Hiya,
How's it going ladies!! Hope well, I'm a super busy bee lately and will be until the 2016 Salon Day Out coming up on Sunday the 5th of June!! The plans I have this year!! God help me....I will unravel a few soon so stay tuned ladies and prepare for some FUN!!

Now to my topic...I was reading an article on a blog one random day and in the comments section(where all the fun happens) someone had written something along the lines of 'People condemn girls that bleach their skin but don't you know when you relax your hair it's the same thing?'. I read that and sat up!! I was like hhhhhhhoooollllddddd upppp, is this true?!

A majority of you my dear readers are natural and this is something I truly appreciate because I find that naturals who read this blog and enjoy it are naturals with the correct understanding of what HEALTHY HAIR is about! Sometimes I feel like I'm always having to defend why I have stayed relaxed (texlaxed) and that's because of uninformed unfounded comments like the above on a public forum for all to see! Making a negative impression on the impressionable! Anyways, as usual I did my research on the statement mixed with some common sense...so here are just 3 reasons why that comment and the argument is just weak!

1. Frequency- this point was common sense derived...LOL. How often are bleaching creams used compared to relaxers? For you to see any difference, you must use a bleaching cream daily, sometimes even night and day!! It is that frequency that makes those creams quite dangerous....if you rub bleaching cream today and then not again till one random day next month....homegirl that cream will not work! Now with relaxers, the maximum number of times you can use them is three to four times a year! Gone are those days when relaxing your hair every month was cool but even still, the exposure to any 'harmful effect' from relaxer use is still relatively much less to the exposure to harmful effects of bleaching cream use so how can you compare the two?

2. Chemical Composition- Have you tried to read the labels of some of these bleaching creams? Some just have the label Bleaching Cream- GBAM! take it or leave it!LOL. There's all sorts of stuff in some of them, hidden 
dangerous stuff like mercury, steroids etc. My sister is a skin care guru visit her new blog HERE so trust me I know what's up...ever wondered what's in a relaxer? Well check your box of relaxer...I did and here's what was in my last relaxer used- Creme of a Nature straight from Eden-Ingredients-

Straightening Creme: Water (Aqua) , Hydrogenated Soybean Oil , Ceteareth-20 , Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil , Cocamidopropyl PG-Dimonium Chloride , Glyceryl Caprylate , Glyceryl Undecylenate , potassium sorbate , 

Creme Booster: Water (Aqua) , Calcium Hydroxide , Propanediol , Ceteth-10 , Steareth-21 , Laureth-2 , Cetearyl Glucoside , CI 77288 (Chromium Oxide Greens)


As you can see everything is listed! The Creme booster which is the 'activator' is where all the magic happens is a milder form of Sodium Hydroxide called Calcium Hydroxide since this is a no-lye relaxer and that's what straightens the hair...if you use just the straightening Creme without the 'booster' your hair will remain the same!

You know where else  LYE is found?? In your bathing soaps, washing liquid, bubble bath...anything that creates bubbles with water!! So how can something so wildly used in many products be so dangerous to the point that it's compared with another thing that has steroids, hydroquinone, mercury, acids!!

3. My third and final argument is bothered on the scope of use- this will also include the time frame! People that follow instructions on relaxer boxes know that the chemical should be used on only the new growth simple. The application should also be done in 30 minutes max if you are relaxing and 15 minutes for texlaxing, your previously processed hair is completely left out of the equation, In fact in my salon that part of the hair is drenched with regular conditioner, once the relaxer is washed out the process is complete...that's it till the next time you choose to use a relaxer! 

Hair strands are dead cells, the chemical will not be absorbed into your blood stream no matter what except you are relaxing your scalp! That's why it's advised to base your scalp with petroleum jelly as a block if you have sensitive scalp or your stylist can't just relax the new growth.

Now let's switch and examine the scope with bleaching creams, they are used everywhere on the body if you want an even tone. Your skin is absorbing the cream and all it's chemicals into your blood stream, you take a bath and rub again, most cremes even advice that you avoid sun exposure which can cause burns as mentioned earlier, this cycle needs to be consistently pursued for any results to be seen...how is this scenario and the one I just painted above the same?!

You know what irks me about making uninformed statements? It's not so much the people that make them, it's the people hearing them that I'm bothered by! Sometimes people say things just to get a reaction from others or just for the sake of saying them but you need to think of how what you are saying will affect a decision of the person hearing it and that's why I always feel the need to address statements like this....gotten me in some deep water in the past but I truly can't help it...after reading that comment which got quite a few likes, I needed to come on here and put things straight in case any of my blog readers read that comment and got confused, scared or rattled! 

Go natural for the right reasons and I'm the first to applaud...we deal with natural hair on a daily basis at the salon with great pleasure...In fact with the thickness I have going on with my hair I'm like a natural with say looser curls like 3c faked by my texlaxes!! LOL but going natural and making stuff up about using relaxers, I think is wrong. The information is out there ladies....no matter what you choose to do with your hair, the best advice I will give is to get informed and know what you are doing...that's what I'm here for and that's when you will see results!! Let's make this about healthy hair! I know that has been my consistent message! 

Thanks for stopping by! Feel free to share your opinion on the top

Hiya,
How's everyone doing? I'm sure from my heading y'all know I'm a happy bunny!! I got to do my last texlax for this year and I'm very pleased with the results!
I used Hawaiian Silky Argan oil relaxer and spent a total of just 12 minutes texlaxing, I also added Avocado oil to my relaxer as I really didn't want my hair over processed...


THE RESULTS
Even with all the trimming and dusting I have done this year, I was able to retain length, started the year at just past line 3 grazing 4(APL) after I had to cut most of my hair due to the inverted V breakage I experienced once again!!

OCT '15- BSL BABY!!

I pampered the nape area, made sure my ends stayed trimmed(every time I relaxed) and dusted(once a month) and kept up with my hair regimen and I am very happy that my hair is now grazing line 7(BSL). It feels lush, the ends look great and my nape hair is doing well.

JAN '15

OCT '15

  

I have layers though as the top/ front part of my hair has gotten more hair chopped off than the rest due to the fact that I saw more split ends there. Moving forward, by my next touch up in 2016( God willing), I should be full BSL with lush healthy ends. It is from there we will all have to hold hands, sing Kumbaya and pray!! Because unfortunately for me something always goes wrong to set me back once my hair is that long!! 

BUT Not this time (waves fingers in the air)!! I honestly feel that I've caused the set backs in the past because I tend to neglect my ends when my hair is longer and trim less but as I have seen that I still retained length even if I was trimming regularly this year, moving forward I'll keep trimming and those ends will stay babied!! 

See Pic comparisons with low light;

JAN '15-  GRAZING LINE 4 (APL)

OCT '15- GRAZING LINE 7 (BSL)

I was looking through pictures from the start of this year and in this pic I took below on the 17th of January, my nape hair was about  8.5 inches....





Last night, I measured my nape hair, it's about 14 inches people!!


(forgot to take a pic with the tape, will update this post when I do) That's progress right there!!


Like with every journey, there will be ups and downs, it's just important to have your focus fixated on the end goal, be patient and consistent and results are bound to happen!!

So ladies, who has a testimony to share, who is enjoying progress?? Who needs help with a set back? You know I have been through it all!!! Feel free to comment below!

Xxx
Dabs

Hiya,
How's everyone doing? Hope well, been a busy past week for your home girl but I still found time to deal with my new growth and get a touch up!!

I texlaxed at 11 and a half weeks after I started noticing unnecessary shedding, I used Creme of Nature Argan oil relaxer for the first time ever because I was out of stock of my darling Silk Elements relaxer...

Close up of my ends

I did all this at the hub...but when I got home, I started craving straighter hair to get a better understanding of what my length is and so I could get a trim, so I straightened my hair with just 1 PASS- I promise :)

My ends now pass line 5!!

Soooo I retained an entire inch and some change!! My ends were on no 4 as at the last time I texlaxed by the time I was done trimming-

FEB 2015

looking good!.

Hiya,
How's it going? Hope all is well at your endz!!! Yesterday night I finally reached my breaking point and called off my stretch!
Read about my post on when to know your stretch is over- HERE

The amount of hair that I was shedding in spite of all my deep conditioning was just ridiculous, its like my new growth could not take the pressure, so once I put my had in my hair, hair just followed my hand, then there were those pesky matted locs being formed by my new growth, they just frustrated me taking them apart, one time I couldn't untangle a knot that was formed in spite of all the help from my Mane and tail detangler, so I had to use a scissors to cut the knot free from my hair!!!!!!! I think when I thought of all I was going through yesterday that's when I said enough!!!

Mixed my beloved Silk Elements Olive oil relaxer and got to texlaxing, I have recorded a You tube Texlax update video which will be up later in the week with pictures( not ready to put heat on my hair for a length check). This post is focused on helping those who want to try relaxing or texlaxing themselves but before I get to that, we need to find a winner of the HAIRVEN GOODY BAG from my last post;

 After receiving 18 correct entries ( thanks ladies)- THE WINNER IS-




CONGRATULATIONS OKWUCHI!!! Please email Daboju@yahoo.com with your name, address and phone number for delivery of your package.  Stay tuned for my next giveaway which will be on my BEAUTY PAGE of a MAC product I received for participating in a MAC trends presentation...

Now to the topic at hand, these are my simple but important tips to follow if you ever want to self- relax/texlax.

1. Make sure your DETANGLE each section of your hair carefully and fully before you start so that sectioning the hair and applying the relaxer will be easy.


2. After your coat your ends with either moisturizer or conditioner, now is the only time where a MINERAL OIL based product is allowed- Last night I used AMLA OIL-



this is to provide an absolute block for your processed ends so that the relaxer has no chance at all of penetrating into those ends and weaken them further.


3. I love the Sprush when I am relaxing a client's hair but NOTHING applies relaxer on new growth as well when you are self relaxing/texlaxing than your fingers, Why? Well thanks to your sense of touch you will be able to differentiate the  two textures; the new growth where you should apply the relaxer and the straight ends that don't need a touch up.


4. going back to point 3, take your eyes off the mirror especially when you are dealing with the back of your head, close your eyes and feel your hair rather than struggle to see it in the mirror- since the mirror shows you the reverse, it can be very frustrating using it as a guide.


5. Ask for help if you overlap the relaxer on already processed hair. I always have a damp towel by my side so that if I mistakenly overlap relaxer, I can beckon on the nearest person to help me wipe it off with the damp towel rather than do it myself with messy relaxer filled gloves that will be clumsy and waste more time.

6. Depending on how much time you have spent, you can decide to smooth your new growth with the back of your comb or not, but whatever you decide; make sure the comb/tool you are using isn't sharp so you avoid scarring your scalp and make sure you massage every section into its own pony tail, this helps to ensure that every single strand is coated with the relaxer for even relax/texlax results.


7. Just before you rinse out, apply even more conditioner to the ends for extra help in detangling and protection as you rinse out.


8. After washing, allow your hair to air dry and if you must use heat, use it after your hair is air dried (blow drying on cool air is also acceptable)


9. Carry on with your hair regimen.



That's all for now...stay tuned for my relaxer update and June 8th Salon Day Out update. Thanks for the support!



Xxx,
Dabs\

Hiya,
How's everyone doing? Hope fine! Well I am doing alright, last weekend on Saturday I went for a hair event organized by The Kinky Apothecary a natural hair blog, they brought in a Hollywood based natural hair stylist called Felicia Leatherwood.



I got to the event venue just in time for the talk, settled in excitedly and then it started... 'How many ladies here have been natural for at least a year?'- Hands were raised... 'How many of you are transitioning to natural hair?'- A few more hands, then I waited perhaps she would ask how many ladies had relaxed hair...well she didn't! I took that in good stride and ignored the feeling of being an unwanted visitor; maybe it was an oversight because I did get an email sent to my mail box inviting me for the event and surely everyone knows my hair is relaxed and I am loving it!

I listened attentively to everything she said and took notes and was later joined by my pal Bas Bas :)
 Berry of the blog Berry Dakara was sitting right behind me-Lovely to have met you!!


 For the most part I was all there and guess what?!!! EVERYTHING Ms Felicia had to say which I must say was very educative and knowledgeable is EVERYTHING I say, Megz from the famous You tube channel Ulovemegz blog says, the same thing Jen of Just grow already blog says, same thing Lesley of Fresh Lengths blog says, same things said over at African Naturalistas blog and at Curly Nikki's blog-  These are all ladies with beautiful relaxed and natural hair alike!! And it felt good to hear her say these things because it was a validation of all that I talk about on the blog but for some weird reason there seems to be a subtle demarcation being created that gives the impression that achieving healthy and long relaxed hair is an entirely different procedure and in some circles its absolutely unachievable!!

On Saturday I am afraid to say it seemed like I was in such a circle! At one point Ms Felicia stated that relaxers cause cancer! A claim that has no conclusive study. What she said made me do some research and the only link with relaxers and any disease-Uterine Leiomyomata (uterine fibroid-tumors that grow in the uterine) is when women suffer scalp lesions and burns from using hair relaxers and the chemicals seep through their bodies and into their urine !! Meaning that when the relaxing process is done properly, see my post on proper relaxing techniques  HERE and you do not suffer burns or lesions you are free from harms way a point she failed to mention... At the end of the talk a lovely lady called Mo with beautiful curls sitting by me;

 leaned in and said 'I am sure you are wondering why you came, they didn't talk about relaxed hair'...and she was right! Just imagine if I was a curious relaxed lady coming to see what a hair meet up is all about, I'd have left there with the notion that my relaxed hair is not good enough!! Recently I have also been told by l quite a few ladies who just went natural that they did so because they didn't think they could have healthy long relaxed hair... 

So this is my submission- the demarcation is totally unnecessary! Hair Care is hair care whether you are relaxed, natural or otherwise. It is my duty to make this clarification because it is not being made enough, if you moisturize and seal your relaxed/natural hair regularly with the right products, using the right techniques, deep condition your relaxed/natural hair regularly, keep the protein/moisture balance of your relaxed/natural hair, protect the edges and tips of your hair with protective hairstyles-IT WILL GROW HEALTHY AND LONG!! Its that simple- avoid the hype and do what works best for you no matter what choice you make with your hair.

I feel the only major difference between relaxed and natural hair is in the styling-relaxed hair generally has less volume and suffers less frizz while natural hair on the other hand gives you fuller locks to work with but you have to deal with frizz and shrinkage and that's it!! The procedure for actually growing hair and retaining the growth is THE EXACT SAME PROCEDURE no matter the state of your hair- again for more emphasis-The gospel is the same, unfortunately because hair business is big business, propagators of the natural movement have tried to sell a different notion that comes with all these special 'natural products' and tools but don't get carried away, these products are simply hair products and will work for your hair just the way it is!!

I am sorry if I have stepped on a few toes with this post but sometimes some things need to be said, in naming my blog Naija Hair Can Grow, my message is clear and I mean it and encourage all my Naija ladies and all ladies out there who are on the crossroads with their hair to believe that it can grow if you join me on this journey, if you are consistent, if you are using the right tools and techniques NOT simply if you go natural- by all means go natural if you want to have natural hair and prefer your hair that way but please please don't do it simply because you feel that's the ONLY way you will have healthy long hair!!

With these few points of mine I hope I am able to convince you that Naija Hair Can Grow and Hair Care is Hair Care!!! :)

Thanks for the support!!
Xxx
Dabs

Hiya,
How's everyone doing?! hope all's well and good at your endz! Well its that time of the month when I bring a relaxer update after a successful 9weeks stretch! I was gunning for 12 weeks but then I did the math and realized that I will not be up to 9 weeks post relaxer in December by the time its my son's first birthday and you know how I like fresh edges for special occasions, so I stuck to my 9weeks calender.

I decided I was going to try out Jen from Justgrowalready's method http://www.justgrowalready.com/2012/10/relaxer-touch-up-video-of-how-i-self.html#.UINwDrJmR3d of relaxing hair by getting them sectioned in small twists. I also decided to TEXLAX my hair this time! So I gave myself 15 minutes from start(after twists were done) to finish! With my eyes on the clock I was off to a speeding start!!

I coated my ends with conditioner and olive oil and twisted them in small sections;
Look at all that texture!! I see great things for the ends of my hair in a few years time with texture like that!! :)
Oh and the answer to what I did about my horrid inverted V I talked about here is, I CUT MY HAIR!! I will have a separate post on the entire inverted V saga; How it started, what I think caused it and what I have learnt moving forward. But for the mean time my ends went from looking like this;

Hiya!!
Its been a while! If you follow this blog, you will remember that I mentioned that I was going on holiday soon, well I am finally here in the US on holiday and as soon as I got here, I got down to business!

My hair was about 10weeks post relaxer and was due for a touch up, so I decided to use a relaxer I have heard a lot about and was all the rave for sometime called 'Mizani Butter Blends No-Lye relaxer for sensitive scalp'

MOISTURIZED AND MANAGABLE!!

DRY AND COARSE  HURRY AND ORDER NOW, THE FIRST 5 PEOPLE TO ORDER WILL GET A CUTE HAIR ACCESSORY FROM ME!! Remember all you have is this week because Il be coming back to Naija soon after, take advantage of this window of opportunity and give your hair a treat!!

Hiya,
I decided to start a new segment here called Be INSPIRED!! Basically, I will interview ladies with healthy, long relaxed hair and find out a little bit more about their hair care regimen, hair goals etc. Naturally I decided to start off with family, so dear Naija Hair Can Grow family, meet my younger sister- MINA!!




Hi Mina, 


How long is your hair?  
Mina; Its Bra Strap  Length at the longest part



Has it been Chemically treated?
Mina; well I am relaxed, been relaxed since High School, I have also dyed my hair darker and then auburn in the past. That's about all.




Is this the longest your hair has been? 


Mina; Yes but it was almost this long at University but bad management broke it all off so I had to start to afresh in 2009.




How did u start afresh?


Mina;  I cut it off to neck length above my shoulder, by the start of  2011 my hair was sitting comfortably on my shoulders









So How did you grow it out?


Mina;  No more dyes, prolonged relaxer stretches to 8 / 12 weeks from every 4 weeks (lol Can't believe I used to relax my hair every month!!) I use non alcholic gels, no more weaves, basically try to be as natural as possible.



 During your relaxer stretches what do you?


Mina; Brush it, avoid combing except just to detangle and I use gel for the edges, I am in a non fashion oriented profession!(medicine) so I am not out to make fashion statements!LOL! I also do big braids  but not Ghana weaving! Love my edges too much for that!

What are your fave hair products/accessories; 


Mina; soft bristle hair brushes, cantu Shea butter, Proclaim hair gel, extra virgin olive oil, ORS deep conditioner and I love big snap clips because they are easy to use, tangle free and apply less stress on your ends;





What relaxer are you using at the moment;


Mina; soft and beautiful for kids but I am not particular about relaxers, I just like anything that loosens my curl pattern a little bit. I have even stopped expecting to get bone straight hair results because it never happens for me that's why I switched to a kids relaxer kit. 



What products don't you like? 


Mina; Hair detanglers do not work for your my hair, can't stand them!

So what detangles your hair?


Mina;  Glycerin and water mixture thanks to you sis! It just takes all the tangles out!!

Are you facing any hair challenge presently?


Mina; YES!!My hair is shedding big time!!I'm fed up! It causing me to have uneven ends but thing is, those ends are healthy as well and I am reluctant to trim them off!!


Naija Hair can grow recommendation; 'Mina a regular black tea rinse once a week could be the answer to your shedding woes! thank God its just shedding and not breaking!! Also trim those ends, your hair will grow back!!!' 


Favorite protective hairstyle? 


Mina; a solid bun and I also love bantu knots
Any hair goals?


Mina; Butt length!lol

Realistic goals please?


Mina;  Ok ok mid back length is my goal

Any weekend hair rituals? 


Mina; Not really because I am very busy but when I visit this blog I get excited always to give my hair a treat!


Thanks Mina for sharing all this info about your hair, we wish you the best!! Happy growing :) And happy growing days to my readers as well!! This month this blog turns 1 and I am super excited and will be doing a giveaway in the coming weeks so stay tuned and thanks for all the support!!




Xxx
DABS