FEATURE POST: MAINTAIN HEALTHY HAIR WHILE WEARING A SEW-IN (HAIR POST)

Ever since i embarked on my healthy hair journey (again) i always try to moisturise and seal my hair everyday whether it is in a weave, braids or left alone. However how i moisturise and seal and with what i use are different. I tend to get a  bit heavy handed with my products when my hair is free. 

Maintaining healthy hair when in a weave or braids is not so easy but when i think of the benefits, i tend to just follow the healthy hair rules and remind myself that the end would justify the means. I also make sure i do a heavy protein treatment a day or 2 days before i install the braids or weave. It helps strengthen my hair and prevents breakage.

I saw this post on a blog i follow and i thought i should share it with you guys. I know a lot people who tell me that they don't know how to care for their hair when they install braids or weaves. I hope you enjoy the article and learn something. It is a feature post from http://ezechimereuchenna.blogspot.com

HOW TO ROCK A PANT SUIT (FASHION POST)

Just saw these pictures on dailymail.co.uk and just had to post them. I love the sleekness of this pant suit. I wish i had it. Imagine the diva rocking this outfit in the hospital......*dancing* but it has to fit me better than how it is on her.

I love the nude shoes too.

LUIS SUAREZ AND HIS BITING HABIT

The Football (soccer) World cup is ongoing in Brazil (for those who didn't know) and Nigeria made it to the 2nd round (Thank God!). I don't usually watch ball especially Nigerian matches anymore, ever since 2008 when Argentina beat us at the finals of the Olympics. That loss was too painful for me because i was practically so absorbed in it and i got my heart broken by the performance of the eagles. I am still recovering from the heartbreak. However with this world cup i have been following some key moments like when Netherlands thrashed the living daylights of Spain the reigning champions and now the bite bite (some people are calling him dracula or vampire) attitude of Luis Suarez.

DIVA’S RAMBLINGS

Hey guys, I think I am back to my perky self today but all of a sudden I developed a headache today. All the interns switched units and I got a fresh set of interns so I did a lot of talking so maybe that is why I have this headache. Oh well, that is why I am being paid teaching allowance.

I got called ‘Diva’ by a doctor today. I have been called diva by another doctor at work before but he is a friend and on my bbm list. This person is someone who is much older than me and attends my church but i am not close to him. Any how, he had called me that before and I thought it was a fluke then he said it again today and I am like ‘what? How did he know?’. I think if he calls me that again I would have to ask how he knew that I was the flyest petite diva on this planet. It feels odd when I am called by my alias/nickname in the hospital because I feel shy. Then I get happy and feel cool…..lol

'DEM DAYS'

Sorry guys, i won't be able to write today. I am having one of 'dem days'. I went to visit someone who just gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and i entered the maternity ward and saw lots of babies and it triggered 'dem emotions' in me.

I am working on getting rid of the emotions and i hope i would be back to my perky self tomorrow. I just realised i haven't had 'dem days' in a long time.

Oh well, i am going to load myself with chocolates, watch some movies then sleep. See ya all on the sunny side of tomorrow. Have a great week.

Thanks for stopping by.

Luv ya,
Petite Diva

AND IT'S OFF....HATS PARADE AT THE ROYAL ASCOT 2014 (FASHION POST)

Hey guys, as you all know i am an Anglican and in my church it is believed that women/ladies should cover their heads before they enter the church. Something about women covering their heads in the bible or so. A lot of pentecostal churches don't think this rule is necessary and don't implement it. So when i go to pentecostal churches i don't cover my hair but it feels weird to me. My reason for not covering is because i feel people would stare at me (i think i am just going to chuck it and cover my hair since i am more comfortable that way).

Anyway i usually tie a scarf to church, even the berets i bought for church i rarely remember to wear. However i want to do something in church and it requires me wearing hats. I could wear berets but i don't think it is proper so i need to get me some hats. However most of the hats i see are horrible granny looking like hats (to me o). They are hats that Queen Elizabeth and Duchess Camilla of United Kingdom usually wear....Yikes! I can't wear those. So lately i have been on the look out for hats that i can wear. I am saving the pictures then i would show them to the milliner (i think that is the name for those who make hats) and get as many as i can done.

So while i was thinking of browsing on hats, i was reading the dailymail online newspaper yesterday and boom! An article on the ongoing royal ascot in U.K showed a whole array of hats. Royal Ascot is an event where the British Royals, aristocrats, debutantes, rich folks, mini and major celebrities, girls who are looking for rich guys, guys and ladies who want to have fun and even Arabian Royals make sure they go to every year. It involves horse racing and people make money by betting on horses. Well it has a dress code and even has their own fashion police/security, you don't stick within the dressing code and you would be politely escorted out to change. The guys (i think) wear a top hat and that their long tailed coat (don't know what it is called) and the ladies wear a gown and hats within the dress code.

THE DIVA’S REVIEW OF ‘I’M IN LOVE WITH A CHURCH GIRL’ (MOVIE REVIEW)

So yesterday I finally got to watch the movie ‘I’m in love with a church girl’ featuring Ja rule and Adrianna Bailon. I got the film on one of my ‘spur of the moment’ purchases (God help me with my spending o). I had seen some clips on television when I was at home in Lagos, it was then I understood why Ja rule had been absent from the entertainment scene. He had become a Christian and had been laying low. Which reminds me, does anybody know of any Christian entertainment website where I can follow news on Christian singers/actors or actresses, movie and album release and stuff like that? If you do, please leave the address in the comment section….Thank you.

HAPPY FATHERS DAY

Hey guys, it is another fathers day and I would like to wish all the fathers out there a very happy celebration. Today I realized that my definition of father and the dictionary definition are now different. A father according to the dictionary would be one whose sperm fertilized an egg to form a foetus and later a child. But to me to be a father is much more than that.

It amazes me when some men claim to be fathers and they do not act like fathers to their children. They would practically opt out of all the responsibilities of their role but when there is an event or occasion that warrants the father showing off they would want to claim the name. When I see some fathers cooking for their family even when the wife is well and able to cook but they decide that they want to treat their family I am in total awe. 

FEATURE POST: HOW TO MAKE STEAMED EGGS (FOOD POST)

Okay, i don't proclaim to be the world best cook but i think i do okay sometimes. I may not be enthusiastic about cooking all the time (i prefer baking) but i love trying new dishes. Growing up i was always watching 'Maggi menu kitchen' and was writing recipes in my cookery book. Did i ever try the dishes? Noooooo. One day my brother said  'you always write the recipes but never make them'....lol. As i grew older i feel in love with baking, i rarely remembered to try new dishes except when i am taught by my aunty (i think some of my adventurous cooking spirit is from my grandma and aunty).

Lately i have started getting inspired to try new dishes and one of the recent dishes i tried was 'steamed eggs'. I got this recipe from nitiescreationblogspot.com. I actually thought i might not get it the first time (sometimes i have to repeat a dish to get it right) but i was pleasantly surprised that i got it right on the first try. I loved the way the dish came out and i have repeated it again. I had to stop myself from always making steamed eggs anything i want to eat eggs.

Here is the recipe gotten from nitiescreation.blogspot.com. Be sure to check out the blog for more yummy recipes...

FEATURE BUSINESS: FLOWERS BY MONIQUE A

So for those of you who don't know this about me there is something that i despise, hate, can't absolutely stand with every fibre in my body and what is that? FAKE FLOWERS! 

I don't know how exactly i got to be this way but i just know i hate it and have hated it for years. It is so bad that when i went to church one day and i saw some pots with fake leaves/flowers, i was like how could they bring fake flowers to church. I would have preferred pink hibiscus flowers to them. When a friend of mine was getting married a couple of years ago, i accompanied her to get her bridal bouquet and when i saw it i went 'Yikes! this is horrible'. Why would anyone want to carry that on their wedding day? Don't get me wrong the arrangement of the flowers (fake) was very fine but as it was fake it automatically became horrible. When she asked if it was fine, i said it was because it was truly fine but it was just fake flowers.

I had always said to myself that i would rather not carry any bridal bouquet for my wedding that carry fake flowers. That would have been a nightmare. I had been thinking of how my flowers would either have to be sent from overseas or someone would have to specially grow them for me. I was willing to hold one long stemmed rose that was real/natural than 30 fake flowers.

FEATURE BLOG: THISISESS.COM

Hey guys, i would like to introduce you to one of the few fashion blogs i stalk once in a while. It is run by a Kenyan lady (who is a march baby by the way, ain't we fly?) called Sharon. I stumbled on her blog some years ago and though i don't always check her blog everyday i follow her on instagram. I actually prefer checking her blog after a while so that i can have a lot of posts to view at once.

Her blog is a fashion and style blog and always has lots of pictures. She is really getting popular in Kenya and recently won an award (Oh God, when would i reach that stage?). What i like about her blog is the way she combines the clothes she models. She wears anything and tries to make it look good. She wears expensive clothes, high street and even thrifted items (that means second hand). And it amazes me when i see how she combines them. She is bold and adventurous in her combos, imagine tucking a gown into a skirt and the outfit came out spectacular. I don't know if i could try that.

DIY: MAKING WHIPPED SHEA BUTTER (HAIR POST)

In case you haven't heard, shea butter is the bomb. It is one of the natural products that help keep hair (black hair especially) moisturised for hours. It is included in some body lotions and creams because of it's superior ability to lock in moisture and prevent your skin from being dry.

Shea butter is butter of choice for my LOC method of moisturising and sealing my hair. Since i knew about the benefits i have not tried any other butter and i intend using it for as long as i can seeing that it is so easy for me to get it. However your hair has to be moisturised first with a water based product to be able to obtain the great benefit of this butter.

While researching on hair care, i noticed that a lot of healthy hair gurus always whipped their shea butter and include some great oils to make it richer. They usually whipped with a blender or mixer while some melted the shea butter a bit and mixed the oils with it. However i read somewhere that melting the shea butter reduces its potency so i knew that option was a no no for me. I didn't have a blender when i started making my whipped shea butter (and now i don't have the energy to be whipping the blender out for shea butter). And i also don't have a mixer so since i make only a small bit at a time, i decided to go manual.

FINDING OUT MY BRIDE PRICE ON BRIDEPRICE.COM.NG

Yep, you read right. Last night I decided to find out how much my future husband is supposed to pay as my bride price when he wants to marry me. About 2 weeks ago, almost everyone on instagram and social media was talking about an app/website that was helping people calculate their bride price. I tried checking mine then but I was having lectures and I couldn’t be messing around with my phone. When the lectures were over, I had forgotten about it.

I was reminded about it yesterday when a friend posted a link to an article talking about the people that created the website. In the article, they said that the website was to be launched about 5 days after it blew up. Apparently someone in the team leaked it out and there was an instant rave. 

FEATURE POST FROM DONTTOUCHTHEHAIR.COM (HAIR POST)

Hey guys,  i am featuring a post from donttouchthehair.com. It is a review on one of my stable products in my stash of hair products. I hope you enjoy it.

Found in Naija: Organics by Africa’s Best Cholesterol Tea-Tree Oil Conditioner – Product Review

Posted on December 1, 2013 by Don't Touch The Hair

 

 

Hopefully, you read my rant on finding hair products in Nigeria. This inspired me to review products that are made in Nigeria, easily found here, or that I purchased here. I have been able to find Organics by Africa’s Best Cholesterol Tea-Tree Oil Conditioner in just about every town and city I’ve been in Nigeria. I have used it consistently for about a year now.

Price: The price varies depending where you are. It should not cost more than 800 Naira. The last time I bought this for 600 Naira at Balogun Market and I didn’t really negotiate the price.

Size: 15 ounces (426 grams)

Availability: I bought this at a market. I have also seen it at shops, supermarkets, and local salons.

Product Description: The following is directly from the container.

Organics by Africa’s Best CHOLESTEROL TEA-TREE OIL is enriched with Natural Herbal Extracts, Botanicals and Protein to help repair and revitalize damaged, dry, overprocessed hair. Used as a Rinse-Out and/or Leave-In therapy, it delivers superior conditioning and moisture to strengthen hair and help return it to a healthy, manageable, soft state.

Rinse-Out Treatment Directions: For best results, use Organics STIMULATING THERAPY SHAMPOO by Africa’s Best. After shampooing, massage a generous amount of CHOLESTEROL TEA-TREE OIL CONDITIONER evenly into hair from roots to ends. For extra conditioning, cover hair with plastic cap for 10 minutes. Rinse hair thoroughly with warm water and style as desired. For maximum conditioning, after rinsing, apply about a quarter size amount, distributing all over hair. Gently comb through with a Wide Tooth Comb. Do not rinse.

INGREDIENTS: Aqua (Water), Polyquaternium-37, Polypropylene Glycol, Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, PPG-1 Tridecth-6, Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Stearalkonium Chloride, Dicetyldimonium Chloride, Dmdm Hydantoin, Lanolin Oil, Parfum (Fragrance), Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Phenyl Trimethicone, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Cholesterol, Zea Mays (Corn) Oil, BHA, BHT, Benzophone-3, Yellow #5, Red #33.

Fragrance: It has quite a mild lemony/citrus scent. There is some other odor there but I cannot pinpoint it. I don’t think the scent would offend or trigger headaches. I don’t love the smell but I don’t hate it either.

Texture and color: It has a creamy consistency and a light orange color. It isn’t too thick but it is not runny.

Packaging: The conditioner is packaged in a tub with a cover that makes it easy to get all of it. The label design is okay. When I first bought this several years ago (pre-hair journey), I was just looking for a deep conditioner. The packaging was not what drew me to the product.

Uses: I use this as a base for my deep conditioner mix and I love the results. It helps to make my hair so very soft. Since I deep condition at least once a week, it goes quickly. The first few ingredients have moisturizing properties. I usually finish the tub in about 5 to 6 weeks, if my hair is not in a protective style. I have tried it without adding other conditioners and oils but the results were just okay. It can still moisturize but I feel I need to add other things to boost that effect. My DC mix really moisturizes my hair especially my new growth.

My hair with my deep conditioner mix. Look at my curls poppin’ :-)

Other notes: This product is available virtually everywhere, which is so helpful. If you don’t live in a major city, you can easily start and continue your hair journey with this product. It does have some dodgy ingredients (parabens and other chemicals). If you are attempting a mostly natural hair journey (with regards to products), this is not the product for you.

Would I purchase again? This is my fifth container of this conditioner so yes. I like the results that I get and it is at a reasonable price.

The Diva's thoughts: i agree totally with her review. It is an awesome deep conditioner for my hair both in its natural, relaxed/texlaxed state. It has been a staple product since i started my hair journey. I have tried two other products but i had to go back to it. I think i would stick to it until my hair revolts against it.

Hope you enjoyed today's feature post. Thanks for stopping by.

Luv ya,
Petite Diva.

JOURNAL OF A PETITE DIVA’S NEW FACEBOOK PAGE NOW LIVE ON FACEBOOK

Yes people, you read right. I am pleased to announce that journal of a petite diva blog now has its own spanking new facebook page. Woot! Woot!! *hip hop dancing walk* 

I had always seen pages of brands and blogs but I never bothered to try to create one for my blog. I tried once but I kinda of got confused so I closed the page and forgot about it. Then Amaka of seyonhundeyin.blogspot.com recently created a page for her blog. I liked the page, viewed it and thought it was great. The thought to create one for my blog didn’t occur to me until around 1 am this morning when I was viewing my twitter timeline and saw a link to an article that stated 15 reasons to create a facebook page for your brand.

I clicked on the article and before I reached reason number 10, I was already creating the blog’s page. Right now this blog is like a brand to me. I am getting known as a pharmacist who blogs. It is amazing how many people are finding about my blog and keep surprising me by stating that they read my blog.

Some of the reasons why I chose to create a facebook page for the blog was because of privacy for my facebook account. Previously I rarely used my facebook account to upload anything. I just used it to see what was going on in the lives of my friends. I had a friend who said that he had never seen a lady have a facebook page with so little pictures. The pictures that I have presently been updating are as a result of me uploading pictures on instagram. I think I have less than 300 friends in this era when people have over 1000 friends and that is because if I don’t know you, I won’t add you, Period!

But my blog is for everyone and for me to get to a larger audience without compromising the privacy I crave on facebook I had to create the page. Also I can use the page to get more readers by either advertising or due to the fact that when any of my friends or readers like the page and either share a post or like a post, their friends would see it on their timeline. And since I seem to be the strangest person out of my circle that has just that low amount of friends on facebook, just imagine the possibilities of 10 of my friends with over 700 friends seeing my blog post and 10% of them checking out my blog. 

I know I am late , hey! I am always late but then again when I get there I get there with so much pomp and style that people would begin to ask if anybody has ever been there. Do you guys get my drift?......lol

I created the page at about 1:30 am this morning and as of now I have over 18 likes. I have not invited all my friends (I got tired of clicking and I had to sleep) so I am happy with the response. I also saw that one of the people that liked my page is not one of my facebook friends (see what I was saying. Whoop! Whoop!!). So now I have joined the leagues of people saying ‘check out my blog’s facebook page to get the latest info about my blog’. I am now growing up in the blogging adventure.

So guys since I am growing up, I need to change some things. I have to change the look of my blog, I think I have to reduce my critical assessment of the powers that be (because I don’t know who is who now), I might have to reduce some of my fierce ranting (I said reduce not stop, nothing can stop me from ranting or saying what I feel), I would have to increase the number of times I post and might have to diversify by featuring more guest posts as it is impossible for me to be writing every day. 

I do hope when I start to implement some of these changes you guys would like it. Well, guys please like my blog’s page on http://facebook.com/journalofapetitediva (that felt so good to write *smiling*). Thanks a lot.

And thank you to the people that liked my page already, I am so grateful. I hope I am able to always keep you entertained, informed and inspired. Thanks for stopping by.

Luv ya,

Petite Diva…

P.S: Guys i need help, my camera and my tablet are not visible to my computer when i connect them to it via USB. I was able to find a way out for my camera by removing the SD card and inserting in the SD card slot but i have no idea what to do with the tablet. I need to know why my tablet and camera are not visible to my computer and what to do? Any ideas guys?

HAIR POST: PROTECTIVE STYLING FOR 8 WEEKS

I know that it has been a while since I did a hair post but i have been extremely lazy to write up on what I have been doing to my hair. Anyway for the past 5 weeks I have been on faux dreads. Since I knew that I was going to attend lectures almost immediately after I came back from Dubai, I had to get a protective style that could last for more than 4 weeks without me feeling like I want to remove it. The only protective style I felt like I could do that would favor me was braids but since braids are not good for my hairline i couldn't take that option. Then someone reminded me of faux dreads so i decided to try it.

I had never tried the style before but I was optimistic that I would be able to rock it for some reasons. So here is a mini preview of the style:

LIKES: I like the fact that I have access to my scalp without any hindrance. It is so easy moisturising and sealing with this style. And I even wash and deep condition every week. The afro bulk attachment used dries so fast, within 3 hours the hair is almost dry. I also like that my hairline is not stressed. Unlike braids that put so much tension on my weak hair strands at my hairline, this has not caused any tension. This is simply because the hair is sewn onto my hair and not braided. My hair was first braided without any bulk hair i.e my hair was put in mini braids then the hair was sewn to each braid. So there is less tension. Like I said I have been carrying it for over 5 weeks and I intended to carry it for 8 weeks (a lot of people carry it for 12 weeks). 

I like that it maintains its looks from when it is freshly made to when it is older. Because it is not normal braids, it doesn't look smooth like braids and might appear rough to people but it is not (my aunt told me to remove it that it looks rough, I didn’t bother to tell her that that was how it looked from the beginning). I prefer its looks to braids, because by now if I had installed braids my braids would have been a sore sight. It would have been so rough by now. Imagine how the Arabian people would have looked at my hair (i actually got a compliment from an Asian woman) and also if I had installed braids I would probably have had difficulty removing the desert sand from my hair when I went on the safari. 

Major Digression: I just realised that those guys (UAE residents) don’t stock relaxers. What? So what are blacks supposed to do? Go natural or personally import relaxers? I remember when we were checking in at the Lagos international airport, a lady going to china was telling someone how she had to drop sometimes and couldn’t drop her relaxer. I am now realising why. They don’t stock brands that are tailored for blacks. I wonder how the blacks there are coping. A friend of mine whose sister is in Saudi Arabia said she can’t even find big toothed combs for her hair. Not cool at all.

DISLIKES: I don’t know whether it happens to others but I noticed earlier when I just installed it, my scalp used to itch a lot. It got so bad that I thought I was going to loosen it but my mum advised me not to. I had to wash it about 4 days after I installed it and I noticed a bit of relief. Now the itching barely occurs. It is a bit expensive to install but when you consider how long you can keep it in and the benefits, it doesn’t seem so expensive.

Basically I really like the style for now. I have heard scary story about hair breakage due to improper take down techniques, I am so hoping that the hair stylist who helps me take down the faux dreads would do a good job. I intend to allow her just take down the dreads and I would loosen the mini braids with a mixture of a moisturiser, oil and a little amount of water. And I was also told that the collection of dirt at the end would cause the hair to tangle and eventually break when loosening it. But since I wash my scalp every week I am hoping that there is no dirt accumulation.

That is all for now guys. I am presently on my first call since April *wailing*. I wish I didn’t have to do calls but hey that is what I signed up for, right? Thanks for stopping by. I hope to write soon.

Luv ya,

Petite Diva.

RANTING! BIG TIME!!

I know I normally do a rambling of a diva post but this one is more than rambling, it is rambling with more emotions so hence I changed it to ‘ranting’….lol.

Issue Number 1: This useless voltage that NEPA abi is it PHCN or Port Harcourt Electrical Company I no know, sha all I know is that the useless voltage they are giving me is blowing my bulbs. I have never used 5 bulbs in 1 week before. The silly things either don’t give light or give tomato light (low voltage) or give high voltage! Can’t they be normal for once and give normal voltage?! I am tired of buying bulbs. I have bought 4 bulbs (energy saving ones) within 24 hours. I am not an electrician o! I need to find a way out of this issue, I can’t keep buying bulbs or switching it off. I need light!

Issue Number 2: Within the past two weeks 2 guys (Nigerian and you all know the Arabian guy) have thought I am a girl that is ready to sleep with them at the drop of a hat (is that phrase correct?). See, i am not biased o for all those who thought i am biased. If you don't understand what i mean please check here to read the post and the comments that followed. I don’t know whether it is me or them. And the most annoying part is that they both looked respectable. I met the Nigerian guy while trying to get my personal travel allowance. I was really pissed when I unknowingly discovered his future intentions. I thought maybe I over reacted so I told a guy friend what transpired between us without telling him what I felt. Before I could even say what I felt, my friend said ‘he is an ass, he just wants sex’! And I was like ‘I was right’! Honestly I had to ask myself if I dress or act like I am interested in having sex with every tom, dick and harry? Why am I getting such prepositions? I am tired o. They should not let me get angry o.

Issue Number 3: My people have gone on strike again. By my people, I mean the doctors. This time I no send anybody. Their mates in other countries are developing themselves they are here fighting cat and dog and who is the master fight. Rabbish! Not Rubbish o, Rabbish is stronger than rubbish. Going to Dubai and seeing how their health facilities and Doctors are and coming to meet these ones with their plenty issues, I have nothing to say other than RABBISH! 

Issue Number 4: And this is a very good ranting, I have finally bought a fridge. Boogie to the right, yep, yep, boogie to the left, twirling around, going down low, up again, boogie to the right, hands in the air. Wait a minute, I could have bought a fridge a long time ago but I kept using the money for something else. So should I be dancing or covering my head? I didn’t even buy a big one (no pictures this time because I don’t want Nefe to chop off my head!) but I still bought it right?. I think I would still boogie down small, Whoop! Whoop!!

Anyway folks I think that is all. Can you imagine I actually feel calmer? I love writing for you guys. I don’t know when next I would write, I really need to get serious with my books. I don’t know if I would write the exams this year sef, yes, I am that scared. Anyway it is all in God’s hands. Thanks for stopping by and reading the ‘rantings of a drama queen aka Moi’…..lol.

Luv ya to the Skies and back,

Petite Diva..