Adonmu (Our Beauty)

 It’s the end of the year and a lot of people are buzzing about how thankful they are to have survived it, 2020 did turn out to be a peculiar year - here’s to a much better 2021 - Amen. In Nigeria and many West African countries, December brings the dry winds from the Sahara. The air is much drier, the nights are cooler and the days have intense sunshine. All these put together make our skin a bit more in need of some deeper care. At this time, African Skin and Hair (including the scalp) looses moisture faster, leading to dryness, breakage, blisters and irritation, especially if you have dry skin to begin with. Read this post to learn more about our different skin types. The simple, easy way to keep your skin and hair healthy and happy in harmattan is to keep it hydrated. You will need to put in a little bit of an extra effort but the rewards are amazing - especially since most African hair Types grow longer in this season, (breaks easily but still growing faster - imagine the len...

  We are currently in a peculiar time that is laden with health challenges. We are all encouraged to keep good hygiene which protects and keeps us safe. The virus that causes COVID19 is known to infect humans after they touch a contaminated surface and then touch the eyes, nose or mouth - when an infected person sneezes or coughs, saliva or mucus that carries the virus is expelled and this splatters on surfaces, then other people touch these surfaces and later touch their eyes, nostrils or mouth. We can’t avoid touching surfaces - tables, chairs, railings, door handles, even our mobile phones! While our hand sanitizers help to kill germs on our hands, washing our hands with soap and water has been proven to be the best form of defense against the virus (reports have  stated that the virus can be disarmed with soap and water). Truth is, we sometimes don’t remember to clean our hands, especially when we are at home, but there’s still the possibility that others, our ourselves, h...

 Being the Proud Nigerians, we had a few crafting ideas to commemorate the country's 60 years since its independence from British rule. We as a nation have made it thus far, amid the sweat, joy and tears, we are still together. We are indeed blessed and should not take that for granted. Of course Nigeria has a long road ahead in terms of development, but we are moving, even if its not as quickly as many would want it. The important thing is to keep forging ahead. We tried out a few craft ideas for the Diamond Celebration - Paper flowers, Quilled cards, Woven beads and Braided cords. See a few of them below. Paper Flower - Green Rose Bead Weaving - Love Nigeria Braided Cord Watch the making of the Paper Rose below. Watching it brings to mind how different petals of different shades and sizes, with different elements to the parts, come together to make one beautiful wholesome flower, like our Great nation - Unity in Diversity. I will love to hear what creative ideas you had for the c...

 With the new Corona virus pandemic, a lot of people have lost their means of livelihood. With little work, to no work available, this could be a time to learn a new skill. If you are subscribed to our YouTube Channel you would have seen our tutorials on natural soap making, as well as how to crochet hats. We thought to add Liquid Multipurpose Detergent to our list of "How to make" tutorials. Liquid detergent is also known as "Multi-purpose Soap" or "Liquid Soap", it is mainly used for household chores like washing dishes, clothes, moping the floor and so on, but definitely not for bathing. If you are interested in learning how to make soap for the body then see our Soap Making series on our Channel. All the ingredients you need to make this detergent can be purchased from any store that sells industrial chemicals, you only need to let them know how many liters of detergent you want to make and they will give you the items, already weighed, so you don'...

This month we honor our National Flower by sharing a Crochet Pattern of the Yellow Trumpet. The beauty and resilience of this plant is very inspirational. We hope you will find lots of fun making this flower. Happy Crocheting!!! Costus Spectabilis Designer: Yawakta - Adonmu Beauty Materials Yarn: Yeye yarn in the following colors; A - Yellow, B -Green, C - Purple  Crochet Hook: 2mm Soft wire, Tapestry needle, scissors Abbreviations Sc = Single crochet Hdc = Half double crochet Dc = Double crochet Tr = Triple crochet DTr = Double Triple crochet Ch = Chain st St = Stitch ( ) = Repeat instructions inside the bracket as indicated [ ] = Number of stitches at the end of the round. Special Stitch Picot Ch 3, slip st in 3rd ch from hook. Special Technique Adjustable ring method Wrap yarn in a ring, ensuring that the tail falls behind the working yarn. Grip ring and tail firmly between middle finger and thumb. Insert hook through center of ring, yar...

Did you know that Nigeria has a National Flower? Well it does, the “Yellow Trumpet” or Costus Spectabilis is the National Flower of Nigeria. In the Hausa language, it is known as Taburmar Zomo, which literary means “Rabbit’s Mat”. It’s the flower on our Coat of Arms - even know I am unable to understand why it is painted red on the coat of arms ... The flower grows across Africa: from Sierra Leon to Sudan, down to Angola and Zimbabwe. The plant carries 4 broad fleshy leaves about 12cm square in size, with purple-pink edgings around. The leaves, laying flat on the ground, holds the flowers which bloom one at a time, dying after a short while and replaced by another soon after. These plants spread across the ground, looking like water-lilies. The Yellow Trumpet appeared with the other National Flowers of the Commonwealth Countries on the Bridal Veil of Meghan Markle as she wedded Prince Harry. This month, we will be entering our design of this special, unique, rare and very patriotic pla...

Artist - art_sabe If you read our post last month then I'm sure you may be wondering what more can you do to keep your hair healthy and growing. This month we look at a few steps you can take to keep great hair. If you want to understand how hair grows then look at the previous post; click the link below to see the post. https://adonmu.blogspot.com/2020/05/understanding-your-hair.html First Step - Know your Hair Type: Hair Type can be sub-classified based on the following Texture - Your hair is either Thin, Thick, Curly, Wavy or Kinky Feel - is it Dry, Normal or Oily? Porosity (How much water it can absorb) - High, Low or Medium porosity prone to dandruff. On an average, African hair is thin, curly, dry and more fragile. It's also a great idea to know and understand your scalp : is it Oily, Dry or normal. Is it sensitive such that it tends to get easily irritated, or it reacts to products you put on the scalp? These information is vital to guiding you on your...

Great hair is indeed possible, once you understand your hair. We all crave to have healthy, longer, shinier hair, so read on and be on your way to understanding what your hair needs and could do without. Basically, we have 2 types on hair on our body: Vellus hair which is found all over our body, on the upper lip and forehead. It is very fine and short hair which is usually not colored (un-pigmented, usually translucent) and doesn't grow longer than 2cm. This hair has just 2 layers: the cortex and cuticle. Terminal hair which is the longer, coarser, pigmented hair that grows on our scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes, armpits and groin. This hair has 3 layers : the medulla in the middle filled with air and proteins, the cortex containing melanin, and the cuticle on the outside. When hair emerges from our scalp it has about 6 - 10 layers of cuticle. The cells of the cuticle overlap  at about a 5 degree angle (looking like the tiles on a roof), pointing down towards the tips of the...

It's April and the April showers have started inching in, a great relief from the intense heat we have been having in March. With the world working together to end the COVID - 19 epidemic, you may have a few health worries going on through your mind, and body, especially if you are expecting. There are a lot of information about how to stay safe generally, as well as if you are pregnant, be sure you are getting the right information. So far, the best means of being safe is maintaining good hygiene and social distancing. photo credit - whattoexpect.com Pregnancy comes with a whole lot of varied feelings, changes and all, and because of the change in your hormonal levels, you may find that you no longer like some of the things you loved before, and find yourself enjoying some other things you never even liked. The same goes for your skincare - the hormones can change the way you look and feel, making you start searching for a new "magical lotion" or just any produc...

Our bodies come in different shapes and sizes. There are basically about 4 types of body types: Hour-glass - The bust area and hips are about the same size, with a slimmer waist line. This body shape is more curvy and considered to be the "ideal" shape, hmm ... ok oh! Pear - Here, the bust and waist areas are smaller, while the hips are large, some are more pronounced than others, after all, " Ikebeh no day heavy di owner, no mata di weight!". Straight - Also called the Rectangle Body Shape, where the bust, waistline and hip areas are about the same size, giving an appearance of evenness. Apple - Also known as the Round Body Shape, this is like a revered hour-glass shape where the waistline is wider than the bust and hip areas. Not every style that looks great on someone else will look good on you. Knowing and understanding your body shape will help you know the best dresses to wear for that glam look. So keep this in mind when next you give o...

Last month we looked at the various face types: Normal, Oily, Dry and Sensitive, explaining their characteristics and how to care for them. This month we look at the different skin types. Basically, there are the same grouping for the face as there are for the skin, so you may have normal, oily, dry or sensitive skin. And it is possible to have a different skin type from your face: for instance you have a very oil face while the rest of your skin is dry or normal. If this is the case, you may find yourself having different skincare routines for your skin and for your face. Ideally, you SHOULD have a different face care regime from the rest of your skin. Read all about caring for your face here. So lets talk about the care for the rest of your body for each skin type: Normal Skin Type This is considered the best skin type, because it requires little effort to care for it. Normal skin produces the right amount of oil to keep it from getting dry as well as too oily. If this is you...

There are basically four face types: Normal, Oily, Dry and Sensitive, based on how the skin of the face feels and reacts to what you apply to it, the weather and daily factors you come across. It is possible to have an oily face and have the rest of your body dry. Normal Skin Type The pores are small, not easily seen, and the face doesn't get swollen easily. There is no excess shine, no cracks or flakiness, and has few lines and wrinkles. The skin tone is mostly even, with no marks or blemishes. However, this face type isn't all that perfect as you may still get an occasional blemish or skin issue; like aging, life events (pregnancy, menopause), hormonal changes, stress or the use of wrong skincare products. If you have Normal Skin, your face will require less maintenance, however you need to be consistent with regular face care products that contain ingredients that are suited for your skin type. You should use products that are not so greasy, and avoid those that cause ...