It is no secret how magical and miraculous our hair is. It comes in different textures and has an amazing ability to transform looks and mood through various styles, not forgetting how much heritage it holds. In pre-colonial African societies, hair was used as an integral piece of our identity. How you wore your hair reflected and represented status and what you were facing in life. Royal people, a soldier going to war, or a woman who was about to give birth, it was easy to conclude what a person was going through by simply looking at their hair.
For more interesting information on the significance of hairstyles in African culture visit
“We have more options than any other hair type and change up our looks frequently”
Whether one chooses to wear their hair braided, twisted, curly, straight, or in a gravity-defying afro, the sky is the limit (literally)! We have more options than any other hair type to change our looks. Amazing right!
However, there is always a disadvantage to an advantage. Constantly switching from one style to another, unfortunately, stresses the hair and scalp leading to damage that can sometimes be permanent.
There are some obvious factors that contribute to hair and scalp damage, high on that list, are excessive heat and the use of products that are harsh or contain harmful ingredients. Let’s not forget those tight braids and ponytails that account for the most common cause of hair loss aka alopecia in our hair community.
In recent years, the number of women opting to wear their hair ‘natural’ has increased thanks to a proliferation of information on the ‘net’ and greater awareness of healthy hair practices, That is how we learned about the detrimental effects of some ingredients found in hair products, such as parabens and certain ingredients in relaxers.
There are also thousands of videos online, demonstrating how to maintain and nurture one’s crown, advocating different techniques but often pushing the latest miracle products. Let’s be honest, how confusing is that ever-changing information… and that cabinet overflowing with hair products? Finding the right information can sometimes feel like wading through mud.
On the positive side, there is a lot of really great information packaged for different audiences and levels of understanding. Thanks to this ‘free’ sharing of information, the organic hair products industry, including the ‘homemade products industry’, continues to expand massively, as consumers become more selective in their choice of hair and other cosmetics products.
Beyond great products, we have seen from some of the results how vital it is to be consistent in your hair care routine, allowing for occasional tweaking when necessary. In upcoming blogs, we will explore all things hair and provide information that will hopefully help you to develop a routine that best fits your lifestyle and most importantly, caters to the health and happiness of your hair. Stay tuned!