A couple of months ago, YouTuber and Beauty Content Creator Chizi Duru was in Nigeria for some time and I, Eki Ogunbor, met with her and Omozo Ehigie, Owner of O’Naturals Hair Salon. She describes the trip to Lagos as a life-changing experience after embarking on the journey alone, without her immediate family here with her.

Over mocktails and lite bites at Backyard Lagos, we discussed life in general – natural hair, living in Lagos, being an influencer, content creation and the beauty industry home and abroad. Thereafter, Chizi filmed a Salon Series webisode at O’Naturals, which is one of her most popular features on her YouTube Channel.

Watch it below

We got the chance to do a follow-up interview with Chizi after her trip to Lagos and she’s our BNFroFriday feature for today. My favourite quote from Chizi?

My natural texture is beautiful and not something I need to alter.

Why did you go natural?

Like many women, I had relaxed hair for as long as I could remember. It was dry, breaking, and would never grow past a certain length. One day, after complaining to my dad about my hair, he suggested I cut it all off to start over. I didn’t think of it as going natural at the time, but once I cut it and saw my natural texture, I decided I would go on a natural hair journey.

Why are you still natural?

Well, partly because my hair has become apart of my identity but mainly because I truly love my hair. My natural hair is my new normal, it’s something I don’t think I ever need to change just like how I don’t view my skin colour as something I need to change.

And this doesn’t mean I can’t live without my hair, because I am the queen of cutting it off. But, I think my natural texture is beautiful and not something I need to alter.

Be honest: Some say natural hair is hard and expensive to take care of ? What are your genuine thoughts on this?

I agree to an extent. Natural hair can be expensive if you are a bit of a product junkie and buy an enormous amount of products. There’s such a misconception that you have to do so many things and use so many products for it to grow and “be soft” but personally, I use 1-2 styling products and then shampoo and conditioner. That’s 4 products!

In regards to natural hair being hard, it’s only hard in the beginning when you’re still learning [about] your hair. Once you have a set routine, it becomes much easier!

Why did you come to Nigeria by yourself? Were you ever afraid?

I came to Nigeria on my own to learn more about myself and my culture.

Of course, I was afraid! I was venturing into new territory without the safety net of my immediate family but my faith in God is unwavering. I knew I would be just fine so long as I was prayerful and cautious of my surroundings.

Do you speak Igbo? (Rate yourself 1 – 10 and tell us about it)

I can speak a little bit but can hear /understand Igbo very well. So on a scale of 1-10, I would say a 5? I’m making it a point to speak more Igbo, I want my future kids to learn it and speak fluently.

Favourite Nigerian hair product?

I love African Naturalistas!

Best place you visited in Nigeria?

That’s so hard – I enjoyed everywhere that I visited! But I think the Lekki Conservation Center would be an experience that stuck out to me the most. I’ve never been so close to monkeys before!

Did you have problems caring for your natural hair in Nigeria since it is different from where you live? (regarding weather, styling and other things)

The humidity in Nigeria definitely made it a little more difficult to have a style last but I adapted and started rocking my afro more by stretching my hair at night. Eventually, I did feel like I needed a break and got braids. Best decision ever 🙂

Did anyone ask you to marry them? ? Nigerians like to say “My wife!” ?

Haha – no surprisingly! I was lucky and didn’t run into too many problems. Can’t say the same for Eki though ?

Any advice for someone who wants to be a hair and/or beauty influencer

You need to just start. Many times we want things to be perfect and think we need all this equipment to get started, but you will learn as you go. They key is to start and continue to teach yourself along the way.

Do you really make money as an influencer? ? If so, what are your revenue streams like?

Yes, you can definitely make a lot of money as an influencer. Personally, I make money off of ads from Youtube, brand sponsorships, and affiliate links.

Is it a lot of work being a YouTuber and what skills do I need to be a successful one, please?

It definitely is a lot of work being a Youtuber, more than I personally ever thought! In terms of skills, you of course need to know how to edit, be creative, and organized. Organization is a key part, especially as your platform grows, you always want to have content rolling in so you’ll need to organize your media calendars to ensure there’s consistent content.

Watch Chizi’s Lagos Vlogs below