Hair Steps: 1 month

Hey,

So guess what, my hair just turned one month today!!!!

Yay…

It has grown maybe just half an inch or so. But glad with the progress whatsoever. Am so glad that my hair is looking really healthy too and I have been getting the “you have good hair” comments, to which I usually reply you do too!!! You probably just have to take care of it better.

I have notice however that my hair is growing funny, sort of like a baby's, in that its growing a lot in the middle and not enough on the sides and at the back. I have to figure out something to do about that. I have also being experiencing minor breakage and the hair is a bit tough.

The thing however is that I have not come up with a proper hair care regimen as of yet. I have just been observing the hair to see how it behaves so I can come up with a good regimen. So now that I have done that in the past month, I will be coming up with a regimen by the end of this week which I will share with you. I definitely know it will involve a lot of conditioning, co-washes, treatment and a trimming when I get to my sixth week, as I notice now that my barber didn’t cut my hair well as I have some stray strands popping out…. and they are bone straight!

At the moment I have just been combing my hair out as it is really low maintenance. But over the weekend I was playing with my hair (fingers in hair syndrome) and started doing little finger coils, which actually ended up looking really cool and wore them the whole weekend. I went to a birthday party and I got complimented for them. Cool!!! On Monday as I was going to work I uncoiled them and had like a coil-out or something… and it came out cool too!!! So I went to work with it, but my head became itchy and I washed it when I got home and pap… my coils went away. And unfortunately I didn’t get any photos !!! But planning to repeat the routine this weekend and this time I will share the outcome.

Anyway so yes, my hair which is like an inch and a half now can manage little styles like coil-outs and cornrows?

Live, Love,Laugh,

Its only Natural

Natural Toto

INTRODUCING: Natural Toto’s Pure UNREFINED Shea Butter

Well guys, I am super excited to announce this piece of GREAT news. In my quest to not only provide a forum for naturalistas, I thought it a good idea to also provide solutions whenever I can.

I am thus extremely happy to announce to you the launch of Natural Toto Pure Unrefined Shea Butter.

The Shea Butter is from Northern Uganda and will go on sale starting from next week, Monday 8^th, October, 2012. The first batch is packaged in 100g container which will sell for KShs.400/ (Kenyan Shillings); with the 200g going for KShs.800/.

So guys, place your orders now to beat the traffic, and get your Natural Toto Unrefined Shea Butter in time.

For order or enquiries, get to us via email: naturaltoto@gmail.com  or send me a message on our facebook page.

Below find pertinent information on Shea Butter; one of nature’s wonder plant and find out why it is an essential product for any man/woman or baby out there.

What Is Shea Butter?

Shea Butter is a yellowish or ivory creamy fat extracted from the nut of African Shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa). In African language it is referred to as Ori/Nkuto/Nku in West Africa and Mwooyo in East Africa. The Shea tree is regarded as “The Tree of Life” and it grows to a height of approximately 60ft and may live up to 200 years. The tree produces its first nuts at 20 years and reaches full production at 45 years (Teaches you a thing or two about the importance of trees huh?).

Where Does Shea Butter Come From?

Shea Butter is found in Africa, mostly West Africa, in a region stretching from Senegal to South Sudan. Some of the countries it can be found in include, Benin, Ghana, Chad, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, Guinea, DRC ç (West/Central Africa) and Uganda, Ethiopia, South Sudan ç(East Africa). In most of these countries the destruction of Shea tree is forbidden due to its economic, health and social benefits. GOD BLESS AFRIKA!

What Is Shea Butter For?

Shea Butter has many uses, from beauty purposes to medicinal to nutritional. In short it can be termed, a God given miracle worker. Some of its uses are; cooking, making cosmetics such as oils, conditioners, lip gloss etc, used in making medicines, used in making soaps, sometimes used as a substitute in making chocolate, making candles, Wax proofing walls of huts in some parts of Afrika, used to unblock nostrils if suffering from sinuses and also used to condition wood when intending to make traditional African drums.

Types of Shea Butter

There are two types of Shea Butter, West African Shea Butter (Vitellaria Paradoxa) and East African Shea Butter (Vitellaria nilotica). The West African Shea Butter contains a large amount of Vitamin A which is good at preventing wrinkles and stretch marks, while the East African Shea butter contains lower amounts of vitamin A but is higher in Olein (liquid part of the butter) which makes it more softer and fragrant and it absorbs better into the skin due to its lower saturated fatty acids. This and the fact that East Africa Shea butter is rarer makes it more valuable.

Classification of Shea Butter

Shea Butter is classified into 3.

Unrefined Shea Butter

This is the all natural/unaltered/undiluted Shea butter, it is creamy ivory/yellowish, and it has no additives nor preservatives and no chemicals. This is raw Shea butter as extracted from the Shea tree, usually using only water. It retains all the vitamins and nutrients from the Shea nut, including its nutty smell that disappears after application.

Refined Shea Butter

Refined Shea Butter is processed in factories, mostly to increase amount to be sold. The Shea butter is filtered and loses some amount of its vitamins and nutrients. It is usually lighter in color and odorless.

Highly Refined Shea Butter

This is highly processed Shea Butter, the process involves mixing with many chemicals, bleaching, deodorizing, heating in high temperatures and it looses most of its nutrients. It is usually white in color and has lost the natural smell.

How is Shea Extracted?

The extraction of Shea Butter is time consuming and can take 1 day to just get 1kg of the Shea butter.

• First the fruits are harvested, then they are cracked to extract the nut by crushing and boiling. The nuts are then pounded or crushed by machine or pestle.
• The crushed nuts are then roasted and pressed to extract the Shea Butter.
• The Shea butter extract is then boiled in water until the butter rises to the surface and is scooped into containers.

No chemicals or synthentic agents are needed for the process.

What are the Benefits of Shea Butter?

Skin Benefits

• Shea butter completely absorbs into the skin leaving no greasy residue.
• Aids in treating skin problems such as dry skin, psoriasis, burns, blemishes, eczema, wrinkles and stretch marks.
• It softens and moisturizes skin.
• It is anti-inflammatory and stimulates renewal of Cutaneous cells.
• Contains vitamin A, D, E, & K which slow skin aging process.
• Contains phytosterols that help in skin regeneration and protection.
• Relieves skin discomfort from skin rashes especially diaper rash.
• Reduces razor irritation when used as a shaving cream.
• Helps to prevent feet crack on the heels.
• Helps in the healing of skin wounds.
• Acts as comfort on sun burns or skin peels.
• Prevents formation of stretch marks.
• Prevents scaring of wounds.
• Restores elasticity of skin.
• Reduces/Prevents Acne.
• Evens out skin tone

Hair Benefits

• Protects hair from weather damages such as winds, humidity, extreme dryness and repairs such damages.
• Restores hair moisture and vitality.
• Maintains the luster and productivity of hair.
• Eliminates irritation of scalp after chemically processing.
• Acts as a moisture sealant for hair.
• Revitalizes and repairs breakage and split ends and promotes hair growth.

Well, place your orders now to get your Shea Butter on time.

Reference:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/264480-what-is-shea-butter-good-for/#ixzz28JZcmc8m
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shea_butter

Live, Love, Laugh,

Its only Natural,

Natural Toto

Transitioning: From Relaxed to Natural

I have previously told you my hair journey, and for those that have followed they can tell you that I have never relaxed my hair. However even though I cannot speak from an experience point of view, there have been tips that I have gathered from my research and forums that I have been part of in terms of transitioning.

Well, growing up, from my primary school all the way to college, most of my friends had relaxed their hair and so, from them I also learned a thing or two about relaxed hair, things that can help me give you tips if you want to transition from Relaxed hair to Natural.

Transitioning mainly means moving from one state to another, and in the hair circles it means the process of moving from the relaxed state to a natural state.

So you are asking how do I transition?

Well its really not that hard, and there are two ways you can go about it:

1. Transitioning with Big Chop

The first way is you choosing to cut of your hair to start afresh aka the Big Chop. To do this you can either cut it all off, or you can grow your growth (hair that is not chemically altered) to a certain length you would be comfortable with, an inch or three and then cutting the rest off.

2. Transitioning without the Big Chop

The second way is if you grow out your growth, while avoiding the retouch and trimming your ends every 4-6weeks untill all your relaxed hair has been cut off.
Both this methods however come with some underlying rules/tips to help you transition healthily and grow a beautiful natural mane.

Here are 5 tips for transitioning:
1. Stop Using Chemicals - If you decide to go natural, stop using chemicals in your head completely  there is just no two ways about this.

2. Stop Using Heat - Second to chemical damage, heat can really ruin your hair by altering its texture and deriving your hair off of its moisture. And worst of all is that it is irreversible! As Nappturology 101 put it, Heat is Natural hair worst enemy.

3. Wear Protective Styles - In order to protect your hair from harsh weather conditions, breakage and tampering, invest in protective styling, do stylish cornrows, twists and buns. You can also do braids but I find relaxed hair to be really fragile so it may damage your hair line.

3. Deep Condition weekly - Deep conditioning helps replenish your hair with moisture and makes your natural hair softer and reduces breakages.

4. Limit Combing - Combing the hair increases breakage so it would be ideal if you could learn how to detangle with your fingers instead of a comb. If you have to use a comb ensure its wide tooth comb.

5. Trim your ends every 4-6 weeks - Ensure you trim your ends regularly especially if you are planning to transition without the big chop. This helps you cut off the relaxed edges and leave you with a natural mane.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. As I have never relaxed my hair, there are some things I might have missed. Please Share your tips with me on how you transitioned from relaxed to natural in the comments below.

Live, Love,Laugh,

Its only Natural

Natural Toto

My Big Chop

o finally, I get around to this, I have been trying to set up this post for a while but had misplaced the photos! Trust me.

Anyway so over a week ago (September, 8th 2012) to be exact I did my big chop. I had lamented on the facebook page and on the blog a couple of times that I wanted to cut my hair and finally I did it.

I was unable to make time for my big chop as the only time I could go to the barbers was over a weekend which are my less consumed days, but somehow for over a month I couldn't make time for it. On this Sunday though, I hadn't actually planned to cut my hair, but around midday, I started feeling really unwell, I had a huge pain in my abdomen and it was suggested that I should take a pain killer then take a walk to ease the pain.

And thus, my journey to the big chop begun. After taking my pain killer I wondered where to walk to, as my hometown tends to be quite dusty thus not really an ideal place to take aimless midday walks, then I remembered of my plans to cut my hair, and I was really feeling unwell and I couldn't shampoo and deep condition my hair as I wanted to I thought, let me take a walk to the barbers.

I asked my brother which barbers he frequents and he gave me the directions, I asked how much he usually pays and he told me KShs.100/, I was like whaat??? I thought  it was KShs. 20/ lol!!! That explains how long it has been since I saw a barber. I asked him what they do to his head, he told me that they usually just cut it according to the style required then shampoos their head. Only that for KShs. 100/ lol...

Anyway I decided to go ahead, figuring in my head, since I would tell them only to cut my hair and not shampoo it, then I could cut costs and probably pay KShs. 50/ (the kahustler in me), but not first before my brother told me not to get it cut as I would look like a boy! huh??? Who listens to their brothers anyway.

So yep, took my walk and found myself at the barbers, as it was a unisex salon I found one women getting her weave fixed and a dude seated in one of the chairs, the lady who was weaving asked me what I needed, and I told her, I wanted to cut my hair. She pointed me to the guy. The guy welcomed me to a seat and I removed the headwrap that I had on. Till then they hadnt seen my hair. When they saw that it was actually abit long and very healthy, they started telling me not to cut it, and giving me unsolicited advice of how I should plait it, blow dry it, loc it... and the barber goes, you know if you find it hard it manage, you should RELAX IT! woooahh!!! I was like I have never relaxed and I don't let chemicals near my head, and you should have seen the looks on their face. ha ha ha... anyway I told them, the reason I was there is because I knew what I wanted to do with my hair and that is cut it.

And so the barber wrapped me with a towel and an outer wrap and the process began. I will let the photos below tell the story of how it went down. I told the barber to leave an inch of hair on my head as I was to scared to go all in on it and since I have been "full natural" for the past year thought the one inch is quite unaffected as it is. But all I can say is that it came out okay. I love my short hair for the last one week we have been together and I look forward to experimenting with it more.

My mom, didnt quite like it, but what could she do. My dad doesnt ever seem bothered by my hair. My brothers are over the "first day jokes" and are now accustomed to my look. What do you think?

When I first removed my head wrap, and I was being given unsolicited advice 

Final look at my mane.... hadn't done anything that day (I miss my hair) 

When the machine first touched my head.. High on vibration... I almost told  him to stop. Look at my Wince.

And then it really hit me.....

There goes my hair... falling on my lap as it goes.

Finally new and improved me :) 

There goes a ball of my hair... and as the paranoid fool I am, I carried it home to go and throw it away, "properly" lol.

The anti-fungal soap I washed my head with when I got home from the barbers.

If you are thinking of doing a big chop, here are some tips for you.

Live, Love, Laugh,

Its only Natural,

Natural Toto

DOING THE BIG CHOP

A big chop is when a girl decides to cut off most if not all of her hair, so as to begin re-growing it or just to keep it short.

The name Big Chop came around recently when some African (American) women decided to stop relaxing or chemically altering their hair and embracing their hair in its natural state. As most of the ladies who decided to go natural had damaged hair from extended use of chemicals, leaving their hair damaged, weak or lifeless, some decided they will cut it all and start afresh, and they termed it as the big chop, as the decision to cut off all your hair is a big deal for most girls.

However, a big chop is not only limited to cutting off relaxed hair, and is a term that cuts across to both relaxed and natural heads in their decision to cut hair and grow it afresh.

A big chop can be done in two ways:

Big Chop at the Barber Shop

This is the most advisable way to do a big chop, going to the barber shop saves you the worry of cutting your hair wrong and keeping it at the minimal length you wish for. A barber for the most part has the experience and knowledge of cutting hair so he/she is a sure bet of not messing up.
However, what most people worry about when going to the barber shop is the hygiene/cleanliness of the barbershop’s equipment. It’s always good to ensure that you check this. Before settling for a barber shop, ask around, investigate to ensure your safety.

Big Chop by yourself

If you don’t have money to spend or are more into DIY you can then go ahead and experiment and cut your own hair. This can be tricky though, so you might want to get a friend to help you with it, lots of mirrors around you so that you can be sure to cut it all at the same level and just get an overall good look.

After the cut, ensure that you wash your head with an anti-fungal soap/shampoo so as to ensure that you avoid any sorts of infections from the cutting machine. However if you do this at home you don’t have to worry so much about this as you will be using your own machine. But all in all after the chop it is necessary to shampoo and condition your head, this leaves you feeling great and like a load of stuff has been taken off your head.

For those who make the decision to do the big chop, I say go ahead, it’s not such a big deal, after all its only hair and I can promise it will grow back, and with proper care it will be even more healthier and beautiful.

And on that note is to just let you know that I did my big chop this previous Sunday, will post on it in the coming days. Here are some of my favorite big chop heads in Kenya, don’t they just look lovely???
Click to enlarge photos.

Wanuri Kahiu

Lupita Nyong'o

Valarie Kimani

Patricia Kihoro

Live, Laugh, Love,

Its Only Natural!

Natural Toto

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GOING BACK TO NATURAL: 7 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

Some of my friends with relaxed hair have been saying am considering going natural, but they never do. I guess it’s due to fear they face when deciding on going back to natural, not knowing what to expect, how it will be accepted.

First thing I want to say is a cancelation of an old myth that natural hair is not for everyone, which basically bashes some unspecified hair type, meaning if you have such a hair type you should never wear out your natural hair. This is a lie! Anyone who wants to go back to wearing their natural hair out can do so!!!

However, if you have had relaxed hair for a long time there are a few things you should know after making the decision that will help you along the natural hair journey.

1. Measure your expectations

So you are walking along Nairobi, you see this girl with a beautiful afro, or nice twists, you go close to her to see what type of WEAVE! It is lol, but you can’t seem to make it out so you gather the courage and ask her to tell you which weave it is, she looks at you shocked, shakes her head, and if she just doesn’t leave you hanging, she tells you it’s actually her hair! Natural hair! You are like Whaaaaaat???? She says yes. You ask her, what do you do to it, she says, nothing much just water and oil and she goes ahead. You are amazed and excited, and decide natural is the new thing for you………kaaa!!!!! Hold up!!! Don’t play yourself, that is not how or a good reason of going back to natural hair. You will just end up disappointed.

As much as it is a good thing to be inspired to go back to natural, maybe it’s by your neighbor, a celebrity you know or just a random beauty you interacted with, learn to measure your expectations. Natural hair is diverse, how you see it on someone else’s head is not necessarily the same it will come out on yours. Be prepared emotionally and physically for the change, which brings us to the second thing you should know.

2. Research, Research, Research

Before going natural do your research properly, know what it entails, the best ways of going about it. Learn about your hair first, we have previously discussed on general facts about African hair and hair types. From there research about how to take care of natural hair, styles and any other hair related issues. You are in luck, we live in the information age and thus a host of natural hair material is all over the internet, from blogs to you tube videos, you can’t run out of ideas.

3. Ways to go back to natural

After you have finished with your research, identify how you want to go natural. By this time you will have ample information, know whether you want to transition or do a big chop. We will discuss this two items in the future posts. However in generally transitioning involves taking baby steps towards achieving the natural look by slowly trimming relaxed hair as your natural grows out, while the big chop means going full throttle and just cutting your hair and starting from scratch.

4. Support

Man is not an island and when making life altering decisions its always good to have a form of support whom you can lean on when needed. Be prepared to not have many support though, I have come to learn that most of the people you expect to help you will actually tell you to go back to relaxing as it is easier and at the end of the day it is just hair! Personally, most of my friends are relaxed and couldn’t understand my decision to stay with natural hair. My mother wasn’t supportive either so I had to find alternative forms of support, I resorted to interactive facebook groups, and some online friends (Shout out to Jess!!!! Love you siz!) and actually the reason why I decided to start this blog was to create a support forum for anyone who is natural. Ensure you get friends that are supportive of your decision to go natural around so as to motivate, advice and support you.

5. Ask!

Don’t be afraid to ask questions, remember that no one knows everything. All naturals start out by asking questions, and in the process you learn new thing and teach others. Even when you think you question is silly, if it is something that is bothering you, don’t be afraid to ask.

We have a facebook page, and email: naturaltoto@gmail.com I welcome anyone to ask a question if they are finding some problems in their hair journey. I can’t promise to have all the answers but will definitely help you out where I can.

6. Bad hair days will be there

Going natural is not a guaranteed pass that your hair will always look great and you will always feel awesome. Just like life there will be frustrating times, times when you will be late to go somewhere and your hair is a mess, days when you don’t for the life of you know what to do with your hair, days when you will get snide remarks about your hair. Don’t get discourage, know that like all natural cycles of life disappointments and hardships will be there. Just be strong. Remember, confidence will always carry the day. Just be confident about yourself, know tips and trick to help you get through the day.

7. There is no ‘one fit all’ solution

Just like size and colour, African hair is diverse, what might work for you might not work for someone else, so research enough information on natural hair care and styles but don’t take up all of it as it will be just too much. It is good to learn and understand your hair. Just like you learn about your body, pay attention to your head, learn what it accepts and what it doesn’t and use these tips to know what to do to your head and what not too, what products to use and what not too. This will help you grow a healthy head of hair.

8. Go for it!

When you have taken all the afore mentioned into consideration and feel confident that you can do this, all I can say is go for it!!! Don’t hesitate. I promise you it will be an exciting journey. But a journey which nonetheless needs patience, you will be surprised how over time you will fall in love with your coils and curls. All I can do is hope for the best for you.

Feel free to share your natural hair journeys with us. We will be excited to feature them and learn from you.

Live, Laugh, Love,

Its Only Natural!

Natural Toto