I had such an amazing 2014. Looking forward to an even more amazing 2015! I wish you guys all the very best in the New Year!
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Ho! Ho!! Ho!!! It is that time of year again.
We wish you a Merry Christmas.
Christmas is in the air and to celebrate, we have not one, but two offers for you!
We are giving a 15% discount on Lavender JBCO from now until the end of the year. No need for a code, it has already been discounted. There are no limits on this offer so you can buy as many bottles as you like until the end of the year.
Click here for more Markus Prime Art.
I saw this work and it really, really spoke to me. This isn’t going to be a long post. I want to know how you interpret this. Speak on it, ladies!
As you know, the Lagos Natural Hair meet up will be on the 22nd of November! I gave you some information here on what to expect. There was too much information to cram it all into one post, so here we go again!
We’ve teamed up with a Dr. Agility (lovely name, right?) founder of Purejoie Consulting to hold a Medical Hair Clinic at the meet up. This is actually very important as a lot of people that have hair issues actually have underlying medical problems which prevent their hair from growing. Asking for help from hair bloggers is not always the way to go. A doctor or trichologist can turn your hair story around and maybe even save your life in the process.
We are counting down the days now to the Calabar, Natural in Paradise meet-up and I just wanted to tell you what to expect.
Learn
There will be talks from not 4 but 6 people! Lots to share so we are looking forward to starting nice and early.
One is a doctor who consults on hair matters. She will be talking generally about hair loss (and ladies, you know we have a challenge with that). Ekene of the Kink and I will be speaking about being Natural on a budget in Nigeria. There will also be make up tips from a couple of professional Make-up Artists. Last on the roaster is moi, Natural Nigerian.
Awoof!
We have gift packs from Jessicurls and some items from Hairfinity up for grabs. You could walk away with either or both.
Mingle
Also, there will be vendors available there to bring you the hair care products that usually reside in far away Lagos. It is all coming to you this time! This will be a good opportunity for you to learn what resources you can get locally. After meet ups, a constant is that relationships are formed, with salon owners, hair care product supplier, with fellow healthy hair enthusiasts!
There are just so many reasons why you should ensure that you are there.
Today is Healthy Monday!! Let’s stop talking about food for a minute and talk instead about something that will help you exercise right.
A few years ago, while reading Gym instructor and personal trainer, Adura’s blog, I came across a post that mentioned the importance of getting a gait analysis done when buying new running shoes. I had never gotten that done before but was immediately interested.
It is based on the fact that our foot arch or lack of it (in the case of those that have flat feet) determine the way our feet are aligned.
If you know your arc type, this is a pretty cool way of figuring out your foot alignment. If you don’t look at the bottom of the post for a link that will help you determine what your arch type is.
I wasn’t able to find a place that could conduct the test in Nigeria so I wound up getting it done in a shop that sells running equipment in the UK. I went with my cousin, Chinelo, and they soon had us running barefoot on a treadmill to see whether we overpronate, underpronate or have a normal gait while running. After they determined which category I fell into, they tested me running with shoes and we settled on one that gave me the most support.
This shows the running gait of people that fall under the different categories.
Did it make a difference?…..Yep!! So much so that I haven’t since bought running shoes without getting a fit test or gait analysis done.
In case you are wondering about the results: I discovered that I overpronate (no surprise there as I have flat feet), and wound up buying a pair of ASICS with proper structural support. I absolutely love ASICS. So very comfortable, I could live in them.
Why is a Gait Analysis so important?
- The right shoes can prevent injury while running. As a matter of fact, if you have a recurring injury, it may be down to your shoes not providing the right support.
- Improves form and body alignment for better performance while running.
- Even if you are not a runner, this is helpful in determining the sort of every day shoes you should be buying for every day shoes.
My last pair of running shoes came from New Balance. I went to a New Balance store and they conducted a professional fit analysis to get me the right shoes. No running involved. I simply stepped on an iSTEP scanner which mapped my feet and advised the fit specialist which shoes I would need for the right support.
Here is a picture of my scan, the bits in red are the places where I most apply pressure when standing. This is what flat feet look like.
Do you see me in the picture, taking the picture? Apparently I always shove my sunglasses on my head when I am indoors.
I bought a pair of shoes with built-in support. They also sold me orthotics which I no longer wear (they were too uncomfortable).
Cool Links Bonus:
- If you don’t know what your arch type is, here is a pretty neat trick for determining it in the comfort of your home. It also explains the sort of support you will need from every day shoes. Here is another.
- In Nigeria without access to a fit test or gait analysis? Asics has a cool online app for helping you find the perfect shoes. New Balance has one too but it does not appear to cater to overpronators, just underpronators.
I already announced the Calabar Natural Hair Meet Up. We (NN and The Kink & I) now have a flyer so that you can help us spread the word!
Looking forward to seeing you and yours there!
I am taking the time to address one of the questions I get asked most. It is right there at the top of the list with “How do I make my hair grow longer fast.” I have answered that question (advising on incorporating healthy methods) on facebook, twitter and even here on the blog.
So, folks also want to know “how to make my hair fuller and thicker”. I am not going to answer directly. I want you to think this through on your own after you are done reading this post.
While looking for images that could help to illustrate the point I want to make, I came across this post. I contacted Sonya of Parlor Diary and with her approval, I am able to share them here. I would really advice that you go to her blog and read the original post.
Hair Strand Types – Coarse Medium, Fine
Usually, when people say that they do not have thick hair, they usually mean that the hair strand is thin and not thick. However, in proper hair speak, we class the hair strand as being either coarse, medium or fine. So we are born with our hair in either one of these categories. You will notice that this is dependent on the diameter of the hair strand. This in fact is also dependent on the size of the hair follicles that produce the hair. Thin follicles produce fine hair and so on. It is interesting to note that as we get older, our hair follicles usually get thinner and thus start producing fine hair. 
We are genetically programmed to have our hair grow either coarse, medium or fine. It is possible for someone who has fine hair to use a product that will temporarily give it the effect of being medium. Alas, these topical applications typically wash off.
Hair Density
Hair density is simply the number of hair strands on the scalp. Usually referred to as having “full hair” or “scanty hair” depending on where one falls in the spectrum. The squares below represent the scalp while the dots below represent the way hair follicles are distributed on the scalp. As you can see, those that have are under the “thick” category have more hair per square inch. Which means that they have higher hair density than those in the other categories. 
It stands to reason that those in the “thick” category will have a fuller head of hair than those in the “medium’ category and so on. It is possible to have this hair density distributed unevenly throughout the scalp such that the nape of your hair will have less hair density than say the middle. People can generally move from thick to medium to thin over the span of their lives. This is usually a function of hair follicles closing up for any variety of reasons
- Alopecia
- Hormonal Imbalance
- Bad Hair Care e.t.c
Can someone who wasn’t burn with a thick head of hair somehow wind up with a thick head of hair? It can happen with hair transplants but a miracle product? If there is one, I am unaware of it.
Interestingly, studies show that African women typically have lower hair density than Caucasians.
To end, after reading this post, have you figured out how to make your hair thicker or if indeed, you can? If you have, please share by leaving a comment. If you haven’t please leave me a comment about that and I will do another post explaining if we can, indeed make our hair fuller and thicker.
References
Hair Density in African Americans, Arch Dermatol. 1999 Jun; 135(6): 656-8.
