YOUR HAIR LOVES COFFEE.

The hair is the glory of a woman, so some saying goes. Every woman likes to flaunt her hair.

Most women are very obsessed with how good their hair looks, and they go through every length to make their hair look great.

That should not even be a surprising thing, as the kind of hair do, or the volume of hair on a woman's head, gives her a good level of confidence.

In fact, the kind of obsession that women have with their hair, can be seen in the high level of patronage that the hair industry is enjoying.

From the synthetic to human hairs, the patronage is well enjoyed, as every woman wants her hair to look good.

Even though, women are getting creative with their hair looks these days, there is still the desire to have hair that is truly owned by them, that they can be proud of.

The creativity, which is mainly a pursuance of convenience, has lead some women to keep locs and very low cut hair looks, yet there is still a desire to keep the said hair shiny and voluminous.

In maintaining a very good hair, there are lot of challenges that women face, ranging from dryness of scalp, to dandruff, to receding hairlines and very scanty hairs.

Many factors contribute to this challenges. They range from; the kind of food eaten, the whether, the hair care products used and the age of the women.

Some women have resorted to using different chemicals and skin care products to try to savage this, but yet the results are still the same.

Sometimes, the solution to a big challenge, is usually something very small and natural.

Coffee is known worldwide to be the most affordable antioxidant with lots of caffeine that is very very good for the hair.

Coffee, when applied on the hair or scalp, finds it way to the roots and stimulates them.

Because of the caffeine in them, they go down to the hair roots and activates the activities that improves hair growth and thereby prevent hair loss.

So, no need to comb out your hair, and be worried to look at the comb. Buy coffee based hair care products,  or just massage your hair as often as possible with strongly brewed coffee.

You can get ground coffee @oavalzecoffee on Instagram, Facebook or twitter. 

Brew your strong coffee, then pour it into the root of your hair, cover with a shower cap for 20-30 minutes, and then rinse out with a shampoo and warm water.

This process allows your hair to
1. Shine better
2. Be beautifully darker
3. Dandruff free
4. Smell nicer
5. Stimulates blood flow to the scalp that can excite your hair follicles and help to increase the rate of your hair growth.
6. More growth, more volume.

"I always use coffee, in the mix of the hair cream I sell to my customers to use on their locs. The testimonies are great" Amarachi Onele
C.E.O Amy Special Touch.

                     Written by Mary-Jane Ogbu.

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YOU LOVE COFFEE, BUT YOU DON'T LIKE CATS

It’s okay. You do not have to. Cats are funny, interesting and complicated animals. Some people love to have them as pets, others don’t. In Nigeria, you will find less and less people who have cats as pets, as compared to the number of people who have dogs as pets. 

Maybe it is because of the Nigerian film industry; NollyWood.  NollyWood has never really portrayed cats in a good light. Most movies with cats in them show them as being possessed with some sort of demonic or evil spirit.

Perhaps, this has something to do with our tradition or something, I really don’t know. But one thing is for certain, if you would do a population sample, to sample people’s opinion, about what they would rather have as pets, most people will choose a dog any day and leave out cats.

Like in most countries, there are stray cats who linger around backyards, front doors and windows. They sometimes become a nuisance, as they defecate and leave the smell of their urine at your backyard or front porch

We have found a solution to keep cats away from your house. The answer is COFFEE. If you do not like cats, one thing you can do to keep them away is by using coffee grounds. I always use Oavalze Coffee. www.instgram.com/oavalzecoffee.  

You can use coffee grounds to scare away cats without hurting them. most cats cannot stand the smell of coffee grounds, so just leave some coffee grounds mixed with citrus peels. That is orange, or lime or lemon peels, in the place you notice they visit often, and say goodbye to stray cats.

                                                                                                      written by Mary-Jane.

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TRAVEL WITH THE BEST OF THE NIGERIAN EXPERIENCE

The stories about Nigeria at the moment are not great stories. It leaves you to wonder if there is anything good about this country. There is not just anything good, there are many things great about this country.

If I want to start, I could start from the tenacity of the people. The will and drive to succeed against all odds. Nigerians all over the world are achievers and world changers. We are a people who strive to make our own little world better. In fact, there is a saying that: if you go somewhere and do not find a Nigerian, you should reconsider living in that place. the reason behind this saying is not farfetched. It is rooted in the fact that Nigerians live in places that thrive. In summary, we make places thrive.

Is it the joy that we bring to a place?  We are happy people. We party hard; we play hard and celebrate hard. We never host quiet parties. In fact, we turn 1 year old birthday parties to big events. And our weddings, we make them movies. We are just like that: A special and joyful breed.

But more than a joyful breed, there is the breed of coffee that we have here. Many people do not know that we have coffee. When they visit Nigeria, they are usually confused on what to travel back with. But that should be something easy. It should be our coffee.

One of the best of the Nigerian experience; is the Nigerian coffee and I will tell you why. People who have had a taste of the Nigerian coffee, have only had one common adjective between them, and that is; “SMOOTH”. Smooth is the word that they have all agreed upon. But they have all had different taste experiences. Like Tobias in Frankfurt Germany. He said “….It has a smooth but full taste with a bit of chocolate flavor (at least that is my personal impression), which clearly makes it one of the better coffees I've ever tried”. 

 For Tobias, it was a chocolate flavor, however for Rednan Daser in Abuja Nigeria, he said; “it is smooth in the mouth with a nutty after tone”.

 Even though our beans at Oavalze coffee are carefully picked and selected from the same region, as we ensure that our coffee is single origin, everyone who has had a sip, has testified to a different experience from our coffee.

It is the Nigerian factor that is in our coffee. The joy, exuberance, warmth, laughter, culture, life, beauty, happiness, diversity and uniqueness that every person in Nigeria carries, has managed to slip into every coffee bean that is found in our soil. And for us at Oavalze Coffee, we have mastered the art of a perfect roast: to roast with love.

So, when you visit Nigeria, or when you want to travel out of Nigeria, don’t think too much about the perfect gift. Just get a pack of Oavalze 100% Arabica premium coffee as a gift for yourself, and your friends and family. Travel with the best of the Nigerian experience. Give everyone in your life the opportunity to tell their own story, because every sip is: A different experience

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Written by Mary-Jane.

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EFO RIRO: more than vegetables.

The food "efo riro" is a delicacy from the people of the south west of Nigeria, the Yorubas. But as with every food that was indegenous to a particular set of people, this delicacy is now commonly eaten and widely prepared by different people in different part of the world.

It is no surprise that this food is now popular, considering how rich it is in nutrients. It is a food that is abundantly enriched with all the classes of food.

Even when it comes to loosing weight, and being fit, Efo Riro is your sure bet to staying fit.

Another interesting fact about this meal, is that it can be eaten with rice, yam, potatoes, beans and any other staple food. The key is to allow one's self to experiment and try different combination.

FIRST:
set out your ingredients
1 cup of palm oil
50g of spinach
Small jar of Oavalze tomatoes paste.( use the peppery flavor, as you'll need pepper)
1 big sized onion
2 seasoning cubes
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1kg of beef/ chicken/ goat meat or Fish
1cup of crayfish
2big sized dried fish, ( smoked catfish)
1large sized stock fish.
Locust beans (iru/dadawa)
Kpomo(locally prepared cow skin)

Preparation:
*pound crayfish
*slice spinash
*dice onions
*unwrap seasoning cubes
*open jar of tomatoes
*dice kpomo (wash first)
*wash locust beans
*wash meat, dried fish and stock fish

Then:
*Boil the meat with stock fish and dried fish, with salt and seasoning cubes.
Cook until meat is tender. Once that is done, set aside with the broth.

*put a dried pot on fire, and pour in your oil

When oil is hot enough, put in diced onions and crayfish. Stir for sometimes, then put in your OAVALZE tomatoes paste and then stir.

* allow to simmer for a while, then pour in your broth, meat and all.

*cover the pot, and allow for 1minute.

Now,
 while your broth and all are in there, put a kettle of water on fire. Once it  is boiled, turn into a bowl and throw in your fresh spinash.

Squeeze until juice is let out, and spinash is somewhat dry.

Then
*pour it into your already boiling stew on fire.
*put in the locust beans and stir.
*allow to boil for 15 seconds.

Efo Riro  is ready.

Serve with any staple dish of your choice.

I hope you enjoy your meal.

                                Written by Mary-Jane

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CHISOM NWANKWO (Tomato Jos)

Greatness, confidence and humility are very rare qualities to find in one person at the same time. but not our TOMATO JOS for this week. All of these wonderful things, can be easily found in her without looking too far. Say hello to Chisom Nwankwo.

Chisom is the CEO of Ciie Luxuries. A social impact business that teaches internally displaced women and girls how to handcraft fashion accessories from recycled waste fabrics. she also makes bespoke fascinatiors, amazing head pieces and luxury items. She is not  just in the business of doing business and making money,  but she wants to touch  and change lives. he is currently doing that as she has training centers in at least two IDP camps spread in Abuja, the federal capital territory of Nigeria.

Chisom thrives for excellence in her dealings, and this has earned her recognition with a lot of top clients in the fashion industry and business industry in  general. e.g; GT Bank and DHL.

She is married with three amazing daughters. On how she manages to take care of her family and still be a force in business, in her words, she said: "it is a juggle that requires practice, patience and planning".

On if she prefers to eat out or cook at home, she said:"aah who doesn't like to be taken out to dinner? but of course I love to cook for my family".
                                                                            

she said that cooking is one way of showing her family that she loves them so much, because it requires time, preparedness and patience. She said that cooking is a life skill.

on whether she can refer to herself as a foodie, she said she is not a foodie, but she likes good food. she said she has had an interesting food experience with food. in her words, "when I went to an Indian restaurant, omo na so pepper wan kill this Okigwe girl"

We are proud to celebrate this exceptional woman who creates all the magic in the kitchen, yet still contributes her quota in changing the world. she is our TOMATO JOS.

you can find her on Instagram:
@chisom.ih
@ciie.luxuries

                                                                                   written by: Ogbu Mary-Jane                            

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CHIAGOZEM ADINDU (Tomato Jos)

Strength lies in the silent steps that a woman make. In her gentle smiles, in her determination and in her consistence. Our TOMATO JOS  for this week is one resilient, beautiful and strong woman. Her smile lights up a room, and her push and drive is one that is super infectious.

She is the perfect example of a multitasking woman that is gracious and excellent at what she does. Chiagoziem Adindu is a lawyer, a chartered company secretary, an entrepreneur and she also runs a non profit organization.

She is married and blessed with a son. She said that joggling marriage and career is as intense as it sounds. In her words, "prior to being a mommy, I felt"full time housewifeship" as I love to call it, was a demeaning term and not for the "the serious minded". However, after having my baby, I have developed an incredible respect for full time housewives. it is such a tedious job that ordinarily should not be combined with any other"

She said as difficult as it is, to her, having a career is as important as being called a mother, so she tries to balance it. She also said that having a supportive spouse and a great support system has played a very key role in her ability to manage every aspect of her life. Chiagoziem said that she is a firm believer in the fact that marriage or giving birth should not be a hindrance to achieving one's goals.

On food, Chiagoziem said she prefers to cook and eat at home for many reasons. in her words "there are many reasons to cook at home; first it is cheaper. I mean , I don't want to sound like an extremely frugal person but really I know how much goes back to my savings whenever I choose cooking at home over eating out.Secondly, cooking is one of my hobbies. I love trying out new recipes and adding twists to food. I particularly enjoy the sense of satisfaction I get when people eat my food and just end up in LaLA land".  One other reason why she said she prefers home cooked meals is that she is very finicky about cleanliness and food hygiene, so eating in helps her to ensure all that.

 "I won't describe myself as a foodie. I love to cook but don't like to eat as much. Plus watching my weight doesn't allow me such luxury''


On one funny experience she had with food, Chiagoziem said "I went to a proper Chinese restaurant with family. After the buffet, these Chinese men came and dropped these tiny looking cute things on our tables just as they brought the bill. I actually they were edible snacks so I reached out to unwrap one and eat. Just then, my little niece reached out, smashed one of them and brought out a written note in it. Apparently, it was a fortune cookie. I was too embarrassed to not laugh at my self".

One thing she said her mum taught her about food is not to stir the leaves immediately it is put into the soup. she said the steam should absorb the leaves first before it is stirred briefly and removed from the pot of fire. she said her mum believed that turning some leaves will leave the soup bitter or ruin the texture of the leaves.

We are very proud to celebrate this amazing woman. To this woman, who creates magic in the kitchen, yet contributes her quota to changing the world, we are excited that she is our  TOMATO JOS.

you can find her on Instagram:
@chi_tsi.

                                                                                                      written by Mary-Jane Ogbu.

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MARTHA RRAZI (tomato Jos)

When great men and women of the world dreamed of empires, the world thought them stupid or rather dreamers. the audacity to build empires, has always been in the heart of courageous ones who dare to do the extraordinary. Our TOMATO JOS of the week is Martha Rrazi. Martha is a woman who is not only courageous to dream, but she also has the audacity to do what others fear to do.

say hello to our TOMATO JOS of the week. she is the C.E.O of Akara Cafe. also known as Bean Bag. Martha's vision is to be to Akara what Star bucks is to coffee. such statement of vision doesn't come small, and Martha works hard to ensure that she drives this dream to reality.

she is a single parent, and although she said it has not been easy to be an entrepreneur whilst taking care of her child, in Martha's words, "an entrepreneur has got to do what an entrepreneur has got to do". Martha said she doesn't mind eating out. it just depends on her mood. she said she enjoy to entertain, so she especially cooks when she has guests. she said she also enjoys discovering new food spots so she likes to eat out too.

on an interesting food experience, in her own words; "once I got a pasta gift, like a sack of pasta. I ate so much pasta, I started even giving it out, but it still wouldn't finish. so I decided to make coconut pasta how we make coconut rice.....Let us just say, I learned something about pasta that day. no one ate my coconut pasta".

one of the things that you can be sure to eat when you visit the Akara Cafe is pancake. and Martha has her own DIY recipe here:

PANCAKE
3 cups of flour
1 cup of milk
1/2 cup of sugar
1 large egg
1\2 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoon of oil
3 cups of water

mix until smooth, grease pan and fry.

for the Akara recipe,  you have to visit the cafe.

her favorite quote is"I love you more than Akara'" said no one ever"

we are proud to celebrate this wonderful, hardworking and exceptional woman. to this woman who does magic in the kitchen, yet is contributing her quota to changing her world, you are our TOMATO JOS.

you can find her in instagram:
@akara_cafe
@martha_rrazi

                                                                                                written by Mary-Jane Ogbu.

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NINA CHIMA (tomato Jos)

When you hear of the words "make up artist" what exactly comes to your mind? Brushes? Colors and blushers? Think again! Make up is art. And like every other art, it takes patience consistence and dedication to be a master at it. And truly, that's what our TOMATO JOS of this week has succeeded in doing. She has mastered the art of not just make up, but the very art of making the face a canvas, and turning it into a master piece.

Say hello to Nina China. Nina is a makeup artist extraordinare. She is a talented, beautiful yet humble make up artist. Her excellence in her craft, has earned her some high end client. She is very jovial, friendly and loves her job.

On food, Nina is a foodie. She likes to cook at home, because according to her, "a home cooked meal is always the best" Nina likes to cook meals, but aside that, she likes to feed people.

She said she cooks so well, that people ask her if she cooks with sugar. She said it is always surprising, but she doesn't mind it. Nina is single but she still prefers to eat at home, rather than eat out. Cooking is one of her hobby, and she enjoys it along side swimming and her job.

This week we celebrate an iconic and hardworking woman. She is brave, strong, beautiful and has all the qualities of a TOMATO JOS. Here's to a woman who creates magic in the kitchen, yet contributes her quota to changing the world.

You can find her on Instagram :
@ninaspecialbeauty

                                                                                        Written by Mary-Jane.

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DAFWAT SENDI DANJUMA (Tomato Jos)

When you hear of Sendi Dafwat, just know that  you have heard about a beautiful driven woman. Sendi is a serial entrepreneur. She is the C.E.O of Urban Afrik, a fashion company that infuses African and Urban style together. She is a lover of self development, as she is currently studying for her MSC. Sendi is one of those women that you see, and their drive and push, encourages you to want to do more.

She is single, but loves to cook at home. She prefers home cooked meals and likes to try out recipes. Sometimes, she said. I just listen to the voices in my head, and create great amazing meals. I just decide to add what I have never added before, and surprisingly, great meals come out of them.

Sendi considers her self a foodie. She said cooking is her hobby, and she likes to cook. She said she is very picky when it comes to food, and she likes to cook at home.

On how she learnt to cook, she said her mother taught her, and one skill that she learnt from her mom, which she hasn't forgotten till now, is the art of cooking great draw soup. In her words, "My Mum taught me how to make draw soup(okro especially). In other to make it draw very well, palm oil should be the last thing you would add. It works magic."

You can find her on Instagram
@urbanafrik_
@senciousleyon

This woman who creates magic in the kitchen, and still does her bit to change the world, is our TOMATO JOS. and we are proud to celebrate her.


                                                                                                                           Written by Mary-Jane.

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JOYCE DASER ADAMS. (Tomato Jos)

Every week, we have an array of beautiful exceptional women that we like to celebrate. This week is no exception, as we celebrate the beautiful Joyce Daser Adams. Engr Joyce is an automobile mechanical engineer and also an entrepreneur. She has a foundation, where young girls are trained on the best and advanced way of being a mechanic. She seeks to

change the narrative, that women cannot succeed as automoblie mechanics and the impression that only men can be great in it.

Joyce is married with three beautiful girls, and she loves her family. On being able to cope with career and family, she said it hasn't been easy, but she has a supporting husband who makes it easy. She likes to cook. Even though it is not her hobby, she derives satisfaction from feeding her family. She said she has always been a home girl. Been the first daughter, she has always cooked and learnt first hand from her mother.

On a funny experience she has had from food, she said; "Hahahaha.... Okay, one time I had guest over for dinner, I had bragged so much about the food I was going to serve them. It was a coconut rice recipe I saw online. I should have done a trial before that day but I didn't. I guess I was over confindent or carried away, it didn't turn out well and after keeping them for long I ended up taking them out."

Joyce prefers to cook at home, rather than eat out. She said home cooked meals are the best.

Joyce has a favorite meal, and would love to share the recipe.

It's a traditional recipe from my home town in Plateau State. I modified it a little although the original recipe is great too.

RECIPE
Acha or Local Rice
Beef/Chicken stripes or shredded
Salt
Seasoning cubes
Veg. Oil
Carrot
Green beans
Green bell pepper
Red bell pepper
Yellow bell pepper
Tomatoes
Scotch bonnets
Onions.

METHOD
1. Cook the rice as you would your regular white rice or if it's the acha, cook it using steaming method.  Set aside
2. All the veggies should be cut in Julien stripes except the onions which will be chopped.
3. Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions, add the beef or chicken or goat meat and stir till it browns.
4. Remove from oil and set aside. Pour in the veggies and stir fry, seasoning it to taste.
5. Add the meat and stir till well combined.
6. Taste and correct seasoning.
7. Serve with  Acha or white rice garnished with chopped Parsley.

This great woman, who can create magic in the kitchen, yet still change the world, is our TOMATO JOS.  She deserves to be celebrated, and we are proud to celebrate her.

You can find her on Instagram
@autoladyjoyce
@autoladyinspire.               
                                                                                                                             Written by Mary-Jane.

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