A SPECIAL BLOG BY OUR CREATIVE COMMS TEAM
On 5th September 2017, Michelle De Leon founded a global day of change, World Afro Day. World Afro Day (WAD) is the celebration of the natural hair of people from Black and Mixed-Race Ethnicities. Its aim is to normalise afros in the public space and in turn, help prevent discrimination based on hair.
WAD promotes education and appreciation for the unique position of afro hair, throughout the world and is a global day of change, education, and celebration of Afro hair, culture, and identity.
In honour of this, our Creative Comms team have delved into their own hair stories, celebrating and sharing the good, the bad, and the relaxed.
Jay Parker
Creative Communications Intern
Jay is of Jamaican and British heritage and lives in the beautiful city of Bristol.
Hair Texture: 3C/4A
Favourite Hair Product: Got2b Glue and my wooden bristle brush.
Favourite Protective Style: Box braids or faux locs.
My Hair Must: Water! Brushing my hair dry should be a sin.
“I have 3C/4A curly coily hair and I used to be indifferent to it growing up. Having straight hair seemed easier to manage so I begged my mum to let me get my hair relaxed when I was about 14, and she let me because she could see how much I wanted it, plus I was a massive emo!
For years after that I had chemically straightened my hair and in all honestly forgot what my natural hair was like. I went through my alternative emo phase pretty swiftly and then decided to cut my hair into a pixie cut when I was about 16. It was still relaxed but the constant upkeep made me notice my natural curls again. When I eventually grew my hair out of the pixie cut - which can I just say, took FOREVER and several seriously bad style choices - I started playing around with weaves and braids. I found that my hair was growing so much faster with these protective styles that I kept having them done every few months. This part of my journey really opened my eyes up to the options I had with my hair as well as making me realise that I didn't have to damage my own hair to achieve the looks that I wanted. From that point on I stopped relaxing my hair and started buying wigs and taking care of my natural hair instead.
Then came the big chop. After several years of growing my relaxer out, the time came to cut off all the dead ends. It was a massive move, I had over half of my length cut off, but the relief I felt being completely natural again was euphoric.
It’s now been 5 years since my last relaxer and my hair is now thriving. I still wear wigs occasionally, but doing that doesn't take away from the love that I have for my natural hair. I cherish the fact that I now have the choice.”
Jay’s Hair Journey
Kat Garoes-Hill
Creative Communications Officer
Kat is of British Namibian Indian heritage and originally comes from the northern multi-cultural city of Bradford.
Hair Texture: 3C
Favourite Hair Product: It's hard to choose one but I would say it's between Bouclème Intensive Moisture Treatment and Afrocenchix Moisture Locking Hair Oil.
Favourite Hair Style: An Afro, medium box braids or a hair scarf.
My Hair Must: Water misting with a tiny bit of curling cream and curling gel.
“I think my hair is around 3C, it’s super curly and high porosity but I only really feel like I learned how to look after it properly and use the right products in my late 20s. When I was younger I thought that my hair needed lots of grease to moisturise it when really afro hair needs lots of water. I spent a lot of time straightening my hair, putting in extensions, or having it braided as a teenager as it seemed to be the fashion at the time. This was probably influenced by the fact that Black and Brown celebrities rarely seemed to wear natural styles. Now I never straighten my hair and wear natural styles or occasional braids!
Growing up in Bradford I had quite a multicultural group of friends, with a variety of different hair textures. I did relax it a few times, but I mainly used GHD’s which really damaged my curl pattern. The few times I wore it out in my early teens I felt self-conscious and would tie it back. My older sister used to braid and cornrow my hair for me a lot too. By the time I got to sixth form and I managed to gain a bit of confidence wearing it natural, it had become really wavy, so when I left Bradford and went to university in Bristol, I had my hair cut into a bob and wore it straight.
By the second year at uni I decided that I would wear my hair curly all of the time, I had dyed it loads of different colours and it had become brittle and frizzy. Ever since then I have made a conscious effort to buy all my hair products from Black-owned businesses and follow guidance for my specific curl type and now my hair is healthy and I am proud to wear it naturally.
Right now I am really happy with my hair and the condition it’s in. I wear it out in an afro every other day, and having big hair often gives me more confidence. I haven’t straightened my hair for ten years and I doubt I will even straighten it again.”
Kat’s Hair Journey
For more info on World Afro Day and how you can get involved, click the button below.