Grow African Hair Long GAHL: kenyan blogger

Our Inspiration for this week is the lovely Justmargie, we at GAHL just love your hair and we are so honored to be able to share your journey with our readers. Thank you :)

Have you always been natural? If not what made you go natural?

I had natural hair since I was a kid but relaxed it when I joined high school because relaxed hair was then easier to maintain in school. However, my fear was always going to the salon for the process of relaxing and I used to cry a lot because it felt like my hair was on fire!! After high school, I continued relaxing my hair twice a year and when I joined campus, I kept starting the transitioning journey but would always relapse. Finally, in 2013, I decided to chop of my hair completely and start a fresh. I didn’t like how my relaxed hair looked and I also saw it as a mark of a new beginning since around the same time, I had made very critical resolutions for myself. And that is how my natural hair journey began.

Your hair always looks so healthy, are you on a healthy hair journey? What inspired you to start one?

One of the main reasons I cut my hair was because it was unhealthy. So healthy hair has always been my goal. Health over length anytime.

Do you have a hair routine? How easy was it getting into a regimen, knowing the right products etc?

When I did the BC, I stuck to a very easy routine where I only washed my hair with conditioner, then a deep conditioned every week and I would apply a mixture of coconut oil, olive oil and castor oil every day. I kept it very simple and it worked. As my hair grew, I became open to adding more products into my regimen. The longer your hair grows, the more you must care for it. So, my washdays reduced to once a fortnight and I fell in love with Tres Semme products so I used them as shampoo and conditioner and they worked. Till today, they are the constant products (plus the three oils) in my regimen though I experiment occasionally with other products as well.

How do you fit hair care into your busy lifestyle?

I have one free day in a week and that day has become my self-care day. On this day, I make time for my hair and prep it for the week.

Do you believe in such a thing as bad hair? Do you believe that African/ black women have good hair?

There is no such thing as bad hair. I believe that when women understand their hair type they will understand their hair needs and that will lead to flourishing hair. All-natural hair, no matter the type, is beautiful.

What have you learnt about healthy hair care that you would love to share with African women, especially those who want to start a natural hair journey?

The most important thing I would tell a new natural is that they should start by understanding their hair type. This will enable them find simple products that work for their hair. They should also keep it simple.

What goals do you have for your hair?

I didn’t know how versatile natural hair is until I began this journey. So, I want to challenge myself to experiment new hairstyles every day with my natural hair.

Do you do your own hair? What is your favourite natural hairstyle and why?

Yes, I do my own hair most of the times and my favourite style is twist outs because they are just simple to do.

Do you have a hair idol? Who and why?

Hair idol? Not quite ;-)

Did you always believe that you could grow a huge Afro? What changed your mind?

I didn’t know I would grow a huge afro. In fact, when I did the big chop, I was absolutely clueless on what the natural hair journey entailed and I did a lot of box braids instead. However, I have learnt something new every day and my boyfriend, who has been my big support system throughout, has always encouraged me to leave my natural hair open and flaunt it.

Is there a product you can’t live without?

Water and Coconut oil

Do you think natural hair is expensive to keep?

No; if you understand what your hair needs, then you will not be swayed to be a product junkie. You will only buy what you need.

Do you have hair goals?

Yes, to have a head with big healthy afro (like we see on magazine covers).

Follow just margie on Instagram @justmargie
Blog Justmargie.com

Today the gorgeous Scovia of Justscovia is sharing her hair journey with us. Pick up your notebook and pick up a few tips from her. Gahl hopes this feature will inspire you to take better care of your own hair. Thank you Scovia

Have you always been natural? If not what made you go natural?

I had natural hair since I was young then had to relax it when joining high school. I went natural hair again in July 2016. My relaxed hair was not doing that well and was breaking a lot. A friend of mine who was natural too encouraged me to go natural through her hair journey so on the 7^TH July 2016 I just went home and asked my mom to cut my hair.

Your hair always looks so healthy, are you on a healthy hair journey? What inspired you to start one?

Yes. I am on a healthy hair journey. Once I cut my hair, I started going through natural hair blogs just to find out how best I could take better care of my hair. I didn’t want my big chop to be in vain. I mean what would be the need of cutting my hair if I continued with the same ‘bad’ hair practices?

Do you have a hair routine? How easy was it getting into a regimen, knowing the right products etc?

I have a simple hair routine. I’m naturally a very dedicated person when it comes to the stuff I love and have committed to. So once I decided I wanted to grow healthy hair that was all the motivation I needed. I have my lazy days too though. I have a friend of mine who is a natural hair blogger too and has a hair type close to mine so I asked her what products she uses and adopted it. I have made a few changes with regards to products though. Not everything that works for her works for me.

How do you fit hair care into your busy lifestyle?

I wash my hair every fortnight. My Sunday afternoons are dedicated to either washing or styling my hair for the next week. I moisturise my hair every other day before going to work and oil my hair at least twice a week before going to bed. I’ve learnt to incorporate my hair routine into my rather busy schedule.

Do you believe in such a thing as bad hair? Do you believe that African/ black women have good hair?

I do not think there is anyone with bad hair out there. African hair is so beautiful and super versatile. African women just need to accept whatever texture they are born with, take time to understand their hair and give their hair a lot of TLC.

What have you learnt about healthy hair care that you would love to share with African women, especially those who want to start a natural hair journey?

You need to be patient with your hair. Sometimes blow drying your hair would seem like the easier/faster way out but probably staying up late twisting your hair will do your hair more good. Also take time to learn your hair, stick to your routine and love your hair just the way it is; then you will see progress and improvement in health.

What goals do you have for your hair?

I am definitely a length chaser and hope to have waist length hair by the time my hair turns 5 years but not on the expense of its health of course. If it doesn’t get to that length at least something close to it.

Do you do your own hair? What is your favourite natural hairstyle and why?

I’ve learnt to do my own hair and you will find me mostly with a twist out. I do Bantu knot outs or perm rod set when feeling extra.

· Do you have any challenges being natural?

Detangling gets tougher and tougher as my hair grows. But I have devised ways of making the whole process a lot easier. Like my homemade detangling mix which reduces shedding, watching a movie as I detangle etc.

Did you always believe that you could grow a huge Afro? What changed your mind?

No not really. I actually did not think i had the volume for it but once I cut my hair I had no option but to rock a TWA which surprisingly looked good.

Is there a product you can’t live without?

Yes, coconut oil. It solves most of my hair problems.

Do you think natural hair is expensive to keep?

It can be if you are a product junky but if you know your basics in terms of products ie sulphate free shampoo, conditioner, protein treatment and DC, leave in treatment, an essential oil and butter. You can cut down on the cash spent on hair products.

Follow Justscovia´s Blog and Instagram.

Happy 2017!!!
I had taken a break from blogging and now I am back with a detailed update of my healthy hair journey in 2016.

A hair journey can be a challenging task but just like any other journey in life, there is a fulfilment when goals are reached. However, most of us in healthy hair journeys focus so much on length retention that we actually forget to have fun with our hair and just enjoy it. So in 2016 I decided that I was still going to chase length but at the same time I was gong to have fun while at it. This was a good decision because in the process of trying out new things I ended up learning more about what my hair actually needs, what works for it and what doesn’t. Below are some of the hairstyles I tried out in 2016

My hair care routine for 2016 was also very simple and entailed:

Pre shampoo treatment (tropical coconut oil brand Alison)
Shampoo once a week (herbal essences hello hydration shampoo I recently incorporated African black soap to my routine).
Condition with a moisturizing conditioner once a week and a protein based (has hydrolyzed proteins) conditioner once a months (I am yet to settle on any particular brands). I do not use any deep conditioners.
Stretch hair using twists and bantu knots(Check tutorial on my YouTube channel)
Moisturize and seal with an oil or butter every other day.
Wear one hairstyle per week to reduce manipulation.
Always wear a scarf to bed.

When it comes to retaining length and maintaining the ends of my hair, protective styling comes in handy. If you are reading this and you have always thought that hair had to be braided or in a weave to be protected I hope to convince you otherwise. A protective hairstyle is any hairstyle that keeps your ends off your clothes and ideally hidden to avoid damage. Buns are a great way to protect your hair and still have access to it at all times. To protect my hairline I create a loose pompadour or loose mini buns at the front to reduce the pressure applied on my hairline.

braid out pompadour

braids are the most common protective hairstyle in Kenya and in Africa as a whole. They are also one of the main causes for hair damage and more so hairline damage. The last time I had braids done was about a year ago and I loved the braids. But unfortunately I suffered so much damage that I promised myself that I wont ever braid my hair again.

Mini twists are a life saver for those weeks when the last thing on my mind is my hair, they are not only versatile but also easy to wash and care for.

All buns and no afro makes me a dull girl so 2016 was also full of afros and some variation of the afro, remember my goal was to have fun but not damage my hair at the same time. to achieve this I made sure that these kinds of hairstyles would only last upto three days to avoid knots and tangles.

I like to stretch my hair out because my curls are so tight which makes tangling and knotting very easy and my go to ways of stretching is either blow drying on cool to medium air using the tension method or using bantu knots. Please check for the link below for a tutorial on this method.