Hair

From Angela Davis’ ‘fro to Rastafarian dreadlocks; black hairstyles are weighted with the cultural histories and struggles of the liberation of black people. As a black woman, I’ve come to learn that our hair will often be a bone of contention; something to ogle at and discuss at great length. Whether braided or wearing a twist-out, my hair is one...

I stopped chemically straightening my hair 4 years ago. The final release from relaxing addiction came when my friend Zadie Smith said “But if you want to wear it straight you just blow it out, right?”. Zadie is mixed heritage and makes hair wrapping, natural, or a smooth blow-dry look effortless. Of COURSE, I didn’t have to chemically straighten my...

Melissa was one of the many lovely people I met at the Sali Hughes ‘Pretty White Female’ event that Thandie & I were on the panel of at Selfridges in London recently. I was very inspired by meeting so many enthusiastic entrepreneurs, all with a view to expand the beauty market to embrace women of colour as part...

Thandie and I often discuss a particular type of large hair and beauty supply store, usually Asian-run, that seem to be found on the perimeters of most city centres in many of the countries we visit. They’re the jam-packed, no-nonsense kind, with ranges of hair and beauty goods designed especially for ethnic communities who are presently not catered...

We have the pleasure of introducing you to our new features editor Oyin Akande with an inaugural piece on talented young artist Kione Grandison. Whether it is wood, denim, hair or nails, Kiones’ creativity is not limited by materials to mould and paint upon. Oyin has an undergraduate degree in English Language and Literature from King’s College London and is currently...

  As Grace Travis in Season 1 of Rogue I love beauty tips when you’re not expecting them. ‘Happened a few weeks ago when I was in FREEEEZING Toronto shooting the 3rd Season of Rogue. (Kay you’ll love this one.) I’m always apprehensive of working with new hairdressers – for obvious reasons. I never assume someone’s going to know...

Don’t us frizzy-haired gals have a tempestuous relationship with moisture? My fine (Mum), frizzy (Dad) hair is so receptive to the damp stuff that you can judge the humidity of a country within seconds upon landing from my hairline alone. On thandiekay we’ve discussed accepting the frizz, freeing the frizz, managing the frizz, straightening the frizz and wrapping...

Facialist and thandiekay contributor Dija Ayodele looks at how to keep your hair in top condition this winter. My hair and winter have never been the best of buddies, and how successful my mane comes out of the season is always in direct correlation to the amount of time and product investment I make. In the past, finding the...

A salon is a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine the taste and increase the knowledge of the participants through conversation.  Either to please or to educate, salons were commonly associated with French literary and philosophical movements of the 17th and 18th centuries.’  Wikipedia. When you are...

When I was four my mother traumatised me in a way in which I thought I could never forgive her. Tired of my consistent resistance and whinging whenever she attempted to thread my hair she had, unbeknownst to me, decided to cut it all off. The morning of a school trip may I add. Naively I sat in...