Skatsz Satin Lined Bucket Hats – Aso Oke

Hayyyy Folks!

I’m back from my quarterly hiatus, yall know the vibes hahah

Anywho, Iā€™m still super excited about our AdeDoyin satin lined bucket hats because chiiiiile the amount of work that went into this was NOT easy! But we here! šŸ˜

Doyin Aso Oke bucket hat with kente cloth pattern

Now we launched back in June and the reception has been great, thank you all!! So I figured I should give a little history behind the concept, material etc and properly introduce Doyin!

What’s special about Doyin bucket hats (with the exception that it’s made by Skatsz haha, yall know we special.. in a great way ha!) is that some of the Doyin hats are made with Aso-Oke material (pronounced almost like ahhh-shaw-okay) – a West African print native to the Ondo people of Yoruba Nation in the Southwest region of present day Nigeria – where we (Skatsz) are from!

For as long as I could remember we’ve worn Aso-oke to birthday parties, to Nigerian weddings (if I can get my hands on some our pictures I’ll update this post with it) to graduations – literally any occasion is Aso oke appropriate. So, when we were designing our bucket hats for the 2021 summer, it was a no-brainer to use the elegant, beautiful and rich material, Aso-oke.

(Excerpt from ONCHEK Blog) Aso-oke sometimes referred to as Aso-ebi is a special hand-woven cloth and over centuries has become somewhat of the style marker of the Yoruba nation. It was said to have been created in Yorubaland around the 15th century and since then spread around the land and its environs.

Aso-Oke Seller during the weaving process

The cotton is then spun to separate the cotton seed from wool and a Spindler, known in Yoruba as ā€˜orunā€™ is used to achieve this. The weaver spreads the wool and processes it through the loom. As the Spindler turns repeatedly, the cotton thins and this is done until all the wool has been spun. The cotton is then cleaned and sorted which is done manually and can be very time-consuming.

Once the cotton is purified, the signature designs and patterns characteristic of Aso-oke are ready to be created. This is the process where designs and patterns are made on the Aso-Oke while the cloth is being woven. During the pattern process, cotton reels are hung upon the hangers on the sets of the metallic pegs on the ground. After everything has been prepared, the weaving can begin. (Ends excerpt)

The weaving, quite possibly the most important part of the process, is a delicate chore. The weaver deftly presses down on the pedals of the ā€˜orunā€™ and uses their hands to weave the material to create the signature designs in a variety of colors as seen in the Doyin hats above.

Aso-oke materials can be split into two categories; traditional material and modern material. The multi colored Aso-oke are often the traditional more authentic materials – example the blue stripped hats and tan and cream bucket hats below:

The newer machine-made Aso-oke are usually singular colored like the purple and blue bucket hats below. While the material isn’t any less of quality, it isn’t the original/traditional material that goes through the hand woven process; thus some people prefer the latter – everyone’s taste varies.

We (Skatsz) are extremely proud to be able to express our creativity while displaying some of our culture’s beauty through our products – Doyin Aso-oke satin lined bucket hats!

All styles listed are currently available on our website šŸ¤žšŸæ

xx

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African Threading – Get Into It!

Hollllaaaa Guyssss!!!

I know I’ve been crazy inactive, so instead of me apologizing only to be inactive again, I’m just going to do better šŸ™‚

So, topic of today is African Threading ā€“ A traditional method used for centuries across Africa to stretch afro hair without heat; it is also commonly referred to as Banding Method. African Threading is known to be a great way to retain length, stretch hair without heat, thus averting the chances of getting heat damage & breakage (we all know how heartbreaking that can be) & also can be worn as a protective style.

In Nigeria we use a specific elastic shinny thread:Hair-Thread

However, you can also use brading hair extensions or sewing thread – some people have used yarn, it’s really your prerogative (that’s a Bobby Brown reference hahaha).

Quick story: I was at the salon last weekend & a little girl, no more than 7 yrs old had gotten her deep-conditioned & it was time to stretch her hair – using that hot ass, dragon breath ass dryer, that I even as an adult still dread greatly!Ā  Chiiillleee the way she was screaming & hollering, my heart could NOT take it, I just had to approach both the mom & the hair stylist to suggest threading that poor childā€™s hair. Lucky for her, her mom was very receptive to any help;Ā  it was clear as day she too was in complete distress! I stood in front of all three explaining for all of maybe 4 minutes but Iā€™m sure all the mom heard was ā€œYour child will stop screaming if you use this methodā€ & she was like ā€œYESSS!ā€ Long story short, the baby stopped crying & was enjoying her little juice as she got her hair threaded. The stylist did it in a way that it was so clean that she ended up wearing it as a protective style. I thought the absolute cutest most rewarding part was when the baby came up to me to say thank you in the most genuine heartfelt way (I almost shed a thug tear). Meanwhile, her mom couldnā€™t stop thanking me, asking about other natural hair tips I may have, which I was more than happy to help of course. This also inspired this blog post. Itā€™s just so funny to me how far weā€™ve come only to understand that some ancient methods still beat the technology we have now.Ā 

Anywho, my sister helped thread my hair a little while ago & I sent the pictures to my mom, and she said ā€œItā€™s called the Sungas style back in her day šŸ–¤ & it grows hair by the seconds!ā€ Here is a picture of my insane shrinkage vs when it was stretched:Ā 

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Before Threading

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After African ThreadingĀ 

My hair was completely stretched & the threading was only in in my hair for about an hour! Yeah, no more blow dryer for me (crosses fingers).

Here is a really good video/tutorial on how to African Thread your hair:

 

Will you be trying African Threading to stretch your hair? Or is it already apart of your routine? Let me know below xx

 

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Grow Your Hair Long & Healthy With What?!?! Rice Water?

Hey Guys – Happy New week! (Yes, I’m aware it’s Tuesday, Monday is a trial run for me hahahah)!

Okay so,Ā  I was minding my business, per usual right? Scrolling through my timeline when BAM! This lady’s video hits me in the face. Dr. Debbie Williams –Ā  A hair professional claims that rice water grows your hair faster, thicker & healthier.. say whaaaaaat?! Now being Nigerian, I eat rice like everyday & I was taught to rinse out the rice water.. not put in my hair; so this particular process is very intriguing to me to say the least. It’s quite easy to do actually, you’re literally just soaking rice in water for a long period (hours or even overnight) then you rinse your hair with its water like you would regularlly.

Here’s the vid for more info & instructions:

 

So what do you guys think?Ā  Will you be trying the rice water rinse?

Let me know below xx

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Skatsz Fall ’17 Collection!!!

Hooollllaaaa Guys!

Its a snow day here – well, really not really.. Just some flurries, but it was enough to have the grocery stores swamped with long lines yesterday with people trying to “prep” for the snow; meanwhile all I wanted to buy was cookie dough. But, one thing for certain is that, it was cold then & it’s cold now! Like 19 degrees Fahrenheit to be exact; winter has surely arrived – Perfect timing to talk aboutĀ Skatsz New ’17 Collection!!!! *Insert a yelp here*

Skatsz satin lined beanies are designed to help keep moisture in your hair & avoid dryness, frizz, breakage and other damages to the hair that’s caused by the cotton in regular beanies. All while keeping you warm & toasty too, yeah, you’re welcome šŸ˜›

So, the new collection has three styles of beanies with two colors each (yeeeep)!Ā  I’ve inserted hyper links in the names of each style so you can click on it to see what it looks like on the website.Ā 

Take a looksy below:

Style 1. Adeola – Black Pom BeanieĀ  with black & white polka dot satin insideĀ 

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I secretly call it the Black Panther hahaha

 

Style 2. Adeola – Mustard Pom Beanie with black & white polka dot satin inside

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Style 2. Ori – Burgendy:Ā Cable Knit Pom Beanie Ā with yellow & white polka dot satin insideĀ 

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4. Ori – Pink: Cable Knit Pom BeanieĀ  with multi- colored satin inside

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Style 5. Dami – Black Beanie with multi colored satin inside

 

6. Dami – Tan Beanie with yellow & black polka dot satin inside

 

All styles are now available on the website: www.skatsz.com/shop

Use Code SKB20 – Save 20% off (exp 1/1/2018)

Let me know what you think below xx

 

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Black-Owned Beauty Supply Stores – My Experience

Hooolllaaaa Guys – Its Hump Day yayyy! I hope you all are holding on b/c we’re almost there!Ā  Its pretty rainy & gray here but oh well, that’s fall for ya, but I digress…

So, if you are a Black person that lives in the U.S. odds are you’ve been to at least one beauty supply store in your life; I mean, that’s just the truth of the matter. Me being a Black woman, that likes to get her hair done frequently, particularly braids style, I’ve visited countless BSS in my lifetime. With that being said, Black people are at the very least 98% of all the BSS customers (I left the 2% to be very generous). However, it’s no secret that there really aren’t many BSS that are owned by Black people (sad, I know). Beauty supply stores are usually owned by Asians (Koreans) – that often times aren’t the most welcoming (as if they’re doing YOU – the paying customer a favor) then there are the teeny tiny encounters where they are in fact a bit welcoming – though, the latter is very far few & in between.

So, when I wanted to get my bob braids done earlier this month, I decided to do a search for a Black-Owned beauty supply stores near me (even though there is a BSS right up the street from my house), I found a couple but they were a bit further than I anticipated. However, not one to be easily deterred, I kept searching & stumbled on this gem in Baltimore MD – Beauty PlusĀ Ā Their website is not up & running just yet, but you can find all the info you need on their Facebook page, which I’ve already linked above. Though it took me about an hour & a half to get there (I was determined yall), I was so grateful to make it because… To be honest, I don’t think I can ever fully articulate the feeling I had walking into a BSS & seeing that a Black person actually OWNS it, like wow! It was my first time ever in an opened & running Black-Owned Beauty Supply Store!

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BP2

Beauty Plus 1

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My happy ass & Megan (Store Co-owner)

Sorry for the grainy pic but it looked much clearer on my iPhoneĀ  -__-Ā  & I wish I took way more pics but thats is all I have.

The customer service was great! The store was very neat & had everything I needed for my braids. It was super easy to find, especially for my geographically challenged self (judge me not). I spoke with Megan for bit & asked her how biz was doing, she replied that the support from the community has been overwhelming from day one; which of course, warmed my heart. Honestly, before Megan even made the statement about the community being so supportive, I was in the store for all of maybe 6 minutes (because ya girl was parked by a meter that I didn’t pay for, shhh)Ā  & while I was thereĀ at least two other customers came in & bought stuff! So, I definitely got a sense of what she meant by support from the community.

All in all, I was super impressed, but more so grateful – its hard to explain. I was so excited!! Definitely just became my go-to beauty supply store!

The great news is there are more & more Black-owned supply stores springing up in the country, thank God! Here are some links that have lists of Black-Owned beauty supply stores:

 

How is the Beauty Supply Store scene where you live? Have you ever been to a Black-Owned BSS? Do you plan to?Ā As I was finishing up this post, I thought to myself: I wonder if this is the case outside of the US?

Let me know in the comments below! xx

 

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Best Detangler Everrrrr- Apple Cider Vinegar & Water!

Hooollllaaaa Guys!

Okay, so I took my sister’s braids down last weekend and she had it in forĀ too longĀ  like 8 weeks (yikes, I know) but that’s not the point of this post hahah, I’ll judge my sister later.. So because she kept her single braids in for a while, she had some build up especially because she’s so active, (gym: which equals sweat) plus she oils/moisturizes her scalp every other day (which equals product build up) & a bunch of random lint from scarf etc. All of those factors into what I call Braid Gunk. You know the sticky build up you get after wearing braids or any protective style for too long? This:

IMG_5444 (2)
By the way her hair has grown sooo much!

Yeah, she had quite a bit of that. Well, instead of fighting through what seems like a losing battle by trying to finger detangle through that mess. I used Apple Cider Vinegar & water mixture as a detangler. Which made getting rid of that gunk a breeze!

Here are the simple items I used to make the ACV water detangler mixture:

  1. Bragg ACV

  2. Water

  3. Spray Bottle

  4. Table Spoon

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I used the organic ACV that was already in my kitchen (thanks to my sis and/or brother) You don’t have to use this same brand, this is just my preference since it was both organic & free!

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Then I filled up my old Bath & Body Works spray bottle. It previously had olive oil inside so I rinsed that out & I filled it up with water more than 1/2 of the bottle. Ā I didn’t measure, I simply just eyed it.

IMG_5468
I poured the ACV into a table spoon & added it to the bottle filled with water. I did this step two times – Meaning I poured 2 tbl spoons of ACV into the spray bottle.

Mixture Finished
Finished ACV & Water Mixture. Hopefully you can see the color change in the spray bottle after the ACV has been added but not much of a difference in the amount of liquid inside.

I was so impressed at how much easier the process was using the ACV detangler that I actually recorded a whole vid, because you know, I just had to share the gem! Here it is below:

 

*Bonus* = The ACV basically cleaned her scalp like a shampoo would, so after we were done, we just deep conditioned using my homemade hair mask, here’s the link for that ===>Ā DIY Deep Conditioner

Lemme know what you guys think below. Will you be trying the ACV & water mixture as a detangler? What do you typically do to get rid of your braid gunk?

 

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Old School Hair Care!

Happy Friday Guys!

I’m working on my ACV post (which should be finished soon) & I saw this hilarious meme & just had to share! This is an ode to the holy grail of natural hair products before all the fancy stuff we have now. For me, it was Ultra Sheen, Doo Gro & Super Gro.

Old Skool NH Blog

So, which one did you swear by back in the day?

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Your Bonnet Could Be Costing You Your Edges?!?!

Happy Friday ! Yayyyy!Ā 

I had an epiphany & I figured hey, since I’m just now putting two & two together, others out there may not know either! Okay, so If you’re noticing your edges thinning out or breaking and you cant seem to put your finger on it because:

A) You’re not getting tight hairstyles done or putting so much tension on your edges.

B) You oil/moisturize your edges accordingly.

Well, it may just be the last thing you’d suspect, which is;

C). You’re wearing bonnets with the elastic band around it:

Silk Bonnet
Example bonnet found onlineĀ 

IMG_5161
my old bonnet

The elastic ends around your bonnet could very well be the culprit for your thinning edges. GASP! I know, but think about it, while you’re doing a good job wearing a satin/silk bonnet, your edges are suffering due to the tension that’s caused from the elastic part of the bonnet rubbing against it.Ā I used to wear the purple bonnet (pictured above) but for some reason I could never find it (maybe it was my edges subliminally making me misplace it?) Funny thing is, I found it just in time to take a pic for this post & I promise you I have no idea where it is now hahahah! I’m not kidding!

Viable alternatives to your demon-edges-snatching-bonnet:

1.Satin scarf like this:

IMG_5226
I wear this animal print scarf to sleep when I’m feeling sexy hahahahahh

You can buy/find this literally anywhere in life; WeBuyBlackĀ Beauty Supply Store, Amazon, first check your mom’s Closet! Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever in my whole life purchased a scarf, specially the ones I wear wrap my hair to sleep in. They just sort of appear in my closet (most likely from my Scarf Ferry aka my mom or sisters hahah) Interesting… an epiphany within an epiphany!

2. Skatsz Satin Lined Beanie:

 

 

Since each beanie has satin lining on the inside I tend to use it as a bonnet too; they’re pretty stretchy, so I throw it on my head & its nighty night for me! Bonus: I get to wear them outside without looking dumb like I would if I was wearing a bonnet. You can purchase these satin lined beanies & other colors atĀ www.skatsz.comĀ 

 

Ā Have you ever had this bonnet issue? Let me know if you have other alternatives. Comment below xx

 

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Issa Rae – Natural Hair Inspo!

By now you know or at least heard of Issa Rae… Natural Hair Bae (You see what I did there hahaha) Her hit showĀ insecureĀ which I & so many others find to be freaking hilarious & so relatable; at least according to social media because we don’t do the traditional TV critics over hurrr! But I’m not here to talk about the show even though it really is a great one & you should totes check it out if you haven’t.

Now as the title suggest I want to highlight Issa’s effortless slayage with her constant changing natural hairstyles! She’s quite experimental with her hair, which I so love because her hairstyles are quite dope & not super intricate where it looks like it has to be done by a professional you know? Like her hairstyles look do-able at home, by yourself, or (by your sister if you’re like me) But enough of my blabbing let me show you what I mean:

HBO's 'Insecure' Los Angeles premiere3HBO's "Insecure" Block Party5678948th NAACP Image Awards -  Red Carpet111213141617Issa Rae19202122232425

Whether Issa is rocking her natural fro, a hair cut, Ā her elegant up-dos with kinky extensions or just a flat twist, I love each & every style; so much so that I’ve been inspired to do more with my own natural hair! As of right now I tend to just wash my hair, deep condition, play with my afro in the house & then do braids or crochet (before crochet almost turned me bald headed ====>Ā Here’s the link for that). I mean don’t get me wrong, when I take my hair out I wear my bun for a day or two but then I’d wash it & start the cycle I just mentioned above all over again; so in essence, I’ve actually never worn my own hair out for more than a couple of days. But, watching Issa Rae slaying her ever changing natural hairstylesĀ on the red carpet, on her show, during interviews & pretty much every where else has really inspired me to do the same!

 

Hahahaaha here is a quick interview where Issa talks about her hair:

I swear she reminds me sooo much of my sister it’s scary. They’re both hilarious & awkward as hell!

So, what’s your take on Issa Rae? Her hairstyles? Insecure? Let me know below xx

*UPDATE* The brains behind Issa’s hair switch ups aka Hair Stylist is: Felicia Leatherwood

 

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SheHive Coming to DC!

Happy New Week Guys!

Yes, I’m well aware that it’s Tuesday, but for me, Mondays are just test runs. Sooooo my week doesn’t actually start till Tuesday (judge me not)!

So I’m super excited that She Leads Africa aka SLA is the awesome organization that is

“A community that helps young African women achieve their professional dreams. With engaging online content and pan-African events, our visionĀ is to become the #1 destination for smart and ambitious young women.” Ā SheLeadsAfrica

I admire SLA intuitive ways of educating entrepreneurs on how to achieve goals that may be impossible especially for an entrepreneur with a full time job. Their content (blogs/newsletter) is so authentic & relateable that you almost feel as though they’re speaking to you directly with their helpful tactics & strategies!

Ā 

She Leads Africa has been on tour for better part of the year under SHEHive, which has visited many cities across the world from Lagos to New York to Nairobi to London & now Ā coming to Washington DC (SHEHive DC) for a 3-day event from June 22nd – June 25th: with workshops, discussion panels, network opportunities, food, & much much more!

SLA DC 2SLA DC 1

I would most certainly recommend this conference/event if:

  1. You’re an entrepreneur or aspiring to become one
  2. You want to be in great company with like minded business savy people
  3. Networking with potential mentors and investors

Based on the past reviews from other cities they’ve visited, I would say its beyond worth attending!

Location: Impact Hub DC,Ā 419 7th St NW suite 300, Washington, DC 20004, USA.

Friday, Saturday & SundayĀ Time: 11AM – 6PM

For more information & to purchase ticketsĀ 

Will you be in attendance??? Let me know below!

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