The Great Kinky Hair Christmas Affair

We've been hinting about this for weeks, and hope you've put December 21st in your diary. You do NOT want to miss this!

Our beloved Geri is coming to town, as is the beautiful Ijeoma of Klassy Kinks. Yup yup!!! So what better excuse to throw the natural hair "end-of-year party to end all parties"!

We've got so much lined up for you: in addition to the hair talk, we've got shopping, beauty treatments, food, a drinks bar (courtesy of Cointreau and Laurent Perrier again), freebies, sponsored giveaways... we could go on and on, but instead we'll just say come down and see for yourselves!

Tickets go on sale this Friday, so get yours, come down ... and don't forget to use the hashtag #naturalsdey.

Have we mentioned we're excited??

See you there...

Valentine's Kinky Shorts, by Geraldine The Great: Softly Swept

Happy Valentine's everyone!

Do you have plans tonight but still haven't decided what you're going to be doing with your hair? Never fear, Geri's back with this great style idea. So whether you've got a hot date or are just hanging with friends, keep reading...  

Softly Swept

If you're feeling particularly kittenish this Valentine’s Day, and you're looking
for alluring hair that offers coy hints of romance or more, take a look at our February Kinky Short!

What you'll need:

Creamy moisturizer

Bobby Pins

Light Oil

Step 1:  On dry to damp hair; moisturize and seal with an oil.
Braid hair into 8 to 12 sections.  You can opt for more sections for defined curls, or looser sections for a fuller effect.  Set braids on cold rods, and set for at least 4 hours.

Step 2:  Coat fingers with oil, and undo the braids.  Gently tease out hair to cover visible partings and to create volume, but be careful to limit frizz.

Step 3:  Sweep hair over to the left, and secure with a pin.  You might need to secure your hair with multiple pins for this step.

Step 4:  Swoop front portion over to the left, and pin.  Pull tendrils of hair down across the forehead to create a sloped finish.  Fix and adjust hair as you desire.

In four deft steps, you'll be eliciting dreamy second and third glances from passersby to your special someone.

We hope you'll love!

And don't forget to hop over to her blog. She's got a recent post with some invaluable tips on Harmattan hair maintenance that you don't want to miss!

Kinky Shorts, by Geraldine The Great: Tuck! Fold! Cheers!

The Festive Season is upon us, and I'm sure a lot of us are still wondering what to do with our hair. Hopefully this tutorial from Geraldine The Great will serve as inspiration!

Tuck! Fold! Cheers!

Looking for the perfect hairstyle that will fit in beautifully with the holiday season's mirthful spirit?  Yes?  Well, take a look at December's Kinky Short! 

What you'll need:

Creamy moisturizer
Bobby pins
Light Oil

Step 1: Ready your loose hair for styling. 
Moisturize and seal it with an oil if necessary.
Divide your hair into three main sections.

Step 2:  Starting with the back, gather and tuck the hair underneath; then clip.

Step 3: Begin with the right half of the middle portion, and twirl the bundle of hair towards the left.  Pin.   Then, repeat this step with the left bundle of hair being twirled and pinned towards the right.  If there is any hair remaining after pinning the first bundle, gather it together with the second bundle, and then proceed twirling in the opposite direction.

Step 4: Swoop the front portion to your favored side, fold it over, and pin.  You can fluff up this section to create a fuller appearance.

Simple, and easy!  An elegant style that will draw plenty of compliments, amidst sparkly drinks and warm cheer.  

We hope you'll love!

 
Thanks Geri, and Happy Holidays to you too... take it easy on those "sparkly drinks" sha!


And don't forget, ladies, to head over to her blog for more awesome features, product reviews, tutorials and generally awe-inspiring hair shots! She's also calling for reader photos to feature, so drop her a line.

Check out my holiday gift selection in the Essence Magazine Ultimate Gift Guide!

Do you ever wonder what a good gift would be to give a fellow Naturalista for Christmas? Or perhaps you just want to treat yourself?

I was SO excited to have been asked to take part in this Essence.com feature talking about my top natural hair gift picks, alongside a number of my favourite bloggers including our very own Geri (yes, I'm claiming her now! She's "ours"!!!)

The good news for readers in Nigeria? A number of the items I chose, and some chosen by the other bloggers, will be available on the Kinky Apothecary shelves in time for Christmas, and the rest will follow soon after. Hurray!

So take a look through the gallery and start compiling your wishlist. There are some awesome suggestions on there.

(Photo was taken by my dear friend Trey Mujakporue. Check out some of his work here)

Kinky Shorts, by Geraldine The Great: The Classic Pomp

So although I made it through the "30 days" challenge unscathed, and had to admit that even MY seemingly beyond-help styling skills had improved somewhat, it may have been apparent that most of the styles I came up with were a fluke, and I certainly could never recreate some of them, let alone teach anyone else to do them.

So... and you've probably already heard rumblings of this on Twitter and on her blog because a certain someone got over-excited and let the cat out of the bag (pointing no fingers!!!), but the lovely Geri of GTG has kindly agreed to step in and save the day with a regular style feature for The Kinky Apothecary. Hurrah!

The Classic Pomp

You know you've seen it before.
It's one of those styles every naturalista has tried or aims to try at least once.
  It's a clever way to protect your hair while still remaining stylish and fresh; plus, it's length friendly!

What you'll need:

Bobby Pin

Cream Moisturizer or Leave-in

A light oil

Step 1:  Ready your loose hair for styling. 
Moisturize and seal it with an oil if necessary.

Step 2:  Divide your hair into two major sections, and clip.

Step 3:  Further divide the back portion into two more halves.
Then, roll each section towards the center (crown) and the front of your head; tuck, and pin.

Step 4:  Roll the remaining front section under, and towards your forehead. 
Secure with a pin, and that's it!

An easy style that will offer both simplicity and polish to your hair.

What do you think?  Have you tried the classic pomp yet?

Well I attempted something similar in the 30 days challenge, but I'm definitely going to give this method a try.

Thanks Geri, we are so excited to hear more from you and look forward to many more tutorials. 

If you can't wait until the next one, ladies, head on over to her blog for more awesome features, product reviews, tutorials and generally awe-inspiring hair shots!

Enjoy.