#MyKpenkpeshie: Dr.Esi Shares Her Experience As A Natural Hair Bride & Her Daily Hair Regime Secrets!
Dr. Esi Afful a Dentist, is my favourite natural hair bride! I attended her wedding a few weeks ago and she looked amazing in her up-do! I couldnt help but schedule time with her to learn her secret to having such an amazing rich natural hair!
Your hair is simply gorgeous! How long have you been natural?
E.A Its been 3 years 10 months.
( gasp!) But i thought you have had your hair natural since birth? I could have sworn thats what you said when we first met!
E.A Oh no! You are probably mistaking me for someone else. Its only been 3 years. (laughs)
Why did you then?
E.A I have always kept my hair in braids. It was either rasta or in kinky braids which already had a natural look to them. Then one day I saw a friend who had natural hair and had stayed out of Ghana for some time. She looked great! So I teamed up with a friend of mine. We decided to do it together. I was glad to have a companion as I didn't want to do it alone. So yeah, my friend is still natural as well.
How do you manage to make it look all candy flossy like? It looks well kept!
E.A On Sundays I braid fat twists and pin it up for the rest of the week. I also wash my hair once every two weeks. When it comes to products I use herbal essence (hello hydration ) shampoo and conditioner. My shampooing regime is to section my hair into four and braid each section so as to be able to wash it section well and to get to all areas. When I condition thats the only time I comb it. To moisturise I use Castor oil, aloe vera juice & coconut oil mixed in shea butter. I put oil into it only after washing.
Do you have any challenges at your workplace concerning your hair?
E.A Well they haven't said anything about my hair. I always have updos when working to prevent hair getting into the mouth of the patients. I like to keep it neat as it gives me a professional look. But my workplace haven't had any issues with my natural hair.
You styled your own hair for your engagement. Was it a personal decision or to save cost of a hair stylist?
E.A It was mainly because I knew I could style my hair. I looked online for some styles but there wasn't anything new. It was just the usual styles on Pinterest and YouTube. It was also a cost saving decision to style my own hair. My main concern was the wedding because a lot of people will be looking at me most of the time. I styled it on the day of the engagement but my sister helped me on the day of the wedding.
Esi during her engagement.
Your wedding was incredibly sweet and fun! Did you decide to have your bridesmaids in braids? Because everyone of them had a natural look going on. I even caught one groomsman in dreads.
E.A Yes. I told them to get braids done. It was also a good decision because not everyone of them had a hair stylist but getting braids done was easy. One of the bridesmaids had her hair styled before she came in on the morning of the wedding day. It was a lovely up-do. So everyone did the same style. Actually the groomsman with the dreads just refused to comb his hair and it became twisted over time. :-)
Were you natural before you met your husband? If no. What did he think when you made the change?
I had relaxed hair when I met him. He actually tried persuading me to go natural. He would laugh at me everytime I came from the salon and would tease me that my hair looked 'cooked'. He was happy when I went natural.
What is your favorite product
E.A ORS hair mayonnaise for deep conditioning.
What would you say to a friend who wants to go natural?
E.A If you are not ready don't go natural because it is hard work. It involves a lot of time and commitment.
#MyKpenkpeshie is a natural hair feature on the everyday Ghanaian woman and her natural hair journey. It's a creation & curation of stories by Ghanaian women as they recount childhood memories, stigmatisation, natural hair care tips, societal reactions to their change and more.
Would you be a natural hair bride even with one inch of growth? Or would you go with a weave? Lets talk about natural hair for weddings!
