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

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.

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?

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.

For the back, I packed my hair into a low bun, made 3 loose twists and tucked the ends into the ouchless hairband. 

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.