I have already began treating my hair as if it were fully natural by trying out hair styles I have seen done by

If you would like to recreate this protective hairstyle below is a step by step description of how I achieved it.

So for this Hair do we will need:

Step 1.

Part your hair into four sections, part the crown depending on how big you would like your bangs to be at the end.

Step 2.

Moisturise the two sections above the ears, if you need to keep your edges flat, this would be the best time to either apply your styling cream or hair Gel. Either roll the hair or do a flat twist and make sure to do a two strand twist/ roll until you reach the ends of the hair.

Step 3 & 4.

Moisturise the hair hair at the back and use your brush to make sure it looks neat. Then pin down the twists as shown. Depending on how long your hair is you might want to fold the twists to make them easier to work with.

Step 5

Roll and tuck the remaining hair into your twist and use some pins to secure the hair.

Step 6.

Pin down the sides to achieve the shape you want.

Step 7.

Moisturise your crown.

You can add a little styling cream at this point if you feel the need to. Again use your brush to make the hair neat then proceed to make a loose two strand twist.

Step 8 & 9.

Tuck your ends into the base of the twist. Depending on how long your hair is, you might want to fold the twist and pin it down. Use pins to secure the hair and to achieve the look you desire.

I am still looking for more hairstyles to try out and would love it if you ladies gave me more suggestions :)

May was the 4^th Month of the Gahl length retention challenge and I am already very excited to find out how much length I will have retained by August when the challenge ends. I have not trimmed my hair since the challenge started and I am quite proud of myself because I have only used heat once in those four months. And I have been religiously moisturising and sealing every other day and my hair is almost in a bun every single day.

I promised to update you ladies on my long term transition to natural hair so here goes the first update :)

The back and edges of my hair are currently 44 weeks post relaxer/texlax while the crown is exactly 20 weeks post. I do have a lot of new growth! 

I have been getting questions as to how I manage so much new growth without wearing protective styles such as braids or weaves. Well I have come to realise that my hair loves to be left alone and it does not like any kind of stress and manipulation whatsoever, Any time I did braids, twists or weaves in the past I always ended up with a small setback. This is why I decided to try and deal with my hair regardless of how much new growth I had. By sticking to this method I have been able to learn how to manage my own hair even with three different textures ( relaxed, texlaxed & Natural).

Managing different textures on one head can be challenging at first but it can be done, however you will need a great virtue which is patience. You will need to find out what works for your hair.

Here is what works for me.

So far the transition is going on well and I hope that it stays that way. If you have any tips on how to long-term transition to natural with less breakage, please do share. I need all the information I can get . And thanks to all our readers for all the support you have been giving us. We really appreciate you for taking your time to share our hair journies with us :)

It has been long since we had an inspiration feature! ladies meet Patricia Mulinge.

I am Patricia Mulinge, a 21 year old at the Kenya school of flying. I hold a private flying license and currently studying for my commercial license which i am almost done with. I plan to also get a degree in communication at Daystar University which i will be joining in August of this year. I am a newbie blogger beautiful african woman inspired by Gahl.

Are you relaxed or Natural?

I have been transitioning to natural since Sepetember last year when I had my last relaxer. Wasn't too happy about it so I decided Natural is healthier and better for me. However, two weeks ago I decided to put dreadlocks and so I big chopped too. I am currently natural and loving it!

What is your hair type? Describe your curl pattern

My hair is a 4a/b

What was your starting length and what is your current one?   And   what inspired you to start a HHJ and when was it?

I started my HHJ on February 15th 2012. Inspired by Gahl and my desperate need for healthy hair. I started at neck length and progressed to grazing armpit length right before I  locked and big chopped.

How easy was getting into a regimen, knowing the right products etc? what´s your regimen?

Well I didn't have a hard time getting into a regimen. I read about different products before I got into my own regimen. All I wanted was to keep it simple and affordable. I used Organics kids moisturizer, coconut oil for sealing, motions protein reconstructor and for my deep conditioning treatment I used pretty much any DC treatment.

Is this ‘regimen thing’ complicated?

Not really. Just find what works best for you and keep it simple. 

How soon into your HHJ did you start seeing results?

About three weeks into my HHJ, my hair started to look thicker and moisturized and it had a nice shine to it.

Do you think what you achieved would be possible without learning the Proper techniques necessary to grow African hair long?

Absolutely not. My hair was weak and damaged and that was the precise reason that I searched the internet for answers. African hair needs special care and attention specific for it. I have learnt and continue to learn a great deal during my HHJ.

Do you believe anyone who adapts the correct techniques can grow fabulous hair or is there such a thing as bad hair?

I definitely think so. I have seen so many inspirational pictures and read so many HHJ stories of women who had damaged hair and just by following the right hair care routines. Good hair is healthy hair and it is achievable.

How many people have been inspired by the length you have gained and decided to start a HHJ?

So many of my friends and random people. I find myself talking a lot about hair these days. So yeah....many people and I am glad.

What is the most heart-felt advice you would give to other African ladies thinking about but not so sure about starting a HHJ?

Well, be willing to invest  time for a HHJ. Do your own research as well, be patient and consistent. African ladies have beautiful hair I believe. We should take pride in our kinks and curls and uniquely textured hair. No hair type is better than another. Its how well you take care of your hair that determines its health or even length. We should set our own standards as African women and we should all start our HHJ!!

What would you advice a Newbie NOT to do?

hmmmm do not compare your progress to that of others. We are all different.

So are you hoping to grow your hair to ankle length? what are your short term and long term goals?