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Our Natural Hair Is Our Natural Crown – Amakiri

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Mrs Ibinabo Amakiri is a natural hair enthusiast who out of her passion for natural hair abandoned the practice of Law for natural hair business. In April 2015, she opened one of the foremost natural hair salons in Port Harcourt – Fro Nation – to promote natural hair as better option for African women.
Our Deputy Editor (Features), Calista Ezeaku caught up with this proud African woman in her GRA office and she spoke passionately on the gains of wearing natural hair and how to achieve that. Excerpts:
Why did you abandon Law for natural hair business?
How I normally explain it is that Law is a profession and natural hair and craft is my passion to a point in my life that I decided it was time for me to follow my passion. I’ve been doing Law for 13 years and I felt I could always go back to Law at any time and I decided to venture into my passion. So that led me into starting the natural hair salon. We started in the first week of April, 2015.
How has the journey been so far?
Very very interesting. I’m excited because I see it catching on.  When it started, it wasn’t very popular. Now natural hair is trending. Many more people are open-minded, accepting that relaxers damage our hair. They now understand that natural hair is the best way to have healthy hair and the best way African hair should be maintained.
Are there advantages of natural hair over relaxed hair?
Natural hair is the way African hair is supposed to be. But because we did not understand how to manage it before, everyone turned to relaxer and felt that was a way they could actually handle their hair. But relaxers are chemicals. After prolonged application of relaxers, your hair gets damaged. We have hair types which starts from one to four and our natural African hair falls between 3C and 4C. But when you apply relaxer and it straightens the hair, you are taking your 4C kinky, curly hair all the way to type one which is straight like the Europeans’ hair. So your hair actually goes through a lot of pressure  from 4C kinky, curly hair to type one and with that, it weakens.  Chemicals weaken the hair and with time it starts getting damaged.  But since we now know how to handle our natural African hair, we now know the products, the technique, we know everything we need to put in, it’s now easier to handle and manage.
You often hear women complain about the difficulty in combing it and all that. Why should they be subjected to such pain?
Natural hair in its natural state is wild, hard, strong and untamed, but once you understand that it needs a lot of moisture, you have to ensure that your hair is moisturized at every point in time. And by moisture, I mean water. Water is the first ingredient natural hair needs. Once you put in water, oils, leave-in conditioner and you ensure that you steam your hair regularly, (we call it deep conditioning), then your hair now becomes tamed, it becomes manageable. So it’s basically understanding what you need to put in and the technique of managing it that gets it right.
What are the steps towards going natural?
First of all, it’s a mindset shift. Natural hair is very difficult from relaxed hair. It’s not what you are used to. So I think the first step is making up your mind that with natural hair you have to be hands on and you have to care for your hair if not your hair will get damaged. So it is that mindset shift that your hair is not going to be long and you will not be able to toss it around anymore but that your hair is going to grow big and wild. So embracing that change is the first step. And then, the next step is to stop relaxing your hair. Just stop putting relaxers into your hair and your hair starts growing. We call it transitioning process.
How long does that take?
Normally, I advise that you transition for six to eight months. Your undergrowth would have come out to a considerable level where you are comfortable  before chopping off. But some people opt for the big chop and the big chop is you don’t have the time to waste, you want your natural hair to start growing from the root, and so you cut off all your relaxed hair and start your journey afresh.
I have heard women complain that natural hair does not make women look classy and sophisticated like the relaxed hair, what can you say?
For me, I think natural hair is beautiful. I think it’s versatile. I always advise, don’t get stuck in a style rot. Be open-minded and versatile with your hair. We have many styling options. Just ensure your hair is well taken care of, ensure that it doesn’t look unruly and wild and put it into a nice style. We have styles you can do with only your natural hair, like finger curls. We have a lot of options of styling your natural hair. We also have hair styles for career women like up dos. It makes you look very different, pretty and you stand out.
How affordable is natural hair option?
I always say natural hair is as expensive as you want to make it. Why I say so is that there are basic things that you need. The basic things you need are water, oil and shea butter. Those are found within our locality. They are easily affordable and available in the market. We also have a lot of do it yourself mixtures. We call them DIYs. For do it yourself mixs, we use banana, avocado, peas, cocoanut milk. So I feel you can make it as cheap or expensive as you want. As a student or someone on a budget, you can opt for DIY mixtures and the basics. But when you want to push it a notch higher, you can start using the imported products and that is when natural hair becomes expensive because of the cost of bringing these products into the country. But with DIYs and with Nigerian companies now looking  inwards and coming up with their own mixtures and brands, it is getting more and more affordable.
Is there any difference between the natural hair and dreadlock?
Prior to this new trend, the only way women understood how to carry natural hair in a manageable way was to lock it down and put it into dreadlocks. That’s just a process of palm-rolling the hair and getting the hair infused overtime and matured into locks  which they managed. But this new trend of carrying your afro freely, is versatile and different. So I think originally, people were not used to seeing afros without being locked. So, once they see natural hair, the next thing is they will say is your hair doesn’t have relaxer in it, okay you have dreadlocks. But I think the situation is gradually changing. People are realizing that there are women who not because of religion, or anything, who are not trying to make a political statement but are just embracing their natural hair that  God has given them and have chosen to wear the hair in different ways. Having a free flowing afro is more versatile than locking your hair down because when you lock your hair into dreadlocks, you basically have your locks and it is almost permanent. But with free flowing afro, you can braid it, you can fix weavon. There are many things you can do with it. You can also straighten your hair.
Can you say that Port Harcourt women are catching up with the trend?
Oh yes! Oh they are! I have been natural for three years now and I remember when I first started I would see people stare at me and I would be like what is wrong? I would check my dressing and I would realise it was my afro. So it was very strange. I had people walk up to me and ask why are you carrying your hair like this? Are you depressed? This is Nigeria.  This is not South Africa or Kenya, where they do not know what’s up. I kept telling people my hair was already made. It was unusual then, but right now, more and more people are going natural. The salon is getting busier than it used to be last year.
Any advice for women that are  yet to join the train?
I will advise them to join the natural train. With that, your hair is healthier. It is a very rewarding journey where you get in touch with your root also. We are African women, we are blacks, we are queens. This is how we are meant to be and that is our natural crown. It’s not boring. Once well taken care of, once you understand your regime, what your hair wants and what it doen’st want and know how to handle it, the journey is really, really rewarding.  And remember in our old age, I don’t think we will be fixing weavon or braiding our hair. So it is this natural hair that will serve us when we are old. So, my advice is that they should just get curious about what it is all about and take the big step.

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Women

What Women Should Know In Marriage

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Every married person should be able to quit childish ways for a long lasting marriage.
Growing up in marriage means keeping the vows made during holy matrimony, obeying the rules guiding marriage. Love your spouse and treat him/her kindly. Growing up is being able to hold intelligent discussions with your partner.
Do not allow problems to make you expose your spouse in the public.
When married, you kick out childish behaviours. These days, you see a lot of people unable to manage their emotions well.
Do not take up relationship when you still think like a child. If you are not ready to take up responsibility, do not go into marriage. You may be having money or being financially buoyant, but maturity matters a lot. How you respond to issues matters a lot in your marriage. When arguments come up, it should not lead to a point where couples start destroying valuable items in the home.
Do not get angry all the time. Anger causes destruction in a home that might have been built for several years. Do not be like kids, who want to throw away toys when they get angry.
In marriage, the woman is responsible to the husband and the man should be accountable to the wife. Marriage requires new skills in communication if it will work well.
The woman needs to grow up to be able to manage the home. Managing the home is not a child’s play.
You have to build a home that will suit your taste. Sweet homes were built by people. When your spouse gets angry, you put yourself into his or her shoes. Showing empathy to each other will help to run the family smoothly.
Appreciating the woman who does all the house work alone is good. From childbearing through nurturing them till they become adults rest squarely on the woman.
Building formidable marriage is not just for two people but for everybody around them. The woman should care for her in-laws and others in her care. Treating other children like her biological children.
In marriage, treat your spouse better than you handle your phones. Priority should be given to your spouse instead of phones. Some women can get glued to their phones for a longer period instead of attending to their husbands. Activities in your phones should not take all your time as your spouse is more important than them.
Some men often complain about their wives’ addiction to their phones.
There was the issue of a woman that was accused by her husband about getting glued to her phone always and the reason she gave was that her husband was not coming home when he should come. She said as a result of that, she needed something to keep her busy.
Avoid the habit of sleeping with your phones. It is disrespectful when a spouse is talking to a partner and she is attending to a phone or internet. This is a habit women should work on as it is in many homes. Experts say that it leads to emotional gaps.
In marriage, communication is key. Communication must be a two- way thing. When a partner is talking, the other must respond and not just nodding his or her head.
Couples need to be together for bonding. Relationship with children is temporary while that with spouse is more permanent. When children grow up and get married, they will leave the home while husband and wife will live on forever. You see where husband and wife will be living in a big house.
A spouse should be able to accommodate eath other’s weakness.
Do you know that home is a person. Life can give you everything you desire but can be disastrous if there is no love.
Do not allow fear to rule you while trying to show love in building your home. A situation where you think that after building a home and it tears apart in future. This should be discouraged.
When you grow up in marriage, you build formidable marriage.

Eunice Choko-Kayode

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Women

Women Can Eradicate Child Abuse In Homes

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It is disheartening to note how in the 21st century, some women abuse the rights of both their children and wards. No day passes without getting information on how a child was beaten with an object or harmful substance used on a child for little errors that should not lead to provocation.
The role of women in
curbing child abuse can never be over-emphasised.  Mothers are the ones who nurture and groom their offsprings and wards whether, biological children or adopted.
It is necessary that any child who falls under the supervision of a mother, be responsible to that woman.
Shaping the life of a child depends so much on the mother, even if certain percentage of care is being expected from a father.  The mother starts nurturing a child from age zero till the adolescent stage.  She should always do a follow-up at every stage of development of every child in her care.
Within the period of growth, if there are negative tendencies exhibited by the child, the mother should be able to identify before the child goes to school. This is because the child starts learning from the home.
When you talk about child abuse, it starts from the home and the way every child is treated matters a lot.
The menace called child abuse is something that every hands must be on deck to ensure it is eradicated in the society. The major agent of eradication is the mother.
There are various forms of child abuse.  You may discover that for every form of the menace, the woman is involved and should be held responsible for its consequences.
Of course, it is clear that child abuse does not have any positive impact on the society except the perpetrators of the act.  Some persons derive joy in seeing either their own children or other’s children being denied their rights to accomplish their own goals.
According to UNICEF in 1989, child abuse is the portion of harm to children that results from human action or inaction  that is proscribed, proximate and preventable.
The African Network for the Prevention or Protection against Child Abuse or Neglect (ANPPCAN), looked at child abuse as the intentional, unintentional or well-intentional act, which endangers the physical, health, emotional, moral and the educational welfare of the child.
Broadly, it means maltreatment of a child. It is any form of action that brings about physical, mental, psychological and social torture to the child.
When you talk about child labour, which includes buying and selling, most times, a woman will intentionally send the child out for hawking with the aim of making money. A situation where a woman’s children will be in school and she finds pleasure in sending a house help out potends danger to that child.
Just recently, when pimary and secondary schools resumed for third term, a woman told her househelp to resume school one week after resumption, thereby dening her classes for the first week of resumption.
A woman should not send an adopted child out to the neighbourhood alone to fetch water when her own children are idle because her role is to protect every child in her care, whether biological or not.
When you talk about child trafficking, apart from children being in school, the mother should be aware of the location of the child at every time. Monitoring the children should be the watchword of every committed mother. When a woman is careless about the whereabouts of the child, that child can be picked up from any location without her knowledge.
A woman should not express anger on everything the child does at home.   A child/ward can be corrected for wrong doing without being battered.  It has been discovered in some homes that child battering has led to death or deformity of some children. A mother should know the kind of punishment a child deserves for correction.
An undergraduate teenage student who was housed by another woman because the student was unable to secure accommodation in the university had it rough with the woman that it got to a point where she slapped the girl during examination period. She never considered that maltreating her could affect her performance in the semester academic work.
No matter the level of provocation, you don’t slap a student who is writing examination.
Some women neglect their children by sending them to others for inability to provide basic needs in the home.  Every responsible woman should be able to have the number of children she can cater for.  While the child is in another woman’s house, no one knows how many meals he or she takes in a day.
Sending a child out for hawking, especially a female, signals danger to the girl.  That is a simple way of exposing her to sexual abuse.  Some irresponsible persons with the pretence of buying something from her can lure her into undesirable sexual abuse.  The danger in this is that it can lead to unwanted pregnancy and contracting of STDs and HIV/AIDS.
Most rape cases that have been recorded are as a result of sending a girl out to hawk.
There is no harm in asking children to assist in selling so as to make up in the home, but if they are to sell in a kiosk no matter how little it may be, a mother can monitor the children there.
A mother should know that giving a child under the age of 18 out for marriage is an abuse. Women must nurture the children to maturity before sending them out in marriage because the dangers of underage marriage are devastating. When an underaged girl is given out for any reason for marriage, it must be remembered that any consequences that arise from that will fall back on the mother.
A mother should not send her child or ward out for prostitution in order to make money.
Parents and guardians, especially mothers should be more educated and more awareness acquired on why they should pay more attention to their children and wards.

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Women

The Wise Woman

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The wise woman builds her home. Mothers are supposed to live exemplary lives. The roles of mothers in the building of the modern Christian home cannot be overemphasized.
The function of the mother is to help the man build the home. She is a helper. A helper to the husband when the man is not doing well. It is important for the wise woman to assist when the man is not able to meet up with the items needed in the home.
A wise woman needs to reference God first and then the husband. Also the wise woman should respect her husband.
Caring for her own children as well as others is very crucial.
Do not despise children from other mothers. Discipline the child who is going the wrong way.
Ensure family bonding, show love and don’t discriminate. Connection with children is very important, especially the females. Find out who is her friend. Also find out the kind of lives they live. Caution, counsel and guide so that they make good partners.
Teaching children the dos and donts should start from birth. Inculcate the word of God in them so that when they grow, will not depart from it.
From the Scripture, some women influenced their families positively. Virgin Mary influenced the world, she never destroyed herself hence she gave birth to Jesus Christ.
Elizabeth, despite her age, God blessed her as she waited patiently.
A wise should curb favouritism in the family and love children equally. Whether a child is your biological child or not, it is necessary to show love equally. Reprimanding the children should be the function of both man and wife.

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