Sandeey is Naturally Glamorous

The first prize winner of my giveaway, the beautiful, Sandeey!!

Here's my interview with her.

Enjoy!

And then check her out on her blog!

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Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’m Sandeey and I am from Nigeria. I currently study in Oxford, United Kingdom.


How, when and why did you decide to start embracing your curls?
I was tired of relaxers and my edges were thinning. So a friend of mine convinced me to grow out my natural hair. I hesitated at first but when I researched and began transitioning, I felt good about my decision.


Did you ever feel insecure about your hair?
At my TWA stage, I was not confident about going out with my hair in public. This was mostly because I had always had long hair and did not know how people would see it. Also, at the time, most people I knew were not even dreaming of having natural hair. It took words of encouragement from my boyfriend at the time (husband now) for me to rock my hair.


What is your daily regimen (including your night-time routine)?
I use African Pride Shea Butter Miracle Leave in conditioner and/or SheaMoisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie, followed by Coconut oil. At night, I apply same but this is only when re-twisting for a twist out the next day.

What are your go-to hairstyles, which is your fav. and how do you achieve it?
I love braid-outs/twist-outs and also, the simple bun. I don’t think this needs much explanation. They’re probably the most basic styles a natural would know.


What are your must-have hair accessories and tools?
I cannot do without my tangle teezer-like brush, bristle brush, hair bands and hair-pins!


How do you deal with hair issues such as: breakage, shrinkage, length
retention and moisture?
I make sure my hair is always moisturized. I must confess that since day one of being natural, my hair breaks when styling. It’s a wonder how I have managed to retain length. Most of what comes out is shed hair but I notice the shorter hair, which I know is broken hair. From time to time, I trim my hair when I feel the ends are split. I also try to ensure my hair is moisturized all the time. This is a task for me because my hair seems to swallow and hide every product I apply. 

What products do you currently use, and how are they working for you?
Coconut Oil, Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Conditioner, Nature’s Gentle Touch Deep Conditioner, Shea Butter, African Pride Shea Butter Miracle Leave in Conditioner, Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie, V05 heat protect styling spray, Herbal Essences Beautiful Ends, Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Masque

These products work for me and I will stick to them…for now. I love trying new products.


Hand-In-Hair syndrome an issue I have now only that....it's not my hand. Do you have this issue? Do people ask before touching your hair
or they just randomly reach out and touch (or grab) it? How does this make you feel? What is your reaction to this?

I no longer have hand-in-hair syndrome. I noticed that I have stopped wanting to play around with my hair at random times. People usually ask before touching my hair and I have no problem with that. I have problems with those who don’t ask and who touch it roughly oblivious to the fact that it took hours to get the style ready!!!! I usually voice out my anger.

What do you love the most about being naturally curly?

I love the fact that I can change my hairstyle daily and also, no need for salons!


Any advice for the natural teens, parents, kids and grandparents?

The best advice I guess is to be confident and treat your hair very gently. Natural hair is beautiful no matter what texture.


Any upcoming projects?

I see a natural hair salon in my future…

Where can we find you online?

You can find me on instagram @hairoflife

My blog address is: Hair of Life 

Also, my email address is hairoflife@gmail.com

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So, people, GO CHECK OUT SANDEEY!!

Featured: My Giveaway Winner - Sandra of HairOfLife

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Below, is a post I'm featuring on here that was written by the beautiful, Sandra (Sandeey) of HairOfLife.

Y'all know I'm not big on heat and I haven't used heat on my hair in almost 3 years now. However, I am not going to say that heat is bad and a 100% no-no. If you take care of your hair properly, heat won't damage it.

Wanna know why I quit using heat?

1. I heat damaged my hair when I started transitioning and was trying to blend in textures

2. I felt that to recover well from the damage while growing out, I needed to avoid heat

3. I just wanted to know what my real texture was like 24/7 because I didn't remember what it looked like

4. I'm just too lazy to blow out or straighten my hair properly!

Anyways, here's Sandra's article. And by the way, her hair reverted back to being curly, just so you know

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Hey World,

I bought the Air Styler! I couldn’t wait to try it so I made my first attempt at a blow out! I’m happy with the results. I will let the pics explain:

Last pic shows that the fun is over! All twisted up for bed.

Now I shall wait and ensure that there was no heat damage. Fingers crossed!!!

Always me,
Sandeey

@hairoflife on Instagram. The news gets there first!

Oh. One more pic!

Natural in Nigeria

Written exclusively for this blog by Sandra (aka Sandeey) of Hair of Life

You know you are natural in Nigeria when you are expected to relax your hair on your wedding day.

Natural in Nigeria means that your hair is everybody's business and they can make their comments as they please.

That day when you hear "I prefer your hairstyle today to the one of yesterday", you are definitely natural in Nigeria.

I could go on and on but I'm sure you get the point. It may be the same in other countries but since my natural experience has been in Nigeria, this is a bit of what being natural in Nigeria means to me. I'm not saying those things are negative because I'm used to all that. I think people do what they do because they aren't really used to seeing ladies wearing their hair in its natural state. 

For me, there are pros and cons of being natural in Nigeria. 

Some Pros:

I feel like a superstar when my hair makes me stand out from the crowd.

I feel so proud when people big chop after seeing my kinky hair.

I don't have to go into any hair salon and battle with them about the fragile nature of kinky hair when they attempt to make the hair "manageable" by combing rigorously and using a blow drier set at a temperature that competes with molten lava.

Shea Butter and Black Soap are cheap and found everywhere!

No winter to force me into a protective styling frenzy.

Lovely humid weather keeps the moisture in my hair.

The water that runs out of my tap isn't hard!

Some Cons:

When that beautiful humid weather makes your hair swell up.

I still haven't seen a salon that caters to natural hair the way I'd like (maybe I haven't searched well). I heard there are some in Lagos...but what do I know? I'm in Abuja!

Having conversations/arguments about how black women cannot have waist length hair.

Watching YouTube and being unable to find most products used and recommended by other naturals.

Actually finding those products at triple the original price!

Well, I find it easy being natural in Nigeria, as the cons all have solutions!

When the weather is humid, protective styling is key.

When you can't find a natural hair salon, be your own hair stylist.

When you don't want conversations on length of hair, just nod and walk away.

When you can't find the products that are sold abroad, substitute with what you can find in Nigeria.

This is how I cope:

Nature's Gentle Touch Deep Conditioner and Leave in Conditioner (found almost everywhere) 

Beauty Formulas Intensive Deep Conditioning Treatment Wax (can easily be found)

Coconut oil, wonderfully made for me by a lady called Fatimah (she's a phone call away!)

Shea Butter and Black Soap from the market

Many products can be gotten through Natural Nigerian's website as well: naturalnigerian.com/ahia-natural-nigerian-marketplace/

Also, I receive hair products as gifts from friends and family abroad. Instead of asking for shoes or bags...I ask for hair products  :) 

I guess it all boils down to finding what works for your hair, whether its a popular product among naturals or not. 

If you are natural in Nigeria or want to be, keep one thing in mind: Your hair is yours and yours alone, so please yourself and not everyone else.  

I love my country! 

Always me,

Sandeey.

@hairoflife

Hairoflife.wordpress.com