Natural hair really rocks! Nollywood celeb Omoni Oboli made the big switch 17 months ago to chop off her perms and a few days ago, shey took to her personal blog to share her natural hair journey while providing some tips and tricks for maintaining a healthy and continually moisturized natural hair!
Read her write-up below:
My Natural Hair Journey! It’s been almost a year and five months since I did the big chop. I transitioned for a couple of months before chopping off all the perms and I haven’t looked back since then. I looooove my natural hair! Going natural is one of the best decisions I have made!
I always get questions on my hair care routine so I am going to let you all know how I care for my hair without advertising any particular hair product. Please don’t ask questions on particular products. Deal? Cool! Let’s go!
The first thing I think natural hair needs is moisture! That’s why I have my spray bottle of mostly water which I use morning and night. I spray my hair with water, not too much so it’s not dripping wet, I then proceed to rub in a handful of leave in conditioner before sealing with oil. I use different oils for my hair but my ‘go to’ oil is coconut oil.I can’t over emphasize the importance of coconut oil. I use it on my skin, I cook with it, I use it on my hair. It’s like a cure all! You can even use it on your relationship and your bank account! Lol!
So back to my hair care routine. I co-wash my hair once a week. For those who don’t know what co-washing is, it’s washing your hair with conditioner instead of shampoo. I shampoo about once a month. After washing my hair, I oil my scalp with an oil mix. My oil mix typically contains a base oil like coconut oil, almond oil, argan oil or olive oil with shea butter. I add drops of an essential oil like peppermint oil, tea tree (great for dry scalp) or lemon oil. I deep condition every week or two depends on what I feel my hair needs. You can use any deep conditioner of your choice.
You can also use a DIY deep conditioner from things in your kitchen. (That’s another lesson for another day…lol) The trick is to listen to your hair and know your hair. Your hair tells you what it needs. WTVhen it’s dry, you know you need extra infusion of moisture.
Once my hair is clean, I add a leave in conditioner, seal with oil and style. Whatever you do, pay attention to the ends of your hair. Make sure your leave in conditioner and oils get to the ends because the ends die faster and breakage starts there.
For styling, there are different styling products like curling puddings and creams. Sometimes, I skip the styling creams and just twist with the leave in conditioner in my hair. My go to style is a twist out! I like the definition it gives. Depending on the curl pattern you want, you can do big twists or small twist. Also depends on the length of your hair. When my hair was really short, I couldn’t do big twists even if I wanted to. So after twisting, I allow my hair air dry. I hardly ever use heat for my hair. I mostly twist at night and just sleep with a satin bonnet or scarf over my hair. It’s usually dry by morning. To unravel, I rub some oil on my hands, and unravel the twists gently. Also depending on what look you are going for, you can fluff out your hair. If you want a more defined style and not just a fro, you can use bobby pins or hair assesories to style.
The most important lesson to learn in the natural hair journey is to enjoy the journey! Rock your hair at various lengths! I certainly have! Don’t be in a hurry for your hair to grow. I loved my twa (teenie weenie afro) and I even miss it sometimes. I love my new length and I am not in competition with any other naturalista. We all have hair crushes and hair goals but every hair has its pace, it’s texture and its love language that it responds to. Learn to speak your hairs love language.
As always, I love to read from you. Drop a line or two. I’m still learning, I don’t claim to know it all. Let’s chat ladies, what are your secret potions and lotions? Lol! No excuses o, we must try our best to look good! Hugs and kisses.”
Credits:
Makeup by Faceville Makeovers
Hair by Onaturals
Photo by Kelechi Amadi-Obi
