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#BNFroFriday:”I am enthusiastic about my hair and I show it off” Omojo Emeje Shares her Love for Natural Hair on BN Beauty

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Today’s #BNFroFriday interview features young CEO Omojo Emeje. She is currently studying at the National University of Pharmacy, Ukraine. She enjoys watching movies and reading books.

BellaNaijaTell us about your hair 
Omojo Emeje: I am of the African decent. I would say my hair texture is 4c. It shrinks to about 60% when I pour water on it. The natural colour of my hair is 1b/2. I have not tried another colour since I went natural but I sure did when I had relaxed hair.

BN:  Why did you decide to go natural?
OE: I had relaxed hair for years and I actually only recently went natural. I felt my relaxed hair wasn’t healthy. I had damaged it with too many chemicals and hair dyes. I saw people that were natural enthusiasts and studied natural hair. I loved the look and believed that it was more healthy and beautiful than relaxed hair. This I believe prompted me to go natural.

BN: How did you make the change? 
OE: I actually wanted to transition initially but I felt I didn’t like the process because of the phase where half becomes natural and the ends look relaxed, that’s not pretty. One day while transitioning, I just took scissors and started cutting my hair and before I knew it, I had short hair!! Well, I didn’t cut it properly so a friend actually took me to a barber that levelled it better.

Before I went to the barber, my hair wasn’t levelled at all. Like rat ate it or something… Lol!! In any case, people were shocked really. My hair was so low. My mum was shocked as well but I knew I had taken a great step. I felt happy and refreshed really, no regrets whatsoever. I would say I influenced me, no one was really on board when I wanted to cut my hair.

BN: Are you tempted to go back to your relaxed hair? 
OE: Tempted to go back to relaxed hair? Absolutely not. I love my natural hair. As a matter of fact, I have been more enthusiastic about natural hair since I started the process. More so, the growth process has been really enlightening for me.

BN: Ever hidden your natural hair?
OE: Not necessarily ‘hide’ my natural hair. I am enthusiastic about my hair and I show it off and I only started doing protective styles to promote the growth of my hair.

BN: How long have you kept your natural hair? 
OE: I have had natural hair for close to 10 months now. I have not cut my hair during this period. Trimming, I believe, should be twice a year.

BN: How does climate where you live affect your hair?
OE: Well, where I live is mostly cold. Ukraine has extreme weather in the sense that cold is too cold and hot is too hot. But that’s what protective styles are there for. I never leave my natural hair out during winter because it cuts hair terribly.

BN: Do you have any other hair problems?
OE: I do not have hair problems.

BN: How do you deal with the negative effect of climate as a natural?
OE: I do protective styles during extreme weather periods. During summer or spring time, I let my hair out from time to time. I also try not to keep a particular hairstyle for too long because it stresses the hair.

BN: What’s your stance on natural vs chemical products?
OE: Too many chemicals are not good in any area of life. I have an interest in the herbal life and even in nutrition. You will see that there are more benefits with naturally produced food than chemically produced ones. This is the same for hair products. Chemicals are substances that aren’t natural and in the long run, it tends to damage the hair. I love things that are organically formulated because I believe they have more benefits and are more healthy for my hair.

BN: What’s your daily, weekly and/or monthly hair routine
OE: I do protective styles every month, like crochet and wigs. I do not leave my hair out for too long so that I can wash it regularly. I carry my hair for not more than 3 weeks and then do my wash process. Before I wash, I do a hot oil treatment (warm Olive/Argan Oil massaged into the scalp). Sometimes, I just co-wash (conditioner without use of shampoo)

I use Syoss Keratin hair perfection shampoo and conditioner, Aussie deep conditioner, Aussie leave-in conditioner or any other brand, Olive oil, Argan oil. These products are not used always. I can use any other product I feel is good and healthy.

BN: What advice would you give to people thinking of going natural?
OE: For those going natural, I would say patience is key. You have to be determined and patient enough to watch your hair grow into what you want it to be. I am still on that journey and I am enjoying every moment of its growth. Don’t think that the natural hair will grow over night. Be ready to take care of your natural hair because it definitely needs more care than relaxed hair and I would say, you are making the right decision going natural.

BN: What do you like best about your hair?
OE: Natural African hair is beautiful. I feel we should embrace our hair more. I love the natural hair texture and the Afro look. It’s bold and beautiful and you can do so many creative styles with it and with my experience here, the whites appreciate African styles.

BN: What are your favourite styles to rock and why? 
OE: I love crochet hair like crochet twists, crochet braids, crochet kinky hair, crochet curls and wigs as protective styles because my hair is not long enough to do some styles I hope to do on my natural hair. But in the future, I hope to do styles like bantu knots, finger coils, curls with flexi or perm rods, ponytail up-dos, on my natural hair.

BN: Do you have any hair crushes?
OE: There are a number of natural hair enthusiasts I like and follow on my business page on Instagram @lvlc_and also crochet hair lovers like @kiitana, @thebrilliantbeauty, @curlbellaa, @modelesque_nic, @actually_ashly and more.

Kiitana

BN: Are you particular about sleek edges? If so what do you use to get the look?
OE: Yes. I do love sleek edges. I use a style gel wax, tie the edges with a scarf and leave for about 5 minutes for it to sit properly.

BN: What hair accessories can you NOT live without?
OE: LOL! I can’t say I necessarily can’t do without any particular hair accessory product but when I do protective styles like crochet braids or twists, I do love to add gold beads.

BN: If you were stuck on an island, what 3 hair products would you take with you?
OE: If I was stuck on an island, I would take shampoo, conditioner and leave-in conditioner.

BN: What’s your remedy for a bad hair day?
OE: My remedy for a bad hair day would be to go to a proper hairstylist to give some life to your hair. LVLC specialises in hair styling as well and hair consultancy, and will definitely give you a transformed look that you deserve!

BN: What is the best part about being a naturalista?
OE: For me, the best part about being a naturalista is that it is more healthy and beautiful. It gives you a variety of styles that might not be done with the chemically treated hair and it is more healthy. My natural hair does not break as my relaxed hair did and it has more volume than my relaxed hair.

See more photos of Omojo’s hair

Curly Wig

You can follow Omojo on her personal page @Morjhie 

Thanks for sharing your story with us, Omojo!

If you’d like to be featured on #BNFroFriday, tag us on Instagram or send an email to [email protected] and let’s make it happen!

Have a great weekend.

Angel is a Fashion and Style blogger and loves to be described as a woman with creativity and grace. Angel is a Mass Communication graduate with a degree from North American University. All things Fashion, Beauty and Architectural Designs are her thing. Follow her on Instagram @styleconnaisseur

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