Today, we will concentrate on Chidi’s hair journey. I recently saw her without any protective styles and I knew instantly she had a story to tell. She’s proud to flaunt her natural and the best part is that she BEAUTIFUL with it(don’t tell her I said so, OK😜😜). OK, for the real thing continue reading.😗😗
Let’s meet you. A brief summary of who you are.
My name is Odemena Joyce Chidinma. Chidinma or Chidi is fine though. I am a 300 level student of the department of Computer Science, University of Ibadan. I am a Christian. I come from a family of five; mum, dad and two brothers; I’m in the middle. I grew up with a lot of tom-boy blood in my veins; I’d like to think I still have a bit of that. I love writing, listening to music, junk food, modeling, reading, hanging out with bae and my close friends, shoes, fashion, swimming et cetera.
What do you do and how did you come about your passion? Would like to share any of your works with us?
I am a writer; always been (sort of). I loved reading books as a child and I made it a habit, it enhanced my writing skills. I think I started writing by keeping a journal and then a poem here, a story there and on and on. I have a blog now which I use basically as an archive. It’s titled ‘The Eclectic Archivist’. I’d like to think my writing has had an effect on the society in one way or the other; through one person or another. I believe words are a very powerful tool and it would be a blessing to inspire someone with my writing; to chase their dreams, pick up a pen and write, love harder, work harder, something good, anything good.
I’m also a model. I do more of freelance jobs these days because I postponed joining an agency till I get more time to focus on this aspect of my life. I love modeling and it’s not just because I get the ‘Oh wow! You should model, you have the height and face for it!’ comment often, even though that was one of the things that encouraged me to try it out. I love the confidence it brings out of a person, it is sort of an esteem-booster; especially on the runway- for me.
I’m a lot of things lol..but those are ‘low-key’ for now.
Now concentrating on your fro, does she have name?
Hahaha, my fro does not have a name. If I were to name it, I’d give it The Chi-fro and trademark it, of course.
How long have you been natural and what was your inspiration?
I’ve been on natural hair for approximately one year. Although before I had my big chop, I had left my undergrowth un-relaxed for about six months. At the time I did the big chop, a good number of people were going natural in my school but the one person whose journey inspired me to go ahead with the chop was my friend, Ini Ajayi. She encouraged me to go for it. The reason I wanted to go natural though, was to ‘treat’ my hair. What I mean is, I’ve always had really tough hair and it used to be so tiring then. I wanted to solve the problem from the very root so I figured, why not cut it and condition the hair from the base as it grows. And so that’s what I did. I had cut my hair before, while growing up but then, I really didn’t know how to care for my hair so it just grew back tough, like it was before I cut it.
What is your take on African natural hair?
I absolutely love African natural hair. I love NEARLY everything about it; the coils, texture, fullness, look, etc.
Do you have a regimen or routine you would like to share with us?
I wouldn’t say I have a specific regimen i stick to. I sort of just go with it, most times. I wash my hair once a week or two weeks with shampoo and then condition. Sometimes, if it feels too greasy later on, I just co-wash (conditioner-only washing).
Does your hair have any addictions? Any Dos and Don’ts for your routine?
If there’s anything all natural hair types love unconditionally, it’s water and my hair is no exception. To style, water. To comb out, water. Just for the fun of it, water. I could say water is my hair addiction 🙂
I use shea butter, coconut oil, olive oil, and aloe vera on my hair. I intend to get some other oils soon. I do this thing where I add the oils and water together in a handy spray bottle and spray my hair anytime it’s dry at any time of the day. I totally avoid heat and any treatment involving it. I tried it once and my hair felt so dry, I had to go pour water on it immediately I got home.
Last but not the least on the regimen stuff, I do protective styles a lot to help my hair grow and basically, protect it. My hair used to cut a lot and it still cuts a bit so for it to grow (or look like it’s growing), I need to do some really nice braids that would tuck the hair in nicely and allow it time away from combs and the lot.
Do you have a favourite protective hairstyle?
I don’t have a favorite natural hairstyle but I always love the afro look after twist-outs the night before. My protective styles range from fixing weaves to braiding and artificial dreads.
Any hair regrets or something you think you should have done in another way if given the opportunity?
I do have a hair regret and it is that I didn’t think of going natural to condition my hair earlier than I did. If I had thought of this or heard of it when I cut my hair in JSS1, I’d possibly have an about eight year old natural hair right now and that means a huge-ass fro!
I am certain you have long term and short term hair goals. Would you like to share that with us?
My long term goal is like I said earlier, to have a relatively soft and healthy natural crazy full Afro! I love Afros, if you haven’t noticed lol.
Do you have any advice to those people out there who still have second thoughts about going natural?
If you have had thoughts about going natural but are still hesitating, come on what are you waiting for!!!! The only thing I’d say is you need to be patient with your hair. It takes time to grow and even more time to soften. It needs love, dedication and resources and if you’re not ready to give it the basic things it needs, then I wouldn’t advise you to go natural. I wouldn’t want you to be that person who does the big chop and after a few months, gives up and uses relaxers because you cannot ‘deal’. If you have thought about it all and feel you can handle it but are hesitating maybe because you’re scared of how the short hair would look, I assure you it would not be THAT bad lol. Besides, fedoras and other hats and caps are available for a reason and it’d give you a totally different look. Everyone needs to do something different once in a while. Go for it!
Any social media where we can follow your work and know more about you?
You can connect with me on twitter and instagram: @hit_ghirl
and the link to my blog is: theeclecticarchivist.wordpress.com
Have fun on your natural journey!
Thank you Chidi for your time and responses. We look forward to seeing you again after you have achieved your goals. nnenaturals loves you and tells you to keep being natural. If you would like to get featured just send a mail to nnenaturals@gmail.com and we would follow due process. Check out my Chimamanda’s post. I had a few issues posting before this.
Don’t forget nneNaturals loves you😘😘.
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