I recently went to see Crowning Glory - To Weave or Not To Weave a play by Somalia Seaton with my friend Leillah Sekalala of nosrunchie.com. 

Now, I knew that the play was based on the experiences of Black British women so when I got there, before the play started, I reminded myself that being Black African I needed to be as open-minded AND objective as possible, however, by the first line: "White girl I wish I was, I wish I was....don't say it, ..., I wish I was YOU!" I was like, oh no you didn't!

I thought, "I've never wanted to be white, EVER! I love being black...I am NOT going to like this play" but fortunately, within five minutes  I'd changed my mind because I realized what had been said was completely true, the actors weren't saying they wanted white skin but that they had the privileges that came with it: going to shops and finding products that were designed to work with your skin tone or your hair type and so on; they wanted to have grown up with dolls that resembled them and teenage glossy magazines that reflected their own image - who doesn't want that?

The quality of the writing, the well-structured sentences, came through and the acting did the play justice. It was very well acted by all.

Ultimately, the play was about admitting to and overcoming the insecurities that plague the Black British woman:

• There was the Caribbean girl who's mother sat her down regularly to do her hair and proceeded with a barrage of complaints against the establishment, e.g. the British told us we'd have equal access to everything when they convinced us to come here from the Caribbean; the usual requests to keep still; she also taught her little one about the requirement for a girl to look good in order to attract a man into her life. Personally, I loved the accent the most. There was a lot laughter from the audience in this scene as those that were Caribbean could relate to much of what was being said.
• Then half-breed, the mixed race girl who was raised by her single white mother but was considered black by her white peers - yet, given her home situation she didn't feel black. With her black father absent from her life (he impregnated her mother during a brief fling) she knew as much about black culture as her white counterparts - basically very little. 
• Then there was the teenage girl who'd been humiliated by being called "butters" (i.e. ugly) by the boy she'd had a crush on since she was 10. She went on to beautify herself with weaves - she argued it was her prerogative to weave her hair and frankly, it is. Some might argue that if she's wearing weaves because she's been told she's not beautiful with her own her then she's doing it for the wrong reason but let's face it, how many of us beautify for "the right reason".
• Then bounty, the black girl who was accused of being black on the outside but had "betrayed" her roots by dating white men and having white hobbies. I probably related to her the most being married to a white man. However, in my case when my Malawian friends told me I had "white" hobbies I wasn't offended because my hobbies were not typically Malawian - girls my age don't usually keep bees where I'm from!
• Then there was the girl who shaved off her hair and immediately started to regret it. At this point, I was starving - I left to get a snack and unfortunately missed the rest.
• Then came the girl with dreadlocks. She goes into a shop to buy cocoa butter and is being convinced she needs to sort her hair out with a weave but she's arguing against that, "I came here to get cocoa butter, I don't need no weave", again, I loved the Caribbean accent.
• Finally, there was the blunt white girl who lacked self-awareness. She meets a black person soliciting petitions on the street and starts to ask the most awkward questions. The "victim" fails to escape on two occasions. It was quite funny because the white girl was blatantly oblivious to the discomfort of her victim.

All the acting was done in the form of a soliloquy and was very well executed. Some parallels can also be drawn here with the African American experience.

A Black African like myself (and Leillah) who was brought up where we the majority will probably walk away asking themselves many questions and considering things that perhaps they may not have considered before.

In summary: a thought provoking, worthy watch! Book your ticket here.

Story originally seen at slate.com.

When I saw the title of this story I was immediately intrigued. Not because white women had had their hair styled in a "black way" but because I was curious about which styles were being classified as "black". 

Beyond braids and the Afro I have never really thought about what other styles are truly "black". Black hairstyles are "black" because only black women tend to style their in this way. We do so because our hair texture is highly flexible, you can do anything to it.

How did these white women come to have black hairdos? 

A young, black artist in New York called Endia Beal took a bunch of middle-aged, white women and made them agree to having a black hairstyle and then have a portrait photo taken. She chose the styles that each woman would have. The result, is these pictures:

Why middle-aged women? 

Endia wanted to start a discussion as well as to challenge pre-conceived, accepted notions and stereotypes about how someone is supposed to look like in the workplace. Endia thought that many young white women may already have experienced looking different in the workplace but the vast majority of people aged 40+ would not have had this experience.

Choosing this segment of the population made her pieces more striking.

How did Ms Beal come up with the idea?

Ms Beal is tall slim and black. She interned in the IT department at Yale where she was getting a qualification in photography; whilst she was there many of her colleagues were shorter white men. To add to the difference she rocked a large red afro. She then found out that large swathes of her colleagues were curious about her hair - they wanted to touch it.

So what did she do? She set up a camera and let everyone not only touch her hair but pull at it and tell her how they felt about the experience!  

This small project led to the portraits. 

How did the portrait "subjects" react?

All the people who took part were excited by the experience and the ability to ask normally awkward questions without the awkwardness.

When their hair had been styled and a picture taken, not even a single one wanted it taken down. They were taking photos on their smartphones and posting them on Facebook. They couldn't wait to go home and show their families. They embraced the look immediately.


What do I think about the project?

I love the idea. I myself know what it's like to show up to work in a non-conformist hairdo.

These images will challenge views and negative stereotypes about hair that people may not even know they have. 

However, I am realistic, I know this project won't lead to a plethora of white women wearing black hairstyles; not because they don't want to but because their hair doesn't style as easily and it also doesn't hold styles as well as black hair does.

What can we do to support Endia?

She hasn't asked for support but I've looked her up and I'm following her in all these places:

• Website
• YouTube - esbeal336
• Vimeo (link to Can I Touch It video)

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I know lots of people have experienced negative attitudes to our hair so I thought this positive story was worth sharing:

I am at a hair salon having my hair done. 

One half of the salon has a black stylist and the other half has an Indian lady waxing people's facial hairs. 

About an hour after I've been there the Indian lady approaches us and starts touching my hair. I don't mind people touching my hair if they ask or if they are a friend but on this occasion but she was neither! I look up about to say something but I can literally see the admiration dripping from the young, Indian lady's eyes so I say nothing. 

Before I can ask anything she says "I wish my hair was like this" - she has very long, bum-length hair but she says it's boring because she can't braid, twist or style it in all the ways we can. Having been working in a black hair salon for a while she has gained an appreciation of just how malleable our hair is and she greatly admires that.

Even before I went natural I always appreciated all the cool things I could do with my hair but seeing this lady's reaction confirmed to me that there are many other people out there who do too even if we're not aware of it.


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Someone asked about seamless combs on the Neno Natural Facebook page so I thought I would also answer it here.

Combs are made in a metal mold.

Normally the two halves of the comb - along the spine and up and down the teeth - have a raised edge, this is the seam. A seam is sharp-ish and will by this nature cause some hair breakage. 

Seamless combs do not have this raised edge. They are the best type of combs to use because they have the seam removed by having it flattened leading to less hair breakage. When you are shopping for a comb you not only want it to be wide-toothed (i.e. large gaps between the teeth), you also want it to be seamless.

That is a seamless comb. Neno Natural combs are seamless and you can get a set of 3 combs for a great deal on Amazon.



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Online magazine Conscious Vibes liked my piece on how to identify the proteins found in hair products so they included it in their October issue. Check the magazine out, it's FREE!

This natural hair & beauty event will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center. 

Date: 10-Nov-13
Time: 11am to 5pm
Host: Actress Rhonda Ray.

Panel will include: 

• Celebrity hairstylist Felicia Leatherwood
• Celebrity Host Tanika Ray and 
• Dr. Kari Williams who is a a Trichologist and Founder of the Mahogany Hair Revolution Salon in Beverly Hills. 
  

Buy tickets

AfroliciousHairAffair Event press realease

Venue: Theatre Royal Stratford East, London (UK). I will be reviewing this show next week after I've seen it.

In a world saturated with images of unrealistic and unobtainable beauty, how do women see themselves? 

Join this all-female cast of fun and feisty modern women as they share the trials and tribulations of their hair, and try to uncover what true beauty means. This current, funny and thought-provoking show will undoubtedly get you talking. Go along with friends or family and take part in the conversation!

Great seats from just £10. Book tickets via the website or call the Box Office on 020 8534 0310.

Special offer! Book 4 tickets and get a free post show bottle of wine. See our website for further details.

**The $500 cash giveaway is officially closed.**

2013 has been a good year for me, especially compared to 2012. When I started focusing on Neno Natural in November 2012 I had no idea that this is where I would be and I am so utterly grateful. I was thinking these things today and I thought, I need to give something back. 

Now, I'm not super wealthy and my business is nowhere like where I need to be but I thought even if I can't make a big difference to every fan, I'm going to make a difference to one person. In this vein I've decided to give away $500 to one fan. I didn't even want to sleep on this idea for fear that I might change my mind.

The entry details are very simple:
You need to be subscribed to the fan list at NenoNatural.com/freeinfo 

• If you get my emails, you are already subscribed
• If you don't get my emails but you think you subscribed, check your SPAM folder
  
• If you unsubscribed you would need to re-subscribe to be eligible
• Payment will be via PayPal unless you are in a country that doesn't have PayPal in which case we can do a wire transfer to your bank (bank charges may apply)
• Anyone from anywhere in the world can win
• Competition closes on 19th November at midnight New York time (5 a.m. London time)
• The winner will be selected and announced on 20th November

How will the winner be selected:

• All subscribers will be downloaded into excel and their position on the list randomized
  
• A number will then be picked using a random number generator and whoever has that position in the excel spreadsheet wins the entire $500 in time to buy Christmas gifts or to pay down that annoying debt!
  
• We will then email the person to ensure it's an email that is still in use, ask them for their phone number and call them to tell them they have won
• All this will be on video so everyone can enjoy the process with us

Again, thanks so much for your likes, follows and comments on Facebook, Twitter, Insta, Pinterest and via email. Whilst I can no longer answer every single email I do read them all.

Kisses,
Heather - enter your details at NenoNatural.com/freeinfo to win

Please check out their blogs too:

That Healthy Feeling in the UK
Curly Shirly in the UK
FroChic in South Africa
Au Curls Naturelle - My Kinky Curly Life
Kurly Kichana in Kenya
Zed Hair from Zambia
The Kinky Apothecary in Nigeria
The Natural Lounge in the UK

How to care for babies and children's hair is a question I have been asked very frequently. It's a large topic but in brief, for children, less is definitely more.

If your child isn't two years old yet I wouldn't worry about poor growth. There's a lot going on in that little body and hair growth isn't a priority. Most of the rules of maintaining a child's hair are the same as those for adults as outlined in the free ebook.

When should you detangle?

Ideally before you start washing the hair, as with adults. Soften the hair with water and a detangler to make it easier.

What shampoo should you use? 

In the first 24 months shampoo is not even necessary unless your child was rolling around in mud. You can wash with water and as the hair grows out and becomes thicker you can start using a light, instant conditioner to keep the hair soft and more manageable.

Be careful about purchasing "no tears" shampoos too! They may be easy on the eyes but some will dry out your baby's hair. Many of these shampoos are no good for black or mixed hair. After 24 months you can introduce a shampoo. Look for a "no tears" shampoo that doesn't use sulfates as a surfactant. 

For a baby/toddler you should look for shampoo that is:

• Light
  
• Moisturising
  
• Sulfate-free 
  

What's the best shampoo schedule for your child?

• Normally, when I bath a baby/toddler I rinse the hair with water every time I give them a bath, i.e. daily. No shampoo needed.
• As the child gets older I wouldn't be too prescriptive. Until the age of about 4 I would wash the hair when it is dirty and co-wash the rest of the time. 
• And for older kids once a week should normally be enough with a mid-week co-wash if necessary.

What's the best type of moisturizer?
Something light and creamy usually provides the best hydration. All-natural shea butters and coconut based moisturizers tend to be the best in my experience.

How should you moisturize?

Depending on what works better on your child's hair use either:
1.  Liquid only if the hair is very fine and naturally quite soft.
Use a very light leave-in conditioner or a light buttery/creamy moisturizer.

"Liquid" includes any light water based leave-in conditioner, detangler or spray moisturizer.

2.  Liquid  then oil.
If '1' doesn't keep the hair hydrated follow with an oil to lock in the moisture. I recommend coconut oil or jojoba for this function or The Junior Edition of our Hair Growth Stimulator.

3.  For thicker hair or hair that dries out easily use either the LOC method or the LCO method. 

Some hair types respond to one better than the other.  

To protect your child's hair from damage I would avoid all the following:

• Relaxer: my personal view is to wait until they're adults, i.e. 13+
  
• Heat: perhaps after the age of 6 you can use heat for special events such as weddings
  
• Colour: similar to relaxer; I would only allow it if your child demands it after the age of 13, maybe even 15+!
  
• Weaves: see the advice on colour.
  

Which products should you use?

Based on reviews I have added a "Children's" category to the Neno Natural Amazon store. I will change the products included there as I learn more about kids' products. I would opt for the cheaper products to see if they work before trying the more pricey stuff. Dilute to make it spread further! Yes, I am cheap. Always have been, always will be, I was brought up that way :)

As with all textures some experimentation is needed before you find the "magic formula"!

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