frochic

Jul 242013
 

I mean, who would’ve guessed that this hot FHM beauty that’s been dominating our TV screens, billboards, magazines, etc for years had a head full of gorgeous naps hidden underneath those weaves?!!

Ok this post might appear as old news to those of you who had purchased the Winter issue of GLAMOUR Hair we were featured in but hey…

So yes, after our GLAMOUR hair feature excitement had eventually worn off, we decided to page through the rest of the magazine and there, on page 54 of the mag was a feature on this Congolese beauty (it was actually a cover feature). She was basically talking about…obviously…her hair and as it turns out, under all those fabulous weaves she rocks with confidence was a head full of (as THEYcall it) naps!

In another interview with Cosmopolitan magazine:

The Treatment: ‘My natural hair gets washed and treated using Dark and Lovely. My stylist plaits or corn-rows my hair in order to make it as flat as possible. After disinfecting the baby hairline to remove excess oil, she uses hair glue to fasten a lace weave. She holds it down for a minute or two until the glue settles.’

The Style: ‘I like to divide my hair into four sections and curl it into four big curls. It’s quick and gives my hair a more natural twist. I like to wear my hair in a side parting with a bun on the opposite side of the fringe when I go out.’

Joelle Recommends: ‘After I blow dry my hair, I use the Dark and Lovely Oil Moisturiser Lotion (R23.99).’

A Word From Her Stylist: When stylist, Chelimo Lupafya does Joelle’s hair, her single motto is ‘She must look camera ready at any moment. To achieve this on her Indian Remy Lace Wig, I use TRESemme Salon Silk Shampoo (R11.99 per 100ml), fortified with vitamin H and almonds. This leaves the hair feeling and looking silky with a natural shine. Just before styling with a wide-barrel curling iron, I apply a generous amount of TRESemme Heat Defence Styling Spray (R19.99 per 100ml), which contains heat-activated ingredients to protect hair when drying or curling. To keep the weave just a little more moisturised, I apply Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum (R265 per 150ml). Finally, a light spray of TRESemme Hairspray Firm Hold (R59.99 per 500ml) keeps the style in place without causing that stiff 1980s look.’

 

Jul 082013
 

A month or two ago we were introduced to two wonderful natural ladies, Mummy and Shereen, who were about to come to a lot of South African naturals’ rescue by launching a promising natural hair care range.

We went to their launch at Vilakazi street where they delivered a presentation on their up & coming hair care line which got us even more excited. We also got some goodie bags and inside there was a hair souffle (more like a moisturizer), hair elixir ( a mixture of various natural oils) and a silk scarf (every natural’s must-have).

We were promised the products would be available for sale end of June and it looks like the ladies kept their promise…the products are now available on www.nubiannature.co.za (not sure if we mentioned that it’s an online shop).

I must say their prices are reasonable too, as compared to buying those overseas brands and having them shipped over.

The shampoo and conditioner aren’t available yet and we’ll be notified as soon as they are.

Happy shopping!

Jun 262013
 

Origins & current location?
I’m from Malawi but moved to Botswana with my family 8 years ago.

What are you currently up to?
I’m currently a student at the University of Botswana; did my degree here and I’m now completing my Masters this year. I also learn Chinese in my spare time; blog/write like a mad woman for other blogs as well as my own and sort of model, lol.

Why did you decide to go natural?
My relaxed hair was very lifeless, never grew and thin. It just wasn’t working. So after seeing my cousin go natural and live to tell the tale, I figured I could do it too.

Briefly take us through your natural hair journey.
I tiptoed into it by first putting away the relaxer, then braiding my hair and cutting a bit off everytime I took down the braids. Eventually my cousin convinced me to just do the big chop and I did! It was scary but exhilarating at the same time. I rarely cut my hair so it was a big deal for me, haha! I felt like a weirdo so I braided it after a week or two.

What do you love/ dislike about your hair?
Dislike: I don’t like its lack of thickness, my sensitive edges and its different lengths (the hair on my crown grows much faster than the rest of my hair for whatever reason).
Love: Despite all this, I love it and I make it work, gotta embrace what you have! Good thing about natural hair is it’s easy to fake some thickness thanks to the volume shrinkage gives. I love it’s texture – I have hand in hair syndrome – and the way it morphs depending on products, the weather and manipulation.



What are some of the challenges and advantages you’ve experienced?
Challenges: Goodness products! The products hustle is tough! The stores only tend to stock products for relaxed hair and a lot of mineral oil laden stuff. Thanks to YouTube and blogs though I’ve learnt how to find some budget natural products.

Advantages: Learning how to look after your own hair. I rarely go to salons anymore, I control my look and it’s more cost effective.

What is your hair care regimen?
Shampoo & condition (currently rotating between Herbal Essences Touchably Smooth shampoo and conditioner, Earthsapp tea tree conditioner and Dove shampoo (for damaged hair) once a week.

Deep condition with a treatment (currently using ORS hair mayonnaise) twice a month. I use Apple Cider Vinegar in all my washes, either add it to my conditioner or use it as a rinse. When my hair is damp I moisturize (currently using ORS HAIRepair intense moisture cream but I plan to switch to something else), seal (currently using a homemade shea butter and coconut oil mix), detangle with a wide toothed comb and then put in twists again. I let it air dry and style usually in a twist out or updo. I don’t oil my scalp unless I’m in braids of some sort.

I also have an oil mix I sometimes use as a prepoo if I remember to or if I have time. I spray daily with a homemade spray made of water, JO’M grapeseed oil dreadlock cream, aloe vera juice and some of my oil mix. I also apply castor oil to my hair line daily. I get my products from pharmacies, health shops and Clicks. Every now and then I do find some good stuff in supermarkets (the Earthsapp line for example is found in Spar). It may seem like a lot but I really don’t do much.

What results do you expect from a hair product when you purchase it?
Short term wise I want softness but long term wise I expect health. I gravitate towards products with tons of nutrients for my hair. I also like moiturizing products because Botswana has a very dry climate.

Is it a struggle finding products that work for your hair type or are you happy with the ones you’re currently using?
Finding a great moisturizer is my current concern. However, overall I am happy with my products and honestly they do enough BUT A girl can never have too many! I’m a bit of a product junkie so I’m always ready to try something new.  But I force myself to finish one before I buy another. At the end of the day method is more important than product.

Are you planning on locking in the future?
When I’m probably 50 or so and I’m too tired to keep up with the demands of natural hair. Right now though I want to see how far I can take it.

Which type of natural hairstyle(s) do you like to rock?
Twist outs are my go to hair style but as my hair grows I’m starting to experiment with up do’s more. I also love quick simple braided styles that incorporate cornrows of my own hair. I also love doing head wraps for lazy days.



Do you have a favourite hair salon?
I had a great experience at Lady Vanessa hair salon but I generally tend to avoid salons. Luckily my cousin does all my braiding.

Any hair care tips you’d like to share with our readers?
Have a ton of patience, a great simple routine, MOISTURIZE and pick up some castor oil! Oh and most importantly, read! There’s lots of advice online.

What’s your (fashion) style generally?
I love Rihanna so my life revolves around me trying to imitate her, hahaha! I guess I wanna be a sexy tom boy though I’m not sure if that’s what I end up looking like. I love sneakers but I love heels too (the sneaker wedge is the best invention ever!), long cotton skirts with chucks, shorts, jeans, cute dresses, anything with a skull/spike on it and I’m a white vest fanatic. My fro fits in perfectly with my style!



Where can I readers get hold of you?

YouTubehttp://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfB15v0tWV4vZJFrXY HvkZA

Blogs

General: http://funkyforyou.wordpress.com/

Hair: http://hairinsights.wordpress.com/

Food: http://ahungryafrican.wordpress.com/

Email: [email protected]

Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Soul-Canvas/167506859950299

Jun 192013
 

Origins and current location?
Hi there!!! Im Fanta/Farah, I am North/West African. I grew up in Jozi and Pretoria but im currently residing in Schoemansville

What are you currently up to?
I work fulltime and study part-time.  I am in the Beauty and Cosmetic Chemistry field and love every second of my career. I am a cosmetic formulation analyst.

My hustle? The sky is the limit!  My first career path was Somatology aka everything holistic and health related. I have a beauty spa managed by my awesome team of empowered beauticians. I have been doing hair consultation since 2007.  I normally do a 1 year intense hair journey with many awesome clients. The best part is having ladies who have not been able to retain good amount of length in a very long time, and to see them very happy after 1 year of hard work with them. Makes me proud!

My other hustle: I sell unrefined Shea Butter and black soap (Ghanaian grade).

How long have you been natural? Briefly take us through your natural hair journey.
Hair grows every day and I give credit to every millimetre that grows so I calculate my growth from my last relaxer. I have been natural for 20months, 21 September 2011 was my last relaxer.

My 20 months of being natural has been a breeze because I purposely chose to keep it simple. I have 2 main issues at hand:

1. I relaxed my hair for 17 years so taking it really slow and baby steps is much safer for me.

2. I have some serious hairline issues, so I would rather go slowly on something new.

No hectic styling = Less length-retention disappointments and less damage to my hairline.

No hectic technique = less manipulation.

No product collection (aka Product junkie) = extra money to spend on reading, learning and growing mentally and less confusion to my hair texture.

I did a lot of research during these 20 months with people who shared their story online, and with  ladies with similar hair to mine and I tried to see where I could just “accept” that, this is what my hair “likes” or “dislikes”.

I had made a lot of decisions along the lines of  ”Tangled hair” VS “knots” VS “frizzy hair” VS “shrinkage” and finding my balance and just accepting my hair as is.

Why did you decide to go natural?
I was on a relaxed hair journey for about 3 years. I had about 60cm of relaxed hair, healthy and nothing wrong with it.  It became time consuming for the maintenance. I wanted to relax it every 4 months, but my hair couldn’t handle 4 months without a relaxer. It was getting tedious and exhausting so I quickly did a 360 degree transition from long relaxed hair to a TWA (teeny weeny afro) of 5-7cm long . And of course, I had to grow confidence of 100cm long to brush off all the negative comments and crazy stares especially from close friends and family.

What do you love about your hair since you’ve gone natural?
Versatility. The options are so endless it is amazing!

And what do you dislike about your natural hair?
Shrinkage.  My shrinkage brings a lot of knotting, tangling, and frizziness. So it becomes difficult to comb/brush it.

What are some of the challenges and advantages you’ve experienced?

Challenges
Having mentioned that I have weak hairline, I found that my hair line issues are even more prominent since I have gone natural. So because of this, I do not style my hair as much as I should. Again, another cliché, “her hair ain’t your hair”, many naturals can get away with so many styles but I really think each individual need to evaluate what their hair can and cannot do and where do they plan to be with their hair  journey within “a certain amount of time”. For example, how much length/health or shine do you want to get in “2 years” time? Obviously this means a couple of sacrifices to achieve the goal.

Advantages
I have to admit that my hair can handle silicone and silicone-free products so if I am stuck in an area with very few choices, my hair will survive. I love afros and curly fros and my hair does wonders with those two.

 

What is your hair care regimen?

Every Sunday

1.      I detangle my hair using an oil (any thick oil like REGULAR castor oil, olive oil or grapeseed ). I place my hair  in 4 sections.

2.      I deep condition with a protein or moisture or oil treatment (it really depends on availability).

3.      I co-wash my hair.

4.      I leave regular conditioner in my hair once I am done with the co-wash, and from there I let my hair air- dry.

5.      Once it is dry, I style my hair however I please (braids, twists, fro, up-dos, anything cute).

6.      Night routine: Twist or braid my hair at night using water and some conditioner or hair moisturizer.

7.      In the morning: I unravel my twists or braids.

What hair products do you use and where do you buy them? 
I will admit I have tried plenty of products that I love very much but these are the brands I have on repeat: L’Oreal Elvive, or Gliss, John Frieda curl conditioner. I try  new things all the time so I don’t have staple products for now.

I formulate a lot natural based products myself so I end up being my own guinea pig.

What results do you expect from a hair product when you purchase it?
Shine, soft and manageable hair, and enough slip to detangle easily.

Do you struggle finding products that work for your hair or are you happy with the ones you’re currently using?
I don’t struggle to find products because I refuse to limit myself on just “Clicks, Shoprite and PicknPay” and I refuse to let advertising sweep me away from reality ( from what could be good for my hair).  I like Tresseme, Aussie and many more. Dischem, pharmacies and plenty of South African websites for vegetarians and vegans sell plenty of great natural products for hair. Hair pomades by Pantene or VO5 works for me because they don’t contain mineral oil, so I style my updos with them.

I am happy with every purchase I always love to try new things when I have finished the current purchase.

Are you planning on locking it in the future?
It has never crossed my mind as yet.

 Which type of natural hairstyle(s) do you like to rock?
Simple updo’s, buns, curly-afros.

Do you have a favourite natural hair salon where you treat your hair?
No. I think the last time I went to a salon was maybe 2006 /7,  I can’t remember. I have been very successful at taking care of my delicate and fragile hair. So I might not need to go to a salon anytime soon.

Any hair care tips you’d like to share with our readers?
Ladies do not limit yourself when it comes to product purchase, your hair may fall inlove with something out of the ordinary.

Google for Vegan and vegetarian sites they have plenty of plant-based products for styling and conditioning. Rather go for ingredients that your hair likes as opposed to what “everybody says is right”.

For example if your hair loves silicone, use it and clarify your hair once in a while. If you see a product that says “bonatics or batanicals” “colour care” you probably would love the ingredients so give it a try.  Lastly, avoid breakage: keep your hair stretched at night (twists or braids, buns) you will never have no stress combing or styling in the morning.

Where can I readers get hold of you?

http://www.kinkycurlylife.com/

http://www.facebook.com/Aucurlsnaturelle

http://www.youtube.com/user/aucurlsnaturelle

http://instagram.com/curlyfarah

https://twitter.com/AuCurlsN

 

Jun 102013
 

Reader and winner of our Nubian Natural giveaway competition, Jeanedeane, recently had a big chop and shared the pics with us.

 

I must add that I feel like a new person, totally free, yet a bit scared of what I’ll be doing with styling my natural hair as time goes by. I’m going to embrace this journey and take baby steps, until I know what works and what doesn’t work for my hair.

Thank you for your inspiring blog and for sharing your valuable hair knowledge with so many ladies that need to be spoon-fed with information like me :) )) God bless!

We are so excited for you Jeanedeane and wish you all the best in your journey. You actually look slightly younger after the BC. Piece of advice – somedays will be easier/harder that others but the trick is patience and enjoying every inch, shrinkage and texture as you go along.

May 312013
 

Last week Saturday FroChic was invited to the launch of the Nubian Nature hair care range. The event was held at NexDor restaurant at the famous Vilakazi street in Soweto.

The Nubian Nature co-founders, Mummy Mthembu-Fawkes & Shereen Makhanye, outdid themselves; the venue and the event was very well organised and professional. It was also well attended with ladies (and gents) spotting all sorts of hairstyles, from fros to locs to weaves. This showed that there are many of us who are still on the look out for that good hair product that has good ingredients and does what it say it does. From reading the labels on their products it’s very clear that a lot of research and care went into the development of their hair care range.

The event started off with a light breakfast of platters of sandwiches, fruit salad and a variety of sweet things. The setting was informal and this gave everyone the chance to mingle and chat while we were waiting for the event to start.

We then moved on to the formal proceedings where Mummy and Shereen (looking very stylish in their black outfits) gave us a presentation on why they started their hair care line. They also gave us an overview of their own individual hair journeys and this was accompanied by many nods from the ladies in the audience since we could all relate to their stories. It was really great to hear about their hair journey, as well as their daily struggle to find that one good product that will work on their hair. They also touched on HAIRLINES and how to take care of that baby hair, that was quite informative.

We were then introduced to their hair care range :-) . The range will (for now) consist of the following: Moisturising Scalp Cleanser, Cleansing Conditioner, Shea-Lavender Moisturising Souffle and Hair Elixir. However, the products will only be available for sale at the end of June. They can be purchased on their online store which will be up-and-running once the products are available for sale on their website at www.nubiannature.co.za

We absolutely love the packaging!

Mummy and Shereen giving their presentation.

After we had lots of fun listening to their presentation, we were able to ask some questions. Once they wrapped up everything (the formal part of the event), we then moved upstairs where we could see a few hair demos using Nubian Nature hair products and of course we got more time to mingle and chat :-)

Upstairs where we got a chance to mingle and see some of the hair demos.

Nangamso (centre) with Nubian Nature founders, Shereen (left) & Mummy (right)

Matlhodi and Wisaal (blogger of www.wiscellaneous.com)

Nangamso (left), Jeanedeane (centre) & Matlhodi (right)

Mummy (left) & Barati (right)

More mingling…lol.

All in all, it was a great afternoon! It was also lovely to meet some of our readers, Barati, Jeanedaene and Kgomotso. The event started around 10:30 and we only left after 1pm, so you can imagine the fun we had! We also got to take home a goody bag :-) The goody bag had a sample of the souffle & hair elixir, as well as a girl’s best friend, the satin scarf – yippy!

Thanks to Mummy and Shereen for a fantastic event! Looking forward to more events in the future and we cant wait to tryout their hair care range :-)

 

May 212013
 

We follow Claire Mawisa on Twitter & I recently spotted her gorgeous avi – and I just had to share! Check out those locs! Insane.

 I love the thickness of them, the colour and those curly spirals! Too beautiful! Do y’all agree??

You can follow her on Twitter @clairemawisa

May 152013
 

**UPDATE**

We are pleased to announce the lucky winners who will be attending the launch of Nubian Nature:

*Welzi Sikhondze

*Jeanedeane Billings Booysen

*Nokx Maseko

Congratulations!!!  Ladies, please remember to send us your email address if you haven’t already. We will send you more details on email. 

See you at the launch!

***

We come bearing good news…no wait…actually it’s exciting news. There’s a new hair product line in town!! You may ask “what’s so special about this one?”. Well let’s paint you a little picture..(a) 100% local (South African) (b) Sulphate-free shampoo (c) No mineral oils (d) Paraben-free (e) Petrolatum-free…bona!! *happy dance*

What we love about this new hair care range is that it’s natural…by naturals. We met with the two ladies behind Nubian Nature hair products and it was so reassuring to see two black women with healthy-looking natural hair albeit different hair textures, Mummy & Shereen.

As we sat there listening to their hair journey stories, on how much they used to spend on overseas’ hair products and their frustration of not finding good products in South Africa, we found ourselves nodding to every line they uttered.lol After months of research, home-made concoctions, (human) testing and and and, they finally came up with natural formulas that (as they put it) work. If the hair we saw on these ladies’ heads is anything to go by, Nubian Nature is sure going to be a household name for naturals in South Africa (and possibly neighbouring countries).

They’re launching this line on the morning of the 25th of May 2013 and have 4 seats still available for our readers.

So if you reside in or are able to make it to Johannesburg on the day, we’re giving away those 4 seats to:

The first 2 readers who will:

1. Follow us on Twitter (@frochicblog)

2. Then follow Nubian Nature (@nubiannature)

3. Tweet us & Nubian Nature in one tweet with the words “I’m #HappilyNatural”

 

The first 2 readers who will:

1. Like our Frochic page

2. Like the Nubian Nature’s facebook page

3. Comment on both pages with the line “I’m happily natural!”

 

Winners will be announced on Friday, 17 May 2013.

 

May 082013
 

Woop! Woop!

We are sooo excited to be featured in the Winter issue of Glamour Hair magazine! We’ve known about the feature for a while now but we’ve been waiting (patiently) for about 2 months to see the final product. And now it’s finally on the shelves and we absolutely love it!

It was also great to be featured side-by-side with Aisha (aka Cosmogirl) of MyFroAndI. It was great to finally meet her in person at the photoshoot. She is such a beautiful lady with a great personality :-) We had so much fun and of course chatted about all things hair.

We received 5-star treatment; the set was very professional looking and the glamour team (stylist & make up artist & photographer) were an absolute pleasure to work with. It was all lots of fun! Our photographer was great; he made sure that we felt comfortable and that we gave our best poses :-)

Here are a few behind the scenes of what went down:

Face time: Nangamso (right) & Aisha (left)

Matlhodi getting dolled up (never mind the peeping bra)

The photographer showing us how it’s done.lol

Aisha doing her thing

 

Matlhodi looking photo ready.

Putting on the finishing touches

Here is the final look in magazine :-)

The final look! Find us on pages 62 to 65.

 

A closer look

Shout out to Glamour Hair magazine, Michelle Brownlee-Smith and her team for giving us this awesome opportunity!

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