GHC's Friday Frotastic Feature:Geraldine the Great (Waist Length in 4 years)

Hello beautiful ladies!Its been a little while since I posted but I hope everyone is doing well. Today is Friday so you know what that means! A feature on an amazing hair icon!!
Today's article features Geralidine the Great,a Nigerian Natural Haired woman with amazing hair. She reached wast length hair in 4 years of being natural. A few of the members of the Ghana Hair Chick Facebook page requested for a feature on her and she kindly agreed to answer a few of my questions, so here goes!

Q.How long have you had natural hair?. 
A.I've been natural for 5 years.  My last relaxer was on October 2008, and I big chopped in June of 2009.

Q.How did you go natural?Did you transition and for how long?

A. I went natural after suffering from breakage post weave installation.  My hair thinned out and I swore off all manner of manipulation on my head.  I ended up transitioning for 10 months.

Q.What helped you during your transition?Any tips for transitioners?

A.I transitioned by wearing kinky twists.  I would periodically redo the twists so that they remained fresh in appearance.  I also moisturized obsessively, once I learned that my two textures of hair were fragile.  If you're transitioning to becoming natural, experiment with styles that require a low amount of manipulation.

Q.How did your family respond to your decision to go natural and how did you handle it?. 

A. My family was accepting of my transition, but I received the most amount of support from my boyfriend who actually assisted me during my big chop. I was resolute in my decision to becoming chemical free, so outside opinions and comments did little to deter me from my mission. 

Q.What has been you greatest challenge with your hair and how did you handle it?

A.My hair is extremely dense and tightly coiled.  I'm also a heavy shedder.  These qualities used to make my detangling sessions dreadful. I adapted to the task by cutting down my detangling and shampooing sessions to once a month, with co-washes in between.

Q.What do you love most about your hair and what was your proudest moment?

A.My proudest moment?  Being able to wear a bun!  Lol, it may seem silly, but if you have dense 4abc hair like mine, then you know that a lot of work goes into gathering this hair-type into a bun that doesn't pull uncomfortably at your edges.

I love that my hair is thick and dense.  I'm happy that I don't have to  work too hard to coerce my hair into appearing full.

Q.Please share your regimen/hair care routine with us.

A. I'm very big on protective styling.  When I first went natural, the tightly coiled hair mantra of the time was that our hair types liked to be left alone.  To an extent, I do agree with this sentiment, and so I employ a lot of protective styles in my regimen (wigs, twists, braids, buns).

Generally speaking, I'm quite simple in my routine- a monthly deep conditioning, detangling and shampooing session, and co-washing whenever it suits me. 

Q.What would you say is the most important thing that has helped you retain length and health of your hair?

 A.Protective styling and finger detangling have gotten me to waist length in 4 years.  These are the two biggest factors that contributed to my length retention.

Q.Any final tips/advice?

A. If you're thinking about doing it, do it.  Furthermore, if you are thinking about becoming natural, be prepared to shed a lot of misinformation that you might have had about hair care.  Keep an open mind, and lose all your hair expectations.  You are embarking on a journey that sets you outside of societal boxes, so don't regress by stringently abiding to hair rules, categories, and expectations.  An open and determined mind will push you through the moments of self-doubt and frustration.

Geraldine can be found on Facebook as Geraldine the Great and on her blog at http://geraldinethegreat.blogspot.com/

Many thanks to +Geri GeraldinetheGreat for allowing me write this feature on her..:).

Hope you enjoyed reading this and got inspired. If you'd like to see someone specific featured here on the blog, simply drop a comment below and I will try to get her here..lol. Thanks for reading and have a fabulous day!

Curlformers:A Ghanaian Natural's experience

Well hello!It has been forever in the blogosphere since I posted anything so here I am,back again!All I can say is please bear with me.School has been very busy so posting hasn't been as frequent as I would have liked.Hopefully today's post will excite you so much I will be forgiven :D.
I was browsing Youtube a while back and saw a 4c textured natural(basically someone whose hair is very kinky) with these really cool curls.I watched the video and she used Curlformers. Apparently those have been around for a very long time but I didn't know they existed till then.
Now for those of you who were as confused as I was,Curlformers are these rod-like things made with a more flexible plastic than rollers or setting rods.They come in various sizes and lengths,and their main purpose if to make your hair curly without having to use heat or  rollers.The reason why these fascinated me was because you didn't need pins or anything(I HATE sleeping in pins) so they looked to be very simple to use,plus they REALLY stretched the hair.
If your hair is anything like mine,that part should have you very interested.My hair shrinks like crazy,and I really enjoy styling it even when its all shrunken because I like the short hair look,but sometimes I also want to have stretched hair so I can maybe have a ponytail or a bun or just something  dressy.
So I decided to give curl-formers a try.The original ones were much too expensive for my budget,so I got knock-offs from China that were MUCH cheaper.Let me be honest and say it wasn't as easy as it looked in the videos!It took me a very long time to pull my hair through but I finally figured out a way to do it without tugging out all my hair.I put them in on freshly washed hair, which was damp, and slept in them.It was uncomfortable,but it wasn't as bad as having pins in my hair.I didn't use any setting products apart from my regular Cantu Shea butter leave-in Repair cream and a shea butter mix that I made at home.I think if I were to use setting lotion for example or gel,it would look much smoother than this.My ends still looked pretty rough,but my hair really stretched out and the curls weren't bad.Unfortunately the style didn't last as it was rainy,but the stretch was so good I could tie my hair up in ponytails the whole week.
Here are some pictures.Enjoy!

Break the Silence about your hair

HelLO!It has been quite a while since I posted and I feel very guilty(guilty face).I've just been very busy with my school work and very tired.However today I just made up my mind to post something and here we are!I hope everyone has been doing great!My one year anniversary since big chopping came and went in August,and I did a length check video which I can now not find on my computer.I know,weird!But I will try and post some pictures of what I've been doing with my hair since June(wow..that's a lot..lol).I have had several different protective styles including braids,kinky twists and wigs.

Currently,my hair is not in any style.I have an old bantu knot out from Sunday that I have been keeping under a cap to protect my ends from the cold.I also hennaed two weeks ago,and I should have taken pictures,but I didn't..(sad face).I will be doing it again and I will definitely take pictures then!
My hair isn't doing as great as I'd like.I have retained a lot of length,but the thickness is not improving so I'm looking for ways to fix that.I also think I may be shedding too much,but how much is too much?The shedding has always been a lot for my hair so I don't know if that's normal or not.Anybody ever have a similar hair issue?How did you fix it?

In other news,I had a friend make a comment about my hair and I was tempted to respond badly but stopped.Have you had such an experience?How did you deal with it?I'm still trying to find a way to respond,so let me know what I should say..lol.
Finally,I will soon create a page on Facebook so that even if I don't post here I can share some pictures and other things on there, and you can also share your own pictures.Without much ado then,here are some pictures for the last 3 months!Enjoy.

Great products for healthy hair in Africa:Haven Organics

I have been sharing quite a bit on the resources available to help you make your hair healthy.I know however that some of us prefer already manufactured products that we can just buy and use.Great products in this category are actually available now in Africa,and I will be using the next couple of weeks to share African companies making good products available for sale.
The first company is owned by an African woman who used to live in the UK but just moved to Ghana.Haven Organics uses all natural ingredients to make products that your hair is sure to love.Here's what Angela,the owner,had to say about her products:
'Haven organics was originally born/began as an organic haircare range that was created for women with chemically treated hair however as i made my own transition from relaxed hair to natural the vision for my company began to change. Noticing and also becoming increasingly frustrated by the lack of organic but also high quality hair care products catering for coily hair textures like my own not to mention very few black/british owned brands so I set out to change this.''

Currently,they make a Seal and Shine finishing oil,Nourish and Smooth leave in milk and a curl polishing cream.
A brief description of each product is also provided by the website with the benefit of each ingredient listed.Let's take a peek:

1.Curl Polishing Cream
'Coily hair can sometimes struggle to hold a well defined frizz free curl. Haven organics Curl Polishing Cream was created to combat this problem. It creates long lasting, well defined, elongated and "stretched" curls by reducing shrinkage'.

2.Nourish and Smooth Leave-in milk

'This super moisturising leave-in conditioner is suitable for daily use.

It is enriched with the moisturising and detangling properties of south african oils; mafura, xinemina and pracaxialso elongates curls helping to reduce shinkage.'

3.Seal and Shine finishing oil
'Without sealing, afro hair can become dry and brittle losing its moisture to the environmental elements very quickly. Seal and shine finishing oil locks in the moisture already present in hair and helps maintain its lustre; keeping your coils nourished for much longer.It also helps reduce frizz; working as a finisher for curly styles like twist/braid outs.'

These look like really great products at great prices,and with shipping offered worldwide why not head on over and place an order?You can also get your order anywhere in Africa.Their website is: http://www.havenorganicsafro.co.uk/ourshop/
Haven Organics is also available in Ghana through www.ghanaianemprezz.com and also through their own shop located in Accra.Contact me if you would like more info.

I hope this helps anyone looking for good natural products.I will be sharing some more on other companies soon so don't forget to come back!Till next time,
The very best!

Great African Products for Natural hair:Oils and butters

Hello everyone!So I have been conspicuously absent,but please forgive me.Its been a crazy couple of weeks.I have been planning to post this forever,so here it is!This is the second instalment in the series on products that are great for hair available in markets and shops all over Africa.If you missed the first post,please click here to read it.
Natural oils and butters are the best products for sealing in moisture and making sure your hair stays soft and grows healthily.Natural oils when applied to your hair,do not just help moisturise,but depending on the properties of the oil you use,you would be protecting your hair from infection,stimulating your follicles to grow and also making sure your scalp stays healthy.In some cases,the Oils helps to prevent irritation and help with itchy scalps and dandruff.But,are these oils available in Africa?Yes they are!
Off the top of my head,here are the oils that I have seen in the market and in shops.

1.Extra Virgin Olive Oil
This is usually imported,but I know almost everyone has seen olive oil,especially if you're Christian,since its used very often in church.Just ask the salespeople for 'anointing oil'.

2.Coconut oil
For whatever wierd reason,most people prefer to look for bottled or imported coconut oil when there's coconut oil in the market.Almost every market you walk into will have coconut oil,locally made and most likely organic.If you prefer foreign brands or already bottled oil,just check your local neighborhood shop.You're likely to get it in there.Personally,I like the yummy scent of African coconut oil.Its very different from the foreign brands,but they both work the same.I use coconut oil in everything:prepoo,hot oil treatments,deep conditioning and sealing in moisture.Its awesome!

3.Palm kernel oil
Yep.Its true.The locally made palm kernel oil(adwenno as its called in Twi in Ghana) that is in the market is great for hair,relaxed or natural.It works pretty much the same or slightly better than coconut oil,and if you can get over the unique aroma it has,then your hair will thank you for it.A whole commercial well known hair care line is based off of palm kernel oil,and these products are patronised not just by black women,but also by women of other cultures.The next time you need an oil for a quick pre-poo,try that

oil sitting in your kitchen!

4.Vegetable oils
Various vegetable oils are available on the market.You can use pretty much any of those on your hair.I have used regular vegetable oil in my hair as a prepoo when I was out of coconut oil,and it worked wonders!So next time you need an emergency fix,check your kitchen.Just make sure there's no mineral oils in there(I doubt there will be since its for cooking,but just as a precaution).

5.Shea,cocoa,mango butters
These are so common in the market that I don't think I need to say it.However,in case you haven't got some yet,please run out and get yourself some local shea or cocoa butter.Shea butter is very popular in hair care lines,and for good reason.It is a great butter for your hair,nourishes and strengthens it while keeping it moist.I use shea butter for most of my styling,and I usually get great hair styles.You can mix it up with some oils and some gel,and it is great as a holding or curl defining cream.Mango butter is less common,but it also works great as well.If you can have just one of these butters in your hair care regimen,your hair will appreciate you.

Most other oils you will read about are available in shops such as Indian shops,Chinese shops,with the sales people in the market selling herbal products and in the pharmacy.For example,castor oil is sold in the pharmacy but its great for hair.You don't need a name brand,just regular castor oil.Almost all the essential oils are in either pharmacies,Indian or Asian shops or in just regular shops

around.Just look around more!

WAIT!Before you cut/trim your hair..

Here's to hoping everyone is doing great!I am still on the hair basics series and today I wanted to share some information on split ends.What they are,how they happen and how to fix them.Whether natural or relaxed we've probably had issues with split ends before and we've always been told that the only option is to cut off the split end before it travels up the hair shaft.That is simply not true!I've had to trim a least 2 inches of my hair in the past because I would keep cutting off whatever split end or single stranded knot I saw in my hair.If you wash your hair often,then you know that you can end up trimming your hair every single week,and that is simply not practical for me.Our hair grows at the average rate of 0.5 inches a month,so if I cut off an inch every couple of months there's no way I'm going to be able to retain length and get the long hair I want.So what do you do then?Here's a short video that was very helpful to me!

Biotin and other supplements to grow hair

This post is controversial and I know that a lot of people will disagree with me.However,I believe that this information is vital to everyone who is interested in growing their hair.I do not write this post as a final verdict on hair growth supplements and products but just to give information on them.However someone chooses to use this information is their personal responsibility,even though I do believe personally that these things are not required.

We've probably all searched at one point or the other for medications or miracle solutions to help us grow our hair faster.Doubtless some of us are currently using some of these supplements and maybe experiencing results,but do we really need to take these supplements?Let's look at some of the most popular ones.
1.Biotin
Almost everyone has seen biotin somewhere in reference to growing hair.A lot of people take this supplement and will testify that it has been helping their hair grow faster.Just as little science background,biotin is a vitamin in the B vitamin

family.It is also called Vitamin H or coenzyme R.It basically functions as an essential part of cell growth,fatty acid synthesis and breakdown of fats and amino acids.Normally,bacteria in our intestines produce biotin,and they usually produce more than enough for us.The excess is then removed from our bodies.The question then becomes if we already have this produced in excess why do some people take extra?It is rare to come across people with a biotin defieciency,so the vast majority of us taking this vitamin really do not need it.Added to this is the fact that there is little to no scientific evidence supporting biotin as a hair growth supplement.On top of that reported side effects of taking this supplement include breakouts such as acne on the skin and increased shedding of hair.Add to this the fact that you can get a lot of biotin from eating healthy foods such as peanuts and leafy vegetables and I begin to wonder if extra is necessary.Here's the summary:most of us taking biotin do not need it.However,if we still want to take it because it helps our hair,then that's a personal choice.

2.Prenatal vitamins
Another popular supplement of choice for growing hair,these vitamins are consumed by a lot of people.It is originally meant for pregnant women because when we're pregnant we need higher amounts of these vitamins and minerals for our baby as well.Most of these we usually obtain these from food and we get enough for just ourselves.If we are eating healthy, exercising and drinking water

we should be ok in this department.Some of us may get deficiencies in vitamins or minerals,at which point specific supplements are prescribed for us.So if there is no deficiency why do we still take extra?And let's not forget that the concentration of vitamins and minerals in prenatal vitamins are higher than in regular ones not meant for pregnancy.Once again,this is a personal choice whether to take them or not.

3.Others
Here there are all kinds of names and supplements that I can't list.Take for example  the drug used to treat yeast infections,Monistat 7.Apparently that's a new thing for growing hair as well.
All of these things go back to a simple question:do we really like our hair as it is or are we still trying to get someone else's hair?Have we realised that we are more than hair?I really believe that our hair does not define who we are and we should learn to love it just the way it is.If for a medical reason your hair isn't growing and you go take these supplements then that's a medical reason.But does a perfectly
healthy woman need to take these supplements just because they want longer hair faster?That's for you to decide.