So.......

Hello ladies!

So I've been away for a while and I apologise! If i'm honest, I lost the passion for blogging and reading other blogs plus I have been spending a lot of time trying get my life together.

In that time, I found God. I come from a Christian background but I have never really felt any spiritual connection until now. I'm not here to preach per se, but I do want to let people in on some of the things I have learnt this past month and in the future, in the hopes that I will reach out at least one person.

I will change the direction of my blog slightly too. While I will still update you all on my natural hair journey, products and styles, I will also share other things that are of interest to me. I will right blogs about social issues, religious issues, financial issues, photoraphy, art, music, fashion; anything and everything basically.

I want to have a post up EVERY SUNDAY, I have quite a few blog ideas lined up so I hope you like them!

Anyway, Happy Sunday to you all and God Bless!

Miss Naturally Natural
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PS. I got a new camera! Yaaaaay *throws confetti* ! So look forward to some better quality pictures in the following posts!

Natural Hair Products In The U.K

SOURCE

Hello Ladies!!

Just a quick one! I know not all of the readers are from the UK but I thought it would be useful for UK ladies to know that Holland & Barrett stock up on organic hair care! I suppose it is the equivalent to 'Whole Foods' in the US. This is good news for me because I want to cut down on the products that I have to get shipped; I would rather be able to pop into a high street store and stock up instantly!

Today I was able to purchase organic extra virgin coconut oil and, to my surprise, I got the Giovanni 50:50 Balanced Shampoo. They do all sorts of organic, SLS free shampoos, conditioners, body lotion, body wash etc..

I may be the last to find out about the hair care section in Holland & Barrett, but hey, I'm sure it will help someone out there!


Miss Naturally Natural
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Protective Style #2 : Cornrow up-do

Hello!!

I'm Back with another Protective Style!

It is actually the first time I have cornrowed my hair for the public to see (usually I would cornrow my hair and keep it under a hat). But I was inspired by BlckHair4U's Video. Please check her video out, her style will be more inspiring than mine, as her style is actually neat! lol [click her name to go directly to her video]

What you will need:

• A parting tool (I used the end of my fine-tooth comb)
• Two mirrors (Optional - I was doing my hair myself, so I needed one mirror in front of me, and another mirror to check the back of my head.)
• Styling butter and moisturiser

How?

1. The day before I styled my hair, I prepared for hair for the style. I Co-Washed my hair with Shea Moisture Restorative Conditioner. After that I put my leave in, sealed my hair with EVOO and put my hair into roughly 10 braids to stretch the hair.
2. The following day I took the braids out and lightly sprayed my hair with my Water and Glycerin Mix to make it easier to part the hair and manipulate it.
3. I split my hair into 7 sections as shown in the video. CLICK HERE to be directed to the video.
4. I used my hand held mirror to check my parting and proceeded to cornrow my hair without adding any extra product.
5. With the hair left at the top I Co-Washed it (I was testing out the New TRESemme Natural conditioner - look out for a review soon). I then used my Giovanni Direct Leave-In (CLICK HERE for a review) and sealed the hair with my avocado butter mix.
6. I then twisted a section of my hair (as if I was going to coil it) and then wrapped it around a small perm rod; I used about 10 in total
7. The following day I took down the coils and separated them.

After perm rods have been taken down and separated

Pros:

• No synthetic hair is used. For those of you that are allergic the sythetic hair, you should try this out.
• It did not take me very long. In total, I would say it took me about 2-3 hours. I was just lazy and I did it over the course of two days.
• It's some thing different, I personally never seen anyone with the hairstyle here in London; I have only ever seen this on the internet.
• Easier to to maintain you hair and keep it healthy. You can easily moisturised you hair with this because it is not locked up in hair extensions.
• You can easily change the look. With the hair left out on top you can do a twist out, braid out, bantu-knot out, you and cornrow it or even put them in mini twists. 

Cons:

• The problem with cornrow styles in natural hair is that after a while they can tend to look frizzy due to the nature of out hair. - the best way to combat this is to make sure you sleep with a satin bonnet or pillow case. You can also redo some to of the cornrows to keep them looking fresh.
• It is very difficult to do yourself if you are not so experienced. Good parting is keey to pulling of this look. I kinda failed with this although I do not think it looks THAT bad. 

Will I ever to this style again??

Of course! However I will just go to my hairdresser to get it done! I really would not mind paying £25 to have piece of mind that my hair looks neat at the back.


Miss Naturally Natural
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P.S Reviews coming soon:

• TRESemme Naturals Nourishing Moisture Conditioner;
• Aubery Organincs Glycogen Protein Conditioner;
• Curls Hair Tea Conditioner; and
• Bee Mine Luscious Balanced Cream Moisturiser (Mango Scent)

Review: Giovanni Direct Leave-in Conditioner

SOURCE

So I finally got this delivered about two weeks ago and I really like it! I purchased this for £7.98 from British Curlies.  [Click on the 'SOURCE' underneath the picture to go directly to the website]

It claims to:

• Restore strength, lustre and nourishment to abused hair 
• Moisturises and builds body 
• Detangles for easy comb-out, easy styling 

Ingredients:

Purified Water, Aloe Vera Leaf Juice, Rosemary Leaf Extract, Nettle Extract, Thyme Extract, Maricaria Extract, Clary Leaf Extract, Lavender Extract, Coltsfoot Flower Extract, Yarrow Extract, Equisetum Arvense Extract, Cetyl Alcohol (plant derived), Vitamin E, Pro-Vitamin B5, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Grapefruit Seed, Natural Fragrance

My experience:Pros:

• A little goes a long way this should last me about 2- 3 months 
• It gives the hair a lot of slip; it's great for detangling 
• It mixes well with other products, such as butters and gels as opposed to the Cantu Shea Butter Repair cream that used to be my staple.
• It is an all natural product

Cons:

• I do not like the bottle it comes in. As i had mentioned earlier a little goes a long way and I have found too much product comes out at once.

Solving this problem was easy, I poured the product into the Hello Hydration Intense mask that I have just finished. Now I can get as little or as much product as I need. [as shown on the right]

The Verdict 

All in all, I am happy with this conditioner as it is organic and really moisturising. I do not think that this product has that much hold on my hair, so I am on the look out for a leave-in that can also double up as a styling cream (if that is even possible).

What are your experiences with Giovanni Leave-in Conditioner?

Miss Naturally Natural

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Glycerin = Moisture, Moisture + More Moisture!!

Hello ladies!!

This is my new love!! I wish I got on this earlier!!!

Read The Natural Haven for a break down on why Glycerin can be moisturising for your hair. Be sure to read the comments to the article too! JC answers some of the reader's questions which was very useful.

One thing that stops me from purchasing new products, its the fact that I may be come a 'Product Junkie', and I'm not about to spend money on these expensive hair products only for me to just use it once!

My Mixing Ratio's 

I have started off with one part Glycerin to three parts water in a spray bottle.
As advised on The Natural Haven, this should be your starting point, and you can add more water if that is what your hair requires.

Pros:

• It leaves my hair soft and moisturised!
• It's cheap
• It is water soluble as opposed to oils.
• I do not have to spray/moisturise my hair once a day. Only every 2-3 days. Or as needed.
• I think it's a great braid spray to keep my hair moisturised under the synthetic hair.
• Easy to wash out; it does not stick to the hair 

Cons:

• Another reason why I will not spray may hair so often other than the fact that a little goes a long way (as far as my hair is concerned), is that I feel that too much will leave a film on my hair which actually dry out my hair in the end. - BUT the build up can be easily washed off.
• Many say that glycerine dries out their hair during the winter season because of the lack of moisture in the air. Oyin of Oyin Handmade products, suggest steaming the hair. Read this article about Glycerin and Winter hair care.
• Similarly, because Glycerin is a humectant (a substance that draws in moisture), your hair style may frizz up considerably in humid conditions.

Personally, the Pros outweigh the Cons.

By the way, if you live in the UK, you can find this in Boots near the cough medicine section.

Have you ever tried or considered using the Glycerin/water mix??? Let us know =)

Miss Naturally Natural 

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Versatile Blogger Award!

Hello ladies! This tag/award is actually well overdue so apologies! =)

Thank you Rebecca of A Window of Thoughts! Please check out her page!

Award Rules

1. Nominate fellow bloggers
2. Inform the bloggers of their nomination 
3. Share 7 random things about yourself
4. Thank the blogger that nominated you
5. Add the Versatile Blogger Award to your blog post

7 Random things about me

1. Hardly anyone knows that I blog 
2. Even though I studied Accounting, I have a keen interest in media 
3. Red is my favourite colour
4. I did not have the best university experience, in fact I hated it =/
5. I can be really socially awkward!
6. I buckle under pressure
7. I'm about 5'10! Finding trousers that are long enough or long sleeve tops that fit is-a-PROBLEM!  

I Nominate:

Black Bold Voice

Bonie Afton of The Culture Pine 

Kami E of Broke Wanna Be-Fashionista 

Protective style #1 : Sew-In Weave

SOURCE

I stayed with this style for 6 weeks

This was my first ever weave and I must say, I quite enjoyed it! =)

I was inspired my fashion idol, Rihanna

<<<<< >>>>>

What was used:

• Premium now (8 Inches)
• Straighteners
• IC Fantasia Hair polisher
• Spray bottle with water and conditioner of your choice

Pro's and Cons

The Pros:

• It was nice to have short hair for a while, straight hair at that
• It was a new look and it was easy to maintain the weave

The Cons:

• It might be because this was my first weave, but I had a lot of difficulty finding and removing the thread to the weave.
• It was very difficult and time consuming to look after my hair underneath the weave. (washing, conditioning, moisturising, etc.. ) 

Will I ever do this style again?

As much as I loved the style, I do not think I will be doing another weave for some time to come. The next time I get a sew-in, I might opt for the a bob with a side fringe.

*Thought Provoking Images* & Rant!

GREED;

One of the Seven Deadly Sins "also known as Avarice or Covetousness, is, just like lust and gluttony, a sin of excess. However, Greed (as seen by the church) is applied to a very excessive or rapacious desire and pursuit for wealth, status and power."

[...]

"'Avarice' is more of a blanket term that describe many other example of Greed. These include, disloyalty, deliberate betrayal, or treason, especially for personal gain, for example through bribery."

[...]

As defined outside Christian writings, greed is an inordinate desire to acquire or possess more than one's needs especially with respects to material wealth."

Source: Wikipedia - Seven Deadly Sins

One of my best friends is doing an Animation degree in Malaysia, and we were brainstorming some ideas [over Skype] for his next project. [Click here for his Vimeo page]

 To cut a long story short, we wanted the informercial to be about some of the World's issues and came across the following photos which I think are really moving and inspiring! Don't know if it will be of any interest to you guys but I really wanted to share them! =)

The image on the right, hit home for me because oil has recently been found in Kenya, where I am from. I must say, I was not impressed in the slightest because this was literally the image that popped out in my head when I had heard the news.

It annoys me because the Western world goes and take the resources and leave them with nothing! Most likely, they will not even use the local for work, and if they do they will be paid peanuts! So at the end of the day Kenya will not even profit that much from increased employment.

I just wish that our politicians could resist the power of bribery and say no to the invaders! They are just as much to blame as those who come and take our resources! We should take a leaf out of north african countries such as Libia where each and every citizen profits from their oil, would you believe? I was actually amazed when my mother told me this. Their citizens actually receive the profits from the oil from their country!! Amazing! That's how Kenya should be, instead of being raped, so to speak, by the western part of the world!

Consumerism 

All these images speak for themselves really =)

Here is a very interesting clip that talks about these issues in a quite an innovative way:
Coalition of the Willing

Showing a supposedly Eco-friendly car

Food for thought right???

Miss Naturally Natural 

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Bantu Knot-Out + My First Tutorial!

This style is best done in the evening so that it can dry overnight.
This is just how I do MY hair, I'm still learning so it may change over time.

See below for video on how I styled it!

Products + Tools:

• Vitale Olive Oil Moisturising Shampoo
• Hello Hydration Deep Moisturising Mask
• Vatika Oil 
• Castor Oil
• Raw Shea Butter (shea butter mix)
• Cantu Shea Butter Leave-In Conditioning Repair Cream
• Denman Brush - detangling tool 
• Fine-Tooth Comb- Smoothing tool
• Hair Clips 
• Heat Cap
• Plastic cap

TIP: Always keep your hair sheers nearby so that you can cut off any knots.

Step one:

Drench hair with water and split hair into 4 sections and hold with clips.

Step two:

Apply shampoo to each section ONCE and wash out.

(We want the hair clean but not completely stripped)

Step three: 

Within each 1/4 of your hair, split it up and into four,

apply Hello Hydration mask as well as the Vatika Oil  to each section

detangle and twist.
Repeat the process for the whole head and put a plastic cap on

Step four:

Heat the heat cap in the microwave (make sure you read the instructions for you heat cap)

and put on the head for about 30 mins (that's what they say on the instruction but it stayed on a little longer because I got distracted)

Step five:

Rinse the product out, maintaing the twists you had made to prevent tangles.

Step Six:

Spilt twist in to two, and hold one side of the twist with a clip.

apply the Cantu Shea Butter Leave-In and seal with shea butter mix.
Twist up that section and twist around itself to create a bantu knot.

Repeat the process for the the entire head.

Put you satin bonnet/scarf and let it dry over night.

Step Seven: 
When styling the following morning, apply oil of choice to the tips of your fingers, I use my shea butter mix, and gently unravel the bantu and twists. [SEE BELOW]

Step Eight: 
Separate as desired and... VOILA!  Gorgeous curly hair that should last you a minimum of 4-5 days...
As long as you keep your hand out of you hair and sleep with a satin bonnet/ scarf and/or satin pillow case.

What is your go to style ladies?

Miss Naturally Natural 

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Healthy Hair Practices for 2012!

Soooo... It has been just over two years since my last relaxer and currently I only have 5 inches of healthy hair (healthy-ish; I still have some heat damaged ends to grow out)

I seriously have to do better... I should be growing that length within one year! *smh*

So here is what I'm going to do to achieve longer, HEALTHY (health being the most important thing) hair:

• One month in: One month out. For one month I will have my hair out and the following month I will have to put my hair in a protective style. My protective style of choice is Kinky Twist. I love them because I'm able to moisturise and the my natural hair blends in with it.
•  Continue to take my Cod Liver Oil plus A-Z Mulitvitamins . It's one capsule a day and it contains a small amount of biotin. Biotin is well known for helping with growing hair and nails fasters and stronger. 
•  Maintain a healthy diet and exercise regularly - . I also need to be getting 20 minute of cardio workout per day, doctors have proved that this can help release hormones to make you feel better if you have been down in the dumps or stressed =)
• Need to drink at least two liters of water a day - This will come with time, I'm finding it hard to drink just a litre a day. 
•  To be consistent with my hair routine.
• Limit wash-and-goes to emergencies [i.e when nothing else is working with style hair. haha! =P ], because I get loads of knots from this hair style, plus the shrinkage get annoying!

I haven't been documenting my progress before now but I will be giving you updates monthly.

Starting from now, 5th of March =)

In case your wondering,
The top is from Primark and the Skirt is from H&M

My beloved kinky twists! It is my go-to protective style! Love it!! =)

What will you be doing with your hair for the following year?? 

Write down below so we all can share ideas! Whether you're relaxed or natural =)

Miss Naturally Natural 

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My Wish List

***I do not own any of these photos***

***I have linked  some of the items down below, just click on the name and a new page will come up***

Mac Lipstick in Rebel

This will be my first Mac lipstick. I usually only wear make up when I'm going out with friends, but on a day to day basis I wear lipgloss. I have been looking for a dark-ish lip stick to add to my mini collection of make-up and I've found it!
PURCHASED! - BY FAR MY FAVOURITE COLOUR! SINCE THEN I HAVE PURCHASED TWO MORE COLOURS FROM MAC

A Shopper basket from Zara 

I haven't actually got a classic, timeless black bag, and this is the ONE. This is a must-have. I usually go for browns when it comes to bags. But I want a black, sophisticated bag that I can wear with almost anything.
THIS BAG GOT WAY TO POPULAR FOR MY LIKING - SO I OPTED FOR THE BLACK BOWLER BAG WHICH I LOVE!

FufiFilm x550 er

It's not Cannon or a Nikon obviously but to be honest I do not see myself spending large amounts of money on ONE gadget that I will not use THAT MUCH. If I do get into photography then it would make sense but until then, I want a relatively cheap camera that produces high quality images. This has had loads of great reviews and it's about £150 - £200.

[look out for a review on this camera.=) ]

A Mac from Next

It's a bit on the pricy side, but I really do not want the one that I see most people with from H&M. I love how the lining contrasts with the rest of the coat. Next generally produces high quality clothes so I'm looking forward to adding this to my wardrobe. [Plus I need a coat to go to interviews with]

Mac's Brow Finisher

As mentioned before, I'm not really into applying make up, but I do think that having nice eyebrows can really do a lot for your face especially if you're not wearing make up. The Brow Finisher lays down the hairs in the way that you want.
DO NOT THINK I WILL BE GETTING THIS ANY MORE  - IT SEEMS RATHER UNNECESSARY 

Skirt from Zara

So summer is coming and I'm looking forward to bringing out the maxi dresses and sunnies =)

I haven't actually got a maxi skirt and I'm in looooove with this... It's your typical sheer maxi skirt with a twist. It has slits on the sides and I already know how I'm going to wear this =)

The Science of Black Hair

If you have read my last post, you should be able to tell that I'm into hair care especially the science bit of it. It's a highly recommended book, and I cant wait to go get into it and reference it in future posts.
PURCHASED!

double sided mirror with lights

PURCHASED! It's a double sided mirror without the the lights! I bought it from eBay

African Black Soap 

I do not own foundation because I feel that there must be a way to achieve, smooth and glowing skin without the used make up. I'm still trying to figure out what skin type I am. I have heard a lot about this soap and cannot wait to try it out. I will post a review on this soap in the next few weeks =)

Stripy Rucksack 

 I saw this bag in January retailing for exactly £10's more that it is now, you can imagine how happy I was to find that its cheaper now AND and can still get a student discount on it *yaaay*
PURCHASED!

Studded Loafers

I love my flats, but what usually happens is that I get used to one and then continue to use them until they are literally at breaking point lol. 

But things have changed and I am trying to build on my flats collection. Apparently I can find these in Topshop but I will have a look and update.
I GAVE UP ON THESE - TOPSHOP DISCONTINUED THEM IN THIS COLOUR

What do you like from the wish list??

Miss Naturally Natural

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First Blog Post!

Greetings Naturals! =)


I have been meaning to start a blog to share my natural hair experiences for a while now and I have finally done it! I feel as though I have a lot to share with the world and I think it will all start from here!


So here's a bit of my natural hair story:

• I had my last relaxer in 2010, towards the end of February [nearly two years relaxer free! *yay*]
• Big Chopped in May 2011 after transitioning for about 
• Inspired to go Natural after trying to find the Good Hair film on youtube and I had accidently came across natural you-tubers! Seeing these natural women showed me that there are ways you can rock your natural hair with confidence and style.
• Not long after big chopped I coloured by hair 
• I was a bride's maid soon after that and they insisted I 'do something with my hair' [how rude] ... So I straightened my hair by a method known as "Blow-dry Chioma" in Kenya, and the hairdresser basically blew my hair out until it smelt!!! I didn't say anything because to be polite. Long story short: I washed my hair about a week after wards and there was a horrible stench of burnt hair ='( . ANYWAYS I was convinced that I could 'heal' my damaged tresses until about 6 months later [yesterday] when trimmed most of the damage off.

This blog will primarily be about my natural hair journey experiences but I will also include other things that interest me, certain literature, fashion, as well as my life experiences.


Hope you enjoy!!! Look out for weekly updates!


Looking forward to hearing your views and opinions =)




Miss Naturally Natural
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