Beautiful Eloho On Her Wedding Day.

One of my December brides - sweet, calm and soft spoken Eloho. I first met her in December 2014 when I was prepping another bride who is her friend, Modupe (see here). Apparently she had just gotten engaged very recently and I remember the excitement from her and her friends. Fast forward one year later and I got the honor of doing her hair too!

She wanted a soft and simple yet elegant look and had decided on something that was side swept with some detail.

We did a few trials and settled on the look we were going for - December 19th and I got to her early as planned, and got to styling. There wasn't much to do particularly as the day before I'd given her an amino acid treatment and her hair was much softer and manageable.

Holiday Opening Times 2015

It's a busy holiday season and we will be working through most of it to get you lovely ladies looking all glam and hot.

Saturday 26th - 9 am - 6 pm

Sunday 27th - 1 pm - 5 pm

Mon 28th - CLOSED

Tues 29th - 9 am - 6 pm

Wed 30th - 9 am - 6 pm

Thur 31st - 9 am - 3 pm

Fri 1st Jan - CLOSED

Sat 2nd Jan - 9 am - 6 pm

Sun 3rd Jan - 9 am - 6 pm

Mon 4th Jan - Mon 11th Jan - CLOSED

These are the opening times for the next week till we shut for a much needed one week break. Appointments are preferred but walk ins are welcome.  Please email info@klsnaturals.com or call 08063650977.

Thank you

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

source: techonaut.com

This is definitely one of my favorite times of the year - right now though, I am lying in bed with a cold, heavy head, sore throat, aching body and irritating cough BUT I am still thankful for today! Merry Christmas everyone and may the blessings of Christ's birth be multiplied in our lives now and always.

Try not to eat too much ( I know I won't as I forgot to get my grocery shopping done ' cause I was busy busy at the salon lol) and have an amazing holiday.

Excerpts From The Live Demo With Charis Hair, Plus a Surprise Proposal!

If you're into hair and or/weddings and you're on Instagram then you must have heard of and/or seen stuff by the amazingly talented lady Tola Olayanju whose handle is @CharisHair. She does some of the most stunning and intricate wedding hair styles that leave you oohing and aahing and wondering how she does it!

So on the 6th of December she hosted a live demo class at the Protea Hotel in Maryland, Lagos where she taught some of her tricks and shared very useful tips and information on bridal styling.

All About Rolls and Tucks and Gorgeous Hair!

So! I just had to put up this hair style - this customer has lovely thick hair and each time I get to style her hair, I have so much fun just playing around in it!

The last time she came, we created the cinna puff and this time she wanted a mix of two different styles and I was more than happy to oblige.

To say all the customers in the salon were green with envy is an understatement loll. Everyone wanted to know if I added anything to her hair and I was like - nope; it's all hers!

In Salon Trichology Consult This Friday the 11th of December - Spread The Word!!

Holistic practitioner of Trichology, Atilola Moronfolu will this Saturday be partnering with KL's Natural Beauty Bar for an In salon consult.

There will be a thorough examination of the scalp, detailed account of medical history will be taken and a prognosis, diagnosis and recommendation.
This will particularly benefit those who have thinning areas, different forms of alopaecia, and bald spots.

Spread the word and help someone restore their confidence and their hair.

To book a slot in the 9 am - 6pm period, please call 08063650977.

Our Gorgeous November Bride!

 Saturday 28th was the monthly environmental sanitation and while normally I'd have an extra couple of hours sleep before heading to work, this time around I had to leave the house around 6am so I could get to Anthony before 7am and not be caught on the road due to the restrictions (I still don't understand why we have to be coerced into cleaning our environment, what does that say about us?!! Don't let me even start - that's another topic for another day)

Somehow I missed my turn when I got onto Ikorodu Road and was almost having a panic attack - luckily this nice security guard at the building I turned into, showed me an alternative route and I was able to get to my destination before 7 am. :)

Simple Heatless Stretching For My Wild And Free Afro.

Like every naturalista, I like to have my hair stretched out now and again but would rather do it without any direct heat. I've tried a number of heatless methods and so far, the best method has been threading. The thing with threading though is that it takes a bit of time and my arms start to ache and I start to get cranky!

I was watching a YouTube video from 'TheChicNatural' and I saw her do something which seemed so easy and effective and I was determined to try it out! In her video, she washes, conditions and then puts her hair into 4 ponytails, twists them and then pins each twist across her hair in an opposite direction so the hair stretches while it dries.

I tried it the first time a couple of washes ago and I loved it!! I initially did what she did which was use bands to hold the ponytails tight at the base but because my strands are so fine and the hair in my crown is very coarse and dry, I noticed I had some tenderness there and breakage! Err no that was not going to be happening!

So I decided to increase my portions to about 8 and instead of using a band to get the base stretched, I would braid the base and then twist the rest. Another trick to getting the most out of this is not to use too much product in the hair while it is still damp and to make sure the hair is THOROUGHLY detangled.

Faking an Afro With Bulk Marley Hair.

Sometimes you just want to wear a fabulous Afro and not have to worry about whether you have enough volume, the shrinkage that is bound to come and over manipulating your hair. At times like that, Bulk Marley Hair is an absolutely fantastic go to!

It creates a voluminous afro (you can make it as big or as small as you want) and you can style it in various ways while keeping your own hair away.

Bulk Marley Hair comes in different lengths (the more popular ones being 24 and 36 inches) and you don't have to worry, these measurements mean when the hair is stretched and not when it's in its shrunken state.

Got Me Some Goodies From Nubian Roots And Brazen Curls.

I love what I do!! Apart from the fact that I get to create lovely hairstyles for equally lovely ladies, I also sometimes get free stuff to try out on myself and my wonderful clients. My latest haul is two fold; the first from Nubian Roots and the other from Brazen Curls : with the respective brains behind each brand being Nigerian Female - can I get a whoop whoop!!

I am absolutely thrilled with the stuff ladies here are doing. Quite apart from the bold enterprenuerial spirit; is the creativity and innovation that you find. I mean there's Lolade Cameron Cole of Namaste Organics ( I looooooooove her black soaps and body butters!!!!) Toyin Oniru of Inner Beautee,  NN of Natural Nigerian, Atilola of African Naturalistas, Toyin Odulate of Olori Cosmetics and more that I probably haven't had the pleasure of meeting yet.

Nubian Roots is the baby of Ibilola Sowemimo while the Founder/ CEO of Brazen Curls (same Company as Midas Naturals) is Dr. Somi Dokpesi - Igbene.

When you speak to them and/or read their stories, the common thread you find running through their respective reasons for producing the products they do, is a desire to bring to African women, products more suited to and healthier for our skin and hair.

Rocking Some Temporary Colour.

So I got hit by the 'color bug' again but just like the last time, I wanted to rock some color without the full commitment to a permanent (or even semi permanent) color. What else was there to do but to buy some more of the High Beams Intense Temporary Spray - I love this stuff!!

Previously I'd used Auburn but this time I wanted something even bolder so I bought 2 different colors - Rock Star Red ( Yeah Baby!!) and Honey Blonde. I literally sprayed the entire contents of the rock star red on my head lolll. I added a bit of the honey blonde and this is the result.

Some Disturbing Things Some Unscrupulous Stylists Are Doing To Unsuspecting Naturalistas.

source: jawbreaker.nyc

You know, I was totally gobsmacked a few days ago when I was having a little tete a tete with some of my colleagues in the industry. We were talking about our challenges, issues and customer care when 2 of them spoke about a few clients of theirs who they noticed had considerably changed textures to the point of straightness.

While probing their clients, they found out that these clients at some point, had visited other salons and were told that a 'special conditioner' can be mixed and applied to their hair which will make it very easy for them to comb their hair while 'softening' the hair considerably.

Has anyone guessed what this 'special conditioner' really is made up of yet?

My Gorgeous September and October Brides

Soft side swept curls

Here I was, going through my pictures and realised I hadn't put up my brides in the last 2 months.

Forgive me

While I have 3 brides to showcase/talk about, I only have pictures for 2 of them - if you've read any of my blog posts on my brides, you will automatically know why I don't have proper pictures of the 3rd bride. Yup - mad dash at the end!

Anyways, first up is my bride Tolu - she was very very clear about what she wanted - soft curls swept and pinned to the side of her face. Her trial was very quick - I put in some clip ins and held it to the side and she was like 'yes!! That's it!' and that was it! :)

So with her Clip ins (Heat Free For Kurls) I conditioned and blow dried, then using my curling wand, created soft curls and loosely pinned up on the side. That was it!!!

Absolutely loved it!

Second up is my bride Ada - we tried a few things but settled on a simple side do with detailing in the back. For Ada, we crocheted some marley hair in to the back of her hair and then created this 'Flower' in the back for her.

The Why's And How's of Detangling.

Lol! Okay of course this meme is just an exaggeration of what naturals have to do when it comes to caring for their hair but truly detangling is such an integral part of our hair care routine.

Last weekend a customer came through and wanted wash her hair, get a treatment and get some crochet braids in. No problems I said. When it was her turn, I uncovered her hair and got my trusted detangling conditioner (African Naturalistas Moisturizing and detangling conditioner - if you haven't tried this, mehn, you are missing out on some good stuff!!) and put it through her hair, then proceeded to do what I assumed would be a basic detangling session. After about 3 minutes, I had to ask her why her hair was so tangled.

Apparently she had just taken off small braids and without combing or detangling or doing anything, she had shampooed her hair!!!! My brain just started going OMG because I knew this was not going to be a basic detangling anything.

Let's Talk Length Retention.

Source: blacknaps.org

I'm revisiting this topic because I still get a lot of  worried 'my hair is not growing' pleas from a number of ladies. The concerns include:

- I'm using all the 'right' products but nothing is happening
- When I first went natural my hair grew very fast in the first year and now it's stuck
- My hair has stopped growing

First thing I'll say is - hair is always growing. Everyone's growth rate is different and sometimes your rate may slow down (due to hormonal changes, age, diet etc) but typically hair will always be growing. What determines whether you'll see this growth is how you treat your hair (particularly the ends which are the oldest and most fragile).

I'll address each concern listed above and then throw in a few tips afterwards:

Of Quick Length Checks and Bad Crochet braids.

Crochet braids and this lovely dress I fell in love with and had to share :)

So remember I'd told you in my last post that I had a story to tell about my crochet braids? I shall be telling it today but first of all a quick length check.

So this was my check back in February:

And this is my length check from September

I'd had a trim in April so I think overall, I've been pretty good with my regimen and retaining length too.

At the end of the year,  I may stretch my hair and (gasp) flat iron it and then get another trim. Looking forward to what my overall health and length retention will be like then.

Back to my crochet story. So I was travelling for a bit and needed to put my hair away as I'd had it out for about a week. On a whim I bought some hair at my local supermarket, deciding I wanted to go for a big blown out afro look. I had it crocheted in and it was looking quite BIG lol.

Beauty Africa Expo - 3 Days, 3 Hair Styles, My Way!

I've been feeling so bleh lately - not sure what exactly's been going on with me. Hopefully I'll snap out of it soon.  Anyway, still on the Beauty Africa Exhibition, I was so busy working at the stand, I didn't really have time to go round and take pictures the way I did last year - but what I did was I wear my hair in different styles for those days so will be showing you those styles today!

I've been protective styling a lot in the last 6 months and haven't really had a chance to enjoy my hair or wear it out so I decided that for each of  the 3 days of the exhibition , I was going to do something different.

My go to style - I now have to tuck the hair around the edges in  to give it a rounded look as my hair is longer and it kinda 'flops' when in a puff

Working With Dionne Smith - International Hair Stylist extraordinaire!

Phew!!!! The last 4 days have been something else. I am so knackered but so excited and happy at the same time! So the 2015 Beauty Africa Expo came by and it was definitely bigger than it was last year - a lot more stalls and products on display; more workshops with professionals giving invaluable advice and in some cases hands on practical tips; more topics were also included in this year's edition.

I got invited by Design Essentials to work at their stand and of course I jumped at the opportunity. International Hair Stylist and Educator for Design Essentials Dionne Smith was going to be showcasing 3 hairstyles for Naturalistas and how could I miss the opportunity to learn! So I happily got myself ready and went off to Eko Hotel. When I got in, 2 of the models had already been prepped so I got started on the third model and did a basic cornrow updo leaving the top undone for the live demo.

Naturals In The City 12 Is Here!

It's that time again when Natural Nigerian will be hosting ladies in what will be the 12th edition of Naturals In The City a.k.a NITC. As usual there will be talks, loads of goodies to buy - not just hair products but healthy body products, accessories, and FOOD!!!!

Everyone is welcome - natural, relaxed. loced, transitioning and curious :)

Venue is The Social Place, 33 Sinari Daranijo Street, Victoria Island Lagos on Saturday the 26th of September 2015.


See you there!!

Cinna - Puff of Life!

So I had this client come in last week saying she wanted to get a treatment, trim and then style her hair. She let out it was her birthday and wanted her hair pulled up into a puff and then styled into cinnabuns and I made sure to give her a great birthday look!

She's got thick hair and after her treatment, I blow dried her hair alternating between cool air and warm air.

Then trimmed it and pulled it up away from her face into a puff (I've recently found that in the absence of pantyhose, a strand of marley hair or kinky hair also does the same trick).

Rocking Some Harlem 125 Durban Twist Hair!!

I came across this hair during one of my usual Instagram haunts - saw it on this lovely lady @kiitana and the thing that I liked immediately was the natural curl pattern. It already has that twist out look without you  having to go through all the trouble of twisting/rodding and then dipping in hot water.

After searching through her comments, found out it was something called Harlem 125 Durban Twists and made my merry way to purchase some!

As I've been playing with color recently, I decided on something bright and beautiful :) and settled on this color  RT33V which is basically red with black roots.

Switching Up My Products - Loving Me Some Mielle Organics and Oyin Handmade Burnt Sugar Pomade.

I'd heard a lot of good stuff about the Mielle Organics range of products and back in April when I went for the Natural Hair Show in Atlanta, I bought a couple of their products and been using them ever since. I initially bought just the Deep Conditioner and their mint oil and I really really like them! I've since bought some more and have decided to make them staples in my regimen.


Babbasu Oil And Mint Conditioner

'Our new Babassu oil and Mint Deep conditioning protein/moisture replenisher will restore dry and damaged hair. This native Amazonian palm fruit is high in sterols and tocopherols which are healthy for the hair and scalp. Enriched with fatty acids that provide a rich softeness to the hair. Derived from natural oils and cetearyl alcohol which helps reduce frizz and fly-aways. This deep conditioner is filled with two complex amino acids from wheat, soy and other natural sources that actually mimic the function of hair amino acids helping to restore the function and moisture to damaged and dry hair. Safe to use on color treated hair'.

This is probably my favorite one out of all their products. The strong mint sensation makes my scalp tingle in the most delicious way and my hair is always left soft yet strong. Moreso, since I'm on a protective style regime, I deep condition monthly now and the protein and moisture mix works perfectly to rejuvenate my hair before I put it into the next protective style.

I Am Loving These Havana Mambo Crochet Twists!!!

I'd been seeing them all over Instagram - particularly the handle of @beautydepot which is a store that retails them. I particularly love the fact that you can wear it as twists or you can unravel the twists for a twist out look!

I mean what could be more fabulous - you can fake it and not have to worry about this crazy humidity in Lagos messing with your twist out (which never last beyond 48 or so hours).

The New 'Texture Release' System By Avlon

Avlon Industries (makers of Keracare, Avlon and As I am hair ) recently launched their Texture Release application system in the market. This system is an amino acid based strengthening system which is thermally activated - much like a few others that are already on the market and which I've blogged about, here and here.

On the Avlon page, it says the Texture Release System:

'Is heat activated with amino acids and conditioning agents which goes deep into the hair's fibers to enable styling versatility. This allows the client to have optional textural change with increased combing manageability.This system was formulated for excessively curly hair that needs moisture and conditioners with special attention to the scalp'

You can read more here.

The main difference between this and most of the others ones that I've seen and used is that this system has a deep conditioning step which is missing from other brand's systems. This I really like because it is always advisable to get a deep condition before major heat is applied to your hair as this helps to reinforce the strands.

One Crochet Install, Three looks!

So I've been rocking my latest style for a little over 3 weeks now and I got to wear it in different ways. For the most part, I wore it (semi) wild and free; once I got a little tired of that, I decided to curl it for a different look.


The first day I had it installed, it was BIG as in it was HUGE lollll. It was just under 2 packs of hair but still looked quite fierce.

Yea it was crazy hair loll

Half wild and half blow dried

 Once I got home that night I got my blowdryer and proceeded to tame the mane. After I'd done that, it lost a lot of its volume and I thought it was a little flat so a couple of days later, I added about another pack of hair to fill it out, then I used my blow dryer again on the newly installed portions to even it out and loved the look!

Rubbing Minds, Sharing Ideas At A Focus Group By Philips Nigeria.

Dupe Talabi of TasalHQ and I

I have to say a huge thank you to Natural Nigerian for extending an invitation to me for this brain storming session.

  So I got to be a part of a focus group organized by Resource Villa International for Phillips Nigeria. Basically Philips is looking to create tools that are tailored to suit the unique hair textures of African women and in doing so; decided to speak to experts in the hair care industry ( see me oh! rubbing shoulders with people that have been in the industry for years and years)

They had about 20 hair stylists whose expertise ranged from natural hair (including locs) to relaxed hair to braiding and weave fixing. Each concept for a potential tool was shared and each person got to :
- speak about how they thought it would work in the market based on their experience with their own clients;
- give suggestions about changes that could be made to make the design and functionality of the tool even better
- speak about whether each tool concept met a manageability need for the hair of the African woman

Flat Twists - Oh How I Love Thee!

So this customer came in yesterday for a flat twist updo I'd created on someone she saw. Was going for about 8 flat twists initially but her edges wouldn't allow it and the style would have come undone much quicker so I added 3 more flat twists for this do.

To add to the beauty of the style, her growing out color made the style pop that much more.  Loves it!