Evita In Progress: May 2017

Internet Sabbath

2:37:00 am

Sabbath- Sunday observed among Christians as a day of rest and worship or a time of rest.

Wouldn’t it be awesome if we had one day set aside where everyone drops their mobile phones, tablets and laptops and just stay off the internet? Wishful thinking...

It seems like our lives are now so embedded in these various devices and we can’t live without them. Hungry? You can order food via the internet. Need new shoes and clothes? There are hundreds of online stores where you can shop through your computer/phone screens. The list is endless. It gets worse when we fail to recognize the presence of people around us because we’re so caught up in this virtual reality.

A short while ago, I carried out an experiment on myself. Here’s what I did;

My internet subscription had expired during the weekend and I decided not to renew it that very day. In all honesty, I enjoyed it. My phone sat quietly on my bed, no notifications, no blinking lights and viberations. It was peaceful. I had time to finish a book I had been reading for almost a month, I noticed some little changes around my house and I really paid attention to my nieces when they were talking to me.

This made me realize how caught up I had been in my virtual world. Most times, I'm either reading one blog or the other, going through Instagram or Pinterest and what seems like 30 minutes online, turns out to be 3 hours.

Most times, it feels like we can't do without some certain things when in fact we can! It's a matter of self discipline and constraint. Once in a week I turn off my internet connection. I stay off Instagram, Pinterest, Google, my blog and other blogs throughout that day. I call it my internet sabbath. I don't have a particular day for doing this but I make sure it's done every week. And I can say this has really helped.

Declaring a worldwide internet sabbath would definitely be impossible but individually, it's something we can all do. The rate of road accidents would decrease, more relationships would be saved, people would actually get to interact face to face and be attentive...the list goes on.

Choose one day in the week, turn off your mobile data/WiFi connection and LIVE.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post.

Let's connect more on Instagram and Pinterest

Enjoy the rest of your week.

xx, Evita.

Natural Hair

A Year After the Big Chop

1:08:00 am

Big Chop; "the process of cutting off the relaxed or permed ends of one's hair when she is transitioning from chemically processed hair to natural hair". - NaturallyCurly.com

Two things made me cut off my permed hair last year; curiosity and adventure. I was curious and eager to find out what my natural hair looked and felt like. Before now, the only memory I had of my natural hair was from my 4th birthday pictures. Asides curiosity, I also wanted to give my hair a permanent break from relaxers. Sometimes, when I think of all the chemicals we consume in different forms, it scares me on another level. So I decided to cut relaxers off.

After 10 months of transitioning(not applying relaxer on my hair) and researching about natural hair, I chopped off my permed hair.

It was a sort of rebirth. I had never seen my hair in this form and this is where the adventure started. Two months into my natural hair journey, I was hit with shrinkage. I had read about it but then, it seemed like everything I read didn't seem to apply to my hair. Instead of researching further, I chose to hide my hair in protective styles. Braids and crochet braids were my go-to styles. 7 months down the line, I noticed that braids were weighing down my edges so I stopped and continued with the crochet method.

Ten months into the journey, I decided to hold off on any protective style and face this shrinkage issue. I watched Youtube videos and read articles via Pinterest and to my surprise discovered that I didn't even know my hair texture in the first place. Once I understood my curl pattern/texture, the rest fell into place.

I picked up a few lessons from this journey and they are;

Research - and Research Some More; If I had read a little bit further, I would have understood how to combat shrinkage at an earlier stage.

Do Not Compare Your Hair With Someone Else's; I did this early into my journey and at some point, I began to think that my hair was just abnormal. LOL!

Understand Your Hair and Its Needs; Generally, water is every naturalista's best friend but most times, what works for A would most likely not work for B in terms of hair products. For example, I have a friend whose hair doesn't work well with coconut oil but the reverse is the case for me.

Take Wash Days Seriously; Natural hair loves water so washing it once a week when you're not protective styling is apt.

Twist/Braid Your Hair Before Bedtime; No matter how tired you are, this MUST be done. Unless you want to wake up with shrunken and matted hair. Not twisting my hair was the main reason for my excessive shrinkage.

Shrinkage Is Good Too; It's a sign of healthy hair so don't be alarmed.

Maintaining Natural Hair Isn't Expensive; I don't believe in using a lot of hair products at once. Know what works for you and stick with it. All I've been using so far are coconut oil, castor oil, black soap and shea butter.

It's been an exciting adventure this past year and I love what I see when I look at the mirror. If you've been considering going natural, I advice you to do so. As my hair continues to grow, I'll continue updating my research and sharing my findings with you.

If you're a naturalista, what made you decide to cut off your permed hair and what was the biggest challenge in your journey? Do share with me in the comments section.

Hope your week is turning out great? I'll be back soon.

xx, Evita.

Fashion

Fingernails Palaver

12:38:00 am

“Are those your natural nails?” This is often a conversation starter whenever I’m in the salon making my hair. When I reply “Yes”, sometimes it’s met with admiration and other times, I get replies like, “Wow! They don’t break off easily?" Some go as far as touching them (to also confirm if they're really real.lol!) and they're amazed at how strong the nails are.

Early last year, I met a lady in her mid-40s at my former place of work and she asked the usual question. I gave the usual reply. Then she asked if I washed clothes and cooked. At this point I was getting irritated but I still answered her politely. She kept going on about how my nails were too long but I ignored her.

Thinking about it a year later, I particularly like the fact that she voiced out her thoughts albeit unnecessary and rude. It gave me something to ponder on which has turned out to be this post. Now, because I choose to grow and groom my fingernails means that I’m not domesticated enough? Does it mean I’m incapable of carrying out chores in my home? Does it signify laziness of some sort?

It’s just like asking a lady if she can cook just because she’s all decked up and clad in makeup. I recall seeing a tweet as regards this and someone replied, “So I should carry vegetables and meat on my head before you’ll know that I can cook?”

I like to groom my fingernails. I enjoy cooking. I know how to care for my nails and keep them clean. I am not my fingernails.

As much as I love long nails, I know it’s a no-no for nursing mothers and anyone who’s into healthcare. And last time I checked, I don’t belong in any of those categories (at least not yet for the former)

I’m a strong advocate for moderation when it comes to fashion. But then, everybody can’t be like me. If someone chooses to dye their whole hair red doesn’t mean he/she is a bad person. It’s just a form of self-expression. Remember that thing they say about not judging a book by its cover?

Have you ever been judged because of your style preferences? Be it your hair, nails, piercings and accessories? Please feel free to leave me your comments below.

I wish you the very best of May and do enjoy the rest of your week.

xx,

Evita.

Styling a Pleated Skirt

Double Denim x Neon Green

Internet Sabbath

A Year After the Big Chop

Fingernails Palaver

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