What is a SKIMDO? It is many things in one: a product, a look and a style treatment for curly hair. It was created by Kimberley Cowans, a woman of Russian and Jamaican heritage who, frustrated with not finding the right products for her hair texture, decided to create her own. The result was SKIMDO,…
Huffington Post: Hair-Raising Conversations
Following another week of hair-related scandals in entertainment and sports, my latest HuffPo article argues that there is more to the black hair conversation than shallowness or self loathing and that as long as black hair aesthetics are part of a complex social structure we should engage with the conversations critically rather than silence them or…
7 essential tips for natural hair
When I posted an article somewhat up against hair weaves some weeks ago, one of my close friends was in a salon getting a weave. In fact she was reading the post as the hair was getting sewn. Later on that night when we met up, I was expecting to see a woman feeling fly off…
Sex, Religion and Hair Weaves
Sex Havelock Ellis, one of the most successful sexologists of the 20th century believed that sexual intercourse between men and women was based on animal courtship which he defined as “the pursuit and conquest of the male”. The female, he said, plays a game where she pretends to resist in order to be caught. He…
The fashion and politics of natural hair
It’s understandable that many of us are tired of talking about hair . There’s so much around this topic. However, I’m not at all exhausted with the hair topic yet. I think we should keep talking about hair because our strands are bearers of shared cultural experiences. I don’t think the hair conversation is about…
A tribute to the black hair conversation
Some people can be emotionally draining. They don’t necessarily mean to be, but their energy somehow manages to soak yours up leaving you drained of flavour like that last scoop of ice cream you’ve had in the freezer for a wee while too long. Recently I had such encounters and instead of feeling less affected…