- 19 hours ago
From the workplace to the television screens, Black women are often criticized and critiqued on how or when they should wear their natural hair. Celebrity stylists Felicia Leatherwood and Kahh Spence unpack the unrealistic beauty standards set by society and which curly trends can we expect to see in Hollywood this year as Black creatives within the industry work to change the narrative.
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00:00Hey, hey, I hope you've been enjoying Essence Festival of Culture.
00:12I am Stephanie Noni Donovan, Vice President of Branded Content, Video, and Experiential here at Essence.
00:19Now, you know we couldn't go any further on Beauty Carnival without talking about hair, right?
00:24So, My Black is Beautiful, and you can't have the culture without the curls and the kink.
00:31Speaking of My Black is Beautiful, the brand we all know and love is one of our sponsors.
00:36So, be sure to follow the conversation on Twitter and Instagram at MBIB and use the hashtag MBIB and My Black is Beautiful to share your My Black is Beautiful story.
00:48So, now you know, in 2021, there are some folks that still haven't gotten the memo that policing Black women's hair is always unacceptable.
00:59Whether it's in boardrooms, C-suites, the big screen, Black women are constantly given unsolicited advice on how and when to wear their natural hair.
01:09The normalization of Eurocentric beauty standards continuously fails to acknowledge the beauty of 4C hair.
01:19But, Black stylists have been doing the work to silence naysayers and ensure that Black hair is positively represented.
01:28So, joining us today, we have two powerhouse stylists.
01:32I'm talking about She's Done Hair for Ava DuVernay, Issa Rae of Insecure, and Megastar Will Smith, Felicia Leatherwood.
01:43Hi, how are you?
01:45I am so happy to get this conversation going.
01:48You know I'm representing for the Curly Girls.
01:50Thank you so much for having me on.
01:53And, also joining us, he's done hair for Kehlani, Cardi B, Ella Mae, Normani, and more.
01:59Everybody say what's up to CosFence.
02:01Hello, how are you?
02:03I am so excited to get into these trends.
02:05Are you guys ready?
02:06Yes.
02:08I love it.
02:09Okay, so, what are some looks that each of you feel really elevated Black hair game in Hollywood?
02:17Felicia, I'd love to start with you.
02:19Elevated Black hair game in Hollywood.
02:22Wow.
02:22I think that when, and I'm going to go back a little bit because people still feel more comfortable now after seeing this.
02:30When Viola Davis showed up on the carpet with the fro, killed it, and the color, and the fro.
02:38And so, I think that that definitely changed the way we look at an afro.
02:44And every time someone in Hollywood wears an afro or natural hairstyle, it really does inspire more women.
02:51But trending right now, it's baby hair, edges.
02:56Can we talk about the baby hair?
02:58Please break that down.
03:00Because I've been waiting, and I'm sorry, I'm going to let Kai talk.
03:03But I've been waiting to talk about it because I need to do mine, right?
03:08And so, the edge slayer.
03:11I've been waiting to talk about it because I wanted to do it before coming on with you all.
03:17But I was like, I think they need to know how well the edge slayer works.
03:21So, while you guys talk, I'm going to do my edges.
03:24Oh, my gosh.
03:25Please.
03:25We got a demo.
03:26We got an interview and a demo all at the same time.
03:29We are hooking you guys up.
03:31All right, Kai, what do you think?
03:32What's the look for you?
03:33I totally agree.
03:34I think baby hairs and edges are something that's, like, super trendy right now.
03:38I will say they are getting a bit outrageous.
03:41Like, you know, sometimes it's a bit too much motion going on on the hairline.
03:46Because I think, like, I've even seen some ladies who will cut their natural hair just a little shorter to get a fuller effect on their hairline, which I think is a bit ridiculous.
03:56But I am liking how women are starting to embrace them more.
03:59Like, I saw Alicia Keys, I believe, at this past award show she went to with the braids, and her edges were out.
04:05I've been seeing them on many different people, and I think they look amazing.
04:08Saweetie is someone who, like, has been wearing hers up and down.
04:13But we got to date it back to, like, Chili in, like, those days.
04:16The girls who really came out the gate really killing it.
04:21I love that.
04:23Okay.
04:23So, Felicia, I am a tutorial.
04:26She's got the finger and the comb.
04:28You know, you got to wear both.
04:30But you should have seen before I actually put this on, because I put a little bit of this on, and I can just lay or slay.
04:40Lay and slay.
04:42Lay and slay my edges.
04:45And my hair, I mean, it's slicked up, y'all.
04:48I just had to tell you, because I was waiting to talk about it.
04:55So, the hair, beautiful.
04:59Put us on.
05:00That's the truth.
05:01I love that.
05:01I love that.
05:02I love that.
05:02So, why don't we dive a little bit deeper, too, on what hair trends you guys are seeing, besides the baby hairs.
05:10Is there any other hair trends that are bubbling currently right now?
05:13Ponytails are really the long ones.
05:18We're talking, like, down to the kneecaps.
05:22I see a lot of women going in with the ponytails.
05:25And I love doing them, because they give you a sleek look.
05:30And it brings up, you know, my mom says, I'm ready for my facelift.
05:35So, when you bring that ponytail up, it just snatches you up.
05:38And it's so slimming on the face.
05:41It's such a clean look.
05:43You can incorporate different types of fabrics into it to go into your outfit.
05:49But, really, I think the ponytail, the long ponytail, is what people are getting into.
05:55I love a ponytail, too, because it's something that a lot of people can do at home.
05:59It's very DIY-friendly, which is really, really great.
06:03Carl, what do you think?
06:04It's so crazy, because most of my clients now, like, that's something I've gotten, like, exceptionally well at.
06:09So, that's what I do all the time now.
06:12Or something else I've been seeing is trending are, like, shorter haircuts, like bobs.
06:15I've been seeing those a lot lately, especially because we're gearing into, like, the summer times.
06:19And I feel like people don't want too much hair around their neck and on their shoulders.
06:23So, something much shorter is working right now.
06:25And I've been seeing that trending.
06:27I love that.
06:28I love that.
06:29Do you guys, we're going to look a little bit into the future and what you can expect that's going to be trending coming up.
06:36What do you guys think hair, black hair, is headed?
06:40Felicia, I'll start with you.
06:42I think that we're going to see more people really getting into coarser textures of hair and acceptance of that.
06:53We're talking about our hair that is a little bit thicker.
06:58If you get into the coats, it's called coily or kinky hair, you know.
07:03But I think that that'll be more empowered.
07:06And, you know, and not to, you know, I'm just going to name drop because this is what I do sometimes.
07:13But one of the things that I love is that My Black is Beautiful, their Golden Milk collection,
07:19they actually have a curl cream for, specifically for curly types and coily, kinky types.
07:27And so, my hair is 4C.
07:29I use it.
07:30And I'm starting to see more women use more creams instead of gels in their hair to keep their texture soft and moisturized.
07:39So, like, when you came on, oh, my God, you look so beautiful with your curly.
07:44It is gorgeous.
07:46And I love seeing women embrace that.
07:48So, I feel like we're going to be able, especially in schools, like, you know, that was the thing.
07:53You couldn't wear your fro to school.
07:55You're blocking everybody from seeing.
07:57It became a thing.
07:58And so, I think that people are starting to accept that afros and textured hair is absolutely gorgeous, no matter what texture.
08:06Yeah.
08:07I love that.
08:08And it really struck a chord to me, too.
08:10It's like, My Black is Beautiful.
08:12This is not a product to change the texture of your hair, but really to celebrate your hair where it is, which I think is absolutely beautiful.
08:21Kyle, what about you?
08:22Where do you see hair trends going?
08:24I do see them going back in time.
08:26So, I feel like styles that were trendier in, like, the 80s and the 90s are starting to roll back in.
08:32And I think progressively they're going to start keeping – they're going to start rolling back in more and more.
08:37Like, they are young ladies who are incorporating the very avant-garde updos and a lot of what they've been doing.
08:43But I feel like, like you said, Felicia, they're going to be in more natural styles.
08:46So, I feel like we'll have, like, a bit of both.
08:49So, we'll have, like, baps, but people more so incorporating their texture versus it feeling so, like, European, for lack of better terms.
08:58Wow.
08:58I love that.
08:59And I really, really look forward to seeing, you know, you know how we show up and show out with these trends.
09:05So, I'm sure there's going to be some really, really interesting looks hitting the gram after people see this panel.
09:11I would love to know.
09:12So, Felicia, they call you the hair whisperer.
09:16So, I'd love to know when creating those statement looks that have elevated Black hair in the industry and off the screen, what is the first ingredient to creating the finished product?
09:30What would you say?
09:31The first thing is product.
09:33Having the right product for the client.
09:37And it always starts there.
09:39Because if you go, I don't know, Kai, have you ever, like, have you ever shown up to do something and you don't have your staple?
09:46And you're like, oh, my God.
09:48And you have to MacGyver a situation.
09:50And it's just not what you, you know, people around you, like, it's beautiful.
09:53But for us, we freak out.
09:54So, for me, it always starts with my product line.
09:59And so, it's about getting the client's hair to really, because hair speaks to us in a way that helps us to cultivate it, to bring out its beauty.
10:13So, there's the product, and there's the styling, and then there's the client.
10:19And the client is what brings it.
10:21Like, the client is what, for me, really makes it shine, the way they wear it.
10:27You have the stylist, too, and the makeup.
10:29Like, it's all such a, like, a corporation of embodying everyone together.
10:37And so, for me, when I create a look, I tend to sit down with the makeup artist, with the stylist, and see what is the client going to be wearing?
10:48What colors?
10:49Like, where are we going?
10:50What kind of style are we doing?
10:52In terms of the hair whisper, that comes in a whole other, this is what people don't know.
10:58They see, like, people on the red carpet and go, oh, my gosh, she creates these beautiful styles.
11:02The hair whisper part is when you sit in my chair, and I'm able to tell you how many cheeseburgers you ate or if you had that last martini or a cup of, you know, or slice of cake or something, you know, because people's scalps go through different things.
11:19And so, I'm able to kind of tell what your lifestyle is, what your diet is, and that's how that hair whisper name came about.
11:28That is fascinating.
11:30I've never heard of anybody knowing if you had an extra martini from your scalp, but that really tells how you care for your hair and yourself is all connected.
11:41It's really incredible.
11:43So, Ka, when you're creating page-turning looks, what is your number one rule of thumb?
11:50So, definitely, like you were saying, just working together and making sure that it's a cohesive effort, because I feel like sometimes we as hairstylists,
11:58sometimes, you know, what the client might want to do to their hair might not be something that works well with wardrobe, and then what wardrobe wants to do might not work well with hair and makeup.
12:09So, for me, I just like to work together to make sure that it's all meshing and they look like one person and not three separate people competing.
12:16And then it's like, I'm confused at, like, who's what, where's this person going, where's that person going, where's that person going?
12:23So, I just like to just work together.
12:24I love that.
12:27So, for both of you, why do you think it's important to continue to push the envelope when it comes to Black hair?
12:34I mean, in the boardroom, at school, on the silver screen, in the entertainment industry?
12:39Felicia, I'll start with you.
12:42Oh, man.
12:43Why is it important?
12:46Well, I'm going to go into this name.
12:52My Black is Beautiful.
12:53That phrase right there, from the day that I ever heard that, empowered me.
13:01And so, to have the name, to have people walking around talking about love your beauty, love your Blackness, love your melanin,
13:12to have hairstyles that reflect the roots and the origin of who we are,
13:18and to have products that help us to cultivate this and to do that self-care with having these products,
13:29we start to now feel like we have something for us.
13:32So, it is extremely important to push the envelope because we're giving back to ourselves.
13:37We're giving ourselves the self-care mentally, emotionally, and physically by doing our hair and using products like My Black is Beautiful.
13:48We're doing the work by going to therapy, you know, taking moments out to just breathe and enjoy the sunshine or the flowers or sit with friends and laugh.
13:59I try to laugh so much now, every chance I get, because that's healing for us.
14:05So, for our people, people of color, we need to bring everything in that is magical and positive
14:13and try to reinforce the love that we should have that we don't feel we're getting anywhere else.
14:19We have to give it to ourselves, and so that's why I want to continue to push the envelope.
14:25Oh, so beautiful, and it really speaks to how our self-acceptance and our love is so connected to our hair.
14:34Kyle, how would you add to that?
14:36I would just say that, like, you know, there are so many young faces, whether they be girls, boys,
14:42who really look up to us and the people they see on TV screens and for them to see themselves represented in such a positive light
14:49and for them to look at a screen and say, wow, like, I, too, can look like my natural self and still make it to this point
14:56is something that's really powerful.
14:58Like, I have little nieces who sit around and say, like, you know, I don't have to be ashamed of my textured hair.
15:03I don't have to look at a movie anymore and see someone with pin straight hair, you know,
15:07a show, the main character might be in their afro and rocking their natural fro, and it's okay to do that.
15:13So I think I definitely want to continue pushing the envelope, like you said,
15:16to just make the younger ones feel like they, too, can achieve this, they, too, can do this,
15:20and they can do whatever they put their minds to.
15:23Oh, I love that, and I hope you guys know this panel, if you're watching right now,
15:30this is a powerhouse hairstylist panel.
15:33They are, they've done hair for the who's who in Hollywood.
15:36I'd love to talk about pushback, right?
15:41Like, what are some of the limitations that you've seen in the beauty room?
15:44Like, I heard you guys say earlier, even, you arrive to set and your tribe's not there,
15:48and it's a problem for you.
15:51What would you say to that, limitations that you've seen,
15:54and then how far have you seen us progress?
15:57Like, what couldn't you do six years ago that now things have kind of evolved and changed?
16:03I'll let Kai start.
16:04Kai, we'll start with you.
16:05So I think this was, like, maybe four years ago, on set of a music video.
16:10And, you know, we like our baby hairs and our edges to kind of do their own thing.
16:15And there was someone on set who noticed that the client's baby hair is just,
16:22I guess she didn't understand it.
16:24And so she kept coming over to me.
16:25She's saying, I'd like for you to fix this.
16:28And I was like, what's the issue?
16:29And she's like, I just don't think it, like, it's appropriate.
16:32And I was confused.
16:34And so I went over to the client.
16:35I'm like, I think we just, we might need to fix your hair.
16:37And she was a little bothered because, you know, it's how she likes to wear her natural hair.
16:42And let's just say I haven't seen that woman since.
16:46But that's been the pushback that I've gotten earlier on because, you know,
16:50they see us and they see us trying to start, oh, a few years ago, we were starting to try
16:56to wear our natural hair more often.
16:58And it was like, hmm, what's this?
17:00This is out of place.
17:01This doesn't look as, like, clean as it could.
17:04And sometimes our hair isn't going to look the cleanest.
17:06Our hair isn't going to look super perfect because our curls go in different directions.
17:11You know, our patterns go different ways.
17:12And it's okay for our hair to do that.
17:14And so I think, you know, over time, it's gotten better, but I've definitely seen a lot
17:19of interesting things.
17:22Wow.
17:23Felicia, what would you say to that?
17:25I think, so I have a management company and I rep other hairstylists and makeup artists
17:32in various locations.
17:35And one thing I can say, and I've been in this business for a while, the pushback would
17:39be the valuing of black hair, makeup, and wardrobe stylists.
17:44I think financially, well, I know, not I think.
17:49I know that the rates are different for us and it's always a fight, you know, even, you
17:57know, if you have an agent and they're fighting for you, like if you're a stylist and you have,
18:03they're fighting for you.
18:04And so I feel like the pushback is just really the valuing because we go hard.
18:10When you see our people come down the carpet, we put work in, like really did.
18:16And so I think that that is definitely something to be valued.
18:21And hopefully in the future, we'll have more award ceremonies that are of value to show
18:29or to really support hairstylists, makeup artists, wardrobe stylists that have put in so much
18:35work and so that people can see who's behind all these looks, you know.
18:40But thank you for doing this.
18:44In essence, in My Black is Beautiful, for having someone like me on so that people understand
18:50that it's not just we're waving a wand and this look comes together.
18:55It's definitely a group effort.
18:57It's the teamwork, you know, the dream work makes the teamwork or vice versa.
19:03Oh, so beautiful.
19:04And thank you guys so much for joining us and spreading your knowledge here to our Beauty
19:09Carnival audience.
19:11I'd love for you guys to let people know if they wanted to follow you and see some of
19:15this amazing work that you are doing.
19:17Where can they find you?
19:18Kyle, we'll start with you.
19:20You can find me on all social platforms, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok,
19:26at Cospence, probably somewhere right here.
19:29And that's it.
19:30Cute.
19:31Felicia?
19:32And he's so modest because you can Google him.
19:35Google both of you.
19:38You can find me on Instagram at lovingyourhair.
19:42And you can Google me.
19:44I also have a website, FeliciaLeatherwood.com.
19:48And you can always, if you're doing something really cute and you're using my black is
19:53beautiful products, please tag me and tag my black is beautiful and hashtag MBIB.
20:00I want to see what you guys are doing with the air.
20:04Absolutely.
20:04And can you please hold up that edge gel one more time?
20:07I need to see.
20:08I got to get the other side now.
20:13Make sure you check this out.
20:16Oh, edge slayer.
20:17All right.
20:18Running to the store right after this.
20:20Thank you guys so much for joining us.
20:22Really excited to see what's to come from both of you.
20:25Now, of course, for more on this conversation and to share your own story, be sure to follow
20:31the hashtag MyBlackIsBeautiful on Twitter and Instagram.
20:35Also, stay with us.
20:37We have another conversation coming up on Essence Festival of Culture presented by Coca-Cola.
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