Hi everyone! Hope your week is going great!

If there was an award for procrastination, I'd most definitely bag it. I'm aware that a good number of you have been waiting on this post, please pardon me for not putting it up way sooner.

Let's get right into it, shall we?

So, I'll basically be sharing with you my wash-day routine for the past two months and products that I use on a regular basis to make my hair healthy and manageable. 

Below are all the products I use on my hair.

When it comes to washing my hair, like many naturals... Where you at naturalistas?! Where you at? By a show of hands? Haha!... I follow some basic steps. Personally, I have seven, which I consider very important, they are:-

 ~ Detangling
~ Pre-pooing
~ Cleansing
~ Nourishing
~ Drying
~ Moisturizing
~ Styling 

Detangling

Rosewater - Nakumatt Supermarket - Kshs. 65

Spritz Bottle - Bestly Cosmetics - Kshs. 170

I use my fingers, a wide-tooth comb and a mixture of rosewater and water in a spritz bottle to detangle my hair. By following this step I have noticed that the amount of hair I shed after washing my hair or simply combing my hair has significantly reduced.

In order to retain your hairs length, it's essential to get rid of those knots and tangles. I advice that, when detangling, start from the tips working your way down to the roots.

The reason I include rosewater in my spritz bottle, instead of using plain tap water is because it moisturizes my hair within a very short time, seconds actually, thereby making detangling so much easier and faster.

I use a mixture of coconut oil, olive oil and castor oil to pre-poo my hair.

Cleansing

Venus Anti-dandruff Shampoo - Tuskys - Kshs. 108

Organics Conditioner - Nakumatt - Kshs. 289

I used to use super cheap shampoos and conditioners, evidence here, for the lame reason that, "hey! I'm gonna wash it off anyway! So why spend a "fortune"?" What I didn't realize back then is that they were striping my hair of all its goodness while cleansing it.

The shampoo and conditioner I'm currently using are amazing!!! Until someone recommends other products, I'm sticking to them like glue.

Nourishing

If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen a picture I posted a few days back on my wash-day, of an egg and avocado.

I really like using homemade hair masks, they're fun to make, really awesome for hair and cost very little.

I'll create a separate post on how I make avocado hair mask.

I've used commercial hair masks before, but stopped because of the fact that they contain lots of minerals and chemicals that do good to hair for only a short time.

After cleansing my hair with shampoo, I apply a D.I.Y hair mask to my wet hair and cover it with a shower-cap for 30 minutes. When it's done working its magic, I wash it off then condition my hair as usual, before giving it a last rinse.

 Drying

I mostly air dry my hair after rinsing and wrapping it up with an old t-shirt to get rid of excess water, but sometimes, though I dislike it, I do visit salons to blow-dry my hair.

 Moisturizing

  
Parachute Coconut Oil - Yogi Enterprises (Eldoret) - Kshs. 350

Vatika Coconut Hair Oil - Naivas- Kshs. 240

I'm in love with the coco!... Coconut oil makes my hair so happy you guys!!! I'm currently using Parachute coconut oil, I got it recently due to all the hype it gets from the "natural hair community" and all I can say is that it totally lives up to its hype, for real, it's the bomb.com! I use it once a week.

I also use Vatika Coconut Hair Oil, this particular one I use daily on my hair, unlike other coconut products, I can stand its smell, it has a pretty nice scent which I like. It also contains herbs which make hair very healthy.

Dark & Lovely Olive Oil Moisturizer - Tuskys - Kshs. 80

Alison's Chic Curl Activating Gel - Nakumatt - Kshs. 70

Venus Soothing Scalp Hair Dress - Nakumatt - Kshs. 127

In case I go to the salon, I often hand my stylist Venus pomade to use on my hair, then, on the daily, I'll use Dark and Lovely Olive Oil Moisturizer to moisturize my straightened hair or Alison's Chic Curl Activating Gel when making bantu knots.

Styling

Regarding styling, I often do bantu knots, flat twist outs and braiding to protect and stretch out my hair. this step, just like the nourishing step, requires a separate post so I can expound on it and fast hand, show you my results.

The three pictures in this post show how my hair looks after an hour of washing, moisturizing and finger combing, basically what I would call "my wash & go."

I try my best to do a protective hair style at night on my hair, before I sleep, this makes my hair a lot more manageable in the morning and if I do say so myself... On fleek!... Sorry, I just had to.

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There you have it! I'll make it a point to share more often on my natural hair care.

Now, your turn, regardless of whether you are natural or not, what are your current hair care routines? I would really love to know, also which products do you consider the best? Do share! :-)

Xx

Feels great to be done with my internship! If you're done with yours as well, you must know the feeling. I'm really glad I got a chance to do it before completing my undergrad, it was all so eyeopening, I've learnt a ton of stuff, both basic and major that will impact my career positively in future. I totally appreciate and value my internship experience. 

I'm currently in my hometown, I'll be here for a couple of days before heading back to Nairobi. I honestly forgot about Eldoret's weather pattern, one minute it's warm and sunny, the next minute its raining or plain cloudy and freezing cold, anyway, I'm slowly getting the hang of it.

Did you guys know that wearing dirty converse shoes is a thing? People do it deliberately so they can appear cooler. Note that "people" here, has "me" included haha! 

Converse shoes are one of my absolute favorites! They are fashion forward, bold and so comfortable. Let me just put it out there, anytime stylish and comfortable are in the same sentence. I'm on board. Converse shoes are without a doubt a closet staple for me. They are simply awesome and can be worn anywhere and to anything.

By the way, I want to get your opinion, do you think/believe wearing dirty converse shoes adds an extra oomph to an outfit? Share your thoughts.

 

Plaid Shirt - Old |  Vest - Print Star |  Shorts - Thrifted at Ngara |  Shoes - Converse

I recently joined Snapchat and I swear, the excitement I have over it borders the one I had when I first downloaded Instagram, Candy Crash  and Temple Run to my phone, in that exact order.

I enjoy making Snapchat videos, it's fun, I hate my voice on tape though, It sounds weird to me, in a not-so-good way ha! Find me @juanamaua_snaps and add my account if you like, I'll add yours right back.

Before the end of the week I hope to share something on my natural hair care and put up a travel post. I bet I'll manage, considering I don't have a lot on my plate lately.

I wish you a lovely and productive week.

Xx

Far from my expectation, today shaped up to be a sunny and beautiful day, the perfect end to a productive weekend.


This is a quick post to share with you what I'm wearing and a few tips on wearing an all black outfit. If you follow me on Instagram you're aware that I'm loving black lately, I don't know, I just find the color so very appealing nowadays.

I felt wearing black, head to toe, would be a bit of an overkill, so I chose to wear my pink ankle strap heels instead.

My poor necklaces, bracelets and earrings are collecting dust in the closet haha! I'm still very much into minimal/zero accessorizing.

We all know black is an instant classic, flattering, really chic, I believe it's one of the "chicest" colors after white, black is extremely versatile, I mean, child! You can never go wrong with black. Here are a few tips for looking as fabulous as you should while rocking the dark hue:-









Vest - River Island |  Pants - Old |  Shoes - here

Shout out to my friend Rashid for helping take these lovely pictures. Thanks a lot buddy!

For me, one of the most fulfilling things about blogging is interacting with you, my dear readers. Thank you all so much for your feedback, I read all the comments you left on my second beauty post and loved the fact that some were very informative, for example, I didn't know that you could use olive oil and salt as a face scrub!!! There are beauty gems right  in our kitchens ladies! Thanks big time Wanjiru for that tip, now I know what I'll do in case my scrub ever runs out.

I  bought this dress when I went shopping way back in January, it's now among my many lucky thrift finds, can you believe that I parted with only 50 shillings to call it mine and add it to my closet? For my non-Kenyan readers this dress cost me less than 1 dollar.

Darn! I love thrifting and flea markets! They always carry the most unique quality items and sell them at unbelievably cheap prices.

I never wore the dress since I bought it, but when the sun came out yesterday, I decided to take full advantage of the warm weather and put it on. I kept the color pallet neutral with this beige number, loved the classic simplicity of it all before heading out to enjoy a beautiful day.

Dress: Thrifted at Toi Market |  Shoes - Paolo Corelli |  Rings - Local Store

Could we please take a second to appreciate the awesomeness of Java's lemonade?... By the way, If you're reading this and you happen to be responsible for fixing Java's iced lemonades, can we be friends? Best friends even? Like ASAP?!... Holla atcha girl!

Happy Friday! Check back soon for another outfit post!

Xx

I bought this dress when I went shopping way back in January and finally the weather is warm enough to wear it.  I'm always excited when I see dresses with sleeves as it usually means it's a more work-appropriate option for me.  I kept the color palette neutral and love the outfit for its classic simplicity. - See more at: http://www.cuteandlittle.com/2014/03/neutral-simplicity.html#sthash.6VYYNPFn.dpuf

I bought this dress when I went shopping way back in January and finally the weather is warm enough to wear it.  I'm always excited when I see dresses with sleeves as it usually means it's a more work-appropriate option for me.  I kept the color palette neutral and love the outfit for its classic simplicity. - See more at: http://www.cuteandlittle.com/2014/03/neutral-simplicity.html#sthash.6VYYNPFn.dpuf

I bought this dress when I went shopping way back in January and finally the weather is warm enough to wear it.  I'm always excited when I see dresses with sleeves as it usually means it's a more work-appropriate option for me.  I kept the color palette neutral and love the outfit for its classic simplicity. - See more at: http://www.cuteandlittle.com/2014/03/neutral-simplicity.html#sthash.6VYYNPFn.dpuf