HOW TO GROW YOUR NATURAL HAIR LONG IN 2022
By Hadassah Agbaps - December 29, 2021
SHORT WASH DAY ROUTINE FOR DRY, HIGH POROSITY NATURAL HAIR
By Hadassah Agbaps - November 19, 2021
In this video, I'll show you how I keep my wash day short and sweet!
Some days, we don't have time to have a full on, all day washday!
This routine is guaranteed to get you ready in 30 mins!
Keep watching and please don't forget to subscribe and share!
Let's grow this YouTube channel!
TOP 5 STEPS TO KEEP YOUR NATURAL HAIR MOISTURISED FOR DAYS!!!
By Hadassah Agbaps - November 15, 2021
Here are top 5 steps to keep your natural hair moisturised for days!
I have high porosity, fine textured natural hair and these steps work!!!!
Hi people, what's been on?
I know, I know!
Why haven't I been blogging?
To be honest, I feel that you all know a lot about natural hair already so what else should I write about?!
I started a YouTube channel late last year to demonstrate many of the natural hair routines I blogged about in hopes that it would help those who prefer videos.
I've also been pretty up to date on Instagram so if you still enjoy natural hair content, you can join me there.
For my hair, I'm still natural....and nothing much will change in that department...lol.
I'm also still doing wash'n'gos.
You see this protective style called wash and go? It has helped me maintain my fine textured hair past waist length.
I usually don't stretch, pick or fluff my hair in a wash'n' go to reduce manipulation so my hair stays shrunken at around nape to slightly grazing my shoulders..and I'm perfectly fine with it.
My wash 'n' gos last between 3-4 weeks and a lot of ladies ask how I keep my hair moisturized and prevent the gel cast from flaking.
Well, one important tip that helps is using moisturisers that combine well with my styling gel.
Doing so makes it easy to layer on moisturisers on your wash'n'gos without the risk of flaking.
How do I know what works?
Well, these photos could explain it more....
Sometimes, water alone to refresh an old wash'n'go doesn't do it for me and I need a moisturising product that would play nicely with the gel I used to create my wash'n'go without creating flakes.❄❄❄
I've found the solution in Afrobynature Twist & Curl Styling Creme.
It's a dual use styler that moisturises at the same time provides hold for defined styles such as twistouts, braidouts, bantu knot outs etc.
However, the hold is not strong enough to use alone for my wash'n'gos (I have Type 4 hair)......so I use it in combination with my styling gels.
This product works amazingly well in combination with other stylers/gels.....without creating little beads of white flakes in my hair!
It also has very good slip so I can re-style frizzy bits of my hair without worrying about tangling.
I totally recommend giving it a try if you have issues with moisturising your wash'n'go.
I'd also like to know if you have experienced flaking when combining products.
Please share the product combos too, so we'll take note 👌👍
Hi lovely people,
Happy New Year!
It's been a blessing to still be here inspite of how 2020 was for all of us!
It can only be grace!
I used to be that person who had her year planned out. I marked the success of each year by how much I've ticked off my bucket list.
Last year taught me or rather reminded me of something I knew but refused to acknowledge because I felt it was an excuse to not put in one's best.
'The race is not always to the swift,
Nor the battle to the strong,
Nor satisfaction to the wise,
Nor riches to the smart,
Nor grace to the learned.'
Ecclesiastes 9:11 MSG
No one predicted what 2020 will be like. Most of us had our carefully laid plans overturned....yet somehow, we overcame and landed in 2021.
It can only be God's Grace.
So, this year I'll to try to let go and let God more.
Hair wise, I'm not really doing anything new since I've got a routine that works well for me as a high porosity naturalista.
I'll probably explore more protective styling options which are work friendly.
As I get older, I find that I much prefer classic hairstyles that can be done in the shortest time possible.
Here's one of them....
If you're not so good at flat twists, you can just do chunky two strand twists in front and pin to the back.
NEVER HAVE A PERMROD OR FLEXIROD SET FAIL ON TYPE 4 HAIR WITH THIS EASY TECHNIQUE
By Hadassah Agbaps - August 11, 2020
I rarely do rodsets on my natural hair because it's devastating to spend so much time putting them in, spend an uncomfortable night sleeping in them........only for me to unravel in the morning and......
either it didn't dry completely or
it dried but didn't come out looking perfect like in the YouTube videos!
Not one to give up easily, I experimented with different ways of getting a perfect rod set without putting in so much effort....
....and voila!
I went from this
to this
with the least amount of effort!
Yayyyyyy!
....and I made a video!!!
I will making videos on YouTube to show most of the techniques I discuss on this blog from 2012 till now!
I think you should subscribe so you don't miss out or get overwhelmed with lots of info like the more than 200 posts I have here.
You'd be growing with me and following everything I share right from the very beginning!
Hopefully, by the time we're through, you'd be as comfortable with your hair care as I am!
HOW I GET MY TYPE 4B/ 4C HAIR SUPER DEFINED WITH AYURVEDA
By Hadassah Agbaps - August 02, 2020
Happy New month beautiful ladies!!!
New Month, New start, right?
So, remember how in our last IG Live, I talked about consistency and sticking with the different ayurvedic ingredients that work for you?
Well, I took my own medicine and for the past months, I've been consistent with Ayurvedic herbs that work for me.
My hair is healthier, has grown longer and my definition is on point!
It's easy to be consistent if your routine is simple and doesn't require a lot of steps.
When adopting a regimen, my first question is
'Can I keep this up when I'm 90 years old?' 🤔🤔
Anyways, the video above shows my easy, simple and stress free Ayurvedic haircare routine for super definition on my Type 4 natural hair.
HOW LONG CAN YOUR NATURAL HAIR GROW UNTIL IT 'STOPS GROWING'?
By Hadassah Agbaps - July 28, 2020
I had an interesting conversation with the beautiful @rachelasakome concerning this question.
👉Here's the SHORT ANSWER.
It can grow for as long as your genes decide!
👉Here's the LONG ANSWER.
The active period your hair grows is called the ANAGEN PHASE.It lasts between 2- 6 yrs and it is regulated by your genes. So, your hair grows for 2-6 yrs, sheds and is replaced by new hair. It's a cycle.🔄🔄🔄
The average GROWTH RATE is 0.5 inches per month or 6 inches every year.
The anagen phase and your growth rate determine the longest your hair can grow before it stops growing and has to shed. This length is called TERMINAL LENGTH.
If your growth rate is 4 inches every year and your ANAGEN phase lasts 2 years, your terminal length is 4×2= 8 inches.
Most naturalistas definitely grow more than 8 inches in 2 yrs!💃💃
On average, the ANAGEN phase lasts 4 yrs and most growth rate is 6 inches per year.
6×4 = 24 inches of hair before it sheds. That's long hair abi?
Most people rarely reach their terminal length due to breakage caused by manipulation, poor diet, use of chemicals , hair dyes, combing, heat styling etc.
So before you blame your genes, check your hair care routine!
Personally, I never knew I could grow my hair waist length considering my slow growth rate (4 inches per year) and having fine textured hair.
My hair only grew shoulder length and then hit a growth plateau due to breakage.
It was only when I changed my hair care routine that I was able to grow waist length.
Right now, I want to see if I can reach knee length. I may or may not reach that goal....but we'll see.
I don't know my terminal length yet.
I would need to pluck (not cut) a section of my hair to monitor the growth for 6 yrs or more to find out.......and I'm not about that struggle!😂
🌈 Do you believe length is determined by genes only?
PROTECTIVE STYLE WITHOUT BOBBY PINS ON FINE NATURAL HAIR
By Hadassah Agbaps - July 17, 2020
Hi guys, what's been on?
How's our new reality courtesy of 'Rona treating you?
I'm trying to keep things as normal as I can. This period made me promise myself to never neglect the little things that keep me happy.
One of which is blogging.......and of course doing my hair.
I'm trying to get more proactive with styling my hair. Yes, constant manipulation breaks my fine natural hair but I can't keep living in constant fear of breakage.
The best solution is to have a selection of beautiful protective styles that require the least manipulation....especially when it comes to updos on fine type 4 natural hair.
Apart from breakage, the other problem that deters me from doing more updos is my sensitivity to bobby pins.
I've noticed that after a while, bobby pins cause my scalp to itch. This prevents me from having a protective style in for as long as I'd like.
So....I try to avoid using bobby pins as much as possible when styling.
I'm looking out for plastic bobby pins or maybe stainless steel bobby pins.
Have you seen these before?
For today's protective style, I made use of one ouchless band and several loose twists to create an updo that if well maintained, can last me 1 week.
For the front, I made 3 loose twists. One was swooped to the right and the other two to the left.
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Can you peek my lone grey hair? I love it!!!
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For the back, I packed my hair into a low bun, made 3 loose twists and tucked the ends into the ouchless hairband.
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| Bonus....my ends are tucked in so they don't get dry. |
Shikena!
ProTip: If Ecostyler has been leaving your hair full of flakes, you should definitely try this gel.
I've completely made a switch from Eco because this gives me the much needed hold without the flakiness and the occasional itching.
I've used it on different Type 4 hair (thick, super coily, fine, low porosity, etc) and it's yet to disappoint me.
I really should get into the right head space to write a detailed review about this Nigerian brand.
I'm such a perfectionist and want to make sure that I leave nothing out in my descriptions because I know how important products reviews are when trying to decide which hair products to purchase.
Perhaps you can help me out with what you'd really like to know about a product....like maybe it's texture, price....anything you feel you'd love to see when reading product reviews.
I'm such a perfectionist and want to make sure that I leave nothing out in my descriptions because I know how important products reviews are when trying to decide which hair products to purchase.
Perhaps you can help me out with what you'd really like to know about a product....like maybe it's texture, price....anything you feel you'd love to see when reading product reviews.
I've mastered the art of being unbothered with my natural hair.
Don't get me wrong, it isn't the easiest hair to live with.
The pictures on my Instagram doesn't fully explain my reality.
Thus, this post is an insight into what living with my fine type 4 natural hair is like.
🌼My hair is soft to touch.
This is a good thing in most naturalistas' book.
The reality is...my hair feels soft because my strands are thin (fine textured).
My porosity is high and my hair can't withstand styling.
For this reason, my IG feed does not show a lot of styles....and I'm still wondering why I started a YouTube channel sef.
It may be boring but it's either I accept that or deal with breakage. So, I focus more on hair health.
🌼. My scalp easily gets inflammed...thanks to allergies 🙄.
The wrong ingredient and my hair would fall out. It's scary!
I inherited this from my mother's side of the family. It would have been a recessive trait which I may not have inherited if only my dad didn't also have allergies.
This is why it bugs me when salons put products into unlabeled bottles and why I'm so fascinated with ingredient lists. I need to avoid any triggers.
This is my reality.
🌼My hair is light and fluffy.
Some people will say, 'Oh that's great!'.... but it isn't so great when I see my scalp at the same time I'm watching naturalistas with thicker hair rock big twist outs!
The good thing though is I don't have a lot of hair to handle. It's easy to slick down and it absorbs products quickly (high porosity things).
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| Can all your hair be packed into a bun like this? See how small the base of the bun is. That's the magic of fine natural hair. |
🌼 My hair grows slowly.
My sisters tease me a lot about this 😂 but you would never believe this reality because my hair is long.
I grew it by focusing on retaining length rather than trying to speed up my growth rate.
It's a longer process but "it doesn't matter how you start, how long you take but if you get there".
🌼My hair gets dry easily.
Again, it's all back to the fine textured, high porosity thingy.
If I use heavy products, it's difficult for my hair to absorb moisture. This is why I use a light hand when applying butters.
If I use light products, my hair absorbs it like a sponge and asks for more.
So I have to maintain a sweet point between heavy products and light products when trying to moisturise my hair. Most times, I just settle for lotions.
This method has also helped my hair retain moisture better.
🌼 My hair reverts quickly
Same reason as above. Strands and porosity.
This is why I don't consider twistouts, braidouts etc as protective styles.
What's protective about a style that will revert as soon as I step out the door?
What's protective about a style I will have to redo every night?
I'm really happy for those who can live in twistouts, braidouts, bantu knot outs etc.......it must be nice.
🌼My hair tangles so easily.
...and not because I need a trim!
It does this because my strands are fine and there's a lot of it!
For this reason, I can't afford the 'luxury of an afro'. I need to keep my ends organized ...like phone charger cables.
I do this by keeping my hair in twists or in a wash'n'go. Twists and the gel cast keep my coils in place.Left on their own, they form knots and tangles.
Stretching also help prevent tangling BUT since my hair reverts quickly, it means I would be manipulating my hair often to keep it stretched.
Also, remember my strands are fine....this means more breakage due to more manipulation.
A real catch 22 situation right???
To avoid stress, I just embrace my shrinkage.
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| In this picture, my hair was stretched in a braid out. By evening, it had shrunk up to chin length. Is this what I'll be doing everyday biko? |
I could go on and on.
This post is not about me complaining.
It's about me letting you in to see that my hair and I aren't perfect by the general natural hair community standards.
As someone who has been natural all her life, my best advice when it comes to caring for your hair is:
Stick with what works for your hair in terms of products, styling and regimen.
Also, your hair does not need to be like anyone else's but YOURS.
The little clips on IG or YouTube never tells the whole story.
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🌈 So let's get real....what are the realities of caring for your hair?
P.S. If you need help figuring out how to work with your hair so you can achieve your hair goals, you can chat with me on WhatsApp here.
Hi guys, what's been on?
So, I recently tried my hand on African threading for the first time in years and let me tell you ......my wrists are not the same again!😭
I only threaded two sections, I even did 'Some Gaps' style o..........and I cannot type well again!!😩😩😩
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I was sitting on my own jejely when one yeye voice whispered to me 'Why don't you thread your hair, sis?'. Instead of me to pray, I gathered thread and started giving myself unpaid work on a blessed Sunday!
How did my mum do it for three heads of hair??? Gosh she deserves an award!!!
On a positive note, I feel like my 10yr old self who's excited to see the stretched results!😀😀
When my mum did African threading for us, the stretched hair at the end of 2 weeks was worth the initial discomfort!
My mum would let us enjoy our natural hair stretched for church on Sunday, then it was washday and a fresh hairstyle. My favourite was the threaded crown.
I did African threading until I turned 13 and considered the style too childish for my tastes!🙄
Do you think African threading is childish???
If you'd like to stretch your Type 4 hair without heat, African threading is the way to go!
It gives a blown out look.
I plan to have this in for at least 3 days! If you'd like to see the final results, I'll be sharing on my Instagram page here
PS. Be careful not to thread your natural hair too tight so your hair doesn't pull out!!
NO MORE BREAKAGE: HOW TO DETANGLE FINE TYPE 4 NATURAL HAIR
By Hadassah Agbaps - June 16, 2020
Hair always grows but if it breaks faster than it grows (poor length retention) you may experience a growth plateau.
Improper detangling is the most common source of breakage.
Improper detangling is the most common source of breakage.
Here's a video showing how to detangle Type 4 natural hair to reduce unnecessary breakage which leads to poor length retention.
This is the detangling routine I use to grow out my hair.
I'm currently on a hair growth regimen and my goal is to see if my hair can grow tailbone length.
Join me on Instagram as I share all I'm doing to achieve my hair goals.
Hi guys, what's been on?
Sooooo, I finally finally braided my hair! I've had the extensions since forever but because of the hot weather, I wasn't motivated to braid my hair.
Braids are usually not my first choice because of the reasons here but they are cute.
I created this video to demonstrate protective ways you can install braids on fine, breakage prone hair so you can get the most growth while your hair is away.
I'll be doing another video to show how I maintain my braids so they last.....so subscribe and hit the notification button!!!
I plan to have these braids in for two weeks kpere!
HOW TO REDUCE KNOTS AND TANGLES ON TYPE 4 NATURAL HAIR
By Hadassah Agbaps - August 18, 2019
💦STRETCHED💦
Just a quick one this morning showing how I keep my ends stretched.
This is an easy solution for those who complain about single stranded knots.
This is an easy solution for those who complain about single stranded knots.
I'm using rollers at the ends of my hair. I leave them in overnight so my ends are stretched by morning.
No rollers? Do bantuknots.
Knots come with the territory of natural hair since curly hair likes to play a game of 'Tangle tag'.
Knots can't be avoided ...well unless you want to be a full time knot police for each of your 1 million + curly strands.
However, they can be minimised by keep your ends stretched, moisturised and split free (a trim will work here)
Hope this helps someone.
What's your go to method for tackling knots?
What's your go to method for tackling knots?
EFFECT OF MOISTURE AND PROTEIN TREATMENTS ON NATURAL HAIR
By Hadassah Agbaps - August 07, 2019
Hi guys, what's been on!
You know how I'm always going on and on about the importance of effective products in your natural hair care...and how the right products can make hair care super easy?🤔
Well, I finally got a perfect picture to illustrate what I've been saying.😋😋😋.
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Soooooo, I used two different products on two different sections of my hair....
Product A: was a moisturising product and Product B: was a protein product.
I applied them directly on dry hair.
I did not use water or any product beforehand.
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🌿As you can see, the moisturising products made my curls looser than the protein one. 🌿
💦The moisturising product contains active humectants that draw moisture to my hair. The weight of this moisture caused my fine natural hair to stretch...a lot like how your hair stretches out in the shower when wet.💦
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🍳 The protein product contained hydrolysed proteins that immediately binds to hair, repair peptide bonds and improve curl structure which is why my curls appeared tighter.This is why you think proteins causes your hair to feel harder.🍳
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💦A balance of both moisture and protein helps keep my hair healthy, moisturised, prevent breakage and improve length retention leading to longer hair.💦
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🌺Need help deciding what products are best for your hair and your budget?
Check me out on Instagram
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What's your favourite protein or moisture deep conditioner?
Deep conditioning is an important step in my regimen especially since I have breakage prone and colored natural hair.
I deep condition everytime I shampoo or cowash my hair. Depending on the state of my hair, I'll do either a protein or moisture deep conditioning treatment.
I was asked on Instagram whether I prefer store bought deep conditioners to DIY deep conditioners and which one was most effective.
The way my life is set up currently, I prefer store bought deep conditioners.
I wrote a post explaining my preference in more detail here
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🤔🤔🤔Meanwhile which deep conditioners do you prefer? Store bought or DIY🤔🤔
HADASSAH LATELY: STRAIGHT TO CURLY NATURAL HAIR UPDATE
By Hadassah Agbaps - February 11, 2019
Disclosure: The products used in this post were given to me by Ruutos.
As usual, I'll be sharing my honest opinions about the brand.
Sooooooooo......
..on the third week of my silkpress, the weather became humid all of a sudden and my silkpress went from this
to this....
I didn't mind much since I was already missing the volume of my natural kinky hair.
To make my straightened hair last a bit longer before washday, I converted the pony tail puff to a super defined twist out puff using Ruutos Moisture Intense Hair Butter....
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| ..... this product gives the best twistouts sha. |
I even made a video sharing my process which you can view here
I left the twistouts in for 3 - 4 days before I washed. It looked like this after humidity played with it....
I was so impressed with how the twistouts stayed defined for this long even in high humidity!
By the weekend (wash day), I finally got my curls back!
As usual, I first started by deep conditioning my hair with the Ruutos Reconstruct Hair Mask for 15 mins before shampooing. I never shampoo first after a long term protective style bcause of dryness.
After shampooing, I followed up with Ruutos Conditioner and then deep conditioned again.
I did a wash day video detailing my progress on Instagram. You can check it out!
After washing my hair, I styled it in a wash and go.
My 4b/c curls were popping like crazy!!!
I've been consistently using Ruutos hair products for 3 months running and my hair tells me that the moisture boost from this brand is on point!!!
I mean, take a look at this....
I'm really glad I got to collaborate with Ruutos. It's not a brand I'd have thought to use considering they are based in South Africa.
They came into Nigeria around October/November last year.
Their products aren't as fancy as SheaMoisture or Cantu but they work really well even on 4c hair!
I'll share my favorite products out of the lot (including prices and ingredients list) so it'll guide you when you want to purchase.
Three months in and the only product I've run out of is the Ruutos Hair Butter which I used the hell out of....lol!
I've repurchased though so I'm good.
HAIR STYLE IDEAS FOR SILKPRESS ON TYPE 4 NATURAL HAIR
By Hadassah Agbaps - January 20, 2019
Hi people!
It's been over two weeks since I did my silkpress and it's still going strong.
Using products on silkpressed hair is difficult because most of them contain water ...and water will cause my silkpress to revert quickly.
So I apply oil (not silicone serums to avoid build-up) to keep my hair supple. This time, I used Ruutos LOC Butter.
It has really good oils and butters such as sheabutter, cocoa butter, macadamia seed oil, avocado oil etc for nourishing the scalp and keeping straightened hair supple. A little goes a long way!
My favorite part is that it has a little hold to keep my hair laid without having to use a gel.
A gel would cause my hair to revert.
My favorite part is that it has a little hold to keep my hair laid without having to use a gel.
A gel would cause my hair to revert.
Also, since my hair won't be moisturised with water, I try to reduce manipulation and do gentle protective styles.
These styles also help keep my hair stretched.
Here's what I've done so far!
I also created some 1 min video tutorials to help you recreate these styles.
Here's the link to the videos
These styles also help keep my hair stretched.
Here's what I've done so far!
I also created some 1 min video tutorials to help you recreate these styles.
Here's the link to the videos
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Hi guys!
What's been on?
So, I finally did the first silkpress of the year and I did something differently.
I wanted to reduce the amount of heat I used for this silkpress, so I decided to skip the blow drying step.
To achieve this look,
I first shampooed my hair using Ruutos Moisture Intense Shampoo. This shampoo helps melt tangles and doesn't dry out my natural hair. One of the best shampoos I've used so far.
Then I applied Ruutos Replenishing Conditioner so I could detangle my hair properly.
Next I applied keratin based protein treatment, let it stay on for 30mins , combed my hair through with a Denman brush, applied heat protectant, put my hair into twists and allowed my hair to air dry overnight.
Remember I said that your hair should be completely 100% dry before using a flat iron so you don't 'boil' your hair....so I made sure my hair was completely dry.
I didn't add a leave in conditioner so my hair dries faster.
The following day, I took out my twists and flat ironed my hair.
PS: I made a video!!!!!
Check out the video showing how I did my silkpress here
MAINTENANCE
I tried doing a doobie wrap to keep my hair stretched but it made my scalp feel sore and tender so I'll be preserving my silkpress with bantu knots like I described in this post or with banding like this
