are well trimmed ala Rihanna in the picture below

The next recognized hair length is Neck length (NL) or Shoulder length (SL). This is most Naija babes definition of 'Long hair'! To them, if you can feel your hair on your neck mehn that's long hair!lol! and to be honest if your hair can get to this length without u caring for it then you have the POTENTIAL for long hair!Below is a picture of me at NL/ SL!

 The next Hair Length which most Naija babes have resolved never to reach because of bad hair practices is, Arm Pit length (APL). This is when your hair can comfortably rest on your back up to your arm pit and if you bring your hair forward you can tuck a little of your hair under your arm pit. This is a realistic goal to have and let me tell you when u have hair that is healthy at that length, you don't need to go and buy 12inch or 14inch packs of hair when you have your very own growing from your scalp. As you can see in the picture below, this lady has her hair in a graduated hair cut and most of the ends of her hair are APL!

 Bra Strap Length (BSL) is next and as the name implies, its hair that reaches your bra strap! Its my present goal at the moment as I have already gotten to APL but for my trim which was graduated also and has set me back a few inches! I shall be BSL by December! Say Amen to that!!!! AMEN OHHHH! Below is a picture of a lady with BSL hair;


Now this  next length is for the Naija Babe who wants to look like an Indian babe!! Its the Waist Length ( WL)! Trust me if you have hair at this length in Naija don't be surprised if random people dig their fingers in your hair searching for weave tracks!lol, happens to me at APL!! and please don't be upset if you start hearing rumors that you have a marine spirit!! In all, if its your goal, trust me when I say it is achievable of course not as quickly as it is for you to get that 24inch Indian weave on your head! You'l need time and patience!

Below is Shima, she is African American and as you can see her hair was 'nappy' as a kid just like any kid from African descent, as she grew older in the second picture her hair is basic and should be about SL or APL but then she started her hair journey and aimed for WL hair and viola!! In doubt? visit her website; www.shimahair.com. She claims she used her specially formulated oils and methods to grow her hair from SL to WL in 10months!!! I strongly doubt that part of the gist sha but I do know its her hair for sure!Basic good hair practices and you too could be the next Shima!