The post is called the Experimentalist and The El Classico which
basically means I should have published this post a while ago when my
team Real Madrid won. *Hides face in shame*
I must say
I'm overwhelmed and honoured.... I received a few emails asking me to
update the blog. Apologies for the lack of posts its amazing the amount
of things that happen within three months, travelling for
weddings in Lagos, work and enjoying this beautiful journey called life.
So
in my last post I mentioned that I began to experiment with more
styles, after my second "Big chop". It is best to think about what you
are going to do with your hair, i.e. colour, cut, hair extensions etc...
It is not healthy to change styles too often, however do not fall into
the trap of keeping your hair extensions for too long .... esp those who
live in cities where it can be expensive, London, New York, Barcelona
etc... Please do not fall into the trap of not maintaining your hair....
I
normally change my hair every three weeks, apart from braids,
I tend to wash my braids and touch up (re-braid) round the sides.
I
received a question about my inspiration for hair styles. I often look
at Western hairstyles and see how it can be translated into styles suitable for natural hair, and which type of hair extensions I will use to achieve the look.
First
style is a Twiggy style bob, there is a funny story about
this style, involving a thief, my blackberry and chicken republic in
Lekki phase 1 in Lagos, maybe for another post. I used very cheap hair
from Balogun Market in Lagos as I was going to cut it and style it. A
combination of colour 1 and colour 4 and then a short blunt cut all the
way round the back, with a longer fringe.
Second
style is a short curly bob, with a combination of various types of hair
extensions. Since I discovered the combination of colour 1 and colour 4
with any type of hair extensions, I have been hooked. I am not brave enough to experiment
with colour yet....so this is my "Go to" hairstyle if I fancy something
other than jet black hair. This style was inspired by one of my favourite style
icons January Jones.
Here
I have used Miss Rola Hair at the back, in colour 1 and colour 4 and
short "Brazilian hair" at the front. Miss Rola is a type of hair
extension created for shorter hairstyles, it lasts up to 6 weeks, and is
naturally curly, which means low maintenance.
Apologies for the picture below, I was walking the dog, and hadn't styled my hair yet.
Third
style I have experimented with is my modern version of shuku. Shuku
was a hairstyle popular among King's wives in Yoruba land (Southern
Nigeria) many years ago.
Believe
it or not this hairstyle takes an hour and half and lasts up to three
weeks and is inexpensive. Two bags of expressions hair extensions are
used below, the hair is woven (cornrowed) to the centre with a tiny bit
of expressions into a tiny ponytail, then the whole length of a bag of
expressions braided, and wrapped around the pony tail. I like my bun to
have texture so, some parts are twisted and some braided. Its unusual
but you will stand out. Expressions cost approximately 2.50 per bag in
England and 350Naira in Nigeria. Initially I wanted to have "Pack and
gel" a hairstyle popular in the late 90's, but as I have natural hair, I
decided to cornrow my hair instead. This is my version of a top knot or
high bun.
A smaller version of shuku below
Actress Nse Ikpe-Etim with a variation of shuku below
Fourth
style isn't really something I have experimented with, its more my "Go
to" style, Ghana weaving, or cornrows "All back" with hair extentions.
This style suits everyone, just like braids, but it depends on where
your parting is. I tend to have a star (the cornrows start from one
point at the hairline and leads to the back. "All back" is often
referred to as Kolese in Yoruba land, and gives everyone a naturasl
look. Its popular with school girls, without hair extensions. As I
mentioned in my last post, all back Ghana weaving was the hairstyle I
had through most of my transitioning period.
The
Fifth style is the Mohawk, it is striking when the cornrows are small, I
did this style below for one of my colleagues with "Afro kinky" hair,
she is brave as she used burgundy hair extensions. I'm a repeat offender
when it comes to hairstyles that I like, I think I did this one too
many times. The first time I saw someone with a real Mohawk, was many
years ago in East London, but you see mohawks all the time in Camden
town. The style was popular during the punk period in London in the 60's
and 70's especially along the Kings Road in London, where the sides of
the head is shaved and a thin narrow strip of hair is left, from the
front of the head to the nape of the neck. The term Mohawk is from the
Mohawk nation an indeginous people of North America.
The term Mohawk is from the Mohawk nation an indigenous people of North
America. Artwork has been discovered from as far back 600BC depicting
Sythian warriors sporting mohawks.
A few celebrities sporting mohawks.
 |
| Footballer David Beckham |
|
 |
| Singer Chrisette Michele |
My favourite below
Call for one of our mobile stylists in London 07949507271
In other news....
Highlights since the last time I blogged
1)Spain vs Portugal and Spain vs Germany in Euro 2012
2)
Real Madrid vs Barcelona and Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich, it was a
hard decision but I went to Church instead of watching Real vs Bayern
Munich
3) Onyinye and Chika's wedding
4) Rachael and Yinka's wedding
5) Temi and Femi's wedding pictures, watching La Haine (really good independent film)
Looking forward to...
1) The release of Bond 23, also known as Skyfall
2) African Fashion Week in London
3) More blogging...
This
Post is dedicated to Bridget Boateng and the Boateng family, Bridget
your Dad was an Experimentalist, I remember him consistently studying
and working, whilst we were in secondary school.
*Thanks to Bunmi Aijotan for assisting with the post
