NEWS
NEWS
OUR LATEST NEWS & INFORMATION
Toxic Braids: The Consumer Reports Shockwave & What Black Hair Needs Now (Op-Ed)
The recent Consumer Reports study on synthetic hair has delivered unsettling results. Confirming long-held concerns, the study, detailed in Leigh-Ann Jackson’s article, reveals that 100% of the top ten braiding hair brands tested contain harmful VOCs, lead, and carcinogens.
This isn’t just a news flash; it’s a wake-up call. We’ve been here before. The recent natural hair renaissance was driven, in part, by the desire for healthier alternatives after hair relaxers were linked to an increased risk of certain cancers. This new revelation about synthetic braiding hair feels like a betrayal of the hard-won progress we’ve made in embracing our natural hair and cultural styles.
So, where do we go from here?
Hairitage at The Mission Grammer School for Black History Month
In honor of Black History Month, a Boston elementary school is getting a lesson in embracing cultural differences.
Children’s book author Zenda Walker is visiting the young scholars at the Mission Grammar School in Roxbury as part of Black History Month.
She reads to them from her books, “Zara’s Wash Day” and “Zion’s Crown,” books she said are written to educate and inspire young people of color.
“I hope they see themselves in the characters of these books, and I hope that something resonated with them where now they look at their wash day, their days at the barbershops a little differently, and really see that the styles that they wear every day is inspired and has some connection to history that we can all be proud of,” Walker said.
Beyond the Beats: Doechii & The Power of Storytelling
Okay, let’s be real: Doechii isn’t just a rapper, she’s a cultural phenomenon. This Tampa-born artist is absolutely killing it in the hip hop scene right now. When you watch and listen to Doechii, prepare for an experience. Her sound is fluid. It’s like the best of hip hop, spoken word, jazz, and R&B converging into a single, brilliant mind.
Zenda on be Well News 12 with Shannon Lanier
We all know how important our hair is to us. Zenda Walker, the author of “Know Your Hairitage,” talks about how to care for natural hair on News 12 LongIsland
The Latest Hair Revolution: A Celebration of Choice, Not Celebrity
The beauty industry is experiencing yet another revolution, with textured hair care evolving from the celebrity talent pool. Gone are the days of struggling to find products that meet the unique needs of Black and Brown hair. Today, we’re bombarded with an abundance of options, and that’s a cause for celebration, not competition.
How “Inside Out 2” Makes the Case for Culturally Responsive Content: Lessons for Celebrating Hairitage
“Inside Out 2” cleverly highlights how our own childhood anxieties and traumas can sometimes resurface and influence our adult decisions. So, how can an adult with insecurities about their own textured hair empower a child to embrace theirs? The movie, perhaps unintentionally, offers a solution…
I Paid the Cost to be The Boss!
Author, Zenda Walker, shares how investing in her personal and professional brand, helped her to level up.
Three Steps I took to Enhance the Hair Wash Day Experience
This makes Wash Day the best opportunity to bond with our loved-ones and speak life into each other, rather than perpetuate negative sentiments. So how can we change the narrative and continue to uphold the social and emotional health of our community? Here are the three “Ps” that changed the Wash Day routine for me and my daughter, Zara.
Five Steps I took to Grow My Author Brand
If you have been following me on social media, you will know that I have been on quite a journey since self-publishing Zara’s Wash Day in December of 2020. I will never downplay the steps it took to level up as an entrepreneur. I worked hard. I am a divorced mom, who at the time worked a demanding nine-to-five job, homeschooled my daughter during a global pandemic, worked a side hustle hair styling business, and struggled to find a glimpse of time to write my first book. However, the path to securing a multi-book deal with a top-five publisher began with with five attainable steps.
Reclaiming Our Time: Embracing Shrinkage
First, I acknowledge that the stretching, reshaping, shingling, twisting-out, braiding-out, recoiling, and fluffing is our way of experimenting and discovering all texture possibilities especially now that there are so many curl-specific products in the market. However, I can’t help but notice the lengths (pun intended) that we are going through to make highly textured hair more palatable for mainstream audiences. I believe that the over-manipulation of our hair is the manifestation of the lingering psychological effects of colonization.
