Bobby pinning hair is not a skill that comes naturally to me.

I used a bobby pin for the very first time when I decided to go natural in 2011. To begin with, it was impossible to pin my hair up because I didn't have much but within about six months I had enough 'material' to work with.

As an amateur, I used lots of pins to keep my hair down and even then, it still looked loose. Over time, however, I am getting better. I'm yet to become a master but I'm well on my way. Currently, it only takes two pins on each side of my head to keep my hair in place with one hair comb at the back.

My top five tips on pinning hair up successfully are:
1. Wipe your hands if they are oily;
2. Similarly, when your hair is too oily, the pins will slip out so don't overdo it with the hair oils;
3. Make sure the hair is tightly bunched up and hold it in place before picking up the pin;
4. Open the bobby pin very slightly using your forefinger (a.k.a. the pointing finger) and then push the pin where you want the hair to hold;
5. I usually place the first pin into my hair after I have folded the hair over twice then I place another pin after two more folds.

If the pins are inserted correctly, the hair will hold even if you haven't pinned all the strands at the end. To be on the safe side, I fold the remaining hair until the base of my head and insert a hair comb before pinning up the other side of my head.

My hair is still on the short side right now so I expect my technique to change when I have more hair to deal with.

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I applied Cantu Shea Butter to my hair whilst it was dry.

I actually bought this on a drive from Indiana to Chicago when I was on holiday in America. I'd never heard of it before but the brightly coloured packaging caught my eye and I thought, why not. 

I was surprised that in America you can just go into a shop and buy products like this. In London you can't even get a mainstream black hair product like relaxer in the big stores never mind niche products like natural hair moisturisers, shampoos and conditioners. Yes, I am jealous - but we'll get there, some day.

Although Cantu Shea butter has some petrolatum, I think it is okay to use on natural hair because it doesn't have the same heavy feeling that pure petrolatum does, you know, like vaseline.

Cantu Shea butter is actually my very first experience with a creamy or whipped shea butter. I normally use a much less refined shea butter which is hard and not creamy at all. 

What I've discovered is that the less refined shea butter is great when I have just washed my hair and when I use it in collaboration with Neno Natural's Hair Growth Stimulator. However, it is much less effective on my dry hair.

Cantu Shea butter does exactly the opposite: On my dry hair, it feels gorgeous. However, it doesn't feel as great when I apply it wet hair.

As always, before I undo my twists I rub 'unwhipped' shea butter into my hands with some Neno Natural's Hair Growth Stimulator so that my hands slide over the hair easily. This minimises breakage.

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Rosemary is one of my favourite essential oils for massage. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it's beneficial for hair growth too - why?:

1. It contains vitamin A which is much needed for hair growth.

2. It stimulates hair follicles and growth by increasing blood circulation to the scalp (like lavender) thus improving delivery of oxygen and nutrients. 

3. It soothes dry flaky scalps and can help with dandruff issues (anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory).

4. It's good as part of a hair conditioner, apparently its helps with softening hair.

5. It prevents premature greying of your hair(!) and can help to darken hair that is already greying or lightening in colour.

6. It helps to reduce hair loss and thinning. Rosemary is one of the oils that was used in an experiment in 1998 by scientists in Scotland to see if essential oils can help to reduce alopecia. They did.

7. It smells fabulous.

How to use rosemary oil for hair?
Add 3 to 4 drops of rosemary oil into 30ml of a base oil and massage it into the scalp; I personally use it as one of the four essential oils in Neno Natural's Hair Growth Stimulator.

You can also extract the amount of shampoo or conditioner that you want to use from a bottle and add 3 to 4 drops of rosemary to that. I wouldn't add it directly to the shampoo bottle so that you don't permanently change the entire bottle's ingredients.

Important note: do not use rosemary oil if you are pregnant, epileptic or suffer from high blood pressure. Except under these circumstance, rosemary oil is not toxic.

References: the-herb-guide.com, buzzle.com, livestrong.com, hairthickeningproductsblog.com.

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Yes, I do see going natural as "a movement", one of self acceptance and in 20 years or so, I honestly think that many more people will look back and see that it was. Enjoy Zina Saro-Wiwa's story.

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I was debating whether or not my hair grows faster when I am asleep and decided to do some research. This is what I found:

1. The body repairs itself better during sleep
It's going to be very hard for anyone to prove that the rate of hair growth is faster during sleep than during your waking hours simply because hair grows very little during any particular day. 

What can be said is that when we sleep the body repairs itself and detoxes. It also makes sense that during the day when you are up and down juggling a hefty schedule and tearing muscles in the gym, hair growth will be less of a priority for your internal systems. We've all heard the old adage that kids grow when they're sleep, so why not hair? 

There does not appear to be direct scientific proof for faster hair growth during sleep but this is what I can find conclusive evidence for: 

2. Stress can lead to hair loss
Not sleeping enough can cause or exacerbate stress. Stress itself is linked to hair loss. 'Hair loss is nearly always the consequence of an internal disturbance' (belgraviacentre.com) e.g. stress. 

If you're stressed or sleep-deprived or both your immune system is weaker and amongst all the functions your body has to deal with it's not going to prioritise your hair.

3. Less sleep and you'll eat less healthily
Can you believe that a study at the University of California, Berkeley has actually shown that poor sleep lowers the ability to make good food choices? 

Using functional MRI scanning, subjects were asked to rate their desire for certain foods; when they were more sleep deprived they were more attracted to less nutritious food! 

The mineral and vitamins present in a healthy diet are needed for hair growth. If your body is lacking in vitamins and minerals it uses them up for important functions first (e.g. liver and kidney operation) and for less important functions (e.g. hair growth) last. If there isn't enough left over: so long good hair!

Regardless of what scientists say, I know I don't feel good when I haven't slept enough, I do eat worse and I feel all round less healthy - that cannot be conducive to retaining beautiful hair.

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FYI, THE VIDEO ABOVE INCLUDES ALL THE INFO BELOW.

Until last year I completely took my hair for granted. It was effortlessly beautiful. Then, I undid my latest braids to find it wasn't. It was all broken, unhealthy, thin - ugly! Since then, I have treated my hair with reverence and it's thankfully beginning to look healthy again. I hope I don't have to start going blind before I start treating my eyes with the same respect!

I dedicate two hours every single week (usually on Sunday) to washing, conditioning and detangling my hair. I conditioned my hair even when I had braids over the winter.  This is my basic routine:

1. Detangle hair gently with fingers before you start washing especially if it was in plaits. No combing - it's still too dry.

2.     Wash hair with just WARM water

• Warm water a) loosens up dirt and oil and b) it opens up the hair cuticles;
• I actually feel the hair getting softer and the strands becoming more separable;
• Water is the ultimate moisturiser;
• I rub my hair and scalp as I wash it to determine when it’s been fully hydrated.

3.     Shampoo hair once

• I do it once only because I don’t want to over-strip my hair of its natural oils; generally I don’t think my hair is that filthy, I don't use heavy products like gel often and I don’t get dandruff - touch wood!
  
• If I think it needs a little extra cleaning I just use a little more shampoo and I massage the scalp  and hair for a little longer.
  
• I work the shampoo into my hair using the flats of my fingers to avoid irritating my scalp with my fingernails. 
• I rinse my hair first with just water then with c. 3l of water with 10 drops of peppermint of oil in it. Peppermint is great for hair growth and as an anti-itch solution.
  
• My hair look super coily after this stage
  

4.     Add conditioner generously.Like all my hair products, my conditioner does not contain any: Gluten, Parabens, Paraffin, Petrolatum, Phthalates, Propylene Glycol, Silicone, Sulfates, PABA (paraaminobenzoic acid) or DEA (Diethanolamine).

5.     Put a shower cap over the hair.

6.      Blow dry on top of the shower cap for 2-3 minutes for maximum effect. Heat helps hair to absorb all the good stuff out of the conditioner and essential oils. If you are using bad products, it will absorb those too! I don't apply heat directly to the hair.

• Because my shower cap gets cold once I stop blow drying, I usually put a hat or thick scarf on top of the shower cap as soon as I have stopped blow drying to seal the heat in.
  
• Leave for 15-30 minutes to deep condition.
  

7.     Remove shower cap and with the conditioner still in there detangle the hair. Using a combination of your fingers and a wide tooth comb section by section starting at the tips. I never force the comb, if it gets stuck I detangle with my fingers first and then resume using the comb. I twist each section as soon as it has been detangled and combed.

• Before the hair is combed, it is still very kinky and the visible length will double or even triple as you comb it out.
  
• I have seen people use brushes in their hair at this stage but I personally never do because I think they are too rough for my hair and the wide-tooth comb seems to be doing a decent enough job for my purposes.
  

8.     Rinse conditioner out 

• You can either do this straight after twisting your hair or if you need to do some household chores, put the shower cap back on and do it later. 
• I don’t think keeping the conditioner in for longer makes too much difference at this point.
  

9.     Blot hair dry with a towel or a shirt

• Apparently rubbing it dry leads to kinkiness so it’s better to just dab at it or wrap a shirt around the head. 
  
• It appears that the material shirts are made from is better for drying hair with but I am yet to do in-depth research on this point. 

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10.     In my final step, I undo each twist. Moisturise the section with a mixture of leave in conditioner, a shea butter based moisturiser and my homemade jojoba plus essential oil mix. I then redo the section in a plait or a twist. Let me explain in greater detail:

• I rub my shea butter moisturiser into my hands until it has dissolved, add a bit of “Neno Natural’s Hair Growth Stimulator” to my hands, a blend of Jojoba + lavender + rosemary + cedarwood + Ylang Ylang and when I find it, I'll add Thyme)
  

• I undo a twist and rub the hair butter/oil mix into the hair making sure I rub it all the way down to the roots
  
• I then re-plait the now super moisturised section of hair into a 3 strand braid. I prefer this to twists right now because they produce a better curl pattern for my current length of hair. I keep my plaits in until my hair is dry. 
• This stage is critical for two reasons: i. Adding moisturiser to the hair whilst it’s wet leads to a shinier, glossier finish. I only added this to my routine a year after being natural. I used to leave the twists in my hair after I’d showered, I let them dry naturally AND THEN I moisturised. This does not work well for my hair. By then it is already too dry and clumpy.
  ii. If I don’t leave my hair in plaits until it's dried up, my hair becomes rock hard by the next day and I have so much trouble managing and styling it. 

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I am into aromatherapy so this has always been part of my medicine drawer because it's great for inducing sleep and relaxation. Why is lavender so good for hair?

1. Regenerative. When you have irritated your scalp with combs, scratching, too many products etc, lavender oil helps to restore the scalp to its original state.

2. Soothing and calming effect on scalp. Inflammation caused by bad weather and bad products is repaired.

3. Great as an anti-itch agent due to its soothing effect.

4. Stimulating effect. Lavender oil penetrates cells in the scalp after it’s been massaged in and there it nourishes and improves blood circulation. Improved blood circulation brings more nutrients and oxygen to hair follicles. Roots and the hair shaft get nourishment faster and hence quicker growth is stimulated.

5. Cleans the scalp. Lavender oil dissolves dead skin and dandruff which can then be easily taken off when you wash the hair with some removed by the very act of massaging. As a powerful disinfectant it will also help to rid your scalp of lice, lice eggs, nits, fungi, viruses and other microbes.

6. Great natural fragrance. I don't like hair products with "fragrances" other than essential oils. I avoid packages that say "fragrances" because I don't want to add any unknown, unnatural products to my hair. Synthetic materials can damage and break hair.

7. It's great for relaxing. To cure insomnia or to improve the quality of sleep that you get, mix lavender oil up with a base e.g. sweet almond oil and get your guy or gal to give you a massage :). Good sleep makes for good hair growth.

Where can you get lavender oil?  Health shops and pharmacies.

How do I use lavender oil?
For my hair, I had c.4 drops of lavender to a base oil - currently jojoba, but I intend to try out other oils as well - then I massage the lavender into my scalp using the flats of my finger. Occasionally, to facilitate absorption, I cover my head in a shower cap. The extra heat helps your skin to absorb the oil.

In addition, when I make my own hair conditioners, I add about 4 drops.

How often do I use it? Almost daily.

• Three or four times a week, I massage it into my scalp. 
  
• In addition, when I apply a hard shea butter to my hair I normally add Neno Natural's Hair Growth Stimulator to it.
  
• Sometimes I add it to the water bottle that I use for spritzing my hair. I spritz my hair with water daily to hydrate it.
  

Reference: hair-growth-tips.com, buzzle.com. 

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26 Dec 2012 Update:

I used Avocado and Honey Twisting Cream to moisturise my hair before twisting it and going to bed. I left the twists in for a couple of days in bantu knots but when I undid them the hair wasn't well twisted, but when I added water it quickly became very soft and very manageable.

For 5 days straight I didn't added any leave-in conditioner, creams or butters, I just spritzed the hair with water to re-soften it and it looked great! I would recommend avocado and honey twisting creams as a moisturiser.

Water is the ultimate moisturiser for natural black/African hair.

I spritz my hair with water every morning when I am styling to make it softer. Note, I only finger comb my hair when styling, I don't use an actual comb (except when I'm conditioning); combing is one sure way to get breakage. As I spray the hair I separate the strands and massage the scalp to make sure the water sinks in.

Empty spray bottles are easy to find and relatively inexpensive, check in your local pharmacy. Refill the water bottle regularly (at least weekly) so that the water doesn't get stale. The second bottle in the picture is misty because I add essential oils to the water to help my hair grow. I'll discuss essential oils in another article.

By evening my hair has normally dried out so I sometimes spritz again especially if I decide to twist or plait my hair. If my hair isn't that dry I just massage Neno Natural's Hair Growth Stimulator into my scalp.

DRINKING WATER

Spritzing your hair with water is just the start. You also need to drink plenty of the stuff; you need to be hydrated inside and out to keep your hair healthy. 

All chemical reactions in the body involve water. Whilst hair itself is dead once it leaves the body, the capillaries and other cells under your scalp are living and transportation of oxygen and other nutrients to these living membranes involves water.

Have you noticed how your lips and throat dry out when you're thirsty? That dehydration will affect cells involved in hair growth too. If you're dehydrated your body will prioritise important organs like the liver and kidneys over hair so your hair suffers.

How can you drink more water?
Lots of people find it hard to drink water; I had to get used to it myself. Without fail I drink eight 250ml glasses of warm water per day:
- 2 as soon as I wake up with fresh lemon squeezed in - lemon is good for hair and skin too;
- 2 just before lunch;
- 2 at 3:00 or 4:00 p.m. in the afternoon;
- 2 just before dinner - again with fresh lemon squeezed in.

Why warm water? I find it's easier to drink and I feel that it doesn't 'shock' the body in the way that cold water does.

If I drink anything else e.g. tea or coffee it has to be in addition to my eight glasses of water. I started this routine in April 2011 or there abouts and I am very used to it. If I stop taking the lemon I start getting headaches - I don't know how that works, don't ask!

You will notice three added bonuses immediately: your digestive system will move "more efficiently", you'll feel more alert and your skin will clear up.

In summary, drink lots of water and spritz your hair with water daily for healthy hair.

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What's my name? Heather

Where am I from? I was born and bred in Malawi, Africa but I live in England, UK.

Where is Neno Natural based? Chicago, USA and London, England. 

Personally, I live in London (most of the time) but most of my goods are stocked and sold in the USA. 

When did I decide to go natural? In about March 2011. 

I unbraided my hair to find that the relaxed portion of my hair had entirely fallen out at the back. Despite this, I was still going to relax my hair but my cousin and sister who were with me at the time said, 

          "Why don't you just leave it natural?"

          "Na-, what?"

Seriously, the concept of keeping natural hair had never occurred to me. I thought it was like moving back from computer to typewriter - you simply wouldn't do it! They pulled up some YouTube videos of African Americans who were "going natural" and the beautiful results that they were having and I was sold!

How long had I been relaxing my hair for prior to "going natural"? c.24 years by my own estimate. My mother first relaxed my hair when I was about 3 years old, I believe.

What was year 1 of being natural like? Tough. I looked silly.
I was transitioning and only the top half of my hair had any relaxed hair on it. Like I said, all the natural hair on the back half had fallen out completely.

The protective/conservative hairstyles I fashioned to work are so cringeworthy I can't put them up! Perhaps one day.

What is Neno? Neno (the "e" is pronounced like the "e" in bed) is the village where my dad was born and raised. I decided to name all my proprietary routines after Neno because my roots lie in Neno and it's the roots of my hair that I am trying to nourish and grow (pun intended). 

What's Neno village like? Think beyond the back of beyond - dirt roads, mountains...It's great, especially if you're running from the police, they'd never find you there! Jokes aside, Bill Clinton's been there: the Clinton Foundation is doing some fantastic work out in Neno.

What's the point of the Neno Natural hair blog? It started out as a hair diary. Then I got interested in learning the science of my hair and became more analytical.

Where do we get our info? some things, we learn through trial and error, others we get off fellow 'naturals', books and journal articles. We will always provide links to any sources used for your verification.

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