back to my roots....

Over the past 24months whilst being pregnant the easiest and least stressful option for my hair was to "wig and go" as i like to put it, where i basically cornrow my natural afro hair and wear a wig and thats me done. It is really as simple as that, believe me it saved me on the days where there was no energy for anything..

When deciding on my "childbirth" hairstyle this time around, i learnt from last years, "Teikos attempt to look like Beyonce" fisaco, where i wanted a long glam look for my post labour pics but ended up with tight uncomfortable weave and flyaway hair.... So yes, this time around i just thought, twist my hair, avoid the tension and embrace the fro!it had been so long since i twisted my hair that i forgot how much i enjoyed my own texture....

Although i haven't tended to do product reviews on this blog, whilst shopping for hair products i was actually quite *overwhelmed* by the range of hair lines out there exclusively for natural hair...so i thought i would share my experience...

Anyone who has worn or wear their afro hair natural will be familiar with the classic two strand twist style. I love this style because a. its time efficient and b. i manage to twist my own hair, which then means i can twist my hair in my own time ie 1am when everyone is asleep and i get a spare moment. What i did.... Pre condition my hair with my home made shea butter mix, (olive, almond, coconut oil and shea butter,honey) usually leaving for a few hours or overnight if time allows.

Wash and condition with Clairol herbal essences, i have been a fan for years, I'm just a sucker for great fragrance, it does actually transport me to that tropical paradise you see in the advert....

Most exciteD by... *Curl La La* by the Aunt Jackie's range. My initial thought was aww purple hair cream,not very natural looking, going from blue shampoo and conditioner to purple cream or custard as they call it, niiiice... but as I said, sucker for fragrance, so i opened, smelt and purchased.. and no regrets..i like the product alot.

The plus points .. 1.smells great 2.sulfate free 3.paraben free

4.mineral oil free 5.petrolatum free 6.has my favourite shea butter as a key ingredient 7.has cocoa butter and olive oil which means it conditions really well. minus points... To be honest it did the trick nothing really to complain about, i allow my twists to air dry and work with my hair from there, and i don't have any real negatives...its the first product i've used of late but i'm happy with it! i'm going to see if i can get my hands on the rest of the range see how that works for me... To finish off I spray my twists with Elasta QP H2 leave in conditioner, i love it, its light and works well with my hair...also smells great...

"Vitamin rich, Feels Like Silk H2 leaves hair incredibly soft, silky smooth with great body, movement and shine. Perfect for natural, braided and relaxed styles leaving hair texture feeling like silk without build-up dryness or frizz". quote

Then i go crazy with the bobby pins and pin my hair down, untwisting a few of the twists for volume but generally pinning my hair down so its very short....See a few pics below...(please excuse the effects.... test shooting with the instagram programme on my phone ;-)

bobby pin heaven...untwist and style away!

Leaving u all with a pic of my darling Zuri fast asleep, i cant believe how fast shes growing and changing...im sure ill be twisting her hair in days to come...

Stay blessed x Teiko

babies babies and more babies...

i can only describe my long absence as a long extended and well deserved maternity leave, my lil Aaron is one years old! Hard to believe! walking, talking, (well he seems to understand what hes saying..) and trying to eat everything...finding everything pretty intriguing and worthy of his time, well everything apart from his toys, he is generally keeping me in awe, wondering how my quite lil baby boy has suddenly evolved into this wonderful happy and playful child..loving his independence and the fact that he can run and play!

My new role as a mother has been somewhat challenging but highly rewarding, a short post natal depression episode, characterised by feeling very low, overwhelmed, resentment towards my husband as he left home for work to experience adult conversations whilst i walked around the house zombie mode, waiting for Aaron to nap before i could even dream of having me time..i don't mean me time book and long bath, i mean me time having a basic shower and a bite of toast...only to be followed by the " what have u been doing all day looks", the house really did look like it had been burgled and my general appearance looking like i got dressed in the dark, backwards. I never thought i would be the woman tying her baby on her back while washing up, but lo and behold twas me...and in typically true life fashion it doesn't rain it pours, relationship dissapointments, overly high expectations of loved ones, and things generally seeming to go from bad to worse. The cliche proved true however, God is faithful indeed and having honest loyal supportive people around me brought the much needed sunshine back into my life.

I have since established a "routine", enjoying stay and play playgroup sessions with Aaron ...who has been lucky enough to experience baby massage baby yoga baby rhyme time, all the over excited new mother stuff...and i'm pleased to say that I've just given birth to the loveliest lil girl..my baby Zurielle, weighing in at 7lbs 8.

This blog entry is really just a catch up on whats been occupying my time....ie not model related stuff, nappy (diaper) related stuff and how im now mesmerized with my lil Aaaron and even liller Zuri....feeling extremely blessed to have two wonderful children.

Aaron is like..ok then... My pregnancy experience this time was a lil more relaxed, firstly no daily throwing up, being tired was the main symptom i had to deal with. Cravings shifted from cheese and tomato everything to ice ice ice ice, now i have a long overdue dentist appointment pending! i had the same pointy tummy i had with Aaron which made the perfect stranger approach me like an old friend and proclaim that i was having a boy! Now for me who was secretly buying girls clothes, and who decided yet again not to find out the gender of the child this only proved irritating! I like boys and everything but i think every person knows what they can handle, and two boys under two..i was dreading it to be honest.God heard my cries! tears of joy came flooding down when i gave birth to Zurielle.

So not to totally turn this into a netmums esq blog entry but i have to mention the fact that i had a waterbirth, something i dreamed about for so long might i add, it was really amazing. I think my birth with Aaron was short, approx 3 hours but this was 1 hr 51 mins so the contractions where definitely harder and faster but so much better in the water. Dont get it twisted gas and air was still not enough pain relief but i got through it, Zuri was so calm when she came out also, i think ill become a waterbirth ambassordor for all expectant mothers i know ;-).My post birth experience was way more of a shock to my body, and i didnt hold Zuri for about 3 hours after labour. My husband gave her her first formula feed, i was so tired, had to have a shower and a cuppa tea before i could face holding her. Labour is no joke.

Daydreaming of life after baby,i would love to model once again, although a small voice in the back of my mind is asking me how i plan on adjusting to life my with my wonderful pregnancy souvenirs mainly stretch marks...infact as I type i still look pregnant so my tummy has to somehow get back to pre pregnancy size, and asap preferably. Watch this space i say. Until then the children are enjoying their cousins and aunt and grandma, family and friends visiting basically, so its a wonderful end to 2012.

Back to the blog, i am trying to revamp it all,so u may b seeing some changes here and there... bare with me... i have actually missed blogging so its good to be back in the swing of things...between feeds and all....

Last but not least a massive thank u, hugs and kisses to my husband who has been patient enough to support me during what was practically two years of pregnancy! Although i disagree with the suggestion that i had been taken over by my evil twin, i agree with the fact that it was challenging at times... we made it! let the fun times begin! xxxx love always xxxx Teiko