Say bye to your old do and hello to something new.

Say bye to your old do and hello to something new.

“Good hair speaks louder than words.”- Unknown When we find a hairstyle that works we tend to stick with it on the daily. It’s familiar, quick… the same. Stepping out of your hair comfort zone to try something new can bring a fun vibrancy to your look. We’re all about exploring new ways to style your current hairstyle. Whether it’s short, braided, natural hair or even the beloved weave, we’ve got a style for you. Here are 4 different hairstyles to inspire you to change things up. Short finger wave hair, don’t care! “Short hair removes obvious femininity and replaces it with style.” – Joan Juliet Buck The finger waves are back. This time for our short-haired ladies. This hairstyle is destined to highlight your face structure and add an edge to your overall style. For longer-lasting waves, wet your hair. Be sure to use a fine-toothed comb to achieve a wave-like pattern. Then use hair gel and conditioner to shape and hold your waves. Add some depth to your finger waves with Inecto’s Passion Plum Image Source: essence.com  Pro’s: Inecto’s Passion Plum hair colour looks amazing with finger waves. Con’s: Don’t apply too much hair gel to your final look as it will delay drying and may cause your hairstyle to flake.  It’s important to note that Inecto hair colour works best on relaxed hair, 2 weeks AFTER you’ve relaxed it. Similarly, if you have dyed your hair first, you should wait two weeks before you relax it. Bodacious box braids. Box braids are probably one of the oldest and trendiest protective styles for African hair. This versatile...
Natural Hair Blowout – How to Prevent Hair Damage

Natural Hair Blowout – How to Prevent Hair Damage

Contrary to popular belief, heat on African hair or any type of hair for that matter, does not have to mean hair damage. Although it is true that when your hair is damaged by heat, it can only be treated and not repaired. There are ways to prevent hair damage. Too much heat to the hair can break the primary structure of a protein and protein cross-links. This will also cause the hair to be brittle and weak. But there are also benefits of blowing out your natural hair without hair damage. Tips to blowing out your natural hair: Use a heat protectant – This is probably the most important, if you can get your hands on one with silicones the better. This will help keep moisture in your hair when it gets in contact with the heat. Use the correct blow dryer – Cheap blow dryers usually have very high heat and are not adjustable. Therefore making it easy to damage the hair. Ionic hair dryers are the best, according to experts. The ionic technology reduces the surface tension on your strands, which results in a sleeker style with less frizz. You’ll find it also encourages retention of your hair’s natural moisture – Barbie Carpenter. Wattage (How many watts your hairdryer has) is also important, not too low that it takes forever to dry the hair but also not too high that it overheats, 1800watts is safe. Plan ahead – Consider what style you are trying to achieve to avoid do-overs which means more heat. Take your time – Set sufficient time aside to do your hair. You...
Interview with Thokozani Mbatha

Interview with Thokozani Mbatha

Thokozani Mbatha, a Kwa Zulu-Natal boy who’s made a big name for himself in the South African fashion industry showcased at Soweto Fashion Week this past weekend. We were impressed by his collection and of course, fell in love with his hairstyle so we asked him a few questions about his love for fashion. When was your brand established? My brand was established in 2008. Tell us a bit more about the brand ‘Lloyd Hotsense’. The brand Lloyd Hotsense is a daring brand that takes fashion to another level. It’s not afraid to take fashion risks. Your real name is Thokozani Mbatha. Is ‘Lloyd Hotsense’ also your name? How would you explain this? Lloyd is my western name. Lloyd was the name I had in my ID book but I’d never used it. Then the idea came to make it my brand name. How did you get into fashion design? It came about through my modelling and acting, as well as from my love of being different from other people. What inspired you to get into fashion design? The people around me inspired me. They always loved and complimented how I styled and recreated my clothes. Tell us a bit more about your experience at Soweto Fashion Week. It was a great experience to showcase at Soweto Fashion Week. Being a guy from a small town in KZN (Escort), and to show my work at a world-renown township, it was breathtaking for me to see that a lot of people know my work. Which other big events have you showcased at? I have showcased at Mpumalanga fashion week. I’m...
Interview with Ngugi Vere

Interview with Ngugi Vere

The Inecto team was out at Soweto Fashion Week and got a chance to chat to its Creative Director, Ngugi Vere who chatted about his role at Soweto Fashion Week and a little bit more about his journey in fashion and hair colour. Who is Ngugi? Ngugi Vere, aka Velly, is a young creative entrepreneur from Zimbabwe who has a creative flair in fashion, acting and design. Two things that describe me are God and Fashion. Basically, I’m not me without God. Tell us more about your background and love for fashion? I have no fashion education but my love for fashion started at the age of 5. Choosing my own clothes when I went shopping with my late mum, I would style myself for school. Since primary school, everyone has said I’m the best dressed anywhere, at any time. I moved from Zimbabwe to SA in search of greener pastures. These didn’t come as green as expected as I was jobless for two to three years. Where did your fashion career begin? During my time in SA when I was hunting for greener pastures, I met a man called Max Moyo, who is a motivational speaker and now my life coach. We did a purpose assessment and we discovered I’m passionate about fashion and creativity, but we didn’t know what I should be since I had no fashion educational background. Well, I tried to get an internship from local fashion gurus but none of them was willing to hire me. So I started teaching myself through the internet and began my own creative shoots and blogging. One day...
Punk Your Haircut!

Punk Your Haircut!

I may not be a hairstylist or an expert, but I know that a person is defined by their sense of style or hairstyle. Nothing makes a woman look good more than a brand new haircut that really works with her personality. Coco Chanel once said, “A woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life.” Do I agree with that? Hell yeah! A classy haircut transforms the simplest female into a glamorous lady. In the past two years we’ve seen women like Chrisette Michelle, Nandi Mngoma and Lupita Ny’ongo changing haircuts and adding colour to their hair.  My little secret to a good haircut is adding colour to your hair. There is nothing as beautiful as a woman who uses hair colour that complements her skin. If you know me personally you’ll know that I’m a vivacious person. I can gladly say that my cherry red hair says it all. Having virgin hair is not only refreshing, but it also allows a person to play around with colours. I can have blonde hair today and in a week or two decide to go blue black without having to worry that much. I always suggest that light skinned women use Inecto Better Blonde and the darker ladies use Inecto Cherry Red. It all depends on your skin tone. Wondering why you should choose Inecto Cherry Red?  I read an article on Cosmopolitan magazine where a psychologist said that the colour red stimulates decision making skills! I hope you ladies won’t have a problem choosing a hairstyle. What might be difficult is choosing which Inecto colour to use....