"Natural hair can be a trend but in honesty, it is not. It is discovering a healthier way to be."
Mrs. Elina E. K. Okporo, popularly known as ELIBRYTE is a natural hairstylist, a loctician, a hair product formulator and beautician. Though from Obode -Ete in Delta state, she grew up in Lagos, where her passion for hair began.
In her quest to know more about hairs, she did a brief course on trichology, the study of hair and scalp, somewhere outside the shores of Nigeria.
In this interview with Elo Edremoda, she gives in-depth and professional hair care concerns, why women should consider growing their natural hair and why no girl child's first hair should be cut.
Excerpts:
What is the difference between a professional, like you and the hairstylist who does not have your kind of training?
First of all, being a hairstylist is about knowing the techniques, like how to braid.
What makes me different is that I have the know-how, the hair technique and then the biology. It is basically about the biology of hair, what is inside hair, what proteins can help the strength of your hair to stimulate growth.
There is a separation there, knowing the biology of hair, unlike other people who just have the technique. The truth is they both go together. These are things that help you to pick your products. I put certain things together and make products because I know that these are the proteins necessary for hair care and growth stimulation.
How long have you been in this business?
Growing up, my Grandpa bought me a little doll, so that's how I started. But I got into secondary school and used it to hustle. After school, I would fix fellow students' hair and get paid from five to ten naira (#5 to #10) for thread and weaving, respectively, I can't remember anymore. This is more than 20 years ago.
This means hair making is a passion for you?
That's just what it is. This whole thing started when I saw a Caucasian hair on TV. I was a little girl, and then I thought, how come their hair is long and African children's hair are short. That's how I became interested in hair. Basically, it's passion. Even if somebody gives me another job, I won't take it.
What are the types of hair we should know?
There are different types of hair. In terms of finesse, we have different kinds of hair and then we have different curl types, from one to four. In a 1 to 4, we have 1 standing on its own, you have 2 on its own. 3 now ranges from 3A to 3C, then there is 4A to D.
Initially, it was 4A to C, but right now, there is an addition because new curl types are sprouting. And then, those who are the master of it came up to tell us there is now a 4D.
Are you talking generally, including African hairs?
Yes. The African hair mostly, if you are not a mixed race, is the type 4, that's the coil type A-D. Then of course, we have some African hair that can fall into 3C which is kind of curly, rather than coily.
For finesse, we have fine hair, medium, coarse hair. We have people with fine hair naturally.
What's responsible for hair dandruff and thinning?
Dandruff can be an infection. It can be as a result of taking a particular medication. Some antibiotics can give some people dry scalp. For some people, it is transferred from one person to another, using the same comb.
Some people have dry scalp that result in dry hair, so sometimes it is even natural. In terms of dryness, when you deliberately leave your scalp not moisturised, it can do that.
Then, in some products we have drying agents and we are not aware. These are things that make us tick, I mean those who say we want to know the biology of hair.
For thinning hair, your hair gets to be thin as a result of relaxers. No matter how great a relaxer is, if you use it for a couple of years, some people months, the hair gets thin.
Going back to natural hair, nobody should tell anybody that because you don't have your hair relaxed, you will look dirty, old. Some people feel harassed when people tell them, 'you look old because of your natural hair.' That is absolutely not correct. You don't do that because it's okay to carry your God-given hair.
Now, we have good trainings for natural hair management. We can take care of our natural hair without fear or trembling. If you love the look, being the way God created you, its okay to go natural.
We have also heard that dyeing of hair causes breakage, how true is this?
I'm glad you asked this. Trust me, that's not it at all. When you dye your hair with low ammonia based products, it will not thin out your hair.
Generally, every hair has its voice, we must understand that. You might have 4D and another person has same 4D, but the finesse might be a little different. What you just do when you dye your hair is strip it off the colour that it has. In fact, I have many customers who have dyed their hairs.
We have people who are naturally blonde and their hair is healthy. We have albinos and their hairs are naturally blonde. If they take off the hair colour, the hair won't break. What happens is if you do not take care of your hair with the right products, it will break.
We have bad product knowledge and bad product application. Bad product knowledge will result in bad product application.
Then we have bad handling because sometimes, you can have the best products in this world and you are not having the accurate handling for that hair. Then your hair will result in breakage.
Naturally, there are people with thin hair just as we are born with different heights. When your hair is thin, it makes it easier to manage. But what products are you putting in? Are you putting products that are too heavy for your hair, are you putting the right products that will not break your hair? The hair is already naturally thin and then, you are putting heavy products. Sadly, that is what is going on with a lot of us.
'Ori,' called shea butter and coconut oil usage, how effective are these local or should I say organic products for hair care?
I cannot talk 'ori' out completely. Personally, as a hairstylist, I am not a fan for greasy oil. Ori is one of them, amongst many greasy oils. Greasy oils can help to reduce friction. But in terms of the right proteins, hair foods, which I am about, ori is not it for me. I am not saying it is bad outrightly, but in terms of food, I don't think it is the right option.
What is your opinion on the thoughts of some persons that patronizing extravagant hair salons guarantee best hair care services?
I think whether big or small, you can provide the best hair care if you are knowledgeable about what you are doing. The maximum hair care is not dependent on the size of the salon, neither the look. Of course, it is important you have a neat place and all of that, when you know what you know, you know what you know. It has nothing to do with even your size as a human being, not to mention your shop.
My son is 10 years old. He works here, washes hair, braids, hair fobs. My daughter is twelve. They work with me. I pay them and these are small kids. They have the training that I have given to them and know the right thing. As far as i am concerned, they are small salons put together.
In recent years lots of people, including African celebrities are tilting towards growing natural hair. Is it the best way to go. And if yes, why?
For a lot of people, natural hair can be a trend but in honesty, it is not. It is discovering a healthier way to be. The compounds that are inside relaxers are what drive a lot of people into natural hair. We want to live a healthier lifestyle.
For me, natural hair is a better way to live healthy rather than having chemicals in your hair. That's why the products we use on the hair are natural. They are organic, neither harmful to the hair or the person doing the hair.
People complain that it is too expensive to maintain natural hair, how so?
Natural hair is not expensive, I hear that a lot. It not as expensive as some people make it. There are simple remedies you can use with your stylist. It's only when you want to buy your products at once, it looks expensive. If you buy the products you need, it will take you a while to finish them. If you want a healthy perming, you will spend quite a lot.
For natural hair, you have your do-it-yourself (DIYs) to fall back on because your professional stylist will guide you to make sure you can take care of your hair when either of you are not around. Like me, it is not easy to have a booking with me. I have to give them tips to help them take care of their hair without me. Sometimes, they can't get my products, there are cheap stuffs they can get to wash their hair with, not the very expensive shampoos and all.
I particularly have a problem with braids and beads on children, especially those who are about six months to two years old. When is the best time to start braids or weaves on infants, is it even proper?
I have an issue generally with braiding on everybody, how much more children. You can braid your child's hair, but what kind of tension are you applying on the roots of the hair. Sadly, a lot of people don't apply the right tension to the hair, so it makes it really challenging. If you must braid a child's hair, the braids have to be really scanty.
It gets scary when I see a lot of children with funny beads, the charm looks like a shrine. I've never been to a shrine before but I have watched Nollywood, so I see the way the shrine looks. If the child must braid hair, braid it scanty.
And then tension, tension is how tight the hair is. Make it almost zero tension. The child should not feel a thing. Even as simple as corn rows that they want to do on a child, they go like this (tight) and the child loses hair. Then you see rashes, boils and some can't sleep. It is the braid technique that is important. Relatively, you know how big a child's scalp is. It should not carry more than ten to fifteen braids and then packed. Some of the kids drag the hair when crying.
The truth is that we should avoid it, but it is not easy to deal with some children's hair, some children have hair. Considering the way we are, how busy mothers can be, especially Delta mothers, it is not easy dealing with packing it everyday. That (braid) will leave the hair in, there is a word we use 'protective' hairstyle or braid. You protect the hair, but most braids sadly damage the hairs. If the tension can be right, why not.
What's the myth behind cutting off babies', talking about girl children, first hairs?
Thank you for asking this question. When I had my daughter, her hair was falling, it wasn't growing well. She had this big Chanel O at the back. In the middle, she had this small hair. I used to call her 'hare-hare'. Then, people came to me, 'cut the hair, a child's first hair should be cut'. My response to them was 'if I cut this first hair, I will cut the first nose, ear, eye, everything first about her, so that the real ones will grow. Unless that happens, then I cannot cut the hair'.
To answer your question, it is absolutely wrong to do that. You don't cut a child's (girl) hair, unless maybe you have a fetish thing. As a professional hairstylist, from me to you and to the world, it is wrong to cut your child's first hair. If you have that notion, it is absolutely wrong to do it.
Do you have any advice to ladies on hair care?
Take care of your hair. The bible says that a woman's hair is a glory unto her. It is okay to have a girl child have her hair done. There is a confidence it gives. Give it the right attention, get professional stylists to do your hair.
Then, you stylist, try to get better. Go for trainings, things to help you get better at what you do. If you love what you do, you will want to get better at it.
