Hello friends it's been a while! Nearly June already, wowzahs! We're dusting off our keyboards to bring you some lovely hair goodness, from the 6th installment of London's Natural Beauties. Meet Bibi, a London Barrister with a mean Samba no Pe.
Age: 32
Natural for: 5 years
When You Gonna: Tell us about your Natural hair journey, why did you decide to go Natural?
Bibi: I decided to stop relaxing my hair in March 2007 because my hair was in such a sad and sorry state. It was constantly breaking and looked so lifeless, even with the tracks my hairdresser had added to give the illusion of thick flowing hair. I remember my fringe just looking awful because so much of my hairline had broken off but so angry at the hairdresser who ignored the deteriorating state of my hair and continued to charge me almost £200 to slap the creamy crack on my head. Fuming.
This wasn't the first time I had given my hair a break from relaxing and grown it out by putting it in braids. I had done it twice before and grown a nice head of healthy hair only to relax it again as (a) I didn't know what to do with it and (b) the feel of freshly relaxed virgin hair seemed so fantastic at the time. What made me decide my break from relaxing was permanent was the realisation that my hair simply couldn't manage it. It would break every time. It looked lifeless and depressed. I really had to start taking care of it.
This revelation coincided with the growing popularity and availability of full lace wigs. This offered the opportunity of maintaining my long straight haired look instantly without applying dangerous chemicals to my head. Or so I thought. It turned out I was allergic to the mainstream adhesive and instead had to use a white glue similar to one used to stick pieces of wood together. Yes. Wood glue. On my head.
I was then introduced to the natural hair movement by a friend and haven't looked back. It really has been a learning process for me, during which I have made plenty of mistakes. I moved on from the wood glue and began using clips and pins to secure my full lace wigs but the clips ripped my hair out of my hairline and left my with fifty pence sized smooth bald patches above my temples. My boyfriend encouraged me to wear my
hair out instead of wearing full lace wigs last October but I think he may regret it as I do spend quite a bit of time on my hair! I am trying to get better though.
I also discovered that I should not be allowed anywhere near a comb, even a wide tooth one, as I am far too heavy handed and break my own hair myself! So it's finger-combing and finger-detangling all the way.
WYG: Describe your hair?
B: I find the current definitions fairly limiting but to give everyone else more of any idea I guess it would fall under 4c. It is kinky and very soft. It's definitely not thick but full of tiny tiny corkscrews which I love.
WYG: What's your routine like?
B: I started the New Year with the intention of using either only 'clean' products with no harmful ingredients or homemade concoctions on my skin or hair. I don’t use any heat on my hair. I wash my hair once a week. I have been experimenting with a few ideas and playing
around with the order in which I do things. But my basic staples are to:
• clarify with apple cider vinegar
• steam my hair with coconut oil
• deep condition my hair with coconut milk and honey or Greek yogurt
• Wash with rhassoul clay
In between washes I mist my hair with water, followed by aloe vera gel and seal with an oil daily. I am loving Moringa oil at the moment. Not a fan of the smell but it makes your hair feel so so soft and smooth. I always sleep with a headscarf and I usually sleep on a silk pillowcase. If my hair feels dry I'll baggy it before bed.
I henna my hair once a month and it has definitely added strength to it. This is the only time I use commercial products as I haven’t figured out how to get the henna completely out of my hair in a natural way yet. I use Hairveda because they are very clean products which are handmade and impart a lot of moisture which you need after a henna treatment. A tip for those who have hard, harsh and dry hair after using henna – mix it with coconut milk instead of any other liquid. I use the Amla Cream Rinse, Moist Condition 24.7 then go under the steamer for 20 minutes with the Sitrillinah deep conditoner which is amazing.
B: My favourite product is one of my concoctions. It is a gel which holds my curls if I do a wash and go but also gives me consistently good results when I do a twist out. I haven’t named this potion yet though. As I mentioned above I love Moringa oil and am pretty partial to Aloe Vera gel
Hairveda products are very moisturising and just excellent. I think the only stockist www.britishcurlies.co.uk which specialise in selling products for curly hair.
WYG: Top Natural tips?
Bibi: Be willing to learn and become an expert with your own hair. I have been finger detangling for almost a year and a half. I only realised a year in that the way I was doing it before was causing breakage. I could have died but better late than never. You learn something new everyday.
Get a steamer – it helps give excellent curl definition. Use coconut milk and henna!
WYG: You work in a very professional environment and do you ever feel pressure to wear your
hair in a certain way?
Bibi: The easiest thing for me while I am working is to wear my hair in a bun as it is a very easy style to maintain and it’s very neat. Sometimes I just don’t have much time to do anything but re-moisturise my hair and go to bed!
I wouldn’t dream of wearing my hair out in court but that is regardless of my hair type; it’s a pretty antiquated profession in that sense. That said, I have felt completely comfortable in being natural as a barrister. Complements from clients or other lawyers about my hair have been a bonus.
WYG: Does your dancing affect what you do with your hair?
Bibi: No, not really, I just wear it up in a puff and wash it if it gets too sweaty and dirty. A good thing is my hairstyle doesn’t really get affected but I haven’t tried dancing with a full blown afro yet. When I do shows I wear the passista ponytail extensions because I like the look. It feels very much like part of the costume and best of all it’s easy and only takes minutes to throw on!
WYG: Best thing about being Natural?
Bibi: As much as it sounds like a cliché I think it is completely liberating. I feel absolutely confident that when I have children I can care for their hair and also teach them how to do so. It has also been empowering because there is a level of self-acceptance. I really like my own hair (even after watching youtube hair porn!), I am so glad I am in a position to learn about my hair and understand what it likes and what doesn’t work. It has also started me on a journey to finding the best natural and ‘clean’ products for my hair and skin which has made such an improvement in those areas. I make my own facial cleansers, toners, deodorants, hand creams, lip balms and body butters now as well as stuff for my hair. You’ll be getting some samples soon…WYG: Thanks, Bibi, we can't wait!
great story
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