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The 7th edition of our quarterly meet up promises to be fantastic! I don't want to give too much away right now (because we are still putting things together) but I can tell you that there will be at least one new element - a product swap. Start rooting around your cupboards now for those underused bottles of magic. What you no longer want may just be what someone else is searching for. 

Our theme revolves around protective styling so fully expect to learn how to tuck your hair away and care for it while it is tucked away and when you do let it out. We also have new vendors with items that have never graced the NITC stands. 

We also have at least two new speakers who are excited about meeting you and sharing what they know! Get your questions ready!

We'll bring your more details later, but you know the drill - save the date, tell your friends, bring a friend or 3!!

See you there.

Date is 30.November.2013

My ancestors were right!!!  And yours too....

In the ol' days, before the modern Water Closet (WC) toilets were installed in houses, my ancestors would go out to their pit toilet, squat and get their business done.  Once WCs were installed, we got used to squatting but our bodies have apparently had a hard time adjusting. Constipation, muscle exhaustion e.t.c. suggest that we need to go back to the way things used to be. *Drumroll* enter the Squatty Potty

Now that we have been told by the white man that the right way to do our business is to squat, I fully expect to see these flooding homes in Lagos. This way, we get the squatting benefit without being exposed to the flies from a pit toilet.

To summarize, the benefits of using a squatty potty are

• Helps with constipation, hemorrhoids and other digestive issues
• It opens the colon for fast, easy elimination.
• Excessive expulsive effort not required.

Would you get a squatty potty?

By the way, I typed all that with a straight face....talking about pooing and eliminations is just another day in the NN business

Reference and pictures from: http://www.squattypotty.com.

Talking about pooing in Nigeria, this will probably be my only opportunity to share this piece that I absolutely love with you. Read here.

“Is it the real deal? How do I know it is not adulterated?”

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Quite frankly, I was a bit affronted by the question.

How could anyone ask me if the products that we sell in Ahia NN are fake or adulterated? However, it was a question that begged an answer so I did answer. I am replicating part of my answer here as I understand that some people need to know this for their peace of mind.

I responded indignantly that we did not purchase from just any supplier, we chose one carefully.  That due to my scientific background, it is important for us to carry out certain checks to ascertain the authenticity of the oils that we sell in our Ahia.

As an example, let’s talk about oils. We always obtain a certificate of analysis for every batch of oil we sell. The oils are also tested so that I can give end users information that may be important to them. E.g., I can tell soap makers what the Saponification value for the oils are as this is something they need to make their soap making more efficient. I can also give information on whether an oil has been expeller pressed, refined or unrefined and more. I can even tell you when it was what produced and when it will expire.

Essential Oils – I can tell you their country of origin, e.g. if our peppermint leaves were grown in France, India or some other country.

All our oils are export quality. Even the local things we sell now....Nigerian Cocoa Butter and Shea Butter (we just added that) are export quality.

The point of this post is to let you know that we are on top of our game. We carry out the checks so that you do not need to. You can buy from us, knowing that each bottle of oil has been properly handled and what is in the bottle is truly what the label says it is. 

As you probably know, I currently

• run this blog
• manage the NN (marketplace) Ahia, ( I respond to every single order myself as well as deal with procurement e.t.c.)
• answer questions sent to our info mailbox as well as the nn mailbox and naturalnigerian@gmail.com mailbox.
• co-organize meet-ups quarterly (sometimes in more than one location within Nigeria)
• manage the NN facebook page (where I post pretty much everyday)
• manage the NN twitter handle

I find that a few people are surprised to learn that I also work full time, I am a parent (naturally, that is full time), travel often and even have academic pursuits. 

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As you can see, I am juggling quite a bit. Things are suffering ... orders have not been responded to on time, I don't blog as much as I used to and so on.

The blog has taken off in a way I did not plan for in the beginning. I am beyond grateful for this but, I have decided that it is time to relinquish a few of my duties.

From now on, mails sent to orders will be processed by my very capable assistant "Nestor". If you have any specific questions you need answered, please go ahead and send to info@naturalnigerian.com and I will respond. 

I will end by thanking you all for taking this blog from what it was to what it is now. We are on this journey together. 

This blog is about Natural Living and when we can catch up with those that live a natural lifestyle, we will bring you their stories to inspire you and let you know just how much is possible in Nigeria! We are surrounded by Mother Nature and there is so much we can gain from tapping into what it has to offer. We begin with Mnena Orvaa who I met through the comments she left on the blog. I had to interview her because she always left super advice for other readers. Here's her story.

Hello! Introduce yourself (or like my Nigerian folks like to say, let us meet you!)

My name is Mnena Orvaa. I am 32, I am a lawyer. I am from Benue State. Mother to 2 boys. Only 1 is living.

I know that you are partial to Natural Living. How did you arrive at that or have you always led a natural lifestyle?

I have not always lived a natural lifestyle. My bias towards it began when I couldn't cure my stomach ulcer in hospital in 2010, and when in 2011 I started dealing with my son's asthma. As a child, I always had bouts of pneumonia.

Has it been difficult or expensive maintaining it?

I started my love affair with natural living as a means of dealing with various health challenges as I just mentioned. I found out that there is a link between natural, wholesome nutrition and managing most health challenges, especially asthma. Going from eating junk to eating vegetable salads and fruits daily proved expensive at first. With time I narrowed it down to the most powerful medicinal and antioxidant vegetables and that cut the cost. I narrowed it down to garlic, cayenne pepper, onions and pawpaw leaves juice. All of these raw for maximum benefit.

Where did you learn about living a natural lifestyle?

I first learned from books. 2 specific books, written by 2 different Nigerian women, who battled and survived breast cancer by faith and a total overhaul of their diets. Strictly back to nature. I did not give heed to them till I started facing problems of my own. It may be extreme but I have effectively enforced cooking without those seasonings we call Maggi or Royco or Knorr and so on and so forth. Then I learned from Femi Kusa. He writes very educating health articles on alternatives to Western medicine. From 'big pharma' conspiracies to local herbs and supplements. Find the articles on Thursdays in This Day Newspaper. Above all, I learned from the internet on a site called Earth Clinic.

What are the local things that you have found work for you?

Garlic and cayenne pepper have the tie at number one. Garcinia kola and ginger. Raw onion juice. Like I said, I have narrowed down my must haves in terms of nutrition to the most powerful antibiotic, antiviral-the ones that combat oxidative stress the most. Cheap and always locally available. Vitamin C is also very important.

Based on all you know now, what would you do for your children (male and female in terms of hair, nutrition, natural living as opposed to the way you were brought up e.t.c)?

In the past, I was so ignorant. I ate and fed my boy junk food. At a point I left for law school and antibiotics were abused when he had ordinary coughs. Not that then I couldn't have given him the antibiotics, because I also didn’t know better, but I would have been consistent to avoid resistance. Abuse of antibiotics and very poor nutrition eventually caused him to develop asthma. It pains me, but I cannot change the past. Nutrition wise he never takes the Bobo or the Viju milk or the Ribena or the Indomie and the cakes and biscuits that on certain days was all he ate. He never liked eating proper meals and I ignorantly indulged him. No sweets, no ice-cream. No chocolate. No foods from the box. Then as regards hair, I will not relax my daughter's hair as long as I am in charge. Maybe I try to compensate for what my ignorance caused my boy, I make his bathing soap myself, cook his meals, use Shea butter for his skin. I make sure he lives very close to nature and it has done him a lot of good. I also DO NOT give him synthetic antibiotics. Enough harm already.

Do you have any words of wisdom or advice for others?

Please, let us do our research. You will be amazed at your own lifelong ignorance! I have found as a fact that some solutions to huge health issues will be answered in natural living. It is our best bet to a healthy lifestyle. Have faith. Even cancer has been dealt with by returning to nature. I have dealt with ulcer and asthma and I know what nature can do. Never compromise on vitamin C. If you will not take it from food, supplement. The white unflavoured version. Be natural! Stay healthy!!

Lots of people are less bold than I am to make such claims but when you have truly overcome by such simple natural remedies you will be amazed. Nature will always be our solution. I truly believe.

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Ladies in Abuja, that have been looking forward to a meet up, I am proud to announce that the second edition of Capital Naturals will hold in Abuja on the 1st of June, 2013. If you missed the last one, here are some pictures. We will do better in the picture - taking department this time. 

So, if you are ready to -

• Meet a lot of people who have the same goals and aspirations as you
• Learn about how to care for your hair
• Buy products that may be hard to find
• Have an all round good time

I will be there along with my co-organizers (Natural Mane of Deepbrown & Kinks, as well as Chioma Momah of Bibi Naturals). 

Expect to see a flyer out soon with more details. 

P.S - If you would like to be a vendor at the event, please write to nn@naturalnigerian.com

I came across this video recently. There are many like this, teaching you how to destroy your hair, one style at a time. 

It is a massive no-no to back comb your hair. While it does give you volume, it also irreversibly damages the hair. Here is what a normal hair strand looks like.

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You will notice that the cuticles are lying flat. This is the ideal position because then it is doing its job of protecting what is lying underneath the hair strand (the cortex and if it is present, the medulla). When hair is backcombed, it raises the cuticles. The inner part of the hair strand is then left unprotected, leaving the fragile inner bits susceptible to environmental pollution, mechanical damage from combing and much more.  The cuticles are weakened and will actually drop off easily over time.  The Hair strand then looks something like this.

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Something to think about if you are on a quest for more volume. 

Since going natural, have you found that you have an urge to touch your hair? Feel the texture? There is no "running your hands through your hair" for most natural haired ladies, however, I find that a great number of them (myself included) constantly put their hands in their hair.

Why do you think that is?

Let me go first 

• I love to feel my hair texture. Having been used to years of relaxed hair, my unprocessed hair texture is still a wonder to me despite the fact that I have worn my hair natural and unprocessed for at least 4 years. 
• Running my hair from root to tip just once tells me a lot about my hair. It tells me if it is dry, moisturized, too oily, not oily enough, frizzy e.t.c. This helps me decide how I am going to treat my hair. E.g. Spritz the hair if it is not moisturized enough.

Thank you to all that took time out to leave the comments that entered them into the competition. I took in every word with gratitude. I will do another post analyzing the comments. Let's go straight to the point and announce a winner. 

For the sake of transparency, here is how a winner was chosen. 

The rules were to leave a comment, critiquing the blog AND stating what you would like to see more of on this blog. Unfortunately, a lot of people did not do both. They did one and not the other. In order not to disqualify too many people, I relaxed the rules and allowed comments that at least stated what they wanted to see on the blog. 

These are the people that made the list. I assigned numbers in the order in which they left their comments. 

I plugged the range of numbers into this Random Number Generator and it generated a number.

So our winner is................Adaobi! Congratulations. I will be contacting you soon. 

Everyone, thank you! Thank you!