₦airaland Forum

dangiwa09: Sadly, Ben Underwood is no more with us, he's gone to a better place.

http://www.mydeathspace.com/article/2009/01/28/Blind_teenager_Ben_Underwood_(16)_died_after_a_long_battle_with_cancer

Oh Wow!!!!! May his soul RIP!

I watched the first two individuals on a Discovery documentary and was completely blown away. The Brit with the amazing brain was given Icelandic which was said was the hardest language to learn because of the pronunciation of words. It would take a non-icelandic a better part of his life to master the language and the guy was conversant in a matter of days.

Then the blind kid with the unique ability to see. Now that's amazing.
They say that human use only 10% of their brain in their lifetime. Imagine how many percentage these guys have tapped into? 15 - 20%?

There's this other show hosted by Stan Lee also deals with real life super heroes. Amazing stuff that just makes you wonder what if all these comic created heroes actually exist in real life.

MsDarkSkin: im there.

@ topic:

does anyone know how to do this without doing a twist out?
http://www.naturalhairrules.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Profile-pix.jpg

MsD u can achieve the style with either a bantu knot out or a straw set.

Thank you! Price range??

Vicky love ur hair. It looks soo soft

Seriously! No one has ever stayed in Owerri or can even recommend one hotel?

mysticgal: i want to grow natural hair@meddler

Well u have two choices - transition to natural hair or chop of the relaxed ends so that u r only dealing with one texture. U can transition by using braids or wearing weaves if u can't handle the big chop now. During transitioning ure dealing with 2 textures which might not be too easy to deal with.

If u decide to do the big chop I can offer some hair advice based on my experience. Hopefully it will offer some guidance.

Please can anyone recommend any gud hotel in Owerri. Thanks

mysticgal are u trying to grow your hair natural or still want to maintain the relaxed hair?

Ivy I can't remember the name of the blog or the blogger. But when I remember I'll let u know.
Pls post pics when u start locing. I'm still reconsidering my decision. U might just be the one to sway me .

Ivynwa: I will still go for the locks as against the loose. A good looking loose hair/puff packed up together on the head is a beauty to behold, yet there is something spiritually uplifting and exotic about a neat and nice dreadlock. It always pulls a string in my heart when i see such. I wish you more energy to your hand as you manage your loose hair, I bet it will be hard work to comb our african natural hair. I know that I can't go through that stress though you made it sound very simple. Seems you know your way well around the loose natural hair with all that honey and stuff treatment of yours.

The bolded part made me laugh . I consider myself a hair mixologist. I once applied raw avocado to my hair (it's supposed to strengthen and give the hair shine), lets just say when it comes to food, I'll rather have it in my belly than on my hair. Spent almost 2 hours trying to get the traces of avocado out of my hair hehehehehehehehehehe.

I get the urge sometimes and completely understand the way u feel about locs. A couple years ago I stumbled upon a blogger who blogged about her locs and how she took care of it. I'm telling you her locs almost got me to the point to locking. But the price and general upkeep deterred me. If I could find a gud loctician at an affordable price I won't mind giving it a try.

Ivynwa: I will still go for the locks as against the loose. A good looking loose hair/puff packed up together on the head is a beauty to behold, yet there is something spiritually uplifting and exotic about a neat and nice dreadlock. It always pulls a string in my heart when i see such. I wish you more energy to your hand as you manage your loose hair, I bet it will be hard work to comb our african natural hair. I know that I can't go through that stress though you made it sound very simple. Seems you know your way well around the loose natural hair with all that honey and stuff treatment of yours.

The bolded part made me laugh . I consider myself a hair mixologist. I once applied raw avocado to my hair (it's supposed to strengthen and give the hair shine), lets just say when it comes to food, I'll rather have it in my belly than on my hair. Spent almost 2 hours trying to get the traces of avocado out of my hair hehehehehehehehehehe.

I get the urge sometimes and completely understand the way u feel about locs. A couple years ago I stumbled upon a blogger who blogged about her locs and how she took care of it. I'm telling you her locs almost got me to the point to locking. But the price and general upkeep deterred me. If I could find a gud loctician at an affordable price I won't mind giving it a try.

FRSC shud do a better job of enlightening people of car safety. I see this everyday - mother's carry their young ones on their lap sitting at the passenger's side or children sitting at the passenger's side.

If you own a car then I assume you could afford a car seat for children under a certain age or afford to practice better car safety. People are just not informed. No need to waste precious life like this kid. Its so sad.

May her little soul RIP

shiloh: . Thanks for d tip...I will definitely use it and see how it goes. No texturizing for me...let me see how far I can go with dis..after all its bn a year and 6months and so far so good its nt bn bad cos my hair has grown considerably. When I loosen my thread I will post a pix of my hair. Thanks Meddler,u ve bn of great help.

ure welcome shiloh!! Looking forward to seeing pics of ur hair.

shiloh: . Aww...so sorry about dat. Yeah,I noticed they don't really pay much attention to natural hair. The other day I went to wash my hair in d salon..and d lady dere kept trying to market one latest relaxer to me..and to make matters worst she didn't even take care of my hair after washing,it was as if she was in a hurry to finish wit me..kept complaing dat my hair is too tough. Was nt happy @all. Wht do u tink of texturizers? Do u advice I use it for my hair,jst to mke it soft a little.

Well its really your choice. Application of any chemical on the hair kicks u out of the natural hair club hehehehehehehehehe . Just joking lol. But texturizer is a chemical a less harsher form of relaxer but chemical nevertheless. So if your aim is to remain natural hence chemical free, I wud discourage it.
But before u reach for that jar of texturizer. Try this first and see if it works for u.
* Shampoo hair
* Deep condition - any conditioner (but u shud really look for a conditioner that works for your hair type), coconut or olive oil and honey. Mix up and apply to hair. Cover hair with shower cap leave on for 45 minutes to an hour
* Rinse out and apply regular conditioner, Rinse out.
* Blot hair with towel.
* Now is the time to apply your leave in conditioner (if u have one).
after the leave in I follow up with my homemade moisturizer (shea butter, coconut oil (can be replaced with olive oil)and castor oil. I usually detangle my hair in sections so as I detangle I apply my mix to each section and twist it up.
I do all this on damp hair. My hair is better at retaining moisture when its still damp and twisting it traps in the moisture as it dries up.
It looks a lot but it really isn't. Give it a try and lemme know if that helps. But u shud still keep in mind that every hair is different. This routine works for me and it took me 4 years to figure out. So if it doesn't work for you. Keep trying different stuff and u wud eventually get it (I know its not very encouraging but don't give up yet)
During the week to maintain moisture, I mist my hair with way so that its damp not wet and reapply my mixture.
I would also advice you check out youtube videos of natural hair. They are very informative.

shiloh: @meddler...wow! I just saw ur hair in d natural hair thread...is it still dat long or has it grown longer. I love it girl! Thumbs up

after that pic, I did ghana weaving which required that I stretched my hair. I went to the salon and blew my hair out and flatened it so that it cud blend with the attachment. Long story short the guys that handled my hair did it a great injustice. My hair was literally chopped in half. Not to mention the salon I went to was supposed to be one of the top notches in Abuja. I won't mention names but after that experience my fear of salon has increased.

I rarely visit salons becos they are pretty clueless about natural hair but sometimes u just want to be pampered. Anyway lesson learnt back to dng my hair myself.

MsDarkSkin: i love this!

[img]http://3.bp..com/-ADKTn2IQB2c/UIjtLCGVnnI/AAAAAAAACas/opcfmtDsn6c/s640/style-dreads-3.jpg[/img]

This is sooo cuutttteeee. Now I want to loc my hair hehehehehehe

Ivynwa: I'm so following you like twitter, I like your twisting method but I had in mind to get my hair locked when it grows out more. I love the lock/dread look especially when packed high on one side of the head. Natural straight won't be easy to manage but you make it sound easy and fun, that your twist is beautiful too. You have me wondering whether to go for the natural and straight sweet African hair or the locked one.

It actually is. I guess that's one of the reasons I've never considered going back to the relaxer. I understand the needs of my hair now and that makes the whole process very easy for me. However, I can't always say that I have good hair days. I do have my jacked up hair days. And I'm quite lazy so my go to style is my infamous puff hehehehe. But then again I've thought about locking my hair it will save me so much time and effort but then again, I'm gng to miss my loose hair.

But as I stated earlier, it wasn't always this easy. I had days where I just wanted to wear a cap over my head and call it good. But as they say perseverance is the key.

Over the years I've just realized that my hair likes simplicity. Keep your routine simple and adhere to the basics. Cleanse, deep condition, and moisturize

shiloh: @meddler...what does honey do for the hair,in ur last post u said I can deep condition with conditioner,coconut oil and honey. Also can I replace cocunut oil for olive oil cos I can't get it here. Tanks dear.

Honey acts as a humectant and prevents hair loss by preventing loss of moisture. The high sugar content of honey helps to retain water and thereby maintains moisture content of hair. In fact this moisture content helps to keep the cuticle soft (http://www.theresearchpedia.com/health/superfoods/honey/benefits-of-honey-for-hair).

In layman's term is draws in moisture to the hair thereby keeping is soft.

Honey also serves as an excellent hair conditioner : One of the interesting benefits of honey for hair is it serves as a conditioner to the hair. Mix honey and olive oil in the ratio of 1:2 and apply the mixture to hair thirty minutes before washing the hair. Adjust the quantity of the olive oil in the mixture depending on whether you have oily hair or dry hair.

Makes the hair shiny and lustrous : Increased exposure to sun makes the hair dry and lusterless. This lost shine can be brought back with honey. Mix about 2 tablespoons of honey to two cups of warm water and spray the solution on the hair.
(http://www.theresearchpedia.com/health/superfoods/honey/benefits-of-honey-for-hair)
Are u not in naija? U can find coconut oil in the market. But u can also use olive oil too. Its good oil for the hair.
The reason I suggested coconut oil is because of its amazing properties. Coconut oil is one of the few oils that can penetrate the hair shaft and work its way through all layers of the hair strand. It helps reduce loss of protein, and aids in regaining your hair’s natural oil and moisture.
I can testify to the miracle of coconut oil. I use my homemade moisturizer of shea butter, coconut oil and argan oil (another super oil) this leaves my hair soft and shiny. I highly recommend u look for coconut oil. If possible look for the freshly pressed coconut oil stay away from the pre-packaged ones sold in supermarkets.
The fact is that naija is blessed with natural resources to enrich our body and hair its only fair we make use of it to the fullest.

^^ awwwwww............. ure so sweet and ure wife is lucky to have a great support system like you

shiloh: Wow!! U ve bn natural since 2007 dats very inspiring! I bet ur hair is so long now...

Well it wud have been longer if I had mastered my hair not to mention I've cut my hair like several times due to damaged hair. As I said its been a learning process and I'm just beginning to understand my hair.
But I'm getting there. If u go back a page u will see the current length (note that the hair has shrunk considerably).

shiloh: Wow!!! Am so happy to come across this thread. I went natural since sept 2011 and since den I ve not looked back. But d problem am having is dat my natural hair is very tough and gives ne headache when I comb it. Its even worse when I wash it,cos it shrinks and I can't comb it very well. Pls @ all what do u advice,how can I make it soft and easy to comb. Thanks. And also,pls wat is TWA

Can u upload a picture of ur hair let’s see it.
I have a feeling u have my type of hair. In general there are some basic rules to natural hair care
1. Ur hair is natural not relaxed, stop applying the same methods u used to treat ur relaxed hair
2. Always detangle your hair while it’s still wet (some also prefer when loaded with conditioner too - I've tried both method and prefer the wet method better)
3. Never ever comb your hair while it’s dry (ure asking for trouble)
4. Always twist or plait hair after detangling to stretch the hair out and prep for whatever style u choose to wear.
5. Always sleep with a scarf or net (some suggest satin scarf or net - I don't really have the time or strength for that. I'm good as long as it’s tied up)
6. Only use a wide tooth comb. If u must comb/brush hair while dry (even though I don't recommend it) always start from the ends. Comb gently making sure to work thru all tangles if any and work all the way down. Make sure u're combing in sections. (Again I wud not recommend u comb hair while dry - it can cut ur hair)
6. MOISTURIZE!!!!!!!! I cannot stress the importance. Find what works for u. Shea butter and coconut oil works for me
7. Deep condition!!! Again I cannot stress how important this is. Deep conditioning can be done with any cheap hair conditioner and mix with coconut oil and honey. Or u can do a search online to find out homemade mixes for deep conditioners
8. lastly, take it easy and relax, you just started your journey. Its going to take you a while to figure out ur hair. I've been natural since 2007 and still haven't completely mastered my hair.

[quote author=Ivynwa]Meddler your hair is lovely. Is it natural? or you just untwisted your retouched hair. I know that when I untwist my hair after removing a weave that I get such lovely cascading curls, I didn't know that a natural unretouched African hair can give such waves. I will like to know how you work that if that hair is unretouched okay.

Thanks dear. Yes my hair is natural meaning no relaxer. Its a twist out that is twisting the hair then untwisting it for this effect.

[quote author=ANY-PEN ]i wonder what else you want from a musical video that is not in here. the story line you're looking for is there but because you're too dumb to think in a story, you must show the street, bosoms and those crazy things you're use girls doing on screen, you seems to find this not interesting.
this video is clean and simple.[/quote]Retard!!!!!!!!!!!!
So because I don't find the video as intriguing as ur dumb a*s*s means I'm dumb which in turn means I'm only interested in watching half naked chicks shaking their bo*obs and bum in a video? Wow! what flawless logic. U must be considered a genius in your part of the jungle.

mimifonwon: this video was very disappointing, tiwa why, no storyline, just a splash of image, smh!!! just blah...jejune

I totally agree with u. What a disappointing video. Good thing I heard the song b4 the video. My love for the single just declined drastically after watching the video

ogugua88: [size=13pt]Everyone raves about mango salsa, but I haven't tried it. I like mango sweet sans spice and veggies/other fruits lol. What's your recipe? I'll be willing to give it a try again.[/size]

@ Sniper ure right. Any variation works. My sister does hers without the avocados and she adds jalapenos and cilantro to hers. But I like the creaminess of the avocado so decided to go with my current recipe.
@ Ogugua88 this is the recipe i used with some modification and omissions.


Ingredients:

1 mango - peeled, seeded and diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
3/4 cup chopped red onion
2tsp. sugar
I tbsp. lemon (the original recipe called for lime but I only had lemon on hand. Worked well)
1 avocado - peeled, pitted, and diced
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1. Toss together mango, bell pepper, onion, sugar, olive oil, and vinegar in a bowl. Gently fold in diced avocado, and season with salt.

I didn't use the bell pepper because they are costly in naija if u find them. I try to use local ingredients when cooking. It costs less. And added half a pepper and a few sprigs of parsley leaves.
It tasted fantastic. The sweetness of the mango mixed with the creaminess of the avocado was a perfect combo!

rice and stew with a side of green beans with caramelized onions and mango-avocado salsa. I so looove mango season!!!! Trying to look for mango recipes. Made a mango crumb cake the previous day but no pic.

AjanleKoko: Most of them commenting are kids, still in school or something. I doubt if any of them even work or have worked in any multinational. They just assume that an ExxonMobil or Chevron would allow their multi-billion dollar ops in Nigeria to be run like PHCN or even NNPC.

I disagree with this statement. I'm a graduate and although I didn't work for a multinational, I worked for the State Govt in my the State I resided in before relocating.

You don't need to work for a multinational to be employable. We cannot turn a blind eye to what's happening to the majority. True a select few actually find jobs on their own without the lobbying or knowing a senator. But the majority especially ppl who come back with work experience are not given much attention.

@ OP I'm giving u a standing ovation. Looks like u ripped a page out of my life. It's been 3 years since I relocated back to naija and its been a bitter sweet experience. Like you I was equally promised heaven and earth only to come back to nothing. In all honesty, your foreign degree and ur foreign accent means jack squat in naija.

And if you happen to get a job with a private company be prepared to be taken advantage of along with a meager pay to go with it.


Merit is a word lacking in our society. People who get the top job are usually people who lobbied for the job or who were really lucky by knowing the right people in the right places. And that's really sad. I've seen extremely talented people earning peanuts as salary when I know that such a person would be worth a lot outside the country.

However,I'm not naive to believe that I will be coming home to bed of roses. Everything requires hard work. But it is quite discouraging to see that all your hard work doesn't pay off in the end. On the other hand we have to view this as a reintegration and assimilation period. We have to understand that it might take us a while to fully get to the same place we were at before we relocated. As you know things in naija takes twice as long to achieve. So patience is the key word in naija.

You can heat it up on a griddle or frying pan, spread some butter on it and sprinkle some sugar on top of it. Just make sure that the butter has melted well so the sugar can adhere to it. If u are feeling fancy mix some sugar with cinnamon and sprinkle on top. Again let the butter melt well so the sugared cinnamon wud adhere. Enjoy with a glass of orange juice.

I just had some this morning, I made an egg and garden egg sauce and used it as a filling. Heat up the bread, place some of the sauce on one side of the bread and roll it up. Supper Yummy!

All this can be done by a dude

[quote author=~vicky~][/quote]That's a cute hairstyle.

aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!! *faints*
I want that hairstyle. So beautifulllllllll. Who is she?