THEWILL DOWNTOWN January 22, 2023

Akinsanya

Spare the rod and spoil the child, a popular phrase with its foundation from a famous biblical verse that says, “whoever spares the rod hates their children”, is commonly used among people. The term, which means you must correct a child when you see them going in the wrong direction, can be interpreted in various ways. For some people, it means disciplining with an object. For others, it translates to using words, not a cane. However you interpret it, it boils down to guiding the child down the right path. But that phrase is phasing out with the new generation of parents due to the fragile nature of the world today. Every action in a bid to correct a person interprets as negative, which challenges teachers and their mission to educate children these days.

The problem isn’t with the children. It starts with their parents, who, viewing trends abroad, decide, for instance, that talking to a child about putting on weight from too many sweets or chocolates is bodyshaming.

However, for our cover personality this week, Akua Akinsanya, it’s a recipe for disaster. She believes, as do I, that there is nothing wrong with telling your kids the truth to correct them. After all, you only correct who you love. Even God chastises us because He loves us and if we are to emulate our Father in bringing up children, why is a parent worried about letting a child know there could be health hazards from being overweight?

And so, to sail through this ‘storm’, Akinsanya and her team of teachers had to undergo training on managing the fragile minds of children from the present generation.

If one person can train her teachers to adapt to the new normal, why isn’t the government able to organise further training for public teachers? We need to pay more attention to the crop of teachers in the educational system. It’s appalling how the academic standards for teachers have drastically dropped. If a teacher cannot construct a proper sentence, how on earth are they supposed to teach the leaders of tomorrow?

Until next week, enjoy your read.

AUSTYN OGANNAH

PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Editor: Onah Nwachukwu @onahluciaa

Dorcas Akintoye

Dorcas Akintoye is a dedicated writer with more than 2 years prolific experience in writing articles ranging from food, entertainment, fashion and beauty.  She has a National Diploma in Mass Communication from Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin. She loves writing, listening to music and playing scrabble. She is a highly-skilled, enthusiastic, selfmotivated professional writer.

David Nwachukwu @ebube.nw - Contributing Writer

David Nwachukwu has always been immersed in fashion from the age of 10, watching a Dior by Galliano show on television. His work in fashion stretches across media, marketing, brand communications as well as design. As a fashion & lifestyle journalist, David has tracked key industry data for various publications including Industrie Africa, Culture Custodian, Haute Fashion Africa, and HELLO! Nigeria. A Geography graduate from The University of Lagos, David consciously aligns this background in environmental advocacy and sustainable development with the need to promote a more ethical fashion ecosystem. He currently oversees strategic communications at Clean Technology Hub.

Ade

This edition drew me in from the cover.

(1) VIVA MAGNETA

Viva Magenta is a shade rooted in nature. It has a picky element attached to it and it can also be grouped with the red colour family, which signifies strength and bravery. Magneta is a joyous and optimistic colour and it embraces life and living. Viva Magneta mixes well with other colours, it can be paired with everything from classic to brighter pop of blues and pinks, giving rise to the development of dopamine dressing. You can wear this colour as an outerwear, sweater, dress, pants, skirts or even accessories, To balance your outfit, ensure that the colour you will be pairing with this classic hue is simple and neutral. It’s indeed an ideal fashion colour trend to kick start the year 2023.

Fashion Colour Trends 2023

How to Incorporate Them in Your Outfits

BY DORCAS AKINTOYE

Colour has the ability to invoke different types of feelings. It doesn’t matter whether you are in need of a bold and bright revitalising boost or a calm and soothing moment, different hues and colours can help trigger any kind of emotions you want. With the fashion industry developing day by day and with the focus on individual self-expression, it’s no longer a surprise that colour trends are always shifting. Just like trending styles come and go, there are some colours that have staying power and have been around for a long time. 2022 was about vibrant and bright colours. Over the years, people have realised the magic of dopamine dressing and the period of all-black

looks have developed and given rise to a whole lot of colours. The neutral colours are never out of style and they will never be.

With new colours being revealed, 2023 is already off to a bold start and is the perfect year to have fun with colours. The new colours, hues or shades can be embraced in all aspects of our life and the 2023 colour trends are all about light and shade, giving us an opportunity to express ourselves on the far ends of the spectrum.

So be ready to brighten up your wardrobe!

(2) VIOLET HAZE

The colour is the combination of both violet and lilac and it populated a large number of runways this season, making it more chic. You can jump on the trend by putting on a violet haze shade dress or a statement top to give this ultimate luxurious party look.

If you don’t want to put on the colour from head to toe, you can opt for a beret, scarf, gloves or shoes.

Tilda Tailored Coat HOBBS

Kick Flare Pant Blazer

TED BAKER

Single-Brested Suit

Sweater With Double Collar

(3) BLACK MAGIC

Many might say black isn't really a trend, well it is understandable, but with the way the black colour is featured in so many layered and top-to-toe outfits across the entire spectrum of runways, it is definitely noteworthy and we can’t help but add it to the list.

Black is a very dynamic colour and you might not find it on the colour wheel due to the fact that it absorbs all light in the colour spectrum. No matter the occasion, an all-black outfit will create a powerful impression. To spice things up, you can pair your all-black outfit with accessories that provide a bit of contrast to the ensemble.

(4) LIME WEDGE

This colour might end up being the biggest fashion colour trend for 2023. You can rock the colour from head to toe, or better still, add a splash of personality to your otherwise neutral outfit with a statement shoe or accessory in different shades of lime green.

(5) SIREN SAFFRON

Siren Saffron is another bold fashion colour trend for 2023 you can consider. This colour was so difficult to ignore in the latest collections and they can be worn top-to-toe by way of suiting, dresses and hosiery.

Siren Saffron

Rib-Knit Wool Jumper

Lime Wedge on Runway

Lime Wedge Look

ODDBOD & THE CITY

ODUN OGUNBIYI

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

you hit your 40th birthday and had a vague notion that you were not as fertile anymore. Definitely, you were moving into a phase in your life when you would eventually no longer have to deal with your period, yay. There may be a few hot flushes on the journey from point B to C, and that would be it.

It’s not something I am proud of, but I tend to be late to the party—both literally and metaphorically speaking. In most cases, I am 95% to blame, but in this (with my FULL chest!) I blame absolutely everyone else.

The last time I was this angry at society was fifteen years ago when I realised the amount of pregnancy gatekeeping my ancestors had perpetrated. As I lay there simultaneously nauseous at the thought of food yet starving miserably, I couldn’t but wonder how the global population was thriving if this was what women had to endure.

After my second hospitalisation, my female relatives started confessing their ordeals and how to mitigate all my horrible symptoms. I remember thinking, “Why don’t women talk more about these things? There is comfort in knowing you aren’t going stark raving mad because you can suddenly smell electricity and hear sunshine!”

Cut to the present day, and it turns out that a whole other area in my life has remained a mystery until now. If you are anything like me,

Then (I can only speak from personal experience here), surprise! First up came the brain fog, then came insomnia…. my eyes would pop open at three in the morning and then I reach for social media (I know, I know). I would find a whole gang of similarly afflicted friends online, and we would pursue a proper catch-up instead of getting back to sleep. It never occurred to me to ask myself WHY my friends and I were suddenly struggling with getting to and staying asleep. Slowly though, conversations about changing cycles, joint pains, brain fog, and mood swings started to coalesce, and we stumbled to a conclusion: the dreaded “change” is upon us.

The perpetrator? Perimenopause can start in a woman at any time from age 35. It is inevitable, but I have found that by not suffering in silence, embracing it, seeking

support, and educating myself, dread is no longer part of the conversation.

The real eye-opener for me was speaking with my friend, Poop. She lives and works in the UK, and they recognise the mental health effects of menopause. So much so her workplace provides support and education for EVERYONE, men and women, to mitigate workplace friction. On the home front, Poop’s partner pays for all her menopause nutritional supplements as his support for what she is going through. I bloody love it.

We need to be cognisant of how menopause affects individuals and society. Unfortunately, as usual with “women” issues, the science is woefully behind, but there are solutions for some of the symptoms. I hear HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) can feel like magic when used effectively.

For now, I am enjoying the benefits of support from my fellow women in the trenches and researching dietary supplements. Sharing is caring, and we need to stop gatekeeping. Be a part of the solution!

The line between healthy and unhealthy relationships can be very difficult to define, even with signs that might seem obvious to others. Your relationship can be described as toxic if it is characterised by attitudes that make you feel unhappy, disrespected, drained, and cheated among others.

Toxic relationships exhibit a pattern of negativity where at least one partner causes harm in some way, whether deliberately or not. Sometimes, toxic relationships need time, care, and a little patience to work through issues together so more trust can be built.

We’ve listed some signs to help you identify if you are in a toxic or abusive relationship and how to address those traits healthily and safely.

(1) Toxic Communication

Instead of kindness and mutual respect, most of your communications are filled with criticism, and sarcasm and are sometimes fueled by contempt.

On the other hand, healthy relationships rely on open communication, cooling down before things get too heated, and respecting each other.

To solve this, partners should engage in open communication. Open communication provides opportunities for partners to provide and receive support from each other.

DOWNTOWN CONFIDENTIAL

6 SIGNS of a Toxic Relationship And How to Fix it

BY DORCAS AKINTOYE

(2) Lack of Support

Healthy relationships are based on the desire to see the other succeed in all areas of life, but when things turn toxic, every achievement becomes a competition. The time you spend with your partner no longer feels positive and you don't feel supported or encouraged.

(3) You Feel Drained

When you are in a toxic relationship, your time and mental energy will often be spent on the other person— either directly or indirectly through the backlash of unremitting discord and strife. Try shifting more energy into taking care of yourself and notice how your partner will react. If their response is negative, that's a signal of a toxic trait in your relationship.

(4) Repeated Lies

Lies erode credibility no matter how small it is. When a partner lies to you it shows that they don't respect and see you as a partner who deserves honesty and care. On the other hand, lying to your partner indicates that your allegiance is to yourself not the relationship.

(5) AttentionUnrequited

If your relationship revolves majorly around what makes your partner happy and ignores your needs, it can be a sign of toxicity. It's not a crime to be considerate of your partner but if you find yourself giving your partner all the care and love they deserve but they are not doing the same for you, that's a huge sign of a toxic relationship. If they dismiss and belittle your boundaries, that could also be a sign of toxicity.

(6) BehaviourControlling

Your partner has no right to control your actions or beliefs. Some of the controlling behaviours to look out for are threats— maybe the loss of something, such as financial stability, or companionship— asking to know everything you do and who you are with, and requiring access to your devices, among others.

How to Fix a Toxic Relationship

It is possible to mend a toxic relationship provided each partner is committed to trying. Meeting with a counselor, therapists or coach is a great step to take. Meeting them helps provide a neutral space to talk about issues and solutions to those issues.

If one partner refuses to work on the relationship and isn’t ready to make changes, it's time to make a plan to leave the relationship.

Ekua Akinsanya Talks Education Then And Now

In a country where you sometimes find graduates unable to string a sentence correctly, you cannot help but wonder what kind of education they had. I remember coming across a video of Nigerians from the war; listening to them felt like I was listening to people from a different country. Even the simple man on the street spoke with articulation. I asked myself one question: What went wrong with our educational system? You find teachers these days unable to convey good grammar and wonder how it is that a teacher is in that position. It doesn't help that the government don't pay them well.

To commemorate International Day of Education, I reached out to Akua Akinsanya, co-founder of Greenwood House School, Ikoyi, for her opinion. She couldn't have said it better; we attach less importance to teachers than doctors and lawyers. Otherwise, why would you insist a doctor get a certain level of education, but a teacher can start teachers' training from even secondary school? But teaching has taken a different turn. With mental health issues at the forefront, principals struggle with educating parents about, as the bible says, sparing the rod and spoiling the child. The rod isn't necessarily whip but words of advice that parents nowadays see as body-shaming in some cases regarding a plus-size child.

Akinsanya and DOWNTOWN Editor, Onah Nwachukwu discuss the missing link between previous teachers and the new crop, mental health for kids, and what it's like teaching this new generation birthed by Gen Z parents, amongst other things.

Teachers are less respected than they were in Nigeria, especially in public schools. What do you think is the reason?

It’s not even exclusive to teachers. In Nigeria, hard work is generally not as respected as quick money chasers. So it is not just teachers. Look at the doctors saving lives; for instance, they are not paying them their salaries. People prefer to be politicians or deal with the government. You find out that generally, the professions are not respected, so it’s not just teachers. Also, at some point between the Jakande era and post-that, when everyone was rushed through school, we didn’t have very welleducated people coming out. The quality of teachers reduced drastically because many people were not very well educated, and it’s from that crop that we have the teachers now. So if you don’t have a solid foundation, how will you communicate or impact others when you have your own deficiencies?

But because the government insisted that NYSC corps members teach in one school or another, the teaching profession is gradually returning. Especially now that we have the japa going on, teachers are the latest focus. The foundation is to ensure we(teachers) are treated well across the board— whether public or private schools because teachers come out of this crop. But I think that people are beginning to respect teaching again; that is the general feeling I get. I know the Lagos State government is doing a lot to ensure that the quality of teachers is improving. I will give them that. I have also noticed that in the teaching profession now, we have many people who lost their jobs from COVID— the banking sector, and all that, and are now looking at teaching as a viable option. I also think that people see the result of bad education. So people that are interested in making a change are thinking, ‘okay, I have some spare time.’ For the women, there’s the advantage of ‘I also have time for my children.’ People are beginning to get interested in teaching again.

What went wrong, and what can be done for this new crop of teachers to help them and the students? As I said, it is a fallout from the education that

they were given. That is the issue. They need to be trained. It is from the foundation. Why are you demanding less in the qualification of a teacher than you are with other professions? The teacher will teach the doctor and all other sectors, so you cannot say that a teacher should have a minimum grade. That was what was happening. How do you want someone not qualified to impart knowledge that they don’t have? You insist on doctors, engineers, and so on, having so and so qualifications, but the teacher can go into teacher training college from secondary school, maybe from J.S.3 or something. We need to make sure that people going into teaching are qualified. The least qualification should be HND, maybe OND, and then you go into teachers’ training. You are putting value on the doctor, but who will teach the doctor? They need more training and more encouragement. They need to be paid to motivate them. I’m hoping that the tide is changing, at least for teachers.

Many students nowadays get distracted easily, especially with social media, wanting to be flamboyant. How do you,

as a teacher, manage to rein them back in?

It is by constantly reinforcing values. I always tell them to forget what they see on social media—I would say that 75 percent of the people they want to emulate are fake.

I keep telling them social media is not real, that life is not real. What is real are your values, family, hard work, and faith in God; those are the things that will keep you through.

Just telling them to have faith in themselves, forget what other people are doing on social media and stop being so distracted. Spend less time on the internet looking at social sites. It’s alright to use it for work. With the new generation, I mean even the parents—because we are now dealing with Gen Z parents, we are training the children and the parents. At no point is telling the truth a problem. Nowadays, we have parents who are afraid to tell their children the truth. You hear things like, ‘you can’t tell your kids to lose weight. It’s a no, no. It’s body-shaming.’ The parents don’t want to hurt their (the children’s) feelings. And I tell them it is better to have these hard conversations very early so that it doesn’t develop into major issues like heart issues or something else in the future. You have to be able to tell the truth to your children no matter what. It is because you love them. If you don’t correct someone, it is because you don’t care. Our parents just told us, they didn’t explain. But it is a new generation, so you will explain the reason behind whatever it is. It is a generation that doesn’t want to hear the truth. They want you to comb over everything. Yes, mental health is very, very important, I will never underestimate how important that is, but at the end of the day, if you don’t listen to some truths, further down the line, you will have to deal with these mental health issues.

Speaking of mental health issues, kids have become so delicate. As a teacher, how do you help the kids understand what it truly is instead of crying about ‘mental health’ at the slightest instance?

I don’t dismiss any situation with any child because you honestly don’t know how serious a frivolous complaint is. That is the truth. I tell my teachers to make sure they listen to every complaint and afterwards make a decision. If they feel the need to, they investigate. From experience, you will know those just seeking attention and who are using it as an excuse. But in this new generation of students, I will listen to everything.

“…At some point between the Jakande era and post-that, when everyone was rushed through school, we didn’t have very well-educated people coming out. The quality of teachers reduced drastically because many people were not very well educated, and it’s from that crop that we have the teachers now.”

“The least qualification should be HND, maybe OND, and then you go into teachers’ training. You are putting value on the doctor, but who will teach the doctor?”

Did your teachers have to undergo some training to handle the children of this new generation?

Oh yes, all our teachers have gone through training to identify when children are having different issues. Also, we have dedicated people— specialists, and we tell the kids during assembly to go to them if they have any problems. It’s a very fragile generation. I call them the ‘agric generation.’

On mental health, I think it’s important that you don’t dismiss any child; at least listen. For many of them, even the attention seekers, there is a reason they are looking for attention.

You hear of so many suicides and think because the person was okay on the outside, everything is alright with them.

So mental health is a very important issue, and as I said, I don’t think any teacher can dismiss any child in this day and age. I say, ‘just listen because you don’t know what’s happening.’ I will give you a scenario. There was a boy that was

acting up with no discipline, just trying to hurt other people and all that. This is not normal. Children are generally happy and not usually vindictive or wicked. By the time we delved into the matter, we had found out that the problem was that he had lost his parents (to Boko Haram terrorists) and was adopted by another family who had shown him love. It wasn’t until we delved into it that we found out. If the teacher had dismissed him as just troublesome, we wouldn’t have been able to find the bottom line and lead him through a series of school therapy for him to face what had happened and not blame himself as he wasn’t in a position to do anything about it. But that’s an extreme case. I mean, many people hide behind it and do not take responsibility for their mental health, but despite that, I will still say to the teachers, listen. Even for teachers themselves, we have retreats that cater to them because if they are not mentally healthy and are going through stuff and are not able to deal with it, it’s going to be difficult to help the children they are teaching. So we had a retreat on mental health, telling them how to deal with it, how to get help, how to destress, cope with situations, look after themselves and their finances, look after their family, their work-life balance, and so on. Education is very different now. What I’m just happy about so far is that all the “they/ she” has not come into Nigeria’s curriculum. My friends in the States had to get the certification to address gender-neutral children so they could continue teaching and help them transition. She needed to obtain certification to continue working in the school.

How easy was it for schools to transition from that era of homeschooling during the pandemic? Are the children now fully settled back in school? Yes, as of September last year, we were fully back in school. When COVID started happening everywhere, I had an inkling it would get to us. When Lagos State made the first announcement ordering schools to shut down around the end of March or April 2020, we sent the children home that week so that we were abiding by the law and started training our teachers on online teaching. So that by the time it hit fully, we were already a step ahead. What happened was that we got someone who was an expert to come and talk to us. Once we got the basic training, we could go online, so the teachers started doing practice lessons. The classes were as they were when we were learning in physical classrooms. It took a while. The first week we returned to school, we discounted the period on our timetable as just a test period when we did training for our parents so they could log on and all that. It was not

funny, but we overcame it and did not miss any subject. The children were doing P.E. (Physical Education) online, reading lessons, library periods, and so on. Obviously, we discovered that these children are very clever and savvy, we had to put in some controls so that they are not typing in class, bringing in disciplinary measures, we were having our assemblies, and during these assemblies, we were handing out pink slips and green slips. The number of hours you have online is not the same as physical, as you can’t keep them online for that long. We added a week and a half or two weeks to our term. But we managed to cover our curriculum, we did our exams and marked them, had our graduation, and the teachers moved in leaps and bounds. We found out that this period brought out some stars amongst the teachers who we did not even think were that great. They developed so much and were so good at online teaching. Some of the conventional teachers were more sceptical, but eventually, they figured that ‘we had to get on this boat; if not, we are going to be left behind.’

And when the children came back because not all of them did and some were still online, we had a hybrid situation, so we found out that some of the children were wondering if their friends were still their friends.

COVID brought many insecurities in children, and I think that was the incubation of many mental health issues. Parents were finding out they couldn’t cope that well with their children, and children were seeing their parents argue rather frequently. Also, they had the fear we all had at the time—will COVID kill my parents, my friends, etc.? Many issues were incubated during COVID, and we cannot underestimate that. So the aftermath is the mental wellness that followed. When they came back, we had to start affirmations: “I am a student of Greenwood House School, I am confident, I am beautiful, I am resilient and strong, I will do big things, people’s opinions wouldn’t matter, I will work hard.”

We were reinforcing that every day and started building them up again, bringing back confidence and all that. It was very tough for everybody.

What do you enjoy most about being a teacher?

It is one of the most fulfilling invocations ever. When you see what a child whose life and growth you have been a part of become, how fulfilling is that? You are a part of their success story. This term, I had my old student bring their children, a set of twins, and I was on cloud nine. It felt like,’ I am part of this story, part of this miracle. I see students all over that we’ve taught through the years come back and doing great and amazing. I saw some going on their honeymoon, things like that. When you see how you’ve helped shape a life, I don’t think there’s anything more fulfilling. The thing is that being around children eases you, they are so innocent, and it gives me joy knowing

that what I do is very important, adding value to their lives and families, the community and the world at large. Coming from a legal background, being a lawyer is very important, but it’s a different kind of fulfilment.

“Nowadays, we have parents who are afraid to tell their children the truth. You hear things like, ‘you can’t tell your kids to lose weight. It’s a no, no. It’s bodyshaming.’ …And I tell them it is better to have these hard conversations very early so that it doesn’t develop into major issues in the future.”

“When they came back, we had to start affirmations:

“I am a student of Greenwood House School, I am confident, I am beautiful, I am resilient and strong, I will do big things, people’s opinions wouldn’t matter, I will work hard.” We were reinforcing that every day and started building them up again, bringing back confidence...”

DIY: WALLET FRIENDLY HOMEMADE HAMBURGER

BY OLAMIDE SANUSI

Hamburger is a popular classic meal that is nourishing, tasty and mouthwatering which can be homemade, if you have a frying pan, oven or grill.

I discovered this recipe when I had a craving for hamburger and my wallet wasn’t exactly hefty at that time to purchase a hamburger for N12, 000 from a popular celebrity's site.

The funniest thing was when I went to the mart, I spent less than N6,000 to purchase all my recipes, so for people who would like to experience the same wallet friendly homemade burger like mine and cannot afford a N12,000 hamburger, here’s my nourishing and wallet friendly homemade hamburger ingredient.

INGREDIENTS

METHOD

Step 1: Add in your ground meat, crushed crackers or bread crumbs, soy sauce, milk, egg, and spice in a large bowl and use your hands to mix them until smooth, and then press down.

Step 2: Cut the hamburger patties into six (6) parts. Set out a foil paper or baking sheet and place the formed patties on the baking sheet or foil paper. Put a dent in the center of the patties before cooking, so it won’t puff up.

Step 3: On medium heat, preheat the oven, grill or frying pan to 350400 degrees. Place your patties to grill or fry for 3-5 minutes per side.

Step 4: Fill the hamburger buns or bread with the patties, add your onion, sliced tomatoes, ketchup, and lettuce. Then place it in the frying pan/oven/grill to heat for 2- 4 minutes.

You can serve your mouthwatering hamburger with either fries and a cold fizzy drink or yogurt.

DOES HAIR BOTOX WORK ON AFRICAN HAIR?

Everything You Need To Know About The Deep Conditioning Treatment

BY DORCAS AKINTOYE

BY DORCAS AKINTOYE

We are all familiar with botox, a treatment in which botulinum toxin is injected into the muscles to relax them for wrinkle-free skin. But did you know there is also hair botox? You might think it’s the same process for skin, but it’s not. Many find hair botox unnecessary since hair doesn’t have muscles to relax or wrinkles to clear off. However, it would interest you to know that there is no “botox” (botulinum toxins) involved in hair botox, despite the fact that it has the word in its name.

Hair botox is nothing but a deep conditioning treatment that repairs damaged and broken hair fibres. They are non-chemical deep conditioning treatment that helps to make your hair smooth and hydrated.

The truth is everyone needs a hair treatment and every hair needs protein or moisture. No matter your type of your hair, you still need to look after its condition.

There is no confirmed specific list of ingredients used in the production of hair botox and the components often change depending on the brand of the product and it is really hard to say exactly how the hair benefits from one. Although beauty experts, have been able to point out a few things commonly found in a hair botox treatment, which includes Collagen complex, Vitamin E, Vitamin B5, antioxidant and Caviar oil.

Benefits of Hair Botox

(1) Perfect And Smooth Strands

Hair botox is so powerful that it has the ability to transform the most damaged head of hair into smooth and fuller strands with generally little or no frizz.

Does Hair Botox Work On African Hair?

Yes it does. One good thing about the hair botox is that it works perfectly well on any hair type; whether natural, colour treated, chemical treated, curly hair, among others. They are also effective when addressing common hair concerns like thinning hair, split ends, damaged hair, dullness, lack of volume and others.

Botox Hair Gold RAYWELL

(2) Adds Shine And Restores Softness

If your hair is either looking dull or feeling rough and you are in need of nourishing oils, hair botox should be your go-to. The deep conditioning treatment can assist you in adding shine and restoring softness to your hair.

(4) Repairs Damaged Hair

Collagen, one of the ingredients in hair botox, can also be referred to as protein and proteins are good for hair that is dry, brittle, broken or damaged through chemical process and heat styling. Eating a well balanced diet with protein will assist in some ways but it's more effective if the protein can be applied to the strands through treatments and shampoo.

(3) Adds Moisture

We all are aware that our hair needs moisture and hydration on a regular basis to stay healthy and breakage-free. Here’s where hair botox comes in— it is perfect for moisturising strands and improving elasticity.

(5) Fights Free-Radical Damage

Caviar oil, one of the ingredients in hair botox, contains some vitamins that help fight free-radical damage. We come across free radicals in our environment and thankfully our body produces a natural antioxidant that fights the free radicals but as the body ages, its defense against them get weak and the free radicals start to attack the hair, which in return degrades or ages it. Hair botox contains antioxidant, B5, Vitamin E, all of which fight the free radicals.

HOW TO USE HAIR BOTOX

Even though hair botox is offered as an in-salon service, the treatment can also be applied at home, depending on the kind of product you choose. After washing and completely drying your hair, the next step is to start applying the deep conditioning formula to the length of your strands either by yourself or your hairstylist. After about 30 minutes or the amount of time specified on the product you are using, you can rinse your hair, then style to reveal shiner, softer and smoother strands.

Brazilian Hair Botox KERAZON

Professional Brazilian Botox Expert NUTREE

RUFUS AND BEE (BOWLING, LAGOS)

Where: Okunde Bluewaters scheme, Twinwaters Lagos, off Remi Olowude St, Eti-Osa, Lekki.

Rufus and Bee is a recreational facility known to be the largest game arcade in Nigeria with over 100 games for children and adults, a bowling alley, classic snooker, a sports bar and an American TexMex restaurant.

YOU MUST VISIT…

BY KEHINDÉ FAGBULE

Remember when COVID restrictions determined where we could or couldn't go? Well, that sounds like a distant memory today. The festive period last December was proof that Nigerians really just wanted to be ‘outside.’ For the regular extroverts in a perpetual search for adventure, the list of possible recreational destinations is endless, especially in Lagos and Abuja. Here, we made you a directory for the year.

CI GUSTA (ITALIAN RESTAURANT, LAGOS)

Where: Ibyinka Olorunbe Close off Amodu Ojikutu street, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Ci Gusta!—which translates to “we love it!”—is a brand conceived to bring Italian artisanship to the rest of the world with a range of highquality gelato.

GUSTO (ASIAN RESTAURANT, LAGOS/ABUJA/KANO)

Where: 256 Etim Inyang Crescent, Victoria Island, Lagos.

42 Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse, Abuja.

17 Lodge Road, Kano.

Gusto is an Asian restaurant that serves Mediterranean and Asian cuisine. They have other branches in Abuja and Kano.

BOLIVAR (WATERSIDE HANGOUT SPOT, LAGOS)

Where: Plot 10 Wole Olateju Crescent, Eti-Osa, Lekki, Lagos.

Bolivar is an outdoor lounge with an open bar concept and Caribbean undertones located in Lekki, Lagos.

LO STUDIO PILATES (WELLNESS, LAGOS)

Where: 4a Ologun Agbaje St, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Lo Studio Pilates is the first pilates studio in Nigeria focusing on wellness and health with all classes taught under the strict supervision of certified instructors.

BODY TEMPLE (SPA, LAGOS)

Where: 82, Younis Bashoroun Street, Off Ajose Adeogun St, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Body Temple is a spa situated in Lagos that offers a wide range of services. You can also get gift vouchers for friends and family.

HAIR BY EHIS (SALON, ABUJA)

Where: New Banex Plaza, Wuse, Abuja.

Ehis Hair & Nails Studio is a beauty salon located in Maitama, run by popular Hair Instructor, Ehis Johnson.

FROZEN ROLLS (ICE CREAM, LAGOS)

Where: 7 Bisola Durosinmi Etti Drive, Off Admiralty Way, Lekki Phase I, Lagos.

Frozen Rolls is the first hand-rolled ice cream shop in Nigeria. Some of the rolls look like roses.

SENCILLO (BEACH RESORT, LAGOS)

Where: Ilashe Island, Ilashe, Lagos.

Sencillo is a 3-bedroom beach house located on Ilashe Island (Ilashe Beach). It is one of the top beach houses in Nigeria.

OCEANS5 BY RIVIERA (BUSINESS LAUNCH, LAGOS)

Where: Femi Pearse, 20 Elsie Femi Pearse St, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Situated in Riviera Suites, a luxury aqua-themed boutique hotel in Lagos, Oceans5 offers fine-dining experience.

CIRCA NON PAREIL (RESTAURANT, LAGOS)

Where: 12e Admiralty Way, Lekki Phase I, Lagos.

Circa Non Pareil offers a contemporary dining experience in a multi level space with a view of the ocean. The restaurant’s overall atmosphere is relaxing and adorned with state-of-theart furniture.

BY BOLUWATIFE ADESINA

MOVIE REVIEW:

Series Review: The Last of Us

overrun with lush vegetation before one concludes, "No, yeah, I got it, thanks."

The Last of Us contains several such sequences, and others that prove similarly familiar: Militarized outposts imposing martial law. Idyllic pockets of civilization that Hide a Dark Secret(™).

Mistrust. Violence. The horror of realising that a loved one has been infected, followed by the grim acknowledgement of what must be done about it.

But these are all genre trappings, the parameters that any post-apocalypse show and its viewers agree to establish, and work within. You don't go into a science fiction series and roll your eyes at every spaceship, do you? Or sneer every time a forensic investigator pulls out the white gloves?

No, what matters is what takes place within its genre conventions — the precise narrative fuel mixture that drives the show in question: Are the zombies/vampires/mutants/ cannibals/militias the real stars of the series, or does it belong to the survivors?

Along the way, they encounter quasi-fascist government operatives ("FEDRA"), antigovernmental freedom-fighter/terrorists ("Fireflies"), raiders, revolutionaries and some friendly faces as well. The series is confident enough to give two such allies — a doomsday prepper played by Nick Offerman and a sly charmer played by Murray Bartlett — the screen time necessary for us to grow emotionally invested in their fates. That confidence proves well-earned, as Offerman and Bartlett are superb in the premiere episode.

Of course, there's plenty of scenes where our hardy heroes fight or evade the various fungi-festooned monsters dutifully reproduced from the video games — runners, stalkers, shamblers and, most memorably, clickers (whose heads have turned into toadstools, and who echolocate their prey via some seriously unnerving sound design straight out of A Quiet Place).

But The Last of Us is about those assorted mushroom-baddies in exactly the same way that The Sopranos was about RICO charges. Which is to say — they're a threat, yes, and they loom ever-present, but the show's really about what the characters do despite them.

And what they do, on The Last of Us at least, is grow deeper and more complex in meaningful ways. Pascal plays Joel in the early episodes as if he's encased his heart in his beskar steel armor from his other iconic character, The Mandalorian, but as his connection to Ellie grows, he starts talking more — risking more, emotionally, in every scene — and it lands on us with a satisfying heft.

Given the glut of post-apocalyptic fare that television has been serving up over just the past few years, you'd be forgiven for approaching HBO's The Last of Us with a skeptical mind. Some not-insignificant percentage of potential viewers, upon learning that the series is based on a video game, will likely dismiss all interest in the show. (To be clear, these people have never played the excellent, heart-wrenching video game(s) in question.)

What is there new to say? is a valid question. Or, for that matter, to show? There is a limit, after all, to the number of times one can watch grizzled, greasy-haired bands of armed survivors who look as if they smell like old cheese tiptoeing through crumbling cityscapes

The Last of Us belongs entirely, gratifyingly, to the survivors — two in particular. There's the laconic, hard-bitten (but not yet actually bitten) Joel, played by Pedro Pascal, and young Ellie, played by Bella Ramsey — she may carry the future of humanity in her blood. They join up to trek across the country with tangentially related agendas — he to find his brother, she to find a lab where scientists may figure out a way to replicate her mysterious immunity.

Ramsey's young Lady Mormont was a heartening surprise back on Game of Thrones, but that character was written to do one thing — be a badass — and Ramsey did it well. Even so, she's an absolute revelation here, investing Ellie with a toughness that manages to carve out plenty of room for vulnerability, teenage silliness, the pangs of first love, grief, rage and steely resolution.

Some may balk at the series' choice to spend so much time showing us two people learning to rely on each other, instead of throwing ceaseless hordes of CGI-enhanced fungal foes at them. But by allowing the monsters to serve chiefly as catalysts to the complex emotional reactions of its characters, The Last of Us accomplishes what made the game's story so special.

It's a hopeful show about the end of humanity — one that manages to find, and nurture, moments of grace amid the ruins.

9/10

Episodes released weekly. Watchable on Showmax or HBOMax.

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The Walking Dead. Fear the Walking Dead. Y: The Last Man. The Passage. The Strain. Sweet Tooth. Invasion. Resident Evil.

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