News

Length?…but I’m African

Posted on: 9th January 2013 by CFYH

‘…but I’m African’,

‘I’m from *insert African country* my hair can’t do that’

‘Can an African woman’s hair grow though’

‘You can’t be fully African, Pelumi’ – (I am by the way!)

‘But you’re lucky, you got that ‘nice’ hair, mines true African hair’

‘I’ve got that village hair’

…All phrases I hear too often.

The question I got today:

‘My goal is to have hair that reaches my mid-back. Is it possible for African hair to grow this long?’

After reading this and pondering on the many things I’ve heard from African women in regards to their hair….no lie my heart sunk. It hurts to know that so many African women (and men) still have the notion that our hair can’t grow or see it as less beautiful in comparison to other races.

First off, of course you can be from Africa and grow long hair. While everyone is genetically different, being African doesn’t automatically nullify you from lovely, healthy, long hair.

We really need to let go of the idea that we are at some disadvantage ‘hairwise’ because of where we come from, its sad & annoying! Continuing to see your hair as a problem will hinder you from seeing the greatness each curl and kink possesses.

Instead of questioning whether your ‘African hair’ can grow, question your haircare practises. As I say time and time again, 9.9/10 your hair is growing, you just fail to see evidence of this because you aren’t doing anything to ensure you retain your length.

This week I happened to have this similar conversation with a lady that’s thinking of going natural. She also asked why her hair isn’t growing. I then pointed out the fact that she retouches her hair why? because of new-growth meaning indeed her hair is growing. So what’s the issue? …Length retention.

7 Ways to improve length retention:

Moisturise & Seal! Ensuring your hair is moisturised & sealed will prevent your hair from being dry & brittle, in other words more susceptible to breakage

Protect your ends! Your ends are your hair’s elders. What do you show the elders in your life? Generally more respect right? lol same with your ends. They are the oldest part of your hair and require more attention, patience and care. When you can, try out styles that require you to tuck away your ends e.g. buns, roll & tuck styles, updo’s…

Low manipulation! Try incorporating hairstyles that require minimal manipulation. Constantly fiddling with your also can effect the length you retain.

Use your hands more! When you can, avoid styling tools such as hard bore bristle brushes and combs. Try finger detangling your hair instead, especially as you’re most likely to be gentler with your hands. You can feel for knots and undo them carefully as opposed to combing through and yanking the knot apart, ripping your hair and most likely causing split ends

Get a fresh trim & get rid of the dead broken ends! Contrary to popular believe trims do NOT make your hair grow but provide help created a healthier state for your hair to thrive in. Hanging on to split ends will cause the split to travel further and further up the hair shaft damaging more hair overtime.

Keep the use of heat minimal! Step away from the blowdryer lol. When you can just let your hair airdry – braid it after a wash a take it out once it’s dry.

Snap it! Without being crazy length obsessed & measuring your hair everyday, keep a record of your hair growth- take pictures. Sometimes it’s hard for us to see the progress our hair has made. However being able to compare pictures will show you just how much your hair is growing.

In addition be realistic, hair grows on average 4-6 inches a YEAR so don’t expect Rapunzel long hair in the space of a month. More importantly though…so don’t forget to enjoy your hair no matter what length it’s at – Appreciate each stage

P.s. My didn’t grow overnight, this is three years worth of growth:

Posted in A Piece of Home, Hair Tips, News | 11 Comments

A Natural Affhair by Laura Asimeng

Posted on: 30th December 2012 by CFYH

Hey Ladies!

A lovely young lady contacted me and asked I take a look at her work. Upon looking, I just had to share with you all a little bit about who she is and her project.

Hi Laura…introduce yourself:

I’m Laura Asimeng, and I love photography– especially photography that goes beyond pretty pictures. In normal life though, I’m an international business and french student

Why did you choose to start this project?

I chose to start because I’ve come to truly appreciate the beauty of natural hair– in this case, the kinks and curls. It’s something that has historically been less appreciated in society to the point that young girls feel ugly with them and can’t wait to straighten them out of their hair, which is sad. So through these beautiful pictures of people that are rocking what God gave them, I hope to give other females inspiration and reaffirm that with this hair, one can be absolutely gorgeous.

What impact do you believe this project will make?

I believe it will give more people the confidence to wear their hair naturally, and admire the resulting beauty! At least that’s what I hope!

What kind of feedback have you received for this project?

Very positive! A male friend even suggested he’s considering going for a “natural female” now, which made me laugh! All the girls involved in the project jumped right on board when I asked them to participate…I mean it’s basically been positive feedback all the way, which is beautiful

Some photos from her project

Click here for more:

Where’s the best place to find you (twitter/blog/fb page?)

Find me: fb page- Elle Kasa Photography
blog: ellekasaartography.tumblr.com
twitter: coming soon! will keep you posted about other platforms

Behind the scenes video footage:

Posted in A Piece of Home, CFYH Features, News | 1 Comment

Hair & Music with Leah Smith

Posted on: 23rd December 2012 by CFYH

There’s a moment that true music lovers cherish when an artist is found that is musically diverse, culturally relevant, visibly accessible, and able to deliver quality music without fail. That moment is reached each time one experiences the sounds of Leah Smith.

Leah Smith is a singer, song writer and musician. She has an amazing voice & amazing hair to go alongside it.

Before we get to the music questions…let’s talk about your hair!

Have you worn your hair natural all your life?

I haven’t been natural my whole life. I had a perm in middle school. When I discovered I was unable to manage the perm, I grew my natural hair back out.

Your hair styles always looks so beautiful, yet effortless…what would you say your go-to hairstyle is?

My go-to hairstyle at the moment is a blow out that I braid at night and let flow during the day. I also do a lot of twists as it is winter and I want to keep my hair moisturised.

Do you have a hair regimen, If so what does it consist of?

My hair regimen is constantly evolving. I wash every 2 weeks or so. I’ll condition every week or so. I love leave-in conditioners after a wash or condition. I’m heavily into moisturising my hair, and I always wrap at night.

Name 3 of your favourite hair products?

Indian Hemp, Argon Oil, Kinky Curly Knot Today Leave-In Conditioner

Now onto music, how would you describe your sound?

Soulful, lyrical, pop

How long have you been singing for?

I’ve been singing since I was 4.

One of your most popular songs is ‘Beautifully Made’, what inspired you to write this song?

I wrote this song for a job I had years ago. When I was a Junior in high school I sang at a character building and science camp each Thursday. As the “entertainment” for the night I was asked to sing material pertinent to the 6th graders who were there each week. I wrote that song for 6th graders because I remembered how tenuous self-esteem issues were in middle school. The song has struck a chord in diverse age groups as well however.

Of all your songs, which did you enjoy writing most?

Hmmm…Probably a song called “Double Trouble”…It’s soon to be released.

You have a new single called ‘Grow Up’. For those that haven’t yet heard the song, what’s this song about?

“Grow Up” is a song I wrote about trying to find my place in the world as an early (now mid) 20-something. It’s my daily anthem and prayer for maturity and purpose.

Can we expect to see you in London any time soon?

There’s nothing in the works yet. One day I hope and pray. I’ve been to London twice and I LOVE the city!

Where can we find you?

My splash page: Leahsmithmusic.com
Twitter Handle: Leahsmithmusic
Facebook: facebook.com/Leahsmithmusic

One of my favourite Leah songs!

Posted in Celebrity Features, CFYH Features, News | 1 Comment

Reader Feature: Zee!

Posted on: 16th December 2012 by CFYH

Today’s feature is with one of the fabulous CFYH reader’s…Zee!

Have you been natural all your life, if not why did you choose to ‘go natural’?

I had my first relaxer when I was about 2 years old. So natural hair is still pretty new to me. Years of relaxers, heat damage from straighteners and just the general lack of knowledge for how to ‘Care For My Hair’ lol, resulted in its vast deterioration.

I decided the only way to reverse this was to start again. This was my main reason for going natural. I had tried in the past but gave up about 6 months in and got a perm because I couldn’t handle two different textures on my head. Transitioning, even though mine wasn’t extremely long, was very difficult for me. I got my last relaxer in January of 2012 and did my Big Chop in September 2012, but decided to cut beyond just the permed ends because I wanted to see what short hair would look like.

How did you feel after cutting your hair off?

I felt … weird, I still feel a little weird, I have never had hair this short before and I was terrified it wouldn’t suit me. Listening to the opinions of those around didn’t really help as most of my friends cannot imagine life without a relaxer lol. For a while I didn’t leave my house but then I asked myself ‘what are you afraid of?’ and suddenly all the answers I had for that question became insignificant. I love it now!!! So glad I did it!!!

How did family & friends react to your decision to go natural?

My dad’s first reaction was ‘what did you do to your hair??? you look like a man’ shortly followed by my brother staring at me and shaking his head in disappointment lol. It was slightly disheartening at first but as I became more accustomed to how my hair worked and products to use it looked a lot better.

Now all my friends and family tell me how much it suits me. I was an avid ‘weave wearer’ in the past, and no doubt I will probably still wear them in the future but I have never gotten more compliments from a hairstyle in my life. Strangers come up to me saying how much they love my hair!

Has being natural changed you at all?

Only in the sense that I don’t feel so obsessed with hair. Don’t get me wrong I have never shown my hair more attention and TLC in my life as I do now, but it’s like the pressure of getting the longest weave that touches my backside, or just the general idea of me trying to look like everyone else has vanished.

Being natural is all about hair health rather than length since shrinkage is a problem we all learn to live with. I’m free of all those burdens that troubled me before. Not so fixated on having ‘perfect’ hair, or being jealous of the mixed raced girl in my class that had long flowing curly hair that rested on her shoulders.

I relied so heavily on weaves in the past and felt like rubbish when I was stripped of it. Those days are long gone! I can truly say I love my hair!

Are you planning on growing your hair out or are you enjoying the short look?

I would love to see where my hair journey takes me! At the moment I am loving this short hair so much that growing it isn’t something I’m too bothered about. Will I re-cut it? who knows. Just going to go with the flow I guess.

Do you have a hair regimen, if so what is it?

My routine is simple. I do a wash and go everyday then apply a thick leave in conditioner. I co-wash weekly and shampoo every other week. Pretty straight forward stuff. Haven’t really experimented with techniques just yet.

3 of your favourite hair products?

Coconut Oil, Cantu Shea Butter Leave in Conditioner, Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Conditioner

What advice would you give anyone thinking of going for the chop?

Be patient and get to know your own hair. Chances are it’s nothing like the hair you see on everybody else’s head. Its unique!

Any words of encouragement?

JUST DO IT! Don’t let what other people have to say about it affect you because at the end of the day the hair is growing out of your head and nobody else’s! And to be honest your only regret will be not having done it earlier.

Posted in CFYH Features, News, Reader Features | 9 Comments

‘Tis the season to be curly…

Posted on: 6th December 2012 by CFYH

Hey ladies!

If you’re on the facebook page you may have already gotten the down low on what this post is about. Well…yesterday, I was raiding through my products cupboard looking to try out something new.

A while back I went to the Curls Unleashed launch and received a bag of goodies, one of which was the Curl Boosting Jelly. I also recently received the Design Essentials Curl Enhancing Mousse.

I’m not a big ‘defined curls’ aka ‘wash & go’ fan but I thought I’d give the products a try. In the past I’ve used Eco styler gel, however there were just too many cons for me to keep using this.

*It took FOREVER and a day to dry

*My hair was super stiff and crunchy…trying to play in it was a myth!

*Trying to use it alongside a leave-in was a night mare

*Once it set I couldn’t style my hair/there was no movement

*Gave me that jeri curl look

*My incidence of fairy knots rose by like 50%

…Should I go on?

For these reasons, let’s just say I was very apprehensive to use the Curl Boosting Jelly.

I tried a bit of the jelly on one section of my hair and it was way too sticky for me, so then I tried the mousse on another section and while it defined curls, I needed something heavier to ensure they stayed that way. Sooo…I applied the mousse and then the jelly and vwah-la *cue the harps* it was the PERFECT combination for my hair.

Once it dried, my hair felt so good! It was soft, it moved and it didn’t feel like I had to apply anything to get it like this. In all I was very impressed!