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NoScrunchie

Written By Bold Apps - March 13 2014

Do you think the scrunchie will officially make its way back onto the high street? Or are you of the same mind as this brand who state clearly their thoughts on the subject! NoScrunchie is the brainchild of Leillah Sekalala. Leillah was fed up with searching for good Afro salons after moving from Uganda to the UK. She had too many bad experiences in the salons she visited and was underwhelmed with the lack of good stylists equipped to deal with the afro hair market. She spoke about her experiences with friends, family and posted on her social networks and as a result, found so many people going through the same thing. She thought it was time to do something about it. That something was NoScrunchie. The UKs first salon ratings website for Afro hair. Leillah and her co-founder, Alex, worked hard on designing a website that would appeal to her target market and enlisted Online PR UK to help her reach out to them even more. Onthe website, there is a lively forum that covers just about everything and theblog is all about afro hair, tips, tricks, hairstyles, fashion, beauty, health,you name it! They are all over Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter too so make sure you follow them and get involved! They have celebrity endorsements from Shingai Shoniwa, no less AND they have theirvery own empowering meet up where girls get together from either a professional or personal point of view and chat about everything from the natural vs. relaxed debate to being a women in business and their very own personal hair horror stories! Since launching the site in January 2013 NoScrunchie has over 200 reviews and nearl y2000 social media connections. In just 2 months! So there really is a call forthis service in the UK and their lists are growing each day. Why don’t you head over to their website and rate your salon, follow their blog and join them on their social media pages, they have some brilliant competitions and giveaways that you should really not miss! Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | Blog | Website Online PR UK – Online PR and Marketing

About Me

Written By Bold Apps - March 06 2014

Dalilah Baruti

The Founder of Hug My Hair

Me in New York October 2012

I was born in Tanzania and grew up in London. I did not know I was ‘different’ untilI came to the UK aged 5. I was in awe of and completely LOVED European hair, dreamt of it even, the idea of having golden flowing locks sweeping against my back as I ran around the playground really had me on cloud 9. But I'd alwayswake up from this dream and my hair was still shorter than the other girls, it was still blacker than the other girls and it totally defied gravity. I was so excited when I got my first relaxer, I couldn't wait to look like the girl on the box. I was beaming. After about 9 years of attempting to look like the girl on the box, I saw my hair for what it was - damaged, thinning and my hairline was a lot further back than I'd have liked it to be. I decided to cut all my hair off. Mind you, I was 17 and this look was NOT cool. So I exchanged my braids for a headscarf and that's been me ever since.

After 8 years of being natural & wearing my hair in a scarf-bun with big earrings I realised that I had grown to accept that black hair - coily afrohair doesn't grow. My hair appeared to stay the same length for years after reaching my shoulders. In a moment of protest I took to the Internet and started researching hair and its properties and how to get it to grow. I learnt three things 1. Black hair grows just like everybody else’s, but because it's naturally dryand very fragile it breaks off a lot more 2. Our skin is the largest organism on our bodies and it absorbs up to 60% ofwhat we put on it 3. Applying 'Grease' to the hair is not what black hair needs, petroleum basedproducts can block the scalp from breathing and your scalp is like soil, if youdo not cultivate it, nothing is going to want to grow there! So in July 2012 I was on a mission to grow and retain the length of my natural hair -naturally. If my skin was going to swallow what I put on it, I wanted to make sure It would be something I would be happy to eat. I couldn't wait to learn how to retain moisture, rid my shelves of products that contained chemicals and cultivate my scalp so my hair would want to grow. The result was Hug My Hair and I've never looked back. I no longer dream of European hair, I still appreciate its beauty but the difference is that I can see the beauty in mynatural hair too; all I had to do was understand it.

Photo credit: Janine/What Renee Made

I have since created 6 hair butters and Vintage (pictured below) was the first. It contains Lavender and Rosemary Essential oils, Virgin Coconut, VirginAvocado, and Virgin Olive oils - all of which are superior ingredients for thepromotion of hair growth, application of moisture and reduction of dandruff. All my products use unrefined certified organic and fair-trade shea-butter as a main ingredient. The butter seals the moisture in and acts as a natural SPF and barrier, protecting the hair from further damage allowing you to retain length and minimize breakage. I want anyone who has experienced hair-envy to see the beauty in their naturalselves and hug their hair! "Her life improved dramatically when she decided to break the rules, and find beauty where she'd been told [telling herself] there was none."

A Brief Hair-story (By Audrey Annoh-Antwi)

Written By Bold Apps - February 20 2014

Chris Rock tries on a lace front weave for his documentary Good Hair (2009)

My eyes are often surprised by what they encounter on daily commutes. As I become conscious of my surroundings my eyes start to probe my temporary companionsgetting on and off the train. I admire the well groomed, the immaculate and the stylish in equal measure. However when my gaze rests upon women of a similar skin tone to my own I am drawn to something odd atop most of their heads. This common place oddity is the shiny, straight, flowing hair that is not indigenous to people of African/ Afro Caribbean descent. Weave, lace front wigs,extensions and chemically straightened hair have remained the most popular waysfor black women to style their hair. As a black woman who has worn a natural afro for more than a year I am bewildered by the prevalence and preference for artifice. Hair is a biological fact, the texture of which is pre destined by ethnic heritage. However hair is often loaded with a greater significance for women due to the emphasis on a desirable external appearance. My mother has often uttered thewords “a woman’s hair is her beauty”. One thing that has been apparent to me from a young age is that some hair is sold as being more beautiful than others. This so called beautiful hair for most part looks nothing at all like whatgrows out of my scalp. American documentaries like Chris Rock’s Sundance hit, Good Hair and the lesser well known My Nappy Roots: A journey Through BlackHair-itage by Regina Kimbell have made black woman’s complex relationship with their hair a focal point. The conflicts are highlighted as mainly being rooted in America’s history of slavery. Good hair has European characteristics and bad hair is ‘nappy, picky’ and a whole host of other negative adjectives. Listening to the various stories of black British women and their relationship with their hair there was more positive and less political connotations of natural hair and that good hair means ‘healthy and presentable looking’ regardless of texture . But I did find the overall consensus was that straight hair ‘looks nicer and is more manageable’. The so called manageability can come at quite anexpense to the pocket and hair health. The manageability of chemically straightened hair is to some extents a myth. Chemically straightened hairs’ favourite sustenance is money and time. One friend said that “it needs a conditioning treatment every six weeks costing £50 as well as retouching of coarse natural roots every two months at £60.” For alot of young women who favour chemically straightened hair, the expense is not manageable and the consequences associated with poor upkeep can be dire, “once chemicals touch the hair it is a done deal, I will have to cut off the damaged hair and start again”. Braided hair extensions and sewn on weaves do not fare much better having been linked to hair loss and receding hair lines. Unfortunately many women are willing to live with the consequences of following the fashion of long, straight textured hair. The lack of visibility of natural hair textures is an issue. I was asked ‘How many successful black women in the public eye have hair that contains no artificial additions or chemical manipulation?’ Much to my horror the singer/actress Grace Jones and a snippet of a young Diane Abbott (Labour politician) from the 90’s before she was heavily featured on television came to mind and now even she wears her hair straight. I had honestly never thought about the lack of hair like mine in popular media and what this disparity could mean. Slowly but surely change is unfolding before my eyes. As I walk through the streets of London I see black women sporting beautiful dreadlocks, shaved heads and interesting afro styles. I even saw a short news report by the BBC title‘Natural hair revival for black women’ where going natural was touted as being the new fashion. All this fuss about something that happens to grow on yourhead. I would just be pleased if the day comes when hair is just a fact. What are your thoughts?

How porous is your hair?

Written By Bold Apps - February 06 2014

Hair porosity is the ability of the hair to retain and absorb moisture. *Quick porousity test - take a couple of stands of hair from your comb and drop into a bowl of water, let it sit for 2 - 4mins. If your hair floats you have low porosity, if it sinks you have high porousity. Alternatively you can choose a strand of your hair stretch it and run your fingers up and down, if it is bumpy it is a sign that your scales are lifted/broken and you have high porousity. Low Porosity Hair Characteristics & Care Tips:

Healthy looking, shiny, repels moisture when wet, hard to treat chemically as it resists penetration
Stay away from protein rich daily treatments as this can 'sit' on your hair making it look oily and greasy
Protein-free daily humecant treatments such as glycerin (including vegetable glycerin) and honey can benefit your hair by attracting and holding moisture to the hair
Use lighter liquid based products such as hair milks
Emoilients such as coconut oil complement moisturerisers because they are able to penetrate your hair shaft more readily

Medium Porosity Hair Characteristics & Care Tips: Holds styles well, doesn't require much maintenance, can be permed and coloured with predictable results

Do not over process/style this hair as this can cause damage in the long run and increase porosity
The occaisonal deep conditioning treatment with protein rich products can maintain good hair conditions but protein rich products shouldn't be used in your daily hair regimen

High Porosity Hair Characteristics & Care Tips:

Prone to frizz & tangling in humid weather due to capacity and tendency to allow moisture in freely, simply bathing can cause your hair hair strands to swell
Anti humecants (such as beeswax, palm oil, olive oil and shea butter) used in high heat and humid climates allow your hair to retain moisture by adding a protective layer to the shaft and prevents them from absorbig excess moisture from the environment
Protein rich leave in conditioners, moisturisers, sealants/hair butters are your best friend, these fill the gaps in damaged cuticles adding protection from further damage and protects your hair from losing too much moisture

Which category do you fall under? Tell us your hair care regimen

How well do you know your hair?

Written By Bold Apps - January 30 2014

Your hair strands are made up of overlapping protein-based keratin scales that can lift open and seal shut. These scales protect the inner layer of your hair which is called the cortex. The cortex is made of a string of proteins and is what gives hair elasticity and strength, which is why hair that is badly damaged cannot return to its original shape and snaps when stretched.

Damaged hair looks damaged because the scales stand up and outward exposing the cortex, allowing for harmful substances to be deposited, making your hair feel dryer and as a result - harder to brush. Damaged hair is often refered to as porous hair. To obtain the appearance of healthy hair (I use the term appearance here because all hair is dead) it is important to understand two things - how to control the opening and closing of your hair's cuticle layer and how to obtain and maintain the desired level of moisture. One analogy I like is that of a rubber band, how many times can you stretch it and release before it snaps? Its the same with hair strands; when hair is washed water is absorbed through the scales and into the cortex, causing the strand to expand, and when the water evaporates and your hair dries your hair strand contracts. Hair strands can only take so much of this before they snap. It's for this reason that people use pre-poos to protect their cuticle layers during washing and prevent excessive moisture loss. All hair care products are geared towards protecting, maintaining and substituting the cuticle layers of your hair.

hugmyhair

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NoScrunchie

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About Me

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A Brief Hair-story (By Audrey Annoh-Antwi)

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How porous is your hair?

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How well do you know your hair?

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