Lade January 9, 2014

HAIR & PRODUCT UPDATE

Hello ladies,
I hope you are well and that this year has been good to you so far.
I’d intended to write two blog posts by now; a hair update and a products update. However, I didn’t have time to wash my hair till last night and so I’ve decided to roll both topics into this blog post.

MY HAIR UPDATE

I relaxed my hair 21 weeks ago. Normally, I would be prepping my hair for relaxing however I have decided to increase the length of my relaxer stretch from 5 months to 6 month. Just want to see if I can do it. I was initially aiming for 7 months, but after detangling my hair for what felt like eternity last night I have decided that 6 months is my limit. Stretching this long is not for the faint hearted.

My hair has been hidden under wigs for the last 4 weeks and I have been following my wig regimen. I washed, deep conditioned (I used a mixture of protein and moisture deep conditioners) and air dried. My hair looks deceptively tame in this picture. I have just over 2 inches of new growth which I am pleased with.
All in all I am happy with my hair. The only thing I am trying to improve is the thickness of my ends. I can only achieve this by cutting of the thin ends gradually. By the look of it, I have roughly 3 inches of thin ends to cut off gradually between February and maybe June. We’ll see how it goes.

PRODUCT UPDATE

When it comes to hair products, I believe in sticking in what works for you and maybe trying a new product every once in a while because new/better products are always being created. I personally don’t believe in experimenting with new products every few weeks (except you are still searching for products that work well with your hair).

Although I was happy with the products I use, I was on a search for a better moisturising deep conditioner and daily moisturiser that works better with my hair. Last year I tried and loved a few products which I have decided to include in my regimen on a permanent basis.

The first is Creme of Nature Argan Oil Sulfate Free shampoo.

To be honest I am still crazy about my Elasta QP Crème Conditioning shampoo, and I wasn’t looking for a new shampoo, however I was buying some hair products for a friend and decided to try this product. I am so pleased I did.
I loved how my hair felt when I rinsed the lather off. It left my hair feeling cleaner than the Elasta QP shampoo but my hair didn’t feel stripped at all. It felt just right. Sometimes with the Elasta QP, it feels as though there is some product residue left in my hair.

I have decided to keep both shampoos in my regimen. Both work well with my hair so why not. I use the Creme of Nature shampoo when my hair feels really dirty because it lathers more than the Elasta QP . This also means that it lasts longer than the Elasta QP so I am spending a little less.
Please note that I use a shampoo that contains sulfates to clarify my hair once a month or every two months to remove stubborn product build up.

The second product that I have introduced into my regimen is Tresemme Naturals Nourishing Moisture Conditioner.
Believe it or not despite being on my hair journey for over 4 years now I still hadn’t found a moisturising deep conditioner I was completely happy with. Over the years, after trying several brands I settled for Motions Moisture Plus but I wasn’t happy that it contained mineral oil.

I bought the Tresemme in October and must say I am really pleased with it. It is has a lighter consistency than the Motions but it still moisturises my hair effectively. The best thing is that it is mineral oil, petroleum, silicone and paraben free.
I think the scent is a little strong; it isn’t a bad smell, it’s just more perfumy than I am used too.
I am pleased with this conditioner enough to say goodbye to my Motions Moisture Plus.

From online reviews I have read, apparently the older formula of this conditioner was better than this version. However I never tried the old formula so I don’t know any better.

How are your hair journeys going ladies? Are you trying out a new product or new technique with your hair?

X

Lade

Learn | Change | Grow

Lade December 11, 2013

MISTAKES I’VE MADE ALONG THE WAY

I believe there are two ways to learn from other people. You can learn from what a person has done right and you can also learn from the mistakes they have made.
In this post, I will set out some of the mistakes I’ve made over the years on my hair journey.

Mistakes I’ve Made With Research

I’ve said time and again that I spent 3 months researching before I officially started my hair journey. The key mistake I made at the beginning of my journey was that I ignored some aspects of the research.
For instance, I carried on using sulphate shampoos. I thought that since I would be deep conditioning afterwards, the harshness of the sulphates on my hair would be overridden.
Also I carried on blow drying with heat. I thought surely heat once a week can’t be that bad.
However, I noticed a vast difference in how my hair felt and progressed when I cut out direct heat and switched to sulphate free shampoos.

Mistakes I Made With Technique

I did not review and update my techniques as I progressed on my hair journey.
Up to when I was APL, I could wash my hair without putting it in braids. When my hair got longer, it would tangle badly on wash days. Rather than reviewing my regimen, I would spend hours detangling my hair. However when I started to lose more hair than I was comfortable with I was had to re-evaluate the situation. I realised that the only thing that had changed was the length of my hair.
I did a little research and quickly learned that longer hair tends to tangle more than shorter hair on wash days and that a way to overcome this was to wash it in box braids (calabar). I tried it out and it worked like a charm.
Ladies as you progress on your hair journey, when a product or technique is no longer working for you; review, regroup and carry on.

Mistakes I Made With Products

There are two mistakes I made with hair products.

1)The first is that I did not give some products enough chance. I gave up on them and later realised that I had been using them incorrectly, eg, using too much or too little of the product.

2)The second mistake I made with products is that I gave up on products that worked well on my hair because they contained some ingredients I was trying to avoid like mineral oil and petroleum.
I switched from a conditioner that contained them to one that didn’t. The new one did not seem to work for my hair so I tried other conditioners that didn’t contain petroleum or mineral oil. Again they just didn’t seem to do much for my hair, so I went back to my Motions Moisture Plus which seems to keep my hair happy even though it contains some ingredients I am not too keen on.
My advice when it come to products is this: always try the products that are mineral oil and petroleum free first, if they are not working for you and you have a product that works for you but contains mineral oil/petroleum, you can go back to using it BUT keep an eye out for a better product, ie one that doesn’t contain such ingredients and works well on your hair.

Mistakes I Made With Styling

When my hair was shorter there were so many cute protective styles I could have rocked but didn’t because I was too focused on growing longer hair. Now when try to create some of those styles it doesn’t look quite right.

Mistake I Made About Black Hair

Early on in my hair journey, I thought that when my hair became long and healthy I would be able to do all the things you aren’t supposed to do to black hair.
I thought I would be able to use a curling iron every day, and leave it down all the time and comb it till my hand ached. For some reason I thought being successful on a hair journey would give me a licence to do all these things to my hair.
Healthy black hair is still BLACK HAIR!
Healthy black hair (relaxed or natural) is still delicate, cannot tolerate heat abuse, must still be handled with care and protected. Being on a hair journey will not turn the hair you grow to Brazilian, Peruvian or hair of another race.

The point of hair journey (in my opinion) is that at last, all the myths about black hair can be set aside and we as black women LEARN to give our hair what it needs.

So if you are natural, be aware of what your hair needs and how to take care of it.
If you are relaxed, learn what relaxed hair needs and how to take care of it.
The same applies to ladies with coloured or locked hair.

Off course their are black ladies out there who wash their hair with anything and always wear it down and don’t even deep condition but still have butt length hair. These ladies are exceptions, I think we all no too well what happens to a lot of us when we don’t care for our hair.

I hope you learn something from my mistakes.
Happy hair journey ladies.

X

Lade

Learn | Change | Grow.

Lade December 6, 2013

HAIR BY TYPE 4 – THE “R” COLLECTION

Hello Ladies

I am so happy and excited to write and share this post. At last I can show a few pictures of some of the wigs in the R Collection.
I can also share the news that Hair by Type 4 is featured in the current issue of Exquisite Magazine Nigeria.

Back in August, a writer and stylist for the magazine wanted to set up a photo shoot titled “Proudly Nigerian”. I loved the perspective of the article which was aimed at showing that Nigerian design was not limited to “Ankara, tribal designs” or clothes. The article would then feature some Nigerian designers whose work dispelled this stereotype and showcase some of their work.
My sister and I are so happy and honoured to be featured.

So the shoot was held at the end of August however, the issue we were featured in was only published at the end of November. Clearly I could not share any of the pictures until the issue was out. As a matter of fact, we did not see any of the pictures till we got our copy of the magazine.
We are very pleased with how the pictures turned out. Our only minor concern was that the lighting on some parts of the wigs could be brighter, especially at the top /crown areas.

We are currently setting up our independent shoot that will show the wigs up close and in more detail. After the photo shoot, I will put up our official pictures and the price list of the wigs in the R collection.
Thanks for all the support and interest you have shown as my sister and I embark on this entrepreneurial journey.
A big thank you also to the clients we have made custom wigs for.

Top row left – The “Racy” wig
Top row right – The Romance wig
Bottom centre- Wig created for the shoot (this may be added to the R Collection in the future)

Top left – my sister, Tayo and I.

Tayo (in the blue dress) is wearing a wig made with Brazilian hair. Her wig is over 5 years old and is still going strong.

I am wearing the Romance wig, at the time of the shoot the wig was a year old. I washed and conditioned it. Put some bendy sticks in it and it was good to go.

Well so there you have it, a sneak peek. Let me know what you think.

X

Lade

Learn | Change | Grow

Lade December 1, 2013

HAIRSTYLE PICTORIAL – Embracing The Natural in Me

Hello ladies,

I noted in my last hair update that I am 14 weeks post and have a lot of new growth.
I had an outing and had to find a style that would work with my natural roots and relaxed ends.

I ‘am not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, but I actually don’t really enjoy wearing my hair down. One of the main reasons I wanted long hair so badly was because I wanted my up-do’s to be huge and massive.

So whenever I have a lot of new growth, I see it as an opportunity to create hairstyles inspired by all the beautiful natural haired ladies I stalk online.

I created and wore this style to a Nikkah last weekend and decided to do a pictorial of it to share with you.
You should be able to re-create this style with collar bone length hair and longer.
Ladies with shorter hair can get creative and come up with similar styles using hair pins.

THE PICTORIAL

THE FINISHED LOOK

HAIR + STYLE

What do you think? Would you rock this natural hair inspired protective style?

I have a great post coming up very soon.
I’ve been so eager to share some pictures since August but wasn’t able to for reasons I will explain.
At last, I am able to share them with you all.
(hint – they are pictures of some of the wigs in the Hair by Type 4- R Collection)

Hopefully you’ll be back soon to see them.

x

Lade

Learn | Change | Grow

Lade November 30, 2013

BED HAIR- HOW I PROTECT MY HAIR AT NIGHT

Hello ladies,
I cant even begin to explain all the technical hiccups I’ve had recently. I am just glad I am able to start blogging again. The good thing is I have a backlog of posts to share which I will put up together at the same time. Hopefully that will make up for my recent absence.

So on with the first post.

I have been asked by several readers to share my night time hair regimen.
I don’t wrap my hair around my head in a circular motion for the following reasons

1) I would have to use a comb to wrap the hair round my head. I avoid combing my hair more than once a week. Therefore nightly combing is a big no no for me.

2) A lot of ladies who wrap their hair round their hair at night do so because they intend to wear it down the next day and want it to be crease free. I hardly wear my hair down because I love buns and up-dos. I wear protective styles majority of the time so I do not mind if my hair has a few creases it when I wake up in the morning and remove my scarf.

What I do with my hair at night is known as a cross wrap.

WHAT IS CROSS WRAPPING

1) Moisturise and seal my hair. Part it into two with my fingers.

2) Take one half and wrap it round the opposite side towards the front of my head.

3) Use a clip secure the hair at the front

4 &5) Repeat 2 and 3 with the other half.

6) Cover hair with a satin scarf and tie loosely

7) Slide out the clips gently

8) Adjust the front of the scarf to ensure that no hair is sticking out and tighten scarf

With cross wrapping I have some bends or creases in my hair when I wake up the following day but I don’t mind.

Please note that cross wrapping is not the only way to protect your hair at night. I am just sharing what I do with my hair and what works for me.

I hope you have found this helpful.

Stay tuned for a hair style pictorial coming up in a few minutes ( as long as my laptop co-operates)

x

Lade

Learn | Change | Grow