As you know, I've had braids in since April and during the last 5 months, I've redone all my braids 3 times - roughly every 6 weeks.
I remove each braid and re-do it immediately. I guess I haven't given my hair time to "rest" as it were. I haven't deep conditioned for a long time, but I do use regular conditioner as a leave in. The reason I do this is that I want to get the conditioner onto my actual hair and I feel a lighter leave in won't penetrate the extension hair to my actual hair.
Anyway, each time I remove my braids I finger detangle the hair and rebraid. I've noticed in places though what looks to be broken hair, some shorter than 6 inches. I really need to cut off the textlaxed ends so I start with a clean slate as I've noticed some split ends.
I have to get better with moisturising. I only moisturise once a week with almond oil which I saturate on the crown area because that's my weakest area, apply some conditioner and that's it.
I short, I've been lazy with my hair since it's been in braids.
I've decided today is a recharge of my hair regime
I'll try MN again. I've made a new mixture of MN with almond oil and peppermint oil since Megatek changed their formular on me.
I'll wash once a week and condition. I'll moisturise more often with almond oil and caster oil.
Fingers crossed I can get a better growth rate by the end of the year.
Sunday 23 September 2012
Tuesday 18 September 2012
Wedding hair
I've become obsessed with looking at wedding videos and photographers in Ghana.
Since I'm also obsessed with hair, I've been taking in some of the gorgeous hairstyles - but some of the ladies have been committing crimes against lace front wigs. Just terrible. I can't understand why you would choose this over every other style there is out there. They all look dusty, dirty and old - like not freshly done.
Anyway, it got me thinking about what hair style I'll have so I've been looking at styles that I may go for. Hmm, which one to go for....
Since I'm also obsessed with hair, I've been taking in some of the gorgeous hairstyles - but some of the ladies have been committing crimes against lace front wigs. Just terrible. I can't understand why you would choose this over every other style there is out there. They all look dusty, dirty and old - like not freshly done.
Anyway, it got me thinking about what hair style I'll have so I've been looking at styles that I may go for. Hmm, which one to go for....
Sunday 16 September 2012
Wedding planning
I'm having my destination wedding in Ghana. So excited!
Planning however is not that straight forward.
I contacted a few hotels for wedding venues. Ghana doesn't have many venues catering to weddings which are of international standard and it's only the hotels that meet those standards. I contact a few but I'll give Labadi Beach hotel as an example and their costs break down - which is below:
$2,800 for venue (indoor and outdoor beach gardens)
$35-50 per head for drinks
$30-55 for [er head food
You must purchase food and drink from them and you will be offered a waiter service inclusive of the food and drink charges. Yes, it's less than what you would pay here, but after you include flights/hotel/decorations/spending money - that takes the costs up to around £16k and you can have an entire wedding delivered for that same price here.
These costs above are about the same for any other 5* hotel in Ghana. Another thing I don't understand is, the local currency is cedis - so why do they charge in $?? Who carries $ around anyway and if you don't live in a $ economy, how are you supposed to pay in $?
Other problems....
I met with a wedding planner in April last year who presented herself has a highly competent lady. I was convinced she was the right person for me.
Her wedding planning fee was $1,500 - a little high but I shrugged off the cost because I thought she was worth it and I was sure she would competently deliver. If you know anything about Ghana you'll know that things are done very slowly, even when you're paying. I figured peace of mind of dealing with someone who had lived in England and carried the UK sense of expediency was priceless.
I paid half of the fee and started to gather my requirements for my wedding.
I told her I had a budget of £10k - not a lot by UK standards, but it should be a Kings ransom in Ghana.
She made noises to suggest that £10k was a small budget and that she may struggle to fit our requirements into that budget. Alarm bells went off in my head. I know full well that very few people in Ghana even made £10k a year so for her to tell me my budget was small, put me off a great deal.
The final straw came when I told her the flowers I wanted. I know the very same bunch of flowers cost £10 in England, so for 15 tables, maximum should be £150 - but I allowed for her to overcharge me, so I was expecting realistically a cost of.£200-300. I nearly fell out of my chair when she said the flowers would cost $5000 plus allow for 20% increase per quarter on those current prices! Not even gold appreciates by this much-if it did, I'd be buying gold bullions !
She must be crazy. I don't know anyone in England who even with the most lavish of flower displays paid this much. The problem with Ghanaian vendors is that they assume just because you live overseas, you have an unlimited budget and whilst with a local they would overcharge by say 20-50% expecting a downward negotiation with a foreigner they overcharge by 1000% expecting you to negotiate down to maybe 500% thus allowing them to make their entire year's profit from one person.
They really don't understand that the streets overseas are not paved with gold. People may earn more, but the cost of living is so high that it cancels out the higher wages.
I had to get rid of the planner - as much as it pained me to, and didn't bother to try and get my money back because I knew she wouldn't give it back and I don't have time (read energy) to deal with the hassle involved.
I spoke to my Dad who told me to call his good friend to liaise with suppliers for me and negotiate in local currency.
I've also asked my cousin to make enquiries for me.
Hopefully we can get things moving.
I also found this blog post from Hat's Off Ghana which breaks down your expected wedding costs in Ghana - both for fully planned and for a DIY wedding. It shows a planned wedding more or less amounts to £6k - which is what I expected the wedding to cost.
Thanks to Hat's Off for the posting. Their fascinators are gorgeous!
I've been looking for photographers as well. Shockingly, photographers are charging anywhere from $2000 upwards! about £1500. I've been to quite a few weddings and very few people pay this much for photos and when I've commissioned photographers for company product photos, their day rate is around £800-1000 , so I can't understand Ghanaian photogs charging so much when they don't have to pay £1000 of pounds in rent, 40% tax and other costs that suck up money.
I'm finding more and more that there is a Ghana - a very small proportion of it, that charges and lives by western standards, whilst the rest of the country just seems, somehow to get by.
I went on a rant about it on my Youtube Channel - can you tell I'm angry?? LOL
Planning however is not that straight forward.
I contacted a few hotels for wedding venues. Ghana doesn't have many venues catering to weddings which are of international standard and it's only the hotels that meet those standards. I contact a few but I'll give Labadi Beach hotel as an example and their costs break down - which is below:
$2,800 for venue (indoor and outdoor beach gardens)
$35-50 per head for drinks
$30-55 for [er head food
You must purchase food and drink from them and you will be offered a waiter service inclusive of the food and drink charges. Yes, it's less than what you would pay here, but after you include flights/hotel/decorations/spending money - that takes the costs up to around £16k and you can have an entire wedding delivered for that same price here.
These costs above are about the same for any other 5* hotel in Ghana. Another thing I don't understand is, the local currency is cedis - so why do they charge in $?? Who carries $ around anyway and if you don't live in a $ economy, how are you supposed to pay in $?
Other problems....
I met with a wedding planner in April last year who presented herself has a highly competent lady. I was convinced she was the right person for me.
Her wedding planning fee was $1,500 - a little high but I shrugged off the cost because I thought she was worth it and I was sure she would competently deliver. If you know anything about Ghana you'll know that things are done very slowly, even when you're paying. I figured peace of mind of dealing with someone who had lived in England and carried the UK sense of expediency was priceless.
I paid half of the fee and started to gather my requirements for my wedding.
I told her I had a budget of £10k - not a lot by UK standards, but it should be a Kings ransom in Ghana.
She made noises to suggest that £10k was a small budget and that she may struggle to fit our requirements into that budget. Alarm bells went off in my head. I know full well that very few people in Ghana even made £10k a year so for her to tell me my budget was small, put me off a great deal.
The final straw came when I told her the flowers I wanted. I know the very same bunch of flowers cost £10 in England, so for 15 tables, maximum should be £150 - but I allowed for her to overcharge me, so I was expecting realistically a cost of.£200-300. I nearly fell out of my chair when she said the flowers would cost $5000 plus allow for 20% increase per quarter on those current prices! Not even gold appreciates by this much-if it did, I'd be buying gold bullions !
She must be crazy. I don't know anyone in England who even with the most lavish of flower displays paid this much. The problem with Ghanaian vendors is that they assume just because you live overseas, you have an unlimited budget and whilst with a local they would overcharge by say 20-50% expecting a downward negotiation with a foreigner they overcharge by 1000% expecting you to negotiate down to maybe 500% thus allowing them to make their entire year's profit from one person.
They really don't understand that the streets overseas are not paved with gold. People may earn more, but the cost of living is so high that it cancels out the higher wages.
I had to get rid of the planner - as much as it pained me to, and didn't bother to try and get my money back because I knew she wouldn't give it back and I don't have time (read energy) to deal with the hassle involved.
I spoke to my Dad who told me to call his good friend to liaise with suppliers for me and negotiate in local currency.
I've also asked my cousin to make enquiries for me.
Hopefully we can get things moving.
I also found this blog post from Hat's Off Ghana which breaks down your expected wedding costs in Ghana - both for fully planned and for a DIY wedding. It shows a planned wedding more or less amounts to £6k - which is what I expected the wedding to cost.
Thanks to Hat's Off for the posting. Their fascinators are gorgeous!
I've been looking for photographers as well. Shockingly, photographers are charging anywhere from $2000 upwards! about £1500. I've been to quite a few weddings and very few people pay this much for photos and when I've commissioned photographers for company product photos, their day rate is around £800-1000 , so I can't understand Ghanaian photogs charging so much when they don't have to pay £1000 of pounds in rent, 40% tax and other costs that suck up money.
I'm finding more and more that there is a Ghana - a very small proportion of it, that charges and lives by western standards, whilst the rest of the country just seems, somehow to get by.
I went on a rant about it on my Youtube Channel - can you tell I'm angry?? LOL
Saturday 8 September 2012
More styles for your box braids / Senegalese braids
Some ways to style your braids. Hope you like : ) See my YouTube channel for a tutorial.
Style 1
A back to front French braid
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Style 2
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Style 3
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