Tag:

African kinky hair

Needle & Thread Cornrows

by Evenes Ruth Mafupa 6 March 2020

written by Evenes Ruth Mafupa

I have added a bit of spice to the usual needle and thread cornrows so it looks chic and really cute. You know, when you have just finished a job, in this case, a hairstyle, and you tell yourself, “Yeah, this is beautiful.” That’s what I felt when I finished this hairstyle. To tell you that when I started doing the hair, I had only a slight idea on how I was going to do the hair, otherwise the final look, even I was in shock. When I do hair, it is kind of an empty canvas and although I will be having an idea on what to create, the style changes as I go along. And this is what happened here as well.

I did a combination of techniques here to create this protective hairstyle but what I wanted to showcase is the needle & thread technique. I also used good old cornrows and crocheting of synthetic hair onto cornrows and African threading. Wow! that’s quite a combination. Didn’t realise it until I wrote it down. When I posted the video on YouTube, it got quite a good response and some of the comments are requests for me to post more beginner friendly videos of the needle and thread technique. What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Here is the whole process in case you are unable to watch the video.

Are you subscribed yet to my channel? If not, please do. You know what, I will keep asking you to and most importantly, watching my content because that is how I get paid and manage to sustain this blog. So far, it is about R1000 over 3 to 4 months. And that is good because I can pay for hosting the blog among other things. If that could come every month, it would really be great. So, please share my videos, comment and give me a thumbs up if you think I put out content that is beneficial to you. If not, what kind of content do you think will give you more value? Please share in the comments below.

Same time, same place, next week. God bless you big time.

6 March 2020 0 comment

A protective Style on a Budget

by Evenes Ruth Mafupa 18 December 2019

written by Evenes Ruth Mafupa

Hey! Hey! It’s the festive season and our hair, well my hair and a lot of people who have been visiting my Salon in the past days, also goes festive. The colour, the style and everything needs to reflect the season we are in. Right? I know, your budget may not allow for a lot of play when it comes to funky hairstyles and you may be feeling down and out. Well, don’t be. Come out to play. There is a lot that can be done with a limited budget. With just R80 or less, you can create this hairstyle too. If you have the crochet hook and thread of course. If you don’t have a crochet hook, a bobby pin will do as well. I’m not kidding. I did a video tutorial using a bobby pin to do crochet braids some moons back and you may want to watch it. Otherwise, get yourself a crochet hook. It’s not too costly. Get it here.

One million braid

In the video, I used just under 2 packs of Darling hair in colour T30 and that will cost you way less than R80 if you get it yourself from the shops and not from a hair salon. If at a hair salon, prices may vary. That’s also part of where they get their profit from. Sourcing hair for clients. You are going to need a bit of time as well to prepare the hair and do the installation. In total, about 4 hours. But, you’re probably on holiday anyway and that should not be a problem.

So, here is the process. I braided the straight one million Darling braid and then put it in hot water so that it could curl according to the braid. I then dried it and unravelled the braid to release some amazing curls and crocheted the curly hair to my natural hair. Viola. Watch the video. It is very visual and more step by step than I can ever be able to explain.

If I don’t get to writing/blogging again before Christmas, well, Merry Christmas and a blessed 2020 to you. Oh my God, it is already 2020. I remember back in the days in college, when we used to think 2020 is so far ahead and made goals that should be realised by year 2020. Well, it’s here. And I hope you will have a great one. Love you and may God bless you richly. Watch the video. Subscribe if you haven’t already and also leave me a comment. I will greatly appreciate that. Until next time, hugs.

18 December 2019 0 comment

Hair Hairstyles

A real wash n go on type 4 hair

by Evenes Ruth Mafupa 19 October 2017

written by Evenes Ruth Mafupa

wash n go on natural hair

Hey!! I hope you are well. Recently I did a wash and go on my type 4 hair and posted some pictures on Intagram and Facebook. The post got some good engagement and some people were asking how I achieved the wash n go. So I decided to share with you the how part, the products I used and all. Which is not much but still worth sharing.

I started off with a Bentonite treatment on wet hair. Wore a plastic cap and sat under a hooded dryer for some extra heat for about 10 minutes. Not sure if it was necessary to sit under the dryer but that’s what I did because I had no time and I thought, “Let me speed this treatment up a bit” Otherwise, when I do a Bentonite treatment, I normally leave it in for at least 30 minutes. I then rinsed out the treatment and conditioned my hair. I always condition my hair after a Bentonite treatment. I know some say it is not necessary but I just feel my hair needs the conditioner so I give it that.

Just before rinsing out the bentonite clay treatment

After conditioning, my hair was wrapped in those T-shirt towels that NMHair Studio uses to bloat out excess water from the hair. Kind of, in place of a towel. I then applied a leave-in conditioner on my hair whilst wet, liberally. Not even doing section by section. Remember, I didn’t have much time on my hands. I needed to take my brother to Johannesburg Parkstation and I could not afford to be late. And that’s all I did. Nothing more. You see? It was a real wash and go. Not the one that involves a hundred and ten steps to achieve. In this case I was literally going to the Parkstation.

The whole washing scene happened at NMHair Studio, a natural hair salon at Natural Moisture. Here is a list of the products used.

Bentonite clay, Nashe Organics Moisturising conditioner, Nashe Organics leave-in conditioner.

day 4 with my wash n go. Those who know me personally will know that my complexion is not that light though. Blame it on my selfie camera

When I left NMHair Studio, I thought I was going to come back from Jo’burg and do my hair properly. But, when I got back, my hair looked great and the curls were popping popping. So I left it alone. That evening, I lightly spritzed it with my home made spritzer, wore my satin bonnet and went to bed. In the morning, I lightly spritzed again, picked my hair using my fingers and voila, I was ready for the day. This style went all the way up to day 4 and I was actually surprised. If it were not for me wanting things too much and could not wait for another hairstyle, I could have pulled it off a week and some.

My spritzer has water, leave-in conditioner, glycerine and black castor oil. This mix works well especially if shrinkage is the style because it has glycerine. With the humidity that was going on around that time, it was the very best for my hair. Lots of moisture being channeled to my kinks.

Do you also do real wash n go’s or the ones which involve a lot of work? What’s in your spritzer? I would love to know. Maybe I can upgrade mine a bit.

Thanks for reading this far God bless you and yours. Remember to keep smiling, laughing and loving.

day 4 with my wash n go

19 October 2017 5 comments

Hair

Flexi-rod Set On Flat Ironed Hair

by Evenes Ruth Mafupa 28 February 2017

written by Evenes Ruth Mafupa

After about 1 week of wearing my hair straight, I wanted that curly look back. How we get so set in our ways mara. So I set my hair using flexi rods in the front and kept the hair at the back in bantu knots to keep it stretched for the pinned half updo the next day. If you haven’t read the post or seen the video of my flat iron and hair update, please click HERE.

I have not been able to record myself doing stuff at night which is when I flat ironed my hair and also put in the flexi rods because I don’t have sufficient artificial lighting (hides*). I hope that will change really soon so that I can be able to give you tutorials as well on how I do these things. Otherwise, I hope you are going to enjoy my styling tutorial and don’t forget to like, subscribe and comment on my video.

This was also a result of flat ironed hair that was kept in flat twists under a wig for a week. Seems like I hardly wore my hair straight after flat ironing it.

Much love and peace. Smile when you read this. Or laugh even. Laugh at nothing in particular even. Loving someone even if you think they don’t deserve it will do YOU a lot of good. Keep loving. God bless.

28 February 2017 0 comment

Hair Videos

2017 Hair Update + Length Check

by Evenes Ruth Mafupa 10 February 2017

written by Evenes Ruth Mafupa

Hey hey! I hope you are well. As per tradition, I normally do a hair update every beginning of the year, normally in Jan but this year started off way too busy than I could handle and so here is my hair update.

It’s somewhat disappointing, I did not retain any length whatsoever. Remember when I did the finger detangling challenge, African Black castor oil review, I said I had not retained any length at all and it looks like throughout 2016. my hair did not do very well.

The main problem I think is the massive battle that I have been fighting against dandruff. Although it looks like I’m kind of winning right now, the battle is not won yet. You guys, the struggle is real. Those who suffer from severe dandruff know what I mean. As if the hair loss caused by dandruff is not enough, one of the medications prescribed to me by my GP has one of the side effects as hair loss. Can you imagine? So my hair shed a lot in 2016, like post partum shedding all over again when I was thinking that’s gone. N’ways, that’s life hey?

I was studying again last year and had exams in May and November. With studying comes sleepless nights. So I think lack of adequate sleep contributed as well to my hair loss until my ends are not as thick as they used to be early 2016. I’m not sure I will study this year. At least I managed to finish all the CIPS level 4 modules. So I can take some rest this year and do something else with this life. Maybe I will start studying level 5 but I don’t think I will write exams this year. No.

I straightened my hair using a blow dryer then flat ironed it for the length check. And also just to wear my hair straight for a week. I had not flat ironed my hair in just over 3 years and not flat ironing my hair didn’t seem to help my hair at all so I was like, why the fuss. I’m going to use heat anyhow. I prepared my hair for the heat though. Since the beginning of the year, I knew I was going to use heat so I preped my hair for some time so that it’s at its strongest.

On the day, I co-washed my hair using Nashe Organics, Shea-Argan Moisturising conditioner, then applied the Shea-Argan leave in conditioner before putting my hair into loose twists. I then blow dried my hair in sections, on high speed low heat until totally dry. I used Tresseme heat defense which goes up to 280 degrees Celsius before blow drying my hair. When I was done blow drying all my hair, I went ahead and flat ironed my hair in smaller sections. My flat iron was on 200 degrees Celsius and on most sections, I only passed the flat iron once on my hair. There were times though when I did more that 1 pass and I realised that in those sections, I had taken too much hair. After my hair was done, I applied the Shea-Argan hair serum and you can see in the video that my hair felt so light, flowing and was silky to the touch. I loved my flat ironed hair. I liked how it came out. I even contemplated on wearing my hair straight more often. Well, I’ll see. I don’t think I have time to be flat ironing my hair often though.

Maintaining my straight hair has been simple. Like you will see in the video, at night, I put my hair into 2 or 3 bantu knots, wear a scarf and go to bed. In the morning, I just unravel the bantu knots into big waves which straighten as the day goes, apply a bit of my Shea-Argan hair serum and wear my hair up or down. That simple.

Thank you for coming by and reading this far. Hoping you watched the video as well and showed some love. Words of encouragement… Otherwise, you know me. I’ll keep smiling and keep laughing and loving because that’s what I do best.

Cheers, God bless

10 February 2017 2 comments

DIY Hair care

Bentonite clay wash, Step by Step

by Evenes Ruth Mafupa 27 January 2017

written by Evenes Ruth Mafupa

You know it is important to do treatments even on natural hair right? Like your protein treatments, deep conditioning, Henna treatments, clay treatments right? Trust me, I have a treatment up my sleeve for anything that my hair needs. And I range from Mayonnaise and egg in the fridge to bought products and I just do it all you guys. Well today, I wanted to share with you what I do when doing a bentonite clay treatment from mixing the clay to applying it on my hair. The reason why I did the bentonite clay treatment was mainly to detangle my hair since I had just removed braids which I had on for almost 5 weeks. And trust me, Bentonite clay melts all knots and tangles away just like that. It is really the best product when it comes to detangling my hair after a long term protective style.

What I used.

A jug for the water and later for the mixed clay

A blender bottle to blend everything together

400 ml of room temperature, previously boiled water

3 Tbs Bentonite clay

2 TBS Apple Cider Vinegar

2 Tbs Olive oil

Thats all I used guys. That simple. I put everything in the blender bottle, made sure the cap is tight and then shook the bottle vigorously for about 30 seconds really. Bentonite clay has never been that simple to mix. Yeah. 30 Seconds is all it took. I poured the mixture into another jug and voila, my smooth liquid goodness was ready to use.

I applied my bentonite clay on dry hair. My hair was in chunky twists which I did while undoing my braids. Please note, my hair was not detangled at all prior to the bentonite clay treatment. I knew I could get away with it though because I had done it before and really, I trust bentonite clay with my… knots and tangles. ha ha ha.

Anyways, the mixing, application and all is in the video and if you use bentonite clay already and was finding it hard to mix into a smooth paste, try out the blender bottle. You will not go wrong.

All the best lovelies and thanks for coming by. I trust 2017 is going on well so far. Just keep smiling, laughing and loving. I will too. God bless.

27 January 2017 2 comments

Hair Hair care

Detangling Natural Hair After A Protective Style! Coconut Oil Therapy

by Evenes Ruth Mafupa 19 September 2016

written by Evenes Ruth Mafupa

Those who follow me on Instagram will know I am in braids now. But before that, I had Havana twists in. Or maybe you know them as Marley Twists. I don’t really know the difference between the two. I had them in for just over two weeks and I had to remove them because they were not looking so good anymore. I had the natural roots ones and on my hair, they age way too quickly. When I took them out, my hair was quite tangled plus I had 2 weeks worth of shed hair to remove. But with my coconut oil concoction, the tangles just melted away. I found out that, although coconut oil makes my hair hard and feel like straw when used on any part of my regimen, when it comes to detangling my hair, it is the best product ever. I just make sure I wash it out completely for softer hair.

About the clearest pic I have of my twists.

So this is what I did!

I sectioned my hair into as much sections as I needed. I think I had six sections. Then I drenched those sections with my coconut oil concoction which is basically coconut oil and conditioner in equal parts. Starting with the sections close to my neck, I detangled my hair, using my fingers as much as possible before using a a wide toothed comb then going on to using a detangling brush. I know, it seems such an overkill especially coming from someone who had a no combs challenge some months back. But, when I have just removed a protective style, I prefer my hair detangled fully. I enjoy it more that way.

My wide toothed comb and brush favs from the lot I have managed to collect over the years

This below is all my shed hair and probably some breakage as well but that’s okay. Starting with finger detangling minimizes the breakage big time so less worries. I really like detangling outside the shower or before washing my hair if I can help it because it saves me from cleaning hair in the shower and I am sure our drains are just as happy.

My shed hair and some breakage as well

After I had finished detangling my hair, I went ahead and shampooed it using my much loved shampoo brush and some amazing products that I have been trying but sadly cannot talk about them right now. Since the coconut concoction is more like a pre-poo treatment, I did not need to deep condition my hair. The hair washing thing had already gone too long and I needed to end it. SO I just conditioned my hair rinsed and did some chunky braids to stretch my hair and a braid out the following day.

After washing my hair, some chunky braids in and I am ready for bed!

The detangling took me some 30 minutes, shampooing and conditioning, that’s another 30 minutes. And the styling was 20 minutes. So in an hour and 20 minutes I had finished the whole wash day stuff all thanks to coconut oil which I believe saved the day for me.

I waited for about 2 weeks before I went and got another protective style, braids this time and also from a salon. You guys have already seen them on my Instagram. But I will post soon on the whole experience here another time.

That’s all from me today. Till then, keep smiling, keep laughing, keep loving because that’s so important. God knows we need more of that in this world.

19 September 2016 2 comments

Hair Hair care Videos

Scalp Massage For Good Circulation & Relaxation

by Evenes Ruth Mafupa 15 January 2016

written by Evenes Ruth Mafupa

Hey loves. I hope you’re well and 2016 has been great to you so far. I am doing great and looking forward to what The Lord has in store for me this year. Let me take the opportunity to wish you a blessed year ahead and may you have gladness and joy throughout the year. And may you reach your hair goals or at least make meaningful progress this year. I also need that you guys. When I look back, it’s now five years since I last relaxed my hair and my hair is not where I would like it to be. I am still recovering from my post-partum shedding setback you guys. Although I made progress last year, I’m still to get where I will be comfortable with my hair length.

This is not a hair update though. I will soon do that in a vid as per tradition. I recorded the video below in December 2015 because I wanted to share with you one of the simple things that I do for my hair, or rather scalp. A reader once asked me how I massage my hair and what better way to show it than in a video. I hope this video helps you, encourages you and inspires you in a way. Please subscribe, like and share it. I will really appreciate it.

Blessings

15 January 2016 0 comment

Hair Protective styles

Addicted to weave, hair extensions?

by Evenes Ruth Mafupa 26 May 2015

written by Evenes Ruth Mafupa

Serena Williams. Picture from www.dailymail.co.uk/

Really? Tell me you can do better than that. No. Seriously, you really can do better than that. Please don’t tell me you want to look presentable or beautiful. Who has been lying to you? Who has been telling you all that nonsense that you are not presentable without a weave or some sort of hair extensions? In this day and age? You still believe that rubbish? Come on! Really?

I just don’t understand women who are so stuck in hair extensions and no matter how much you try to assure them that they really would be just as beautiful if not more beautiful with their natural hair, they just seem not to get there. And in most cases, the hairline is so gone and they are looking for miracle product that will grow their hair back. No miracle product is out there that will sort you out before you stop doing what caused the traction alopecia in the first place. Hair growth aids will only work after you stop the pulling damage. Now don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against hair extensions. Whether you want to go the human hair route or synthetic hair, I really do not care. I believe hair extensions have a part to play in many healthy hair routines and I personally do use extensions from time to time. What I care about is a woman being so imprisoned by hair extensions that they behave like a chain smoker. In this case a chain weaver. They cannot even imagine themselves without fake hair. It’s more like substance abuse where you know the consequences of chronic weaving but you simply do not have the power within you to stop the cycle. Come on! Really?

When people ask me what product they can use to grow back their hairline, my first question is, “What caused your hairline to start receding?” My advice is always, “Stop pulling your hair all the time and wear your hair out more to give it a break and time to breathe. Chronic hair extensions cause more harm than good especially when not done correctly.”

Traction Alopcia pic source www.beautifulkinks.blogspot.com/

I seriously think that is when self acceptance and embracing oneself comes in and unless that has been resolved, that weave ain’t going nowhere babe. Those hair extensions are will always be a part of you. You are stuck in that bondage. Get over the argument that it is not self hate. If you cannot stand your natural hair, call it whatever you like but deep inside, you know where you stand. And for us black Africans, hair is not just hair. It is political, cultural and part of our history. I am not trying to tell you what to do with your hair but I just want to give you a little shake and wake you up so you can smell the coffee.

traction alopecia. pic source www.thelastylist.wordpress.com

A friend once said, and I think she also heard it from somewhere, “you have fake hair, fake nails, fake facial complexion, a fake husband should also do” And another friend who has natural hair but vows not to be seen without foundation and all the make up her face can take, said her husband said, women are so fake these days. You never know her actual hair, the color of her lips, her actual complexion and many other things until you marry her and see her without all the make up and the fake things she heaps on herself. Come on! If the fake hair is just part of protective styling, at some point, your man should have seen your actual hair. Unless of course you are not so confident that you are beautiful in your own skin, your own hair and all.

Serena Williams. Picture from www.dailymail.co.uk/

Are you addicted weaving or hair extensions and not sure what to do and I know just ranting at you will not help you much except wake you up so you can see the multiple options you have with natural hair. The first step to wearing more of your hair and leaving hair extensions as a form of protective styling only is to get used to you with your hair and then take her for a walk in your neighborhood, to the shops, to church, to work and soon you will be able to take her anywhere without even thinking about it. Discover yourself and take time to embrace the person you really are. Become comfortable in your skin and live life as you.

I know this is a sensitive issue but I just felt led to get it out. Now I’m at peace with myself.

What do you think, should a woman strive for beauty no matter the damage?

26 May 2015 0 comment

Hair

Afro Hair Industry – Facts and Stats

by Linda Parker 22 May 2015

written by Linda Parker

In recent years, an increasing number of black women have rejected the global trend of straight hair and chosen to adopt their glorious, natural curls. According to the below infographic, 70% of black women kept their natural hair during the period 2013 to 2014. Many say that the natural curls makes them feel more confident, daring and trendy. While the Traditional Afro hairdo remains the most popular style, several celebrities, including Will Smith and Grace Jones, have flaunted cooler and edgier versions like the Tapered Afro and the Flat Top Afro. Many others, who wish to make a bold fashion statement, opt for the Afro Bob or the Heart-shaped Afro.

Afro hair industry stats

Infographic created by Love Afro Cosmetics

22 May 2015 0 comment

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