On Episode 005 of The Texture Talks Podcast, I will be joined by Rahma Suleiman, a healthy hair advocate for Black and Muslim women, to discuss and debate the nuances of Texturism and Cultural Appropriation in our culture.

4c_Hijabi, also known as Rahma, is a passionate advocate for healthy natural haircare within the Black and Muslim community. Healthy haircare practices. Healthy haircare minds set and a healthy understanding of how faith and hair care intersect.

Through her social media content, she aims to empower black and Muslim women by amplifying their voices and giving them access and visibility in the hair care space. She also shares advice on managing type 4 hair, focusing on unique concerns like ghusl and hijab-friendly protective styles. 

Rahma is also a Co- founder of Curls, Coils, and Sisters, a haircare event dedicated to changing the negative narrative of hair care through education. 

Her mission is to inspire women to embrace their natural curls and coils, fostering a community that uplifts and supports each other's haircare journeys.

• What is Texturism?
• Why is Texturism such an important topic?
• Why can't a hairstyle be just a hairstyle?
• The Influence of Western Culture on the Black Community
• The importance of controlling the narrative.
• Cultural Appropriation and how the Likes of Kim Kardashian can help
• Why the Black Community needs to start gatekeeping
• What we can learn from Sister Locs
• Protecting yourself legally from creative plagiarism

Important Moments
- Intro to Topic [1:36]
- Intro to Guest [2:12]
- What is Texturism? [3:21]
- Why Texturism is such an important topic today? [5:20]
- Natural Hair Feeling Like Slavery [7:00]
- Can't A Style Just Be A Style? [08:04]
- Growing Up In Yoruban Culture [12:10]
- Texurism in the Loc Community [14:59]
- Hair Texture Not Always Linked To Race [19:59]
- The Debate of Hair Styling over Hair Health [24:00]
- Kim Kardashian And Cultural Appropriation [27:50]
- Why We Need To Gatekeep [33:02]
- The Sister Locs Example - How To Protect Your Creation [35:18]
- Reviewing the Aztec Braid [35:48]
- Shifting Our Mindset [37:55]
- Final Comments [39:00]
- Rahma Speaking at Curls Coils And Sisters Event [40:34]

Get In Touch With Rahma
- Following on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/4c_hijabi/
- Following on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@4c_hijabi
- Get Tickets To Se Rahma Speak - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/curls-coils-and-sisters-tickets-515699811017
Learn more about The Texture Talks Podcast

https://www.texturetalks.co.uk/

Follow Paige

https://www.instagram.com/paigelewinofficial/

https://www.tiktok.com/@paigelewinofficial

https://www.youtube.com/@paigelewinofficial

Buy my book

https://www.paigelewin.co.uk/book

Shop TT Heat Hats

https://www.teamtexture.co.uk/

WATCH THE EPISODE IN FULL ON YOUTUBE @ TEXTURE TALKS!
On Episode 004 of The Texture Talks Podcast, I will be joined by Erica Liburd, curly hair specialist, owner and founder of curly hair salon, Muse, in Northampton, and co-founder of the Cross-Cultural Curl Collective,  a collective of curly specialists from around the world, educating and training salon owners and hair professionals on how to care, treat and understand not just afro and curly hair but the cultures behind them.

Key topics covered on the episode:

• What the landscape of British Hairdressing was like 30 years ago learning Afro hair
• Explaining the pains and challenges faced by the afro and curly-haired community
• Debating the July 2021 decision to make foundation-level services for curly hair the standard
• Understanding the need for the Cross-Cultural Curl Collective and the goal of the movement 
• What kind of training is available for salon owners and stylists looking to educate themselves on afro and curly hair with the Cross-Cultural Curl Collective
• How our community can help uplift the movement to drive more education across hairdressers in Britain  

Important Moments
- Intro to Guest [1:50]
- Intro to Muse Salon and The Cross-Cultural Curl Collective [2:20]
- Intro to Erica (Why are you a hairdresser?) [3:25]
- Ericas Hairdressing College Career Experience [4:39]
- Becoming An Educator [12:02]
- NOS published a review of British Hairdressing Standards [13:07]
- 2021 Standards Change To Include Afro Hair In British Salons [14:04]
- Worst curly-haired client experiences from other salons  [17:05]
- What started The Cross-Cultural Curl Collective? [20:37]
- What kind of training does the collective offer? [24:32]
- What does the future look like? [29:14]
- Final comments [36:21]
- Ericas advice to professionals [37:13]
- How to contact Erica [40:30]
- Special Announcement! [41:23]
If you liked The Texture Talks Podcast, please support by!
- Liking the podcast
- Subscribing to the podcast
- Leaving a rating and review
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- Submitting ideas for upcoming episodes on www.texturetalks.co.uk

Erica SOCIALS
- Muse Salon https://www.themusesalon.co.uk/
- Following on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/themusecurls/
- Following on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/textureunravelled/

Learn more about The Texture Talks Podcast

https://www.texturetalks.co.uk/

Follow Paige

https://www.instagram.com/paigelewinofficial/

https://www.tiktok.com/@paigelewinofficial

https://www.youtube.com/@paigelewinofficial

Buy my book

https://www.paigelewin.co.uk/book

Shop TT Heat Hats

https://www.teamtexture.co.uk/

WATCH THE EPISODE IN FULL ON YOUTUBE @ TEXTURE TALKS!

On the first half of this episode of Texture Talks, Samantha Stewart, Senior Consultant Trichologist, will be talking to listeners about the truth about relaxers. 

As co-founder of innovative digital trichology start-up, Curl iD, an incredible business offering personalised guidance for the afro and curly haired community, with 29+ years of experience, and a distinction from the Institute of Trichology, Sam holds a wealth of knowledge about the hair, and scalp of the afro and curly haired people, and will be shedding light on a topic that we all know too well...no pun intended.

Key topics covered on the episode:

• What relaxer exactly is, and the correct way to use it
• Understanding the misconception of it being a 'hair straightener'
• Learning the science of corrosion and how this applies to relaxers and our scalp health
• Debating the issues around connecting medical conditions to the use of relaxers
• Why relaxers should never have been sold to consumers in the first place
• How to maintain a relaxer and retain length

The second half of the episode will have Sam answering your biggest challenges directly to give you, our listeners.

She will be answering questions such as

• How can I thicken my naturally thin hair?
• How can I do my treatments correctly?
• What are the long-term effects of bleaching on my scalp?
• How can I retain length once I've had a baby?

Important Moments
1st segment
- Intro to Guest [1:52]
- Intro to Curl iD (The Brand) [4:14]
- Learning about Curl iDs mission [9:01]
- Intro to topic (Relaxers) [10:23]
- What is a relaxer? [11:14]
- What is the correct way to use a Relaxer? [12:03]
- How long is a Relaxer supposed to be left on? [14:40]
- Can Relaxers give us medical conditions like cancer? [18:30]
- Are there any negative impacts to using Relaxers on young children's scalps? [25:05]
- Biggest Advice for people using hair Relaxers. [28:27]
- Why hair is dead [29:34]
- Why you hair can only grow to a certain length [31:08]
- How to get in touch with Sam [34:02]

2nd segment
- Intro to 2nd segment (Answering Listener's Challenges) [34:47]
- First Challenge (How can I thicken my natural hair?) [35:09]
- Second Challenge (What is the proper way to do hair treatments?) [37:48]
- Third Challenge (What are the long-term effects on your health when regularly bleaching your hair?) [39:18]
- Fourth and Last Challenge. (How to retain length after childbirth) [41:53]

Summary of next episode
- Introducing next month's guest [45:50]

Learn more about The Texture Talks Podcast

https://www.texturetalks.co.uk/

Follow Paige

https://www.instagram.com/paigelewinofficial/

https://www.tiktok.com/@paigelewinofficial

https://www.youtube.com/@paigelewinofficial

Buy my book

https://www.paigelewin.co.uk/book

Shop TT Heat Hats

https://www.teamtexture.co.uk/

On this episode of Texture Talks, Patricia Bennett, Mother of the Host joins Paige as a special guest to talk candidly about her hair care experiences over the years from growing up in Jamaica in the 60's to migrating to England in the 80's. From the struggles of her hot comb chronicles and resisting the relaxer to tips on how to manage a curly perm without the headache of grease, Patricia gives listeners honesty, humility and humour in a conversation with her daughter that is not to be missed!

Important Moments
- Growing up in Jamaica [2:43]
- Pressing Comb Experience [4:21]
- Resisting Relaxers [7:05]
- Looking Back At The Curly Perm [8:33]
- Giving In To Relaxer [11:05]
- First Introduction To Wigs and Weaves [11:35]
- The Big Chop [15:15]
- Trying To Get A HairCut At A White Salon [17:44]
- Beginning To Bleach [21:00]
- Mums Worst Salon Experience [27:47]
- The Issue With Self Taught Hair Stylists [35:00]
- Reading Out A Listeners Worst Salon Experience [36:30]
- One Piece Of Advice Mum Would Give Her Younger Self [41:40]
- Special Announcement! [48:03]
- Introducing Episode 003 Special Guest! [48:40]

Follow Patricia (Paige's Mum)

https://www.instagram.com/pleeartist/

Learn more about The Texture Talks Podcast

https://www.texturetalks.co.uk/

Follow Paige

https://www.instagram.com/paigelewinofficial/

https://www.tiktok.com/@paigelewinofficial

https://www.youtube.com/@paigelewinofficial

Buy my book

https://www.paigelewin.co.uk/book

Shop TT Heat Hats

https://www.teamtexture.co.uk/

Episode Summary
As a black woman with Type 4c hair, host, Paige Lewin, has experimented with every hairstyle, from wigs and weaves, to braids, bleach, and various different hair colours. Her hair care journey being so liberal, lead her to seek help, booking hair appointments across a wide spectrum of UK based hair salons. From local black hairdressers to mainstream global chains, Paige talks honestly, and candidly, about her experiences, and the impacts these moments in her life had on her psychologically growing up as a young black woman in Britain with curls, kinks, and coils on her scalp that were seen to be outliers to the standard.

In this episode we will debate
- The impact of seeing straight hair as a beauty standard [10:08]
- Chemical processing the hair of young women [11:09]
- The issue with busy black hairdressers [18:40]
- Psychological impact for black girls in white salons [27:46]

Important Moments
- Why I decided to create Texture Talks [1:20]
- Introduction to topic [5:40]
- My first salon experience [9:27]
- My experience with mainstream "white" salons [26:24]
- How can we make a change [37:11]
- Like and Subscribe, Rate and Review, Share on socials, Submit episode ideas! [40:11]

Resources mentioned in this episode:
Texturizer vs Relaxer [13:40]
- https://www.carmenwalkerhair.com/blog/relaxer-vs-texturizer#:~:text=A%20texturizer%20is%20a%20chemical,your%20natural%20curls%20and%20kinks.
- https://www.byrdie.com/relaxers-vs-texturizers-for-black-hair-400367
- http://www.differencebetween.net/miscellaneous/difference-between-texturizer-and-relaxer/

National Occupational Standards (NOS) changing regulations to cater for afro hair [37:08]
- https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/afro-hair-beauty-regulation-update-b1876956.html
- https://news.sky.com/story/hairdressers-to-learn-how-to-cut-and-style-afro-and-textured-hair-as-standard-12348328

Learn more about The Texture Talks Podcast

https://www.texturetalks.co.uk/

Follow Paige

https://www.instagram.com/paigelewinofficial/

https://www.tiktok.com/@paigelewinofficial

https://www.youtube.com/@paigelewinofficial

Buy my book

https://www.paigelewin.co.uk/book

Shop TT Heat Hats

https://www.teamtexture.co.uk/