My Hairstory (in partnership with Amazon)

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Since I was a small child my mother used relaxer on my hair to get rid of my kinky curls so that my hair was easier to ‘manage’ as she explained to me once over the phone when I asked her why she hadn’t let me wear my natural hair as a child. I had been having a bad day because I wished my natural hair was longer, I had been wearing it natural for 4 years and it still looked to the untrained eye like a mini afro, when it was more like an organism that had shrunk into itself like some kind of ancient defence mechanism – in reality when pulled out of this cocoon it was shoulder length. But that particular day I was feeling some envy towards other black women I saw who had been wearing their natural hair from what looked like since birth, because even without being stretched their hair was shoulder length. So I picked up the phone, with feelings of regret swirling around my gut and called my mother up with a slightly hostile plan to question why she sent me to the salon to get my hair done all my life, whether it was to be relaxed, braided, weaved or threaded (a beautiful style I miss that you do not see in the West, it has stayed firmly in West Africa).

Getting your hair done professionally is a sacred tradition in Black culture, and is an intrinsic part of who we are. It is an afforded luxury, one that I have always been given. It is a tradition I deeply respect and even though on that particular day I regretted getting my hair relaxed from such a young age, I realised that it was actually a blessing – to be bestowed the luxury of round the clock professional haircare from the age of 5. As mentioned above I recently stopped using relaxers around 4 years ago and I have not looked back since. If used correctly, relaxing your hair can be harmless fun, a way to give yourself a new look. If used incorrectly though it can become dangerous, not just because of the powerful chemicals used to straighten the hair, but the reasoning behind it can become skewed.

There is now a growing conversation in mainstream black culture as to the reasons why we relax our hair. Is it just for a fun change or is there something more sinister behind it related to shame of our God given hair texture. To be honest I am not quite sure as to the answer to this question when I think about why some mothers choose to relax their children’s hair from such a young age. In my case, I just think my mother sending me to the hairdresser was a gift from her to me, my hair was pretty much always done professionally when I was a child and this trend carried on well into the present.

With the pandemic, this is truly the first time I have consistently done my hair at home without any professional help. I have learned how to cornrow my hair (albeit rather poorly) just for the purpose of wearing wigs when I am not wearing it naturally.

I love wearing wigs. When it comes to wigs I do see it as a fun way to change your look, again linking back to a love of experimentation that our hair texture gives us. We do not wear wigs because we hate our hair texture. It is actually linked directly to a deep love of our hair texture that gives us the freedom to experiment without much damage (if done correctly of course). My goals now for my hair are to grow it past the misleading shrunken afro shown in the picture above. I want a Lion’s mane. Shrunken or not.

Pharaoh Diaries has decided to team up with Amazon to achieve this feat. I want to be able to wear wigs and wear (and grow) my natural hair. I have always shopped my human hair bundles from Amazon because I have found it great quality and affordable at the same time.

9A Body Wave Human Hair Bundles 100% Virgin Brazilian Hair 3 Bundles (20 22 24 Inches) Weave (Click to buy)

Based on this experience, I am going to be shopping my human hair wigs from Amazon as well. Now that I am consistently on social media promoting Pharaoh Diaries, and with it being a fashion and beauty digital magazine and blog, I need to ensure that I am a great representation of my brand and I know that Amazon will help me get my hair game on point. Please see below my favourite wigs from Amazon which I will be rocking in a blog post, Youtube video and social media post on a screen near you soon:

Lace Front Human Hair Wigs, Bleached Knots 150% Denisty 9A Brazilian Straight Lace Front Wigs with Baby Hair Pre Plucked Hairline 22inch (Click to buy)

Lace Front Wigs Deep Wave 100% Human Hair Wigs Pre Plucked 150% Density Unprocessed 9A Brazilian Deep Wave Wig with Baby Hair Natural Color (16 inch, 13×4 Deep wigs) (Click to buy)

Straight Lace Front Wigs Human Hair with Baby Hair Brazilian Virgin Hair 18 Inch 150% Density Pre Plucked 13×4 Swiss Lace Size Part Natural Black Colour (Click to buy)

Blonde 613 Lace Front Wig Human Hair 20 inch 13x4x1 T Part Body Wave Wig Human Hair Middle Part Pre Plucked with Baby Hair (Click to buy)

UNice Hair Silk Base Fake Scalp Ombre Highlight Middle Part Wigs, Brazilian Straight Human Hair T-Part Lace Closure Wig Pre Plucked with Baby Hair 150% Density 24inch (Click to buy)

Short Bob Wigs Brazilian Straight Lace Front Wigs Human Hair 13×4 Lace Front Bob Wigs 150% Density Pre Plucked with Baby Hair (10inch) (Click to buy)

Sdamey T-Part Lace Front Wigs Deep wave Wig Brazilian Virgin Human Hair Wigs 4X1 Lace Closure Wig For Black Women 150% Density Deep Curly Pre Plucked with Baby Hair Natural Color(18 Inch, T-Part Wig)

In our next Hairstory, I will be exploring the ingredients said to help hair grow which yield real life results according to those that have tried them. These ingredients have gone from concoctions you mix at home to convenient haircare products, and this article will be available for paid subscribers only.

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