Relearning to love black hair

Black hair has long been a hot topic, and has personally been a love and hate relationship for me. Firstly because I have found mine so difficult to maintain – probably because I had not been introduced to the right products and had not taken the time to understand what works and doesn’t work for my hair. This is still under construction though. As I’ve taken a break from weaves – I ‘m on a journey of relearning to love my black hair. It’s been fun and a host of the people who have seen me – have showered me with compliments. I’ve realized with the right products, attention and care – it’s not as unmanageable as I thought. It also boils down to how creative you are with it as well. I have now chosen to not take my hair too seriously and have fun with it. Today I’ve used extensions to achieve this braided cornrow look. I am becoming quite the fan of this look - last time I had two plaited lines today their four. Thanks to my hairdresser for hooking me up.

DIY Denim

I love experiments and this one was really fun for me. I loved ripping apart my jeans when I was still in high school so this took me back to that time and to be honest I have no regrets. Seeing as summer’s here I decided to reinvent two of my jackets and make them appropriate for these hot summer days. All I needed was scissors in hand – and what was old is now new. To reinvent my old denim pieces I just removed the sleeves and that was it. I’m so in love with it because it’s simple – easy and quick. The bonus is I can rock these jackets with just about anything from a basic tee to dresses – the choices are endless.

Sleeveless Jacket

6 other ways to reinvent your denim jackets

1 Add studs using glue

2. Glue flowers onto the collar of your jacket

3. Add tassels at the bottom edge of the jacket for bohemian chic

4. Bleach your denim jacket for a cool effect

5. Spray paint the back with a bold statement

6 Choose a design and let your embroidery work speak for itself.

Before

After 

Nescafe Coffee Q&A

I think most of you are familiar with my coffee obsession – It’s the exact dose of goodness, a busy ambitious woman like me needs to get through the day – for some reason coffee or should I say caffeine gets  me and what my short little self needs. I’ve been following Nescafe for a minute now and as I was browsing through one of my favourite magazines – Destiny – for the business girl within I came across Nico Panagio’s Nescafe’s Q & A and I wanted in on the fun too. These are my responses to the 5 questions – Nescafe should put a Zimbabwean girl like me in there too – everyday girls who wake up with a caffeine agenda to get us through the day.

So do you drink coffee, and if so how do you take it?

Ummm, hello – I wrote a whole intro on it. Of course, I do. It’s no secret. I take it with lots of milk and not too much sugar....

With so many influences around you, how do you stay true to yourself?

I have always been different so going against the grain isn’t anything new to me. I’m not phased by the influences because I believe I am an influencer myself – I prefer calling the shots – and telling people what to do – in a positive way that is – that alone keeps me sane and because it’s so me it’s not difficult to stay true to who I am. It could be easy to shrink back to make others more comfortable but I can’t – that’s just me.

What keeps you inspired?

The knowledge that I am a winner and as long as I keep the end goal in mind – I may not have everything I would like right now but if I keep at it I will. You can get to the destination but there’s loads along the way you can learn from and need to keep you sane and keep you inspired even when all you have is a dream.

How would you define your of style?

I used to have quite the rebellious style but over time I’ve matured with my looks – I still love to have fun with how I look and I try to bring that out as often as possible. I’ve always loved dressing up so everyone around me knows it’s on when the occasions call for it – that’s when I bring out my show stopping looks. I can’t put my style in a box – it would just be an injustice in itself –I’m open to trying out different things.

What would you say it all starts with?

It starts with a knowledge of self – that’s when your passions and convictions come to play and nobody will be able to stop you....

DIY Hot Oil Treatment

As I said a few posts back I am experimenting with a number of new things – until the end of the year. That means actually going out of my way to do as many things as possible on my own. When I got my hands on Ultimate Organic Therapy Tea Tree Stimulating Growth Oil I was excited to try it out. In fact I always get excited when I get to try out new stuff. This oil promises to restore moisture & relieve a dry flaky scalp. Trust me, there hasn’t been a flake in my hair for a while now – progress at last – I‘ve struggled with dandruff in the past. My hair has never felt so healthy and I am proud of it. Although, I ‘m not really a big fan of the scent of the tea tree oil - I find it quite overpowering and lacking that sweetness I often gravitate towards. It however has a number of benefits and that outweighs the only negative I’ve pinned on it.
Here are the steps I took to oil treat my hair at home.

1. Fill a small amount of oil in a jar
2. Place the jar into a pot boiling water – please note don’t let the oil boil. Just let it warm up and              that’s good enough
3. Shampoo hair
4. Apply warm oil to your hair and massage from roots to ends
5. Place shower cap over head and sit it out for 20 – 30 mins
6. Rinse out
7. Apply conditioner – follow conditioner instructions
8. Rinse off
9. Blow dry hair apply a small amount of moisturizer
10. Style and go

PS. I opted for a bun........

First time twists

If I have to be honest this was my first time – an attempt at twisting my own hair. For this experiment I used the yummy, delicious looking Aunt Jackie's Curl La La defining curl custard which was hydrating and moisturizing to my hair. Enriched with Shea butter and my favourite Olive oil. The products made it easier to shape and control my twists.  Looking at this product the possibilities are endless for anyone with curls coils, braid outs. I did terribly at twisting my hair though – the front came out alright but the back of the head – now that’s a new article all together. Have you had some hair experiment disasters – share with me and let me know so we can all laugh together?

Here’s a sample of my twisting skills – ha-ha I’m going to get there soon.

Youthful

I’ve been feeling very young (not that I’m that old – but you know what I mean) and carefree of late perhaps it’s got something to do with being 25 now – I’m not quite sure but whatever it is – it feels good to wake up with songs in my heart and just go about enjoying life and doing things you haven’t done in a while or for the first time. I recently tried ice skating (after about two falls I finally got the hang of it and I will be out on the ice again soon), have been playing around with my natural hair and learning to do basically everything on my own from trying out new recipes, at home pamper sessions- plus - I’m back to swimming again which is great. Doing this has also had an influence on my style of late cue the two braided cornrows in my head and rocking this metallic dress with black and white kicks has me vibing on a different level. I’m branching out this year and literally I’m going to try just about everything I possibly can. Keep reading the blog and comment on what you would like to see me post on.

Thanks for passing by

Love you lots

The hair protein treatment you should try

Afro Botanics repairing and strengthening treatment is a miracle formula in a container. After trying out this product I really appreciated my black hair so I just had to share it with you. After a basic wash I applied the product generously to my hair put a cap on and left it to soak in for an hour. Looking at the black container you might think it’s not much or this is just another hair product but it does throw some really good punches. When washed out my hair was easier to comb out – there was evidently less hair breakage. The protein treatment is enriched with a dose of lovely ingredients such as castor oil, coconut oil and shear butter which is great for black hair. I give it a thumbs up for strengthening my hair – leaving it looking healthy and for maintaining protein moisture balance which is key for good hair. I’ve used this product twice so far and will continue to include it as part of my hair care routine – wouldn’t want my hair to miss out on the boost it needs to stay healthy.

Bonus: Suitable for all hair types

Strengthens and repairs hair against damage caused by relaxing, colouring, blow-drying, dry weather conditions and swimming

Recommended use – at least once a month 

How to clean your makeup brushes

What you need?

Mild Shampoo

Lukewarm water

Dirty makeup brushes

Any girl who uses makeup brushes needs to ensure that their brushes are cleaned frequently. It’s not really something fun to do but it’s worth it because it saves your skin from any damage. Let’s not even start on how much dirt and bacteria collect on your brushes over time. The damage to your skin especially if you have sensitive skin or prone to acne is real. Save yourself the drama and just ensure you make this a norm in your beauty routine. Swish your brushes in lukewarm water one at at time. Put a little bit of shampoo in the palm of your hand swirl your brushes in shampoo- the makeup and dirt will start to come off. Rinse off and repeat steps till there’s no longer makeup or dirt residue. After two to 3 steps rinse the brush under running water all traces of makeup or dirt should be removed and the water should remain clear as an indicator that the brushes are completely cleaned through. Lay flat to dry. What are you waiting for? Get to washing 

Tribal Chic

A few weeks back I attended one of my favourite local urban culture festivals, Shoko festival. I love Shoko mainly because of the creative atmosphere and good people. You can eat, dance, take pictures and shop all in one place. Plus I love bumping into a ton of creatives who I can draw from and exchange ideas with. It’s also a great place to scout what people are wearing lately. Most festival goers are expressive and aren't afraid to stand out which is tops for me. I just love that! this time around I went for a tribal chic look, with my two braided cornrows, high waist Aztec maxi skirt with a pink crop top, purple tribal necklace, and black sandals. Hope you enjoy the look as much as I did. Feel free to share with me in the comments what your favourite festival look is.

This detangler is to die for

This detangler is to die for; seriously it’s to die for. Never met a product that impressed me more than this one, no lie. Truth is I dread knots in my hair, after I remove whatever plaits I have I seriously sit down and think about my life – cause of the pain I am just about to go through, untangling knots on course hair can be a pain – one of the many unpleasant experiences us ladies go through – makes you just want to cut your hair but no; some of us just want that extra length and that‘s the price we pay for beauty. I recently got this Aunt Jackie’s Curls & Coils knot on my watch Instant detangling therapy product and I’m truly in love. It was instant – I didn’t have to fight my hair and after applying product the comb just glided through – my hair was extremely soft – tangle and knot free. Every girls dream is sealed in that bottle – I highly recommend. It’s so good I trust it will work on every one from kinky to thin hair – if you have a knot this product is guaranteed to get it out. Plus it restores moisture balance which is a plus. Please try it out and let me know what you think. 

Straight after removing plaits not a pretty site 

The results smooth and soft 

The results knot and tangle free

DIY Pedi pamper sessions

I loved grooming school when I was still a teenager – I learnt so much but somewhere along the way I just got tired of doing all the work on my own – so I’ve been balling on a budget besides my regular nail treatments pedi’s are somewhat a luxury for me. I decided to pamper myself and actually soak my feet in a foot dish with a nice calming lavender soak and treated myself to a good foot care regime for the next 1 hour. Let me take you through the steps so you can do your own DIY Pedi session.

Grab a book/ put on a good movie.

Remove any nail polish if you have any.

Fill a foot spa or foot dish with warm water and add some foot soak to it – if you don’t have foot soak alternatives can be shower gel/bubble bath.

Make your own foot scrub with mealie meal/ have an actual store bought scrub at hand.

Place feet in foot spa – sit back and leave to soak for 10-15 minutes.

Rub scrub on feet and exfoliate.

Wash off scrub and dry feet.

File feet with a foot file to remove dead skin.

Wash feet and dry.

Apply foot cream/lotion.

Push back cuticles and apply cuticle oil.

Apply base coat/nail strengthener

Finish with a nail colour of your choice plus a top coat.

The daily moisturiser for best hair

I will have to admit it’s only now that I am coming to really love and appreciate my hair – previously I just thought black hair was an unnecessarily evil that had to be dealt with and done away with at all costs – mainly because it’s so difficult to manage and it’s hard to find the right balanced of products that work for hair that can at times shrink, break, get Sahara desert dry and flake but now the more I expose myself to what’s out there and reach out to other blogs were I get to see what other women who are just like me go through – I’m enjoying the journey. Well, enough about me; let’s get into Afro Botanics conditioning moisturiser – which boasts 99% natural ingredients – (yay to products that care about what’s going into our hair) enriched with Aloe Vera, Coconut oil and Vitamin E – this moisturiser takes the cup-. Very few can compete – how many products do you get in contact with that boast 99% natural ingredients. This product was definitely made with TLC in mind – it ticks a number of boxes – from being extremely hydrating, softens hair, detangles dry hair, moisturises, conditions – hello somebody, what’s not to love? Well, it only falls short for me when it comes to shine – it doesn’t give the shine I desire – the pros however do outweigh this one thing. It’s also good to know that it also protects against UV and heat styling.

Let me know if you’ve tried it- are using or it or when you do try it?

Wash and go products that work

Renewing Argan oil of Morocco sounds exotic so I just had to try it. It definitely feels exotic too.  The shampoo and conditioner is a unique, blend of Argan oil of Morocco and instantly penetrates the hair shaft creating soft, seductive, silky hair. I really loved how the product smelt – it had none of that hard harsh chemical based shampoo smell which is the norm with a number of shampoos on the market. These ones however, had a sweet, light natural scent to it and I love how the shampoo really lathers up when applied to the hair – making my hair feel softer and cleaner with each stroke. The conditioner which I left on for 3 minutes was gentle and soft on the hair making the hair easier to manage after being washed out. My hair definitely felt softer and stronger during and after use and was ready to be styled straight after. I love simple luxurious products with the right blend of oils that delivers exactly what my hair needs. I always say this good effective shampoo and conditioner should be your two best friends – I know they are mine. Wash and go products set the foundation for good strong hair. 

After wash

Blow dried and ready to go

Sweet smelling hair products a go-to

What’s in it?

Mango butter contains high levels of antioxidants and beneficial vitamin A, C and E

Marula Oil - light textured oil for the treatment of dry rough and fragile hair

Lemongrass for protecting and strengthening of weak hair 

I love it when a product smells good and this one does just that. There can be some nasty smelling stuff out there. I just fell in love with this Nubian Nature Mango- Citrus Nourish Crème with Marula Oil – sounds exotic right? Well yes, it is! Not only does it treat dry fragile hair it smells extremely citrusy. I wish my hair could just naturally smell this great all the time but it doesn’t so I’m glad this crème discovered me – it’s delish. I also love how when applied to my hair it’s easier to manage and soft.