THE HAIRPOLITAN MAGAZINE VOL 5 APRIL 2017

FREECOPY
VOL 5: APR 2017
Bloggers
Edition
#BloggersEdition
1

THE HAIRPOLITANS
LAYOUT & DESIGN:
Akshi Sura
akshi@octopusdesignske.com
IN HOUSE WRITERS:
Ciku Wamae
ciku@hairpolitan.com
Karimi Kagwe
karimi@hairpolitan.com
Nali W. Imende
nali@hairpolitan.com
GUEST WRITERS
Faith Kathoka
Kirigo Mwaura
Njeri Wangari
Nyawira Njoroge
Sheila Ndinda
Vikky Wambui
COVER PHOTOGRAPHER
Mumbi Muturi-Muli
AD SALES
sales@hairpolitan.com
PUBLISHING, MARKETING
& DISTRIBUTION
Idea Agency Limited
wambui@ideagency.co.ke
QUESTIONS & FEEDBACK
talktous@hairpolitan.com
COPYRIGHT © 2017
The Hairpolitan Magazine is published by
Idea Agency Limited. All articles, interviews,
photographs, artworks and/or designs of any
nature or description appearing in this publication
are exclusively reserved for the management and
team of The Hairpolitan Magazine. The contents
and opinions expressed in this publication do not
necessarily represent those of The Hairpolitan
Magazine or of Idea Agency Limited.
Therefore reproduction, in any form, in part
of whole, without the written consent from
the publishers is strictly prohibited. All Rights
Reserved. All Advertisement claims in this
publication are the prerogative of the Advertisers
and in no way reflect the views of The Hairpolitan
Magazine.
EDITORIAL
I started blogging in 2005 and I can’t quite remember
what made me do it. All I know is that I was very very
far away from home and I had stories, experiences
of interest that I wanted to share.I can safely say
it was my way to mass email my family and friends
who were at home and in other countries. My blog
at the time was called Violas Iris and was initially on
Blogspot then Wordpress.
Over the years I’ve had peak moments where I would
post almost every day; to low creative moments
where I would end up not blogging for years. I am
currently going through a slump and even lost the
rights to my website www.wambuijl.com, any IT type
person willing to help me recover it?
As we were putting together the Bloggers Edition, a
beautiful thing happened. Hairpolitan got nominated
for the Best New Blog in the Bloggers Association of
Kenya (BAKE) Awards 2017! It’s been such exciting
news! It feels even more fantastic because as we
soar we get to carry those we feature in this issue
along with us.
The aim of this issue was to showcase the number
of blogs in the natural hair and living space that
have been making great strides in taking care and
informing of our community.
Gracing our covers is Shazz the creator of Queendom
Blog. She is by day an Interior Designer, by night
a singer; and everyday an all round creative spirit
who shares more about herself in COVER GIRL’S 21
QUESTIONS on P4.
Then we get into the journey of blogging with Njeri
Wangari, of AfroMum, and her experience through
the years in INDUSTRY on P21-23. We’re also joined
by another veteran blogger James Murua in GUY
on P42-43 as he shares his experiences of setting
up and running various blogs to being a newspaper
columnnist.
In CREATE we ask Sharon Malonza, better known as
MyKenyanPuff on YouTube on how she goes about
putting together her vLogs on P39-41.
Wachu Wanjaria, who runs a blog of the same name,
shares her LIFE story with us on P6-9, read to find
out things you might not have known about the Kurly
Diaries Founder. Not far behind is Carol Oyola in
RAISE where she sits with Karimi Kagwe to give her
a snippet of her life as a mother to her two adorable
children on P14-15.
Nyawira Njoroge, of Natrella Life, candidlt tells us
how she quit smoking to live a natural life in TOPICAL
on P44-45. In ENJOY Faith Kathoka breaks down
for us her thinking behind creating the event Project
Baby Shower on P34-35. In the same segment Kirigo
Mwaura tells us about her day out at the Hairitage
Chronicles that took place in the month of March
on P36-38. The Nurtured Knotts team showcase the
images they took of the fun day out.
In REVIEW Silvia, of Nywele Natural, breaksdown
the thinking behind the #KinksontheStreet concept
in word and pictures on P10-12. While in WEAR the
vivavious Anita Mogere of From Curves with Love
explains to us her curvy fashion sense on P24-25.
Our FEATURE story is by Nali W. Imende, where she
interviews Wanjiku Nyoike-Mugo about her journey
from a blogger of TDS to a fashion entreprenuer in
the prestigious Two Rivers Mall on P16-20. Vikky
Wambui of Napspiration dazzles us with her long
hair and tells us how to care for it in KNOW HAIR
on P26-28.
We’re happy to have Sheila Ndinda, of African
Tresses and Treats, sharing with us her favourite got
to do in HAIRSTYLE on P5. We reintroduce the EAT/
MOVE segment by chatting with Musavi of Kenyan
Fitness Foodie as she explains to us her healthy
eatig concept on P29-31.
Finally, our resident skincare expert enlightens us
on natural ingredients that can brighten our skin in
KNOW SKIN on P32-33.
Remember to vote for us on vote.bakeawards.co.ke
Thank you for your continued support!
Yours,
Wambui JL
2 3

COVER GIRL’S
21 QUESTIONS HAIRSTYLE
WE ASK THE
FEATURED COVER
GIRL 21 QUESTIONS
WITH AN AIM TO
GET TO KNOW HER
BETTER!
Cover Girl: Sharon ‘Shazz’ N’deritu
Photographer: Mumbi Muturi-Muli
Make up: Dorothy of Daughty Artistry (IG)
Jewelry: Embody Accessories
FOLLOW SHAZ ON HER WEBSITE:
www.queendom.blog
1. Once I wake up and reach out for my glasses as
I have shockingly bad eyesight.
2. In my handbag I always have a tape measure
and gum.
3. My blog is my playground.
4. My perfect pizza topping is sausage, mushroom,
mozzarella and avocado.
5. I’d rather be ugly and live forever or look
attractive and die in a year. I’d rather be ugly
and live forever – ugly like beauty is relative
and in the eyes of the beholder. Being ugly
is not the worst thing that could happen to
someone.
6. Best compliment I’ve ever received was, you’re
still my favourite person.
7. I returned natural because I was just done with
retouching and wanted a big red afro.
8. My favorite book of all time is Aarrrrgh! That’s
a tough one, ‘Voice in The Wind - Francine
Rivers, Wouldn’t Take Nothing For My
Journey Now – Maya Angelou and Tuesdays
With Morrie – Mitch Albom.
9. If I could have one meal for the rest of my life it
would be fresh bread and mbuzi boiro!
10. My secret wish is to be a dancer in a Lingala
music video.
11. I would never leave my home without flat shoes
and jewelry.
12. Sneakers or sandals? Bare feet! But if I must –
Sandals.
13. A social media platform I totally get is Instagram.
14. A habit that I really want to break is none, I like
my habits, even the bad ones.
15. My current hair goals are to rock my natural
gray hair.
16. The scariest day in my life was when my younger
sister and I were hostage during the Westgate
terrorist attack in 2013.
17. What I know about myself for sure I AM
BEAUTIFUL.
18. The last movie/series I watched was Married at
First Sight.
19. My zodiac sign is Gemini/Cancer. I‘m June
21st, I’m on the cusp, so I read both and pick
the one that reads best!
20. I have or don’t have tattoos because I prefer
body piercings and I am too capricious.
21. The best advice I would give about living would
be use Life up! Life loves the liver of it.
My favorite hairstyle is two strand Twist outs, you
can never go wrong with a twist out!
I recently started adding a Bantu knot at the tips of
the twist for a more curl definition- This completely
changed my twist outs game.
I have also mastered the art of making my twists last
a week long which relieves me from the stress of
having to re-twist every night.
To achieve this style (The hanging Bantu Twist Outs)
you will need:
1. A moisturizer like water or a water based
leave in conditioner
2. A sealant which can be your oil or shea butter
3. A styler
4. Afro pick
5. Clips
PROCESS
Sheila Ndinda:
Loving the
hanging bantu
knotout
Start on dry hair. (After washing, air dry your hair
for an hour or overnight). Styling on dry hair will
minimize shrinkage.
Section hair and spritz with water to add moisture.
Apply your sealant to lock in the moisture and follow
up with your cream styler.
Install two strand twists on each section and secure
the ends with a Bantu knot.
Unravel the twists the next morning when they are
100% dry. Use an afro pick to fluff the roots for more
volume.
To preserve the style, you can sleep with a satin
bonnet or on a satin pillow case. You can choose
to re twist your hair overnight – it’s absolutely up to
you! But remember over manipulation of our natural
hair leads to breakage.
FOLLOW SHEILA ON HER WEBSITE:
ww.africantressesandtreats.com
4 5

LIFE
Wachu Wanjaria:
Being
Wachu
Wanjaria
“The way we
grew up, we
had to create
our own
entertainment
“
Images courtesy of Wachu Wanjaria
Image by Tafaria Photography
6 7

Image by Eva de Vries
Wachu is our very own Naturalista reality star that we
love to watch. We’ve fallen in love with her dynamic
hairstyles, her eclectic fashion, her travel posts, her
vibrancy and even her wall. Yes, you read right, she
has a wall that she’s posed in front of for the last
5 years and we in the Natural hair community are
hooked. Sadly, she moved recently and we’re yet to
collectively approve the next surface that will serve
as her backdrop. Tune in next episode to see how
this all goes.
When I meet her as scheduled, Wachu is donning
an awesome 70s inspired wig. She claims she made
it for her Mother and was only test running it. I
chuckle! As one of the Founders & members of the
Kurlly Diaries, a natural hair Facebook group, she
keeps us quite entertained and active in the group.
However, the natural hair vixen actually has a day
job, and one that she is keen to point out is not all
glamorous.
DESIGNING SPACES
Wachu works as a Museum Designer & Developer at
the National Museums of Kenya in Nairobi, “I build
museums and exhibitions. What that means is that
if someone has an idea or concept that needs to be
translated into a museum or exhibition I help them
conceptualize and execute.” The Judiciary of Kenya
Museum is one of her most recent projects. Wachu
and her team converted the holding cells that were
in the basement of the Supreme Court building, into
a Judiciary Museum open to the public. “The project
took three and a half years. We removed years of
debris, remodeled it and rebuilt it with a contractor.
As that was happening there was conceptualizing,
research, developing the story and benchmarking
with similar museums in the world. So there is a lot
of work.”
Interior Design. However, getting to receive her
degree didn’t come easy. She first enrolled in
Business School at the USIU, Nairobi campus;
where she quit after a year. Business was just
not the right fit. She then took a sabbatical to
find a design school in South Africa but wasn’t
successful. Eventually she found the American
World University where she eventually attained
her Degree. “I was great! They got me a lecturer
from the University of Nairobi. So it was my
lecturer & I working privately for two and a half
years.”
When she joined the National Museum, the
Director saw potential in her and seconded her
to go Seoul, South Korea. There she learned
everything she needed to know about designing
for museums. As she talks about her experience
there I realise that is perhaps when her love for
what she does set in. “What I love about the
Museum is that with every new project is the
immersion into a new world,” she explains.
HAIR GURU
Interestingly, Wachu has another day job. She
works as a Natural Hair consultant and in charge
of the Client Experience at Amadiva Beauty. I ask
her how one can get a styling consult with her,
and she advises one set an appointment at the
salon. Otherwise she can be found at Amadiva
loosely on Tuesday afternoons and Saturday
mornings.
The partnership with Amadiva Beauty all started
with her chance encounter with Maureen
Murunga (Founder of Amadiva) at the Naturals in
Nairobi event held in 2015. They hit it off and in
January of the next year, Maureen requested her
to take up creative direction for the inaugural
#30DaysNaturally campaign. The project was
quite a success and it made perfect sense when
Maureen asked her to take up a permanent job at
Amadiva. Wachu highly considered the offer but
declined. “I was having a downtime career wise and
felt that I had stagnated in life. I had lived in the
same house for 9 years and had the same job for 10.
But I didn’t want to ever translate my passion [hair]
to something that would become a chore.”
WACHU’S CHILDHOOD
I enquire who Wachu was at 6 years old and how that
affected the woman she is now. She explains that she
had a deliberately creative childhood. “The way we
grew up, we had to create our own entertainment.”
Her siblings and her grew up without a TV, “My Dad
would hire a projector when he wanted us to watch
a film that he felt was necessary for our wellbeing.”
They had lots of books and even a life size playhouse.
At the tender age 4 she knew how to sew and even
made her own ‘Naturalista’ doll. This in effect gave
her no other choice but to be the creative being she
is now. I enquire if she would raise her children the
same way her parents did.
I DON’T WANT TO HAVE KIDS
I won’t lie; I did a double take when she responded.
I really want to understand what would bring her to
such a decision. She is quick to make it clear that her
childhood was great and her parents are awesome
so let it be clear that her decision didn’t stem from
anything negative. “I think the responsibility of
raising kids, requires for one to be so intentional
about it; and I don’t have it in me,” she explains.
The decision came to her at the age of 20. She says
she wants to get married, even have pets but is
certain she doesn’t want children. “My parents know.
My girlfriends, especially those who’ve known me
for long, know and understand. But there are those
who are still waiting for me to change my mind. If I
am dating I tell them on date number one.”
However, she does go on to explain that in the initial
years she struggled with explaining it to herself, let
alone anyone else. But as she’s grown older, she
realizes she doesn’t need to do so. “When I was
younger I really struggled. Initially, I felt the need
to explain it to people. I studied existentialism
because I thought I needed to have a deep reason. I
went from one phase of explanation to another, but
now I am at a place where I don’t need to explain it
to anyone.”
At the end of the day, I realise that she’s comfortable
in her life choice; and a personal choice is just that,
personal.
It’s been quite a revelation to me and as we wind
down the interview I asked her what’s in store from
her in 2017. She lets in on a project that she’s working
on but that we can’t reveal. All I can say is watch this
space for the great things the mind of Wachu that
she has planned for us.
FOLLOW WACHU ON HER BLOG:
www.wachuwanjaria.wordpress.com
Image by Studio Photogeric
I’d like to know what one would have had to study
to take up such a job, the answer is very simple –
8 9

REVIEW
Silvia Mwendia
Approaching
kinks on the
street
When Makena and I started Nywele Natural (Nywele
is Kiswahili for Hair) a little over a year ago. It was
basically to have an outlet to obsess over our new
found love for natural hair. I had been a natural for
few months at the time and when I learned that
she was also a Naturalista, I could not wait to start
sharing tips and knowledge; I had finally found my
curlfriend!
Veronica Capossela @ Viale Regina Margherita, Rome
Rubi Ndwiga @ a Bustop on Hospital Road
Gigi @ Tom Mboya Street
In the months leading up to the launch of Nywele
Natural, we thought of various types of content. We
hoped to show black women that it was absolutely
acceptable to wear their hair in its God-given natural
state; and that there was nothing wrong with it. Our
sisters across the Atlantic in US were doing a great
job at this and here back home; and in Kenya, the
natural movement was also growing. We wanted to
create this visibility about Kenyan women wearing
their hair natural in a manner that made it seem
normal, viable, that anyone could go natural (more
like return to natural because that is where it all
began, right?). All this without it to seeming like an
unreachable and exclusionary club.
Linda Langat @ Mama Ngina Street
Betty Wachera @ River Road next to Koja Roundabout
Then that’s when it hit me. Why not take pictures of
women with natural hair on the streets of Nairobi.
What could be more normal than that? I already
saw so many of them of my daily commute to and
from work. I had always desperately wanted to
complement them on their hair but not being one
to put myself out there, I did not even dare to try it.
However, now because of the blog, I had no choice
but to approach them; and so in December 2015,
#KinksOnTheStreet was born.
Sheilah Kimathi @ Agip bustop on Haile Selassie Avenue
Since then, I have had quite a number of interesting
experiences. One of the hardest things about the
project, is to muster up the courage to walk up to
complete strangers and ask to take photos of their
natural hair. There are a number of times I have
started to approach someone but then just backed
down. Also to note that the the trickiest time to try
and get a photo is in the morning. Everyone is such
a rush-and rightfully so. However, when you do get
that photo, it gives you such a high making the next
Eunice K @ Sapienza University, Rome
Juni Jaber @ Maragua Lane in the CBD
10 11

“I can actually
see how
bizzarre my
request sounds
“
Image credit:Silvia Mwendia
Farida Tou @ Euroma2 Mall,Rome
ask much easier. There are a few who say no, and
that’s quite a downer, but I suck it right up as the
hashtag must go on.
In Nairobi, when I appraoched people, I always
have this feeling like they think I am mad! Looking
back, I can actually see how bizzarre my request
sounds. Once, I did meet two women who declined
because of monetary issues. One was of the opinion
that she had to pay for the photo and despite me
explaining that it was absolutely free, she still didn’t
get it. Another insisted on being paid stating that
I just could not use her photo for free. Her friend
tried convincing her but to no avail. I don’t know
if it was the salesperson in her but she would not
budge. I vowed to keep off saleswomen. There have
been some LOL moments as well. There was a time I
almost got off at the wrong bus stop just because a
natural had also alighted there.
Nzilani Muya @ Khoja Stage
I moved to Italy late last year. Obviously
#KinksOnTheStreet was not going to end, only
expand; and true to my words it has! Despite the
language barrier (Google Translate is my friend), I
have found out that the women I approach here are
able to understand me just as well. Perhaps we should
add natural hair to the list of global languages.
It has been fun doing #KinksOnTheStreet. We have
seen alot of beautiful manes from TWAs to afropuffs,
well laid edges to kinks that dance to the beat of
their own drum. We also cannot forget the variety
of Locs coming in different colours and lengths. The
more I do #KinksOnTheStreet the more I valued the
world wide growth of the Natural hair community.
FOLLOW SILVIA & MAKENA ON THEIR WEBSITE:
www.nywelenatural.com
Tebby Vena @ Tubman Road
12 13

RAISE
Image by Leon Muli
Carol Oyola:
Sharing her
Kenyan Mama’s
Tale
with Karimi Kagwe
Every so often in life’s journey you come across
a kindred spirit. This is how I felt after meeting
Carol Oyola about two years ago. It’s funny how
social media can make one feel like you have met
someone in person. Having ‘seen’ her severally in
the same Natural Hair groups on Facebook it felt like
we shared the same interests; and over time after
meeting in person, I can confirm that we do. So, it
was without hesitation that I agreed to take on the
assignment to feature her for this Bloggers Edition
of Hairpolitan.
been married for 5years, are dotting parents to a
3-year-old girl and 4-month boy. I remembered a
while back when she shared photos on Facebook of
her maternity photoshoot with her beautiful family.
I admittedly admired Carol and her daughter Zara’s
natural hair as I have a daughter too and was curious
to know how she managed her toddler’s hair.
“
I began to
share my
experiences
and what
worked for
me
“
Carol Oyola with husband: Fred, son - Xander
Christopher & Daughter - Zara.
Carol confessed that as a working mum and a new
baby, it has been difficult to keep up with their
normal hair regime. She finds it convenient to have
her daughter’s hair treated and plaited in cornrows
that can last up to 3 weeks or so.
Her own hair, which has been natural since 2012,
started off as an experiment, “Returning natural was
starting to kick off in Kenya. I thought of trying it
out to see if it would make a difference to my thin,
relaxed hair. I must say I’ve never looked back!”
As we both wear our hair natural I realise it is possible
to digress further into endless discussions about
hair products and general maintenance. I bring our
interview to a close by asking about her future for
her blog. Carol shares that she hopes to grow her
blog to be an online resource for all Kenyan mums
and mums-to-be. In addition, she would like to
create an avenue to have open conversations about
the highs and lows of motherhood. “I look forward
to highlighting more stories of other mothers as well
as host community dialogues and events geared
towards celebrating motherhood.”
FOLLOW CAROL ON HER BLOG:
www.kenyanmamatales.wordpress.com
Her blog Kenyan Mama tales has been in existence
for 3 years now and is based on Carol’s shared
experiences through motherhood. After the birth
of her daughter she experienced Post-Partum
Depression. This led her to start the blog as an
avenue to vent the different emotions she was
experiencing. Her experience as a first-time mum
made her feel alone and led her to wonder if anyone
else had gone through similar challenges.
“As the years progressed, I began to share my
experiences and what worked for me, and so far,
it’s been an amazing journey. It’s fulfilling to have
mothers email me saying my blog has helped them
a great deal in voicing issues close to their heart,”
she says.
Browsing through her website one can understand
why mothers find her platform relatable. She covers
topics that go across the parenting spectrum from
breastfeeding as a working mum, toddlerhood,
potty training, the differences between a first and
second pregnancy just to name a few. It is easy to
get lost in her writing as she writes the same way she
speaks - with endearing openness and a great sense
of humour. As you read you feel like you are sharing
a conversation with a close friend over a hot cup of
chocolate.
The mother of 2 and her husband Fred, who has
14 15

FEATURE STORY
Wanjiku Nyoike-Mugo:
Journey from blogger
to fashion entreprenuer
by Nali. W Imende
Image on previous page: Wanjiku Nyoike-Mugo at her store The Designer’s Studio (TDS). Current Page: stocks a wide
variety of Kenyan designers including Ikonn, Koroo, Deepa Dosaja among others.
“
I had always
wanted to
start a shop
where we sold
Kenyan stuff!
“
Image Credit: Nali W. Imende
What’s most impressive about Wanjiku Nyoike-Mugo, of course apart from how smart she is - and I’m telling
you she is smart - is how super organised and driven she is. In 2011, before starting her job at the United
Nations (UN), she had already written down the name of the store that she dreamed of owning. It’s now
2017 and she is the owner of The Designers Studio (TDS), a Kenyan fashion store in the newly opened Two
Rivers Mall situated in Nairobi’s Upmarket Gigiri environs.
So how did a young woman working in a dream job for many, find herself running a fashion business? It
all took root during her time at the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa a.k.a Wits. Wanjiku studied
Law and though she enjoyed her classes was always a creative at heart. “The way Wits was, you had West
Campus, which was the white collar job people, commerce, law; and then you had East Campus which was
the fun artsy one. I went to West campus to do classes but I hang out at East campus, I always had creative
friends. My friends were like drama students, music students and I was in the choir as well. It was like having
a day job and part time job...I was just between the two,” she explains.
It was while she was in South Africa that she came across one of her main inspirations, The Young Designers
Emporium (YDE). YDE sold clothing made by emerging South African designers thus giving them a platform
to sell their clothing to South Africans. “When I would come back to Kenya one either went to Toi, Gikomba,
Woolworths, Mr. Price to buy clothes which didn’t make sense because then it’s like...but where do you buy
‘our’ clothes, what exactly are we doing for ourselves?”
16 17

She has always been pro Africa at heart and believes
the continent consistently gets a bad rap, which
Africans themselves have been sold into hook, line
and sinker. “We have not really believed in ourselves
as a continent because we just believe that out there
is better and I’ve been out there, it’s not better, it’s
actually a lot more difficult than people think,” she
says.
Chasing the dream
Wanjiku quit her job in 2013 to pursue the dream of
owning a fashion store that would represent Kenyan
fashion and change the perception of Africa not
having good products. “I had money from the UN
and I used part of it to buy a laptop. Eating? There
was not much of it happening, it took a lot of faith
for me to just get out and I prayed a lot, my faith
kept me going. Because when you come from the
UN, it was comfortable,” she recalls. She plugged in
the money slowly and to save money she opted to
build the website herself, learning as she went.
where you are starting and where you want to go,”
says Wanjiku. She would write down her goals for
the year and put it in road map form. “The beauty of
a road map is that you don’t get distracted along the
way, it keeps you focussed,” she explains.
She also advises would be entrepreneurs to spend a
lot of time building their brand, knowing what your
brand is about do a lot of research and find out all
you can about your industry. “I remember watching
every fashion documentary there was, I have done
online courses on fashion and design, manufacturing
and production, while people were out having fun,
I studied and did online exams and stuff like that.”
Initially, Wanjiku wanted to open a store at Garden
City on Thika Road. But when she came across a Two
Rivers pamphlet at her lawyer’s office she felt her
gut tell her that this was it. She booked her space
before the mall filled up and she went in hoping to
get a good location.
Right at the beginning of setting up she realised two
things: One, mall space was very difficult acquire and
two, she did not really have thorough knowledge of
local designers; and neither did Kenyans. Wanjiku
decided to start off with a blog which was not only
a way to educate herself but also the Kenyan market
of what was right at their doorstep in terms of
fashion and style. “I started off with an excel sheet
where I wrote down the name of the designer, the
location, the telephone number and email and I just
remember going through and ticking the people I
wanted to interview,” she says.
Navigating the cliquey Nairobi fashion scene as a
newbie was a challenge onto itself, she would attend
events but nobody would know what TDS was or
what she was doing there. Luckily all the designers
and people she met were always more than willing
to share their stories. Her blog grew from interviews
with designers to photographers and to make up
artists. She intentionally made sure to do in depth
articles three to four pages long, which would then
be cut down to three pages when posted. She
wanted something akin to Vogue in terms of quality
and depth so they could give the people working in
the fashion industry their due respect.
From the very start she knew that she wanted TDS to
stand as a business on its own instead of being about
her. She opted for writers and kept the attention off
herself so that people could absorb the content for
what it was and not who she was. “I think people
like bloggers because they look pretty and they take
good photos, - not that they are not good - but there
is a big element of getting distracted by the person
and then it takes away from the content” she says.
The shop features well curated clothing
from local designers.
The sacrifice
“It’s not that I was just blogging, I was also working
on the shop, I was working on what I needed for it,
getting contacts, starting to draft the list of things
you need for a shop and it meant a lot of sacrifice, a
lot. There were many times I thought, ‘what the hell
am I doing?’”
It was not easy. She had to cut out unnecessary costs
from her life such as dinner with friends, opting to
spend the Sh5, 000 at a pricy restaurant to pay for
Internet for a month. “The sacrifice also meant that
I couldn’t go and be as social as I used to be,” she
says. People think you are so weird and it’s hard to
explain to people because they think she is just a
blogger, sitting at home, what could she possibly be
doing ” recalls Wanjiku.
Her friends and family would flippantly enquire
about “her fashion thingy” because most people
could not understand how she would leave a well
paying job to blog. Wanjiku ignored the naysayers
and kept going.
Staying focussed
One of the ways she has been able to keep on track
was by using a road map, something that her fiancé
advised her to do. “The road map actually shows all
“I always used to pray about it and I kid you not, I
would say that I would like my shop to be next to
Woolworths and all these other international brands
so we can pull people to buy Kenya instead and also
by being next to them we show Kenyans that we are
Wanjiku and her fabulous TDS team
Hat creation from Drop of a Hat Milliners
18 19

INDUSTRY
Njeri Wangari:
Sharing my
blogging experience
I have been blogging since 2005. My first blog was
kenyanpoet.blogspot.com, which was about my
poetry initially. With time it grew to a platform for
news and information on arts & culture in Kenya. In
January 2014, I started AfroMum.com. I had been
contemplating starting a blog on motherhood,
parenting and family technology for a while after I
had our first baby. My career was in the tech space
then doing network support. I had noted that most
parenting blogs focused mostly on motherhood thus
I decided to focus on tech, lifestyle, issues affecting
women and entrepreneurship as well.
just us good...and then that happened (her shop is
right next to Swarovski) and I was just like…Guys!
Guys!”
The Designers Studio was not a fluke but rather the
result of a series of well-planned steps executed
to perfection. The shop stocks a wide range of
local designers including; Adele Dejak, Nawalika,
Le Collane di Betta, Canvas and Kangas, Akinyi
Odongo, Deepa Dosaja, Urban Artefacts, Penny
Winters, Njema Helena, Ikojn, Kooroo and Drop of
a Hat.
She is happy with how business is going and she has
been pleasantly surprised by customers who come in
and buy without even looking at the price tags and
loves it when they mix up the different brands, which
was what she always wanted. “It’s been fun. It’s been
really cool, seeing how the shop has turned out. It
just goes to show that you have to keep working at
it because a shop like that does not appear out of
thin air.”
Jewelry curated by TDS
economy. I would I feel that I would be doing more
rather than just pushing paper in the UN and I had
always wanted to start a shop where we sold Kenyan
stuff!” she concludes.
FOLLOW WANJIRU ON HER WEBSITE:
www.tdsblog.com
When I was starting out in 2005, we only had
Wordpress and Blogger. Wordpress was quite
technical thus most of us preferred Blogger, as it
didn’t require any coding skills. Blogging was not
as easy back then as we didn’t have all the fancy
themes, plugins and widgets available now. It was
very manual. Sharing content was especially hard
because twitter came much later.
However, back then we were few bloggers in Kenya
and we knew each other by name so we read each
other’s work. I came across blogging purely due
to frustration. I had put together collection of my
poems, which I hoped to publish. Despite attempts
to get a local publisher, all I got were regrets. A
friend mentioned blogs and how one went about it
and I just set it up and put up my work.
It was pure magic. I had never shared my poetry with
the world beyond my close friends. Having the ability
to publish my poetry on a site I owned and have the
whole world read it was a surreal experience. Initially
it felt like un-dressing in public because my poetry
is very personal (all poetry is actually) so sharing my
feeling with the world, open to criticism was and has
always been a bittersweet experience. I still get that
feeling everything I publish my poetry or thoughts
on a topic of interest in blog form.
She may have started out as a blogger but the brick
and mortar shop was always part of her plan. “I
felt that the business would contribute more to the
Sharing one’s thoughts, feelings and opinion on
things they care about is a very honest and selfless
thing to do. It takes guts. To be willing to lay yourself
20 21
Njeri Wangari

create diverse content on and about Kenya online.
As one of the founding members, I went on to
become the director of training and outreach. My
role was to ensure that BAKE took blogging beyond
Nairobi and beyond the ‘Elite blogger group’ as
it was viewed then. This was through speaking
engagements, training workshops, and university
outreach programs where we set out to introducing
blogging clubs in various universities.
The rise of blogs has been a mixed bag of fortunes, I
love the variety that is there now, the are all manner
of blogs on any topic of interest you can think of.
I love that. However, with growth, a lot changes,
blogs are about free expression and thus, we cannot
dictate what people can and cannot write.
That said, I am really proud of how far blogging
has come in Kenya. That now the term ‘blogger’ is
not viewed as a disdainful one associated with idle
youth but instead it’s now become cool to say ‘am
a blogger’. It’s really a huge achievement and I am
proud to have played a role in changing the public’s
perception of what blogging is all about.
HOW TO JOIN
BLOGGERS
ASSOCIATION OF KENYA
(BAKE)
STEP 1:
Go to www.bake.co.ke/
member/auth/register
STEP 2:
Register an account.
Check your email for a
confirmation. Click on it.
Come back to this site and
log in to your account.
Add your blog(s)
out there open to critique, praise and indifference
in equal measure, is important to a writer and
performer. Not everyone will love your writing. What
makes it worth it is when someone who has gone
through a similar experience feels that your words
have spoken to them. That’s why I do it.
My content creation varies. There are times I will
write a whole blog article or poem in one sitting and
publish it (this doesn’t happen as often as it used
to). More often than not, I write bits and pieces in
“Initially it
felt like
un-dressing
in public
“
Images courtesy of Njeri Wangari
The Wanjohis at the 2016 BAKE Awards
my Evernote App then compile them into a blog
article over time.
The greatest challenge over the years in my blogging
journey has been writing. Its funny how most people
think that writing is an effortless thing. Going
through a writer’s block is the worst thing a writer
can ever experience. The other challenge is coming
up with relevant content that not only piques your
interest but also is true to you and your believes
or outlook on life. Being able to strike that balance
is never easy. The other big challenge that I am
going through right now is how to handle growth.
AfroMum has grown from a personal blog to an
online publication requiring as content daily. I have
therefore recruited a team of writers. Getting writers
who understand your vision is not easy. Thankfully I
currently have a team of awesome writers who are
able to write content that stays true to the AfroMum
brand.
In and around 2009, I together with fellow bloggers
started having discussions on forming an association.
As I mentioned earlier, we were a handful and so we
used to meet up for drinks and to catch up. Out
of those meetings, Bloggers Association of Kenya
(BAKE) was formed and formally registered in 2011.
It’s a community organization that set out to change
the face of blogging in the country by creating
awareness on the benefits of blogging as well as
The future of blogging will be an interesting one. I
see it taking a dichotomy. There are those that will
serve as alternative media becoming source of news
and information on specialized topics. There are
those that will become citizen journalism platforms
delving into investigative or researched based
writing. I could be wrong!
FOLLOW NJERI ON HER WEBSITE:
www.afromum.com
STEP 3:
Send Ksh. 1,000 or Ksh.
2,000 for Corporate blogs
to Paybill number 865850
Use “Account number:
membership”,
via Mpesa to complete
your membership.
STEP 4:
Request a blog tracker
(right hand side). A
tracker will be set up &
a notification sent when
ready. Add the tracker to
your blog
For more information
email: info@bake.or.ke
22 23

Girl Goss Outfit
WEAR
Anita Mogere:
Fashion advise
from curves
with love
You aspire to help curvy women be comfortable
in their own skin, how did you achieve this
for yourself first? I don’t really see it as an
achievement but more of a work in progress. It
really isn’t something you achieve but something
you work towards constantly and consistently. I
used to wonder why I hated people seeing the
stretch marks on my arms or the cellulite on my
thighs. Then I realised that I only had one body
and after all, I did not choose it.
How has been a Naturalista affected your sense
of style? Being a Naturalista has made me more
confident in myself as a person. It came right about
at the time I was teaching myself to constantly
love my body and having natural hair helped me
become more confident in my own skin.
My sense of style is way bolder than before - I love
wearing vests and short dresses/skirts without
feeling the need to hide the body parts that I
am not 100% comfortable with. I no longer wear
tights or stocking with dresses because of feeling
the need to ‘hide’ my cellulite in case it makes
people feel uncomfortable. Natural hair has made
me be myself in more ways than I thought I ever
would.
What’s your staple and must have outfit style?
My must have outfit style at the moment is a
white tee, black jeans and a jacket, either denim
or leather. However, I am inclined more to
denim jackets than leather. You can dress them
up or down and still look out together, which is
something I go for because I tend to have a crazy
schedule and transitional outfits are always the
best option.
Your attitude to every situation counts how you
react to it. I slowly learnt to celebrate little
achievable goals over a period of time. In my
case I went from covering my arms in no less than
3/4 way sleeves. Then I started plucking up the
courage to wear shorter sleeves, cupped sleeves
and then sleeveless. I am yet to wear something
strapless, but that is dependent on if I ever find
a bra that will support my boobs really well. One
thing I’ve learnt from it is that the more you love
yourself, the less the stress. Love you body and
it will love you right back.
What’s on trend in terms of curvy woman’s fashion
right now? I don’t really follow trends but I would
definitely say body suits, body-con dresses and
generally anything that is figure hugging is
definitely a plus for curvy women. I personally
love wearing form-fitting clothes that flaunt my
body shape.
FOLLOW WANJIRU ON HER WEBSITE:
www.fromcurveswithlove.com
Lady in Red
What’s your body shape? Do you think it’s
important for someone to understand their
body shape? My body shape falls between pear/
hourglass. Yes, it is very, very important for
someone to understand his or her body shape.
The more you do, the better and easier it is for
you to dress it well and in a way that flatters you
the most.
When and why did you return natural? I sort of
stumbled upon returning natural. My relaxed hair
was thinning out, so I decided to grow it out with
the intention of relaxing it again to have it back
to its original volume. At a point when I was ready
to cut the relaxed ends off, I stumbled upon the
natural hair world and all the information that
came with it. I took it up from there. The journey
has been quite bumpy but I wouldn’t trade it for
anything.
“Love you body
and it will
love you
right back
“
Images Courtesy of Anita Mogere
Neon & Black
24 25

KNOW - HAIR
Wash Day
Vikky’s Bi-weekly
regimen:
STEP 1:
Cleansing with a
sulphate free shampoo.
STEP 2:
Detangling under
running water (in the
shower) with a silicone
free conditioner
Vikky Wambui:
Inspiring you to grow &
care for your long hair
May 2017 will mark 5 years since my Big Chop. 5 years of learning, unlearning and re-learning my natural
hair. I say this because I started this journey with pre-conceived ideas of what to expect but as I quickly
found out, natural hair can be as unique as fingerprints and one should never compare or expect the
same results. Also, as the journey progresses, your hair’s needs change and you need to be keen to
detect the changes and adapt accordingly.
In this article, I’ll summarize the top 3 lessons learnt that have helped me grow my hair & retain length.
Simple regimen
Twist Outs
Experience had taught me that it’s not so much the products that I use that matter, but rather how
consistent I am with my regimen and also how well that regimen fits into my lifestyle.
As my hair has grown longer (it was 18 inches last length check last year) I have had to tweak my regimen
STEP 3:
Deep conditioning
(for at least 30 min)
with a moisturizing
deep conditioner that
is mineral oil free &
silicone free
STEP 4:
Moisturizing using the
LOC (Leave-in, Oil,
Cream – in that order)
method
STEP 5:
Finally I twist with a
butter to seal in the
moisture even further.
so that I still I provide it with proper care &
nourishment without spending excessive amounts
of time on it.
I will normally wear my hair in 2 strand twists for
about 3 days, then in a twist-out for 4 days and in a
bun or a “roll, tuck and pin” style for the another 7
days before its time to wash again.
In between washes, I will spritz my hair lightly
with some water and seal with oil if it feels dry.
However, this rarely happens, as I am able to
retain moisture for up to 2 weeks without having to
moisturize again.
Low manipulation
Contrary to popular belief, natural hair is extremely
susceptible to breakage due to its curly nature.
Therefore, if you want to retain your length it is
critical that you refrain from over-manipulating your
hair. This includes excessive brushing/combing,
wearing tight hairstyles and using heat/heated
tools.
26 27

EAT / MOVE
“Be patient with
your hair, do
not compare &
do not despair
“
I strictly use my fingers to detangle & style not use
any combs or brushes expect when I need to make
a clean parting. I also do not braid or twist using
extensions and I use heat only once a year when I
straighten my hair for my annual length check and
trim. This has helped me retain at least 4 inches of
hair every year over the past 5 years.
Patience
Images Courtesy of Vikky Wambui
If there is one thing this journey has taught me, its
patience.
Be patient with your hair, do not compare, and do
not despair. Always allocate enough time to take
care of your hair; try not to detangle, wash or even
style when you are rushed or upset.
TIP
Do not skimp on your
products if you want to
your hair to be properly
moisturized. Using
adequate amounts of
product ensures that your
hair remains moisturized
for longer.
Also, remember that no 2 days are the same with
natural hair. You may follow the exact same steps
and get different results every time. Accept this
as part of the journey and embrace both the good
and not so good hair days.
Embrace the shrinkage, the knots & tangles and
accept that there will be days when you doubt
yourself, when you want to give up...but don’t! All
good things take time; nothing worth having ever
comes easy. So be patient, your mane will thank
you for it.
May your ‘fro Grow!
#beinspired #napspiration
FOLLOW VIKKY ON HER BLOG
www.nappy-glam.blogspot.co.ke
Two Strand Twists
Musavi:
Taking on
healthy food
& fitness
Tell us about blogging on FitFoodie254? I have
been blogging for a few years now. However, in
the past, I would start a bog and quickly forget
about it. I have run The Kenyan Fitness Foodie
for about 15 months now; the longest I have ever
stuck with a blog. I have taken all the lessons I
learned from my previous attempts at blogging
and used them to make this one successful. I have
come to learn that blogging takes a lot of time
and is serious work.
Why the focus on Fitness & Food? My main
reason for starting the blog was to hold myself
accountable in my weight loss journey. However
over time, it has turned into a healthy food blog.
When I started there were many great food blogs
in Kenya but none that focused purely on healthy
28 29

that if I went running, I could burn calories. The reason I like running is because you do not need to
pay an expensive gym membership or have fancy equipment. All you need is some running shoes and
anyone can do it. I am addicted to the runner’s high, the surge of endorphins after a good run leave
you feeling like you can do just about anything.
“
There is
a lot of
misconception
in Kenya about
healthy foods
“
Images Courtesy of Musavi
as making a few changes in the way you prepare
your meals. You do not have to deprive yourself
completely from the foods you love. All you have
to do is make a healthier version of them.
Why did you return natural? I went natural about 6 years ago when I still lived in the States and for
me it was about political and social awareness. Being black in a predominantly white country made
me acutely aware of my race and culture. I learned to embrace myself and be proud of who I was and
where I came from and for me that included embracing my natural hair. I also remember watching a
YouTube video by Malcolm X and one phrase has stuck with me “Who taught you to hate yourself,
to hate the color of your skin and the size of your nose?” It saddens me when I see African women,
embrace “white” standards of beauty.
Your go-to workout hairstyle? When I am working out, I always have my hair tied up in a top Knot. This
keeps my hair out of the ways and prevents it from getting to frizzy with sweat.
Your hair regimen? I keep my hair regimen simple and easy. I also try not to use too many products
and chemicals. I wash it at home with shampoo after which I do a deep condition with a mixture of
egg and avocado; and I then use the L.O.C (Liquid/Leave-In, Oil & Cream) method to ensure that my
hair remains moisturized. In terms of styling, my hair is usually in Braids. I find it easier to manage
braided hair and it also makes working out easy because I don’t have to worry too much about it. If
I am not getting it braided, I will do a twist out and wear it in an Afro.
FOLLOW MUSAVI ON HER WEBSITE:
www.thekenyanfitnessfoodie.com
What’s your content creation process? I usually start
by thinking about the things I would like to eat.
Then I do a little research to see the nutritional
value of the meal; and try to think of creative
ways I can make the recipe healthier and still
have it delicious. I then create the recipe, and
take pictures of each step post on my blog.
food. So I started Kenyan Fitness Foodie as a way
to contribute something to the blogosphere in
Kenya.
What do you discuss on FitFoodie254? The whole
purpose of my blog is to share recipes that take
ordinary food and put a healthy twist to eat.
I want to show that just because you are on a
diet, it does not mean that you eat boring food.
However, I am only human and from time to time,
I share some “naughty recipes” because I believe
in having a cheat meal every once in a while.
How does your blog contribute to people’s overall
wellbeing? There is a lot of misconception in Kenya
about healthy foods. My hope is that my readers
understand that eating healthy can be as simple
Your blog’s future plans? I want to be a one-stop
shop for health and fitness related issues. Right
now my focus is on creating healthy recipes but
I hope that my blog grows to feature healthier
products for your body and hair. I would also add
more focus on fitness and workouts. However,
the most important thing for me is to grow a
community of like-minded individuals who will
share with each other their personal stories and
inspire others to live a healthier life.
Your favorite meal? I loooove Ugali. If you take me
to eat Ugali with fish and Kachumbari (Kenyan
salsa), you will win my heart. Basically Ugali
with anything is a treat. I think I love it so much
because I don’t eat it as often.
Your favorite fitness routine? My favorite fitness
routine is running. When I first started losing
weight, I knew nothing about working out except
30 31

KNOW - SKIN
DISCLAIMER:
DO NOT self-diagnose. Seek
professional medical advice.
I am NOT a medical doctor
nor am I a dermatologist.
I write based on what
I have learnt by from
various sources including
medical journals as well as
my experience from using
products.
My aim is to inform and not
mislead so if anything I have
written is a bit iffy, please
point it out and I will amend.
I will not be “prescribing”
any products here, as what
works for me might not
work for you.
I have not used to the
ingredients mentioned here
to lighten my entire body so
have no clue how well they
would work for that.
Always make sure you have
a good sunscreen before
embarking on your skin
lightening journey otherwise
it will be an exercise in
futility.
Ciku Wamae:
Natural Skin
Brightening
Ingredients
In last month’s magazine issue, I discussed types
of skin lightening techniques and one that was
mentioned in the chemical section was Skin
brightener. For those who are worried about skin
lighteners, skin brighteners are the perfect option,
especially if you are not fighting demons like
Melasma.
Skin brighteners tend to be “natural” ingredients
that make your skin tone look even, brighter, healthy
and glowing. They do fade spots over time but they
require a lot of patience and continued use. They
also take time to work but are gentler and have little
to no long term risks.
I will discuss some ingredients that you should look
out for if you are interested in skin brighteners.
Vitamin C
I first learnt of the benefits of Vitamin C many moons
ago – when I was in college. The little science I had
told me that Vitamin C is synonymous to lemons
so I quickly went to the market and stocked up on
lemons in a bid to deal with acne scarring. The pain!
Even now I can feel the burn of that lemon juice on
my “cleansed” skin. I sat there tapping my skin to
dull the pain until I could tap no more! I have since
“evolved” and learnt of things like Vitamin C serums
that are safer for my poor skin.
Vitamin C in the form of ascorbic acid has
been proven to be effective in reducing hyperpigmentation,
fights photo-aging, smooths skin and
boosts collagen production. Unfortunately, ascorbic
acid is very unstable when exposed to oxygen
and light hence the use of synthetic versions with
L-ascorbic acid being the preferred. When buying
products containing Vitamin C, make sure they come
in dark jars with a dropper bottle to ensure they do
not lose efficacy fast.
Vitamin B3
Vitamin B3, also known as Niacin is another of my
favourite ingredients. It is found in foods including
eggs, meat, green vegetables and beans. It is
beneficial to the body as it promotes the increase
of good cholesterol and is also used to lower bad
cholesterol in conjunction with statins.
Topically, Vitamin B3 is used in the form of
niacinamide to improve the skin’s texture, reduce fine
lines and wrinkles and to fight hyperpigmentation.
Some studies have shown it to work better than
hydroquinone at the 4% concentration and with
lower side effects compared to the former.
Apart from anti-aging and fighting hyperpigmentation,
another reason I love this ingredient is
that it heals the skin’s barrier which is very important
for those of use that use retinol and acids.
Arbutin
Arbutin is an ingredient extracted from the leaves
of the bearberry plant. Through hydrolysis, it is
converted into hydroquinone, which in turn reduces
the skin’s production of melanin. It has been found
to work the same way as pure hydroquinone but with
less of the side effects that hydroquinone exhibits.
In Summary
This list is not exhaustive as there are other lightening
ingredients in the market. These are the ones I have
found to be most effective in my quest for blemish
free skin. When looking for products, make sure the
ingredients are amongst the top 5 as you are assured
of the highest percentage in the product’s makeup.
This convention does not work if you are looking at
Asian products, as their ingredient listing does not
always follow US and EU conventions.
If you are interested in knowing what products I have
tested so far and their efficacy or you just want to
learn more about the ingredients then subscribe to
my blog.
FOLLOW CIKU ON HER WEBSITE:
www.cikuwamae.com
“Always make
sure you
have a good
sunscreen
“
Image credit Google.com
Bearberry plant from which arbutin is extracted
32 33

ENJOY
Faith Kathoka:
Hosting Project Baby Shower
I had just given birth and the isolation that comes with being a new mom and almost everyone thinking
they should give you space was slowly crippling into my brain. The feeling of being alone and not being
good enough weighed down on me. I wished I had a group of other moms who were going through the
same terrain as me, not so much to show me the pitfalls, but to remind me that we are in this together, it
is not unique to you.
Hospital, GSK, Cakes.co.ke, Crochet Kenya and
Kingdom Business Solutions. We have so far
partnered with Pampers, Snuggles and Bouncy for
our Diaper giveaways.
We hold the event quarterly and we limit it to a
maximum of 30 mums, because we don’t want the
moms to get lost in the group or suffer in silence.
FOLLOW FAITH ON HER WEBSITE:
www.mumbabyandlove.com
Project Baby Shower was born out of personally knowing how much we as mothers need a support system
around us. As a blogger, I put out my life on the blog, the highs, the lows, the challenges and the wins of
motherhood. I would get questions about parenting, pregnancy, motherhood and the need for a support
group was evident.
Our main challenge is often convincing moms that they need the support group, this often changes after they
attend the event and are immediately transformed to our main ambassadors. We have since incorporated
dads and we are amazed at how much they love being a part of the shower.
The idea of a baby shower means we have to look for gifts to shower the mothers with, this coupled with the
information they receive which we felt was often left out in the conventional baby showers where friends
come over to your house give you gift and share the horror stories of labour and half the attendees are
not even moms. So we partner with Eve’s Mama to give the labour and birth talk, Askone Breastfeeding
Solutions for the lactation bit and Shiku Kanyottu & Mavuno Church for the Parenting preparation aspect.
For the gifts, we have different companies giving us hampers from Johnson and Johnson who also handle
the bath demos, Fidelity Insurance, Chandaria Industries, Winnie’s Pure Health, Weetabix, Nairobi Women’s
Lucy Muchiri, EvesMama, explaining how water breaks
during labour.
Mums after Project Baby Shower, the goodie bags are
amazing!
The hosts of Project Baby Shower with Faith Muturi and
George.
Dad’s during a diaper changing demo.
Eve Kongoro explaining how to breastfeeding.
Shake those hips mama’s a stretch session.
Shiku Kanyottu taking mums through the parenting
session.
A stretch session to show mums how to prepare their
bodies for labour.
What is a baby shower without cake? Thanks to
www.cakes.co.ke
A pre-natal clinic by Nairobi Women’s Hospital.
34 35

ENJOY
Kirigo Mwaura:
A day well
spent
at the Hairitage
Chronicles
It was finally here guys, the event I had been waiting
forever since I learnt of its existence a year ago.
Hairitage Festival is the name. Cool combination
right? Personally I don’t think I would have thought
of the name but Nurtured Knotts community did. As
you can give a guess it obviously revolves around
natural hair and much more than you can imagine.
Beauty products, jewelry, fashion apparels and
natural hair products was the sight to behold when I
got to Jiweke Tavern along Ngong road, Nairobi on
11th March 2017.
Faith Adhiambo and Prisca Disma –
Founders of Nurtured Knotts
Nzilani Muia (Centre) with friends.
L2R: Beth Ikiara (left) with Lyn Gitahi
– Ndungu
Wanji Mboya
It was both a celebration of African heritage and hair,
natural hair to be exact. A love of culture and Kenya
is greatly seen just by having a glimpse of it all. You
feel right at home and wish you would break a bank
to get every single product available, they were all
natural and the discount you guys was out of this
world. A touch of Africa in your dressing was all you
needed to fit in and of course that beautiful crown
on your head, the attendees did not disappoint.
Ladies looking all fine in their
African inspired outfits
Vanessa Ronoh (left) Nakhulo Khaimia
Founder TrendyB Fashion House
Jeniffer Githae
Marini Naturals, Natrella, Sheth Naturals, Afrolicious,
Horizon Natural by Nature, Harvest of Sunshine,
Mosara, Fluffy Buttah, Akusi Organics, Fashion to
Fine jewelry, Mimi Asili, Vintara Collections are just
some of the vendors that were gracing the event
with their fine products. All are locally made how
proud I was of how far we’ve come as a natural hair
community, finally embracing our natural selves.
The event lasted the whole day as people streamed
in by minute to join the club. Some of the vendors
even went out of stock with their products, that’s
how successful the event was. I managed to leave
with a few goodies myself, if you missed out on it
Carole Tichie – Founder of
Apparels and Accessories Kenya
Sheila Ndida – Lifestyle Blogger &
Creator of African Tresses & Treats
Lucy King’ori – Founder of Bu.ke a
natural hair and skin brand
Amina Jasho rocking it!
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CREATE
consider yourself unlucky, but there’s always a next
time right? Be sure to look out for it.
Hairitage Chronicles, a first of its kind aims to bring
major influence to Naturalistas in terms of diversity,
appreciation of locally produced products and so
much more. I’d highly recommend taking part; I now
aim to be an avid participator in the many events to
come and you should too.
A definite must go for anyone and everyone.
Patricia Munini (right) – Founder Fashion To Fine
interacting with one of the guests
FOLLOW KIRIGO ON HER BLOG
www.naturallynn.com
Guests at Bu.Ke Stand discussing about various products
Nicole engaging clients at the Harvest of Sunshine stand.
Sharon at the Hairitage Chronicles
Sharon Malonza:
vLogging
with the
Kenyan Puff
Vlogging is described as a blog that contains video
content, and no one does it better in our natural
hair space than Sharon Malonza, an 18 year old that
runs My Kenyan Puff on YouTube, Instagram and
Snapchat.
Her natural hair journey started out of curiosity
when she happened upon another Kenyan Blogger
website. “I came across Craving Yellow’s blog one
night and I read all her hair posts from that moment
on. I also started reading up and watching videos on
natural hair. I enjoyed the science of it all plus I’ve
always loved how full and glorious the Afro looks.”
she explains. “I transitioned for 10 months which
gave me ample time to educate myself and then I
big chopped on March 3rd 2016 with about 3 inches
of hair. I’ve been fully natural for a year now and it’s
been such a fun experience,” she adds.
L2R: Wachu Wanjaria and Josephine Wabuu (Founders of
Kurly Diaries) with Patricia Munini.
Ladies at The Girlstuff.co.ke stand
Sharon started her platform with an aim to educate
people on natural hair care from her own research
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and experience. She’d noted that there was not
that many Kenyan YouTubers and she wanted
to provide a local alternative that people
could relate to. “I currently have around 1,300
subscribers which is something I am very proud
of. My viewership is around 80% Kenyan and so I
get the most feedback from Kenyans.” She shares
that it was a tough choice deciding between a
blog (words & pictures) and a vLogs (videos), “I
ended up choosing videos instead because I feel
that with haircare, a video tutorial is a lot easier
to do than trying to explain what I did with words
and pictures.”
She advises those interested in starting a YouTube
channel to start out simply, in her view it doesn’t
have to be an expensive venture. “When it comes
to setting up a YouTube channel, all you need is
a space to record, which can be your room. You
also need content and a camera, even your phone
camera will do.” In the beginning all Sharon had
was a camera, but she’s since invested in a tripod
and plans to get lighting in the future. “What
truly matters is your content. That’s what really
keeps people interested,” she advises.
In terms of putting together her vLogs she shares
her process in the following steps:
Planning
Image Caption: I never start recording without
having written out some pointers on what I plan
to share. It helps to keep me from rambling on
too much and assure that I do not leave anything
out.
Setup & Shooting
Image Caption: Set up isn’t a struggle cause I just
need a chair and some flowers as decor. I rely on
natural lighting so I try to shoot early on in the day.
Shooting takes around 20 minutes.
Editing
Image Caption: This is what takes up most of my
time. When I started off, I would take up to 3hours
editing because I was clueless. Now I’m down to a
maximum of 1hour max. I use Final Cut Pro to edit
my videos; and I have used iMovie in the past. If
you’re looking to learn how to edit, look it up on
YouTube.
Apart from the time and financial challenges that vLogging presents, there is the matter of viewer feedback.
“I’m happy that I get mostly positive feedback. But I had to understand that once I put myself out there,
I had to be open to criticism (both positive and negative).” She describes it as a vulnerable position
as everything one does is scrutinized. “I have to be confident in myself and be as genuine as possible.
People on the internet will jump at anything so I have to remain true to myself always.”
Sharon describes the process of vlogging as very time consuming yet very rewarding, “It is a huge struggle
because I need to juggle this alongside all my other personal commitments. It is worthwhile in the end
though. I’m very grateful to all my subscribers and those who have benefitted from my videos and posts.
It’s a blessing to be a blessing to others!” she declares.
Uploading & Sharing
Image Caption: Once my video is uploaded, I share
it on all my platforms to get the word out to my
followers.
In terms of the future, Sharon doesn’t plan to limit her platform to sharing only on natural haircare, “I plan
to branch out into other aspects of beauty and more importantly promote an overall natural, healthy and
positive lifestyle.”
FOLLOW SHARON ON HER YOUTUBE CHANNEL:
mykenyanpuff
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GUY
2002-2004. “The concept was about sharing all the
information that I had learned in IT. Once I ran out
of my own information I went to IT companies to get
more.”
James Murura
When at first you don’t succeed
As a blogger, people sometimes ask me how I started blogging. I posed the same question to James Murua
as soon as we settled into our interview. He explained that his was out of shear boredom! He was an AIESEC
trainee in the UK in 2001 trying his best to sell insurance without much success. “It was hella boring! You
have to have a certain type of personality to sell insurance; and I didn’t have it,” he quips.
In a bid to let off steam, he started partying with friends. He would then go home, write a little email and
send to his mailing list made up of his friends in London. His friends would be really excited to receive
and read his stories. He decided then to set up a blog, and being a web master he created a website from
scratch. “It must have been called Jamo’s Blog or something like that.” The upside was that when the
company saw what he could do on the web he was moved to the Intranet Division as the Assistant Manager.
He finally started to enjoy his work there.
After a year and a-half of living in the UK and two weeks after the 911 bombings in the US, James returned
home. He had secured a job with PHAT Magazine to be their Webmaster However, he met a friend at the
airport who convinced him to join an IT company in the sales department. He lasted only 3 months on the
job, as it just wasn’t for him, “It was a really bad job, it had horrible working conditions!”
Thereafter, he landed a job to work with Kelele.com, which he did for 5/6 months. I enquire if this was
another web job but he says, “No. I was doing content. They actually paid me to go out! They put me in a
car on Friday & Saturday. We’d go for the parties and then on Monday I would write out the story. I would
be paid Kes. 2,000/=.” In 2002, someone paying for content and facilitating for the content creation was
quite a fete. Shortly after he left Kelele, and he set up his own blog called Daraja, which he managed from
I ask him why content creation was important to
him in a time when it wasn’t a thing in Kenya. “The
human experience was more interesting to me than
the news experience.” He cites as a blog that he
was inspired during his time in the UK. He says he
knew there was something worth looking into when
the owner of ikissfootball.com, a blog he followed,
was approached by Adidas to do an Ad in his home
country – South Africa. “I was like Damn! This is
where it’s at! I could see the next thing was in this
space.” He had seen the promised land of content
creation and platform monetization.
An interesting proposition came to him from a
follower of his blog. The idea was to start a showbiz
magazine in line with Hello Magazine in the UK. “I
was excited to do this because after doing IT for
sometime I was looking for something new.” After
tossing a few names around, they decided to call
it Miro (slang for Africans) Magazine. The project
duration was two years in which they only released
one printed issue of the magazine. “The first year
we have to get the team, who we were not willing to
pay cause there was no money. We got 6 guys and
agreed that we would be partners,” He explains.
The launch of Miro Magazine was at a swanky event
at the newly opened Casablanca in Kilimani. Sadly,
there was no uptake from Advertisers on whom they
were relying on for capital injection. James and his
partner took quite a hit seeing as they had already
sunk in some money to set up the release of the first
issue. It was back to the drawing board for him.
He landed a job at Mank & Tank, which was an
animation collage, as a sales person. He decided
to celebrate his new job at Java on Mama Ngina
in Nairobi’s CBD. There he met a guy who worked
for a newspaper in the showbiz department. James
immediately started pitching his content creation
idea to him. The acquaintance was excited and
onboard the idea. On the wings of this, James hit up
a friend in the US to help him buy & host a domain
called Afrovibez. “I really loved this site, it was one
of my better ones I ever did.” Sadly, the newspaper
link was promoted and he dumped the project
leaving James high and dry.
It was at this point he got truly frustrated. He
remembers that it was in a cyber café in Tena Estate
where the attendant approved his new name Nairobi
Living. It was then that the blog that James would
become known for was born. Despite it’s fame,
robust mailing list of 5,000 emails and readership
James in 2009
Goofy James in 2011
James in 2012
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TOPICAL
“
The human
experience
was more
interesting
to me than
the news
experience
“
Image Courtesy of James Murua
of 40,000-50,000 visitors a month, James wasn’t
earning truckloads of money that many thought he
was. “I wish people would understand one day what
that website did to me. I was always hungry. I was
always tired. I think there was a month I only made
25k and I did that by selling my mailing list. I was
busy and hustling. But at least I wasn’t sitting in
the house feeling sorry for myself.” He continually
generated content for the website till June 2007
putting out 2-3 stories every week.
In Easter 2007 James says he hit rock bottom. It was
a Saturday night at the Koinange Street Festival and
at 2/3am he decided to walk home drunk. He ended
up being arrested by cops and landing himself at the
Central Police Station; and being a long weekend he
was held in cell until Tuesday. Once released, he got
home, shaved, showered, slept and woke up having
decided to look for an actual job.
That same day he got a call from some guys who
wanted to give him a column in a new newspaper
that was coming into the market – The Star. “I was
told later on that my blog was really popular at
Radio Africa and that PQ* loved it. When they were
starting their website he apparently actually said
that he needed this new content in his newspaper.”
He says that his stint at The Star was the longest
and most fruitful of his career. It was the first time
he was earning an income for years. Despite many
seeing it as ‘selling out’, he explains that he honed
his writing skills and made his name. A year ago he
was unceremoniously shown the door after many
years of service.
I ask him if he thinks his journey was the 10,000hours
he needed to get him to where he is now, “You
know if I had been told ‘You’ll suffer for 10years’ I
wouldn’t have done it! Now I’d be General Manager
of somewhere. I’d be smug, have 2-3 kids, I’d be
on my 3rd car…drinking whiskey.“ But I ask why he
did it, why did he slug through it all? “I hated the
jobs that were on offer for me. I really couldn’t stand
them!”
In the year since he left, has steadily grown his
website in his own name, that has been around
for 4 years now. I ask him what it’s about, “If you
want to know how the African literary infrastructure
is, from writers, publishers, festivals awards, all of
that. I am your guy.” It’s comforting to know that
African literature is back on the rise and someone as
resilient, diligent, creative and passionate as James
is on that tip. We’ll be eagerly watching his space
to see what African literary goodies will be coming
our way.
*Patrick Quarcoo, Founder & CEO of Radio Africa Group
FOLLOW JAMES ON HIS WEBSITE:
www.jamesmurua.com
Funtimes in 2015
Nyawira Njoroge:
Quitting Smoking
& living the
Natrella Life
“
I started
smoking
before I went
natural.
Image Source: Unsplash
“
There is this stereotype when it comes to having natural hair and smoking. You’re expected to be a smoker
if you walk around with a head full of thick kinks, locs and all manner of twists. The expectation is even
greater if you happen to have shaved off the hair on a section of your head. Why does my hair determine
what kind of habits or interests I may have?
A lot of these misconceptions have to do with the notion that to have natural hair, you have to be openminded,
rebellious of the status quo and more unique than most people are comfortable with. You know
who you are, and you’re not afraid to express it. So how can naturals be so easily categorized as rebellious
smokers when they are also some of the most conscious individuals you’ll ever meet?
When I first went natural a lot of people told me I looked ‘artsy’. If the sight of my hair reminds you of art,
well thank you - I believe I’m a masterpiece too. Ironically, I started smoking before I went natural. I loved
smoking. It gave me this sense of freedom and stress-relief that I couldn’t find anywhere else.
My first cigarette was on a cold winter night in a country that I would never like to return to. One of my close
girlfriends was a smoker and I was keeping her company one cold evening. I asked her if it helped keep her
44 45

warm and she said yes. She asked if I wanted to try one, I hesitated but I was curious. I wasn’t doing well
adjusting to the cold and running between classes, across campuses and through the city. If this could help
me cope, I had to try. One year turned into two, then four. My addiction lasted 5 years and I truly believe
that a large part of what helped me move forward was my natural journey.
It takes a lot of personal work one oneself to remain natural. There are a lot of fears to overcome and selfworth
to embrace. Four years later and it became clear to me that self-worth truly is at the heart of any
harmful habit. My natural journey forced me to face my own personal issues surrounding beauty and my
belief in how I should treat myself. This process matured to the point where every single aspect of my life
refused to align with anything that was harmful to me - my body, my spirit and my aura.
A wise woman recently told me that when you change your hair, you change your life. I’ll take that a step
further and say that when you change your hair, you change your perception of your life. As I learned to love
my hair, my consciousness of natural beauty grew. I found myself slowly falling in love with every aspect
of who I am. What do you do when you love someone? Strive to give them the best version of yourself.
Obviously this doesn’t happen overnight but with consistency, mistakes, forgiveness and time, you’ll get
there.
Having evolved so much through my hair, I fail to understand why we as naturals accept to be negatively
stereotyped yet we are dedicated to giving ourselves a much better existence. We do so by embracing our
hair in its natural form and it’s just a matter of time before we take that momentum even further. To many
people, having natural hair may look like a license to do whatever you want but honestly, it’s an opportunity
to discover the best version of yourself, for yourself.
FOLLOW NYAWIRA ON HER WEBSITE:
www.natrellalife.com
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