#BNFroFriday: Medical Doctor Idorenyin Akpabio talks to BN Beauty about Her Kinky Curly Top, “Uyai”

Today’s #BNFroFriday interview features a natural hair vlogger and blogger, a medical doctor and an all round lover of life, Idorenyin Akpabio. This Ibibio lady is currently based in South Africa and she enjoys travelling, fashion, writing and singing.

Idorenyin documents all her adventures on Instagram with @idorenyinakp and you can find out more about her style and natural hair on her blog Naturalhaired9jachick.wordpress.com and her YouTube channel afro’d 9jachick.

BellaNaija: Tell us about your hair
Idorenyin Akpabio: My kinky, curly top is called Uyai (Uyai means beauty in Ibibio). She’s primarily 4c (with a bit of 4a/b in the center) and black. I’ve never attempted to dye it for fear of damage so I usually use hairpieces of different colours when styling (e.g. box/crochet braids). I had my hair relaxed at an early age, sometime before age 7. One of my earliest memories is having sustained burns to my lips after a bad relaxer experience (I think I was 6).

BN: Why did you decide to go natural?
IA: My relaxed hair did quite well actually; it was just above bra strap when I thought about natural hair. My reason for going natural was not about trying to discover my inner black self or that usual story; I was just curious about what I would look like with an afro. Also, I usually did roller sets with my relaxed hair as I loved the volume so I knew I could cut out the middleman by going natural.

BN: How did you make the change?
IA: I wasn’t ready to immediately go short so I decided to transition for a period of 1 year. As I got closer to that mark however, I started feeling apprehensive and decided to push to 18 months.

One evening however, around 21h30, I found myself in the bathroom with hair shears and the next thing I knew, I started snipping.

My big chop was done over 2 nights, the 29th and 30th Nov 2014, to reveal 1 year of growth. I loved my hair immediately; God had bestowed a crown of glorious curls on me yet all this while it had been hidden.

IA: While transitioning, I encountered much opposition and unwarranted comments. I had friends who kept commenting that I should relax my hair; colleagues who insisted that I had money and as such, had no reason to keep my hair natural (you see, natural hair was associated with being unkempt and poor).

After having big chopped, while rocking a twist out, an uncle commented that having natural hair was unsuitable for a doctor and that I should get a hairstyle befitting of my title if I wanted people to respect me. Let me not get started with the comments from my mom lol. My brothers however, were very supportive and would defend my decision whenever mom was negative.

BN: Are you tempted to go back to having relaxed hair?
IA: No, so far no temptation.

BN: Ever hidden your natural hair?
IA: Not exactly, though there was an incident in my first week of being natural. My first wash day, about 2 days after my big chop, was a disaster. Deciding that my hair wasn’t long enough to wash in sections, I washed it loosely plopped on my head. What resulted was a mass of knots and tangles. I was so discouraged/frustrated and decided I would tackle the tangles the following morning before work (I usually wash my hair in the evening).

I’d forgotten that natural hair shrunk and became more compact as it dried. The following morning, my hair was so tight & the knots seemed to have multiplied. There wasn’t enough time to sort out my hair and I went to work like that. The whole morning I felt uncomfortable because I felt my hair was unkempt plus it was so short, I wished I could hide it.

Funnily enough I received quite a few compliments from colleagues who loved my hair and it helped to lift my mood plus my view of my natural hair. Since then, I have embraced my natural hair in all states, I absolutely love it now.

BN: How long have you kept your natural hair?
IA: August 2016, I will have 2years 9 months’ worth of natural hair growth on my head (transition included). I have no schedule for trimming and trim as I see fit.

BN: How does climate where you live affect your hair?
IA: I haven’t really taken note of the effect on my hair.

BN: Do you have any other hair problems?
IA: Chai, 4c hair tends to knot a lot o – single strand knots (especially the hair at the back of my head).

BN: How do you deal with this?
IA: I just embrace it, no matter how much I moisturize my hair, it will knot up somewhat. I can’t stress over a characteristic that is part and parcel of my hair.

BN: What’s your stance on natural vs. chemical products?
IA: I use whatever works on my hair. For example, I tried to jump on the “almighty Coconut Oil” bandwagon and my hair hated it, meanwhile, products containing mineral oil that are shunned by the natural hair community seemed to work well for me. It’s all trial and error really.

BN: What’s your daily, weekly and/or monthly hair routine?
IA: When my fro is out (from a protective style), I usually wash it once every 10 – 14 days. Wash day consists of a hot oil treatment (a mix of Avocado, Olive Oil and Jamaican Black Castor Oil), wash (Tresseme Shampoo or Bentonite Clay wash) and deep condition (homemade or store bought; I particularly love the Hair Mayonnaise by ORS).

I use the LCO method for moisturizing after wash day and thereafter, whenever I feel my hair needs it.
L: water or Olive Oil Leave-in Hair Conditioner (by Ultimate Organic Therapy) and Aloe Vera Gel
C: olive oil cream therapy (by ultimate organic therapy)
O: shea butter and my JBCO mix
I avoid using heat on my hair, though I hope to do a blowout for my 3 year anniversary.

BN: What advice would you give to people thinking of going natural?
IA: Patience is key: your hair will grow but it won’t feel like it if you’re constantly watching it and doing
length checks etc.

Don’t compare your length and rate of growth to any other natural.

Break the “rules” and get to know what works for your hair, not everything will work for everyone.

Once natural, remember that natural hair generally takes longer to handle than relaxed hair so you have
to be in the right mindset when tackling your hair (e.g. don’t try detangling before work lol)

BN: What do you like best about your hair and being natural?
IA: I’ve noticed that I’ve gotten even more confident since going natural; I feel the natural hair just compliments my features perfectly. I also love that I get to have both long and short hair because of shrinkage.

BN: What are your favourite styles to rock and why?
IA: My afro just as is – undefined and kinky. I still love doing rollers sets and also like a good braid out.

Watch one of Idorenyin’s Hair Videos

4 Easy Ways to Style your Box Braids

See more Photos of Idorenyin’s Hair

Thanks for sharing your journey with us Idorenyin!

If you’d like to be featured, send an email to [email protected]!