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Self-love and natural hair, the journey and the politics and policing of black women's hair.
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00:00yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
00:04Hey everybody. I'm Corey
00:06editor of essence magazine.
00:08I hope you all enjoying t
00:10weekend as much as I am.
00:12Essence Festival of Cultu
00:14Coca-Cola. We've talked a
00:16inner and outer beauty and
00:18a huge part of it. It's al
00:20of discussion, whether it's
00:22our natural hair or debat
00:24and policies of black wom
00:30curls have been going thru
00:32here to get into this conv
00:34it means to care for your
00:36can impact your crown. So
00:38give a warm welcome to D.
00:42P. G. Scientist Dr. Rolanda
00:44Wilkerson and Chiquita White.
00:46Welcome ladies. Thank you.
00:48Yeah. So Demetria, this firs
00:50question is for you because
00:52I know you and I love you and
00:54I used to work with you and I've
00:56been watching you transition
00:58from the page to the stage, if
01:00you will. So our main and
01:02especially yours and those
01:03beautiful ads that we're seeing
01:05for you for the Pantene Gold
01:06series. I'm curious how how
01:09you and an extension of your inner
01:11and outer beauty, how you feel
01:13about that daily and how does
01:15that relationship with your hair
01:17influence how you show up in a
01:18room, especially those Hollywood
01:19rooms you're in right now. Yeah,
01:21well, I'm very fortunate that I've
01:23had this sort of signature look.
01:25It changes from time to time.
01:26So when I show up in the Hollywood
01:28rooms and know what they're getting,
01:30but I think it's important to
01:31say that I have a really great
01:32relationship with my hair, but it's
01:34one that's been built over time.
01:37Like I've been natural off and on for
01:39about 20 years now. I went natural
01:40for the first time in high school
01:42and it was a very bumpy, rocky
01:44relationship in the beginning.
01:45But over time, I've learned to work
01:47with my hair, embrace my hair as
01:50opposed to working against it.
01:51And we have a much more healthy and loving
01:53relationship at this point.
01:55Dr. Wilkerson, can you tell me about it?
01:57Because I'm curious, you know, both
01:59Dimitri and I are in creative fields, but you're
02:01in the corporate world and science.
02:03How do you show up in the room as in showing
02:05your inner and outer beauty?
02:06For me, hair is very important.
02:09Not only does it help express our beauty,
02:11but it is also what we work on from a research
02:14perspective. I'll have to say I've been natural
02:16for about 13 years and my hair journey has been
02:20most of my life. I was relaxed.
02:22And so for me, as I came into working into hair care,
02:26that's when I really began to love and embrace
02:30and express my hair through my natural journey
02:33and also through working on Gold Series.
02:35It's been an amazing journey and I wouldn't look back.
02:38I love to be able to go from curls out, blow out
02:44if I want to, twist out if I want to.
02:47And so it gives us a chance to rock our hair in so
02:49many different ways and to embrace it.
02:53Chiquita, how do you show up in a room?
02:56Well, I show up like you see me now.
02:59Most of the time, or most of my life, I've been natural.
03:02I had an experience in college where I tried to do what
03:06everybody else did and that didn't work out so good for me.
03:09So I was natural, mostly with straightening my hair
03:13for many years and then actually the pandemic helped me
03:18do curls much more frequently.
03:20Well, thankfully, the Gold Series from Pantene was made
03:23by Black PhD and scientists like Dr. Rolanda and Chiquita White.
03:27And they understand the unique needs of textured hair.
03:30And that's pretty special.
03:32How would having such a wide and custom range of hair products
03:37would have changed your relationship with your hair growing up?
03:41Well, I will say that when I was in college,
03:44the reason why I didn't, I didn't have taken care of my hair
03:47myself before going to college.
03:49And when I went to college and I was faced with doing that,
03:52there weren't products for me in the grocery stores
03:54that were near me.
03:55And having a wide range of products like Gold Series
03:58that's readily available in most places where you shop
04:01would have helped me a lot be able to take care of my hair.
04:04And there's a large enough range.
04:05And regardless of how you want to wear your hair,
04:08we have products to take care of that.
04:10And so that would have helped me immensely.
04:13I 100% agree with Chiquita.
04:14As I mentioned, when my grandmother took me to the hair
04:18the hair store to try, the hair supply store
04:20to try to find products for me,
04:22there obviously was not a lot of selection available
04:26for us to care for our hair.
04:27Now we have that.
04:28And the big push for having that
04:31is because we've lived through it, right?
04:33We've lived through needing it and wanting it.
04:37And so now we have that available
04:38and we have a passionate team of scientists
04:40and engineers behind it.
04:42We're making sure that we're delivering that for us.
04:45Yeah, I mean, when I first went natural,
04:47I was using products that were not made for anyone
04:51with my melanin or anyone definitely with my hair type.
04:55My hair was hard and flaky, but I'd run my fingers in it
04:59and it would flake like dandruff or something,
05:01but it was really just like hard gel falling out of my hair.
05:04My hair looked a hot mess.
05:06It would have made a world of difference
05:07if I had options specifically for my texture of hair.
05:11Same.
05:12I think I used sun in and mousse in my hair thinking,
05:17because thus I went to a mixed school,
05:20but the white girls I were hanging with,
05:22that's what they were using, so I came home and used that.
05:24And my mother was like, you cannot put those products
05:26on your hair, not on your dry hair,
05:28but that's a whole other story.
05:29We won't go there.
05:31Which leads to this next question though, a good segue in.
05:35We know that combating breakage is an important step
05:38in retaining hair length.
05:39So how does the Gold Series factor that in?
05:42And what role does stress play in all of this?
05:46So I'll speak to this a little bit.
05:48I mentioned earlier, breakage is one of the big reasons
05:52why many of us don't see that length.
05:55Our hair grows a little bit slower than, ethnically,
05:59than others, but it's still growth.
06:02So we don't want to say that our hair doesn't grow.
06:05The important part about our hair is because it's coily
06:08and at each twist and bend, there's the uplift of cuticles.
06:12It's inherently drier than naturally straight hair.
06:14And because of that, it needs moisture, it needs protection,
06:19it needs that slip, it needs to have that elasticity
06:22when we're running our fingers through our hair.
06:25So this is why we designed our lineup to be able to deliver that
06:29so that she can and he can realize the length in the hair.
06:34And you won't have to say it's not growing.
06:36You can realize that length because you're taking care of it.
06:39It's not breaking from the tips.
06:41It's not breaking from the roots because it's moisturized and protected.
06:44The other piece is making sure that you have the right ingredients
06:47that can penetrate into the hair to protect it from the inside out.
06:51So all of us have kind of talked about our love,
06:54hate relationship with our hate relationship with our hair.
06:56And now we're all, I think safely in a good space right now.
06:59But is there anything that you want to,
07:02let's discuss though the fact that our hair changes as we age.
07:06Demetria, starting with you, have you noticed a difference there?
07:08And what are some steps that you're taking to repair it?
07:11Not so much, but I will say this about my hair is,
07:16I have many textures on different parts of my hair.
07:19So like in the back, we can have like a wavy, curly situation.
07:22But like in the crown, it's very, what's the word,
07:25I guess coily and kinky in some parts.
07:28And then on the sides, it does what it does.
07:30I'm not really sure how to define that.
07:32So that's something that I've definitely noticed.
07:35I guess maybe it's more defined these days.
07:38That could be me working with my hair more because of the pandemic.
07:41But I see the difference there.
07:43But, you know, I always just make a point to keep my hair super hydrated.
07:47I try my best to just leave alone and not do too much with it.
07:51I think sort of like getting all in your hair and trying 50 million styles
07:54like per week can be a lot of stress on your hair.
07:58But I kind of just like learn to like let it be and like work with it
08:01instead of against it.
08:02It makes the whole process much easier.
08:04Yeah, I figured you were going to ask me and I said, but I have an A.
08:08No, no, no.
08:10I'm only asking because you are the expert.
08:12Yes, I know.
08:13I know.
08:14I would say that as I've gotten older, I think my hair has changed some.
08:19My curl pattern changes a little bit.
08:22It's it's I think my hair is curlier now than it was when I was younger.
08:27And the products have helped me do that.
08:29It might be that I've able to have my curls more defined now because I know
08:34what I'm doing now that I've worked on these products.
08:36So it may not be age.
08:38It just might be I now I'm able to get more curls because I know I know what
08:44to do.
08:45Well, for me, I look back this past year, my hair edges have grayed a lot
08:51more throughout the year and it could be due to stress and it just could be due
08:56to the natural chronological aging.
08:58But for me, it also has had me checking my edges a lot more than ever before.
09:03Not just for the edges, but also looking stress can cause the hair to thin too.
09:08So I was stressed during COVID.
09:10We all went through a lot of stress.
09:12I went through a loss of a family member and I noticed that it was starting to show up on
09:17my hair.
09:18So I began to not only take better care of my hair because we had three kids at home.
09:24It was just a lot going on.
09:26I think a lot of us went through that, but for me it was showing up internally, not necessarily
09:31how I look, but how I was feeling and then also what I was noticing on my hair.
09:35So I started taking better care overall of my hair with our products, being more intentional
09:41about how often because being at home all that time, we weren't always doing what we would
09:45normally do to care for our hair regularly because we weren't leaving the house, as you
09:49mentioned.
09:50So I started becoming more cognizant to do that and then also take better care of myself
09:54so that the stress wouldn't show up on my scalp and my hair.
09:57Now we have a request to talk a little bit more about stress and especially how it shows
10:02up in our hair.
10:07For me, I wonder, you know, Dr. Rolani, you got me thinking because, you know, I actually went
10:10blonde to hide my grays, you know, because like you, I will show you guys, I am graying like
10:16already.
10:17And I'm like, I'm too young to be gray.
10:21But what are some other stress factors that play a role in how our hair and that makes our
10:30hair change?
10:32So I think when you first notice that your hair is breaking because of stress, then I think
10:37you need to think about what products you might use to stop some of that breakage or to repair
10:43the breakage.
10:44And so we have a line of repair products that you can use also that helps seal the moisture
10:49in.
10:50And I think that will help you to alleviate the damage that's created by stress.
10:55So, you know, if you can't avoid it, then you work with it and try to figure out how
11:00to make your hair better or stronger as a result of the stress.
11:06The other thing that hasn't come up, and it's not surprising that it hasn't, is our scalp.
11:12We typically focus a lot on how our hair looks, how our hair feels, and we don't care for our scalp
11:19as regularly as regularly as we should.
11:22Stress shows up on your skin a lot, right?
11:25It can show up on our skin and how our skin looks.
11:27And we see that more on our face.
11:29For example, if we have a breakout, we don't see it on our scalp.
11:34The thing that happens on the scalp is there's oxidative stress.
11:37And that oxidative stress can also cause stress on the hair.
11:40It's so very important for us to not skip scalp care when we're caring for our hair.
11:45So I wanted to just make sure as we think about, you know, our hair growing and we get older,
11:50we get more mature, that shows up on our hair over time.
11:54Not just in the form of grays, but if your scalp is unhealthy and you have a lot of buildup
11:58of products because you haven't thoroughly cleansed your hair and taking care of your scalp,
12:03it's going to cause your hair to be even more unhealthier as the time goes on.
12:07So that's even more unhealthy as the time goes on.
12:10So that's so very important to take care of the scalp.
12:13Are there any stresses that show up particularly different on black skin or black hair versus, you know,
12:19other skin types and hair types?
12:21Oxidative stress happens a lot more on our scalp and our hair because we will prolong hair washes.
12:30And it's not because our hair looks dirty or feels dirty.
12:36It's because we don't feel like it's dirty.
12:39Therefore, we don't feel like we need to wash.
12:40And we also want to retain our hairstyle.
12:42And there is an investment of time when we do our hair.
12:44So there's a lot of factors there.
12:46Because of that, you get more buildup of oil.
12:49That oil breaks down into other components that stresses the scalp too and makes the scalp unhealthy.
12:55And when it just sits there and our hair follicles, you know,
12:58and we add other things like maybe some people grease their scalp.
13:01All of those things, when we're thinking it could help,
13:04can actually make the scalp unhealthy.
13:07And as a result, cause more stress on the scalp and the hair.
13:10And then there's a natural just, you know, you live.
13:12And we naturally all have stress as a part of our life.
13:15Added to that, that can also make the hair unhealthy and emerge thinner over time too.
13:21Have you all seen an increase since the pandemic of people showing up with, you know, stress related hair issues?
13:29Oh yeah, we work with dermatologists, a lot of dermatologists.
13:33And that's one of the things that they've told us.
13:36People coming in and, you know, they were doing a lot of virtual visits,
13:40complaining or concerned about hair thinning and even hair loss due to stress.
13:45And it also depends on what stage the woman is in her life.
13:49You know, like if you're pregnant, she may feel like, oh, my hair is, you know, flourishing and it's growing.
13:55And, you know, she could feel calm or there could be some stress.
13:58But her hair may be at that growth stage.
14:01Once she has that baby, some people have a lot of shedding.
14:05So added to that, life stresses of having a baby.
14:08So there are so many different factors that come into play.
14:11But the most important thing is that we have control over is that we can care for our hair so that it doesn't show up visibly to us.
14:20And that stresses out even more added on top of everything else that we're experiencing.
14:24Moisturizing ingredients such as Argon oil are within Gold Series products.
14:30If we had to choose three products that everyone needs to have from this line, what are your suggestions?
14:35I know, Chiquita, you just gave us yours.
14:37But what about you, Dr. Rolanda?
14:39Well, Chiquita talked about detangling as a condition of step.
14:42I love our line because I can detangle my hair at the shampoo step.
14:47So it's so important for me to use a shampoo that doesn't tangle your hair because that adds extra work at the very end when you're styling.
14:54And it also breaks the hair if you're tangling your hair when you're shampooing it.
14:59So for me, the shampoo is golden.
15:01The conditioner is a must-have, as Chiquita mentioned.
15:04And I just twisted my hair out earlier today.
15:07I used buttercream to help to get that twist, not only to set it, but to kind of get it moisturized.
15:15And then also have that shine when I take it out.
15:17So those three I love.
15:19But I would recommend you look at the lineup and choose the products.
15:22The shampoo conditioner, definitely.
15:24But that third step product, choose it based on the hairstyle that you're looking for and your final finish that you need.
15:30Now, ladies, I know you're a scientist and you love stats.
15:33So tell me, what are the top three things that cause hair breakage?
15:37I'd say the top three reasons why we get hair breakage are stress, fatigue, and not really detangling your hair.
15:44I think those are the top reasons.
15:47Wait, how do you detangle your hair the wrong way?
15:50Like, how do you do it wrong?
15:52Well, you know, some people go from the top of their scalp and start combing.
15:56And then if you look at all the hair that's left in the comb when you do that, that's one way that I would say is the wrong way.
16:04And I've always, you know, my mother told me, start at the bottom, you know, work your way up.
16:08And when you do that, you don't have as much hair left in the brush or the comb from when you're detangling your hair.
16:14So I would say all of that breakage you get when you try to brute force it, that's part of breakage.
16:21I think that's part of what causes breakage.
16:24Now the thing we need to know is those techniques.
16:27What are those products?
16:28You guys have given me, you all have given me your Pantene picks, but what other things are in your drawer that you must need to keep your hair looking fresh?
16:37I always have like a little plastic, not even a little, a big plastic water bottle.
16:42I mix it with the water and conditioner and I spray my hair for my twists out.
16:47I don't always like fully wet it.
16:49And then if I'm just doing my twists and I'm leaving them in, I have one of those, what is the comb with the metal tail?
16:56It keeps like the parts really, really straight.
16:58Metal tail, huh?
16:59Yeah, there we go.
17:00So I have one of those so that when I do my parts and I know I'm going to keep my twists in, I don't want them to look raggedy when I'm out.
17:06I have my parts really straight and really neat, so I use my rat tail comb for that.
17:09I have a detangling comb, one of those that are on the internet and Facebook every time you go on there.
17:15I bought one of those and it really makes a difference.
17:18It helps me to, you know, it works with my products to help me in the shower or out of the shower to tangle my hair.
17:24And that really, it makes a lot of difference.
17:27So that's one thing that I travel with it.
17:30So I would say that's my go-to tool.
17:34I love my detangling brush and our detangling milk.
17:37That is a must have.
17:39And then I also have to shout out the puff cuff.
17:42I will put up my high bun on my head with my curls out.
17:46My bun is my go-to style.
17:48And so I'm able to pull it up.
17:50I can't think of her name.
17:51I think it's Lash.
17:52Her last name is Lash.
17:53She invented the puff cuff and it allows you to get your hair up with minimal damage.
17:58So those are some of my go-to tools.
18:01But before we leave, it's been a joy talking to each of you.
18:06But I want to get your thoughts on what would you, now that you have, you're armed with all this great information about what it takes to have great hair.
18:16We have tons of great products.
18:18Gold Series from Pantene being one.
18:20But what would you tell your younger self about enjoying their hair journey?
18:25Oh, I would tell her be patient.
18:27I think that's probably the biggest thing.
18:29It's like, you know, I cut all my hair off.
18:31I did like a big chop and I went, you know, like all the way down.
18:35Like I was just like, cut everything off.
18:37And then I was like, oh my God, what have I done?
18:39Because like I wasn't familiar with my hair.
18:41I wasn't familiar how to care for my hair with this natural texture, this new texture to me.
18:47I had a lot of experiments.
18:49I've used a lot of bad products.
18:51I did a lot of growing out and breaking off and cutting and all of those things.
18:55And if I just sort of enjoyed the experiment of it all as opposed to, I don't know, trying to make it look like someone else's or be a texture that was different from the one that I have.
19:06I would just enjoy it more.
19:08Be patient with it and enjoy it more.
19:10Yeah, I can agree.
19:11I think I would tell myself to enjoy my hair more.
19:14Even, you know, even from a young girl, enjoy what you have.
19:17You're fortunate.
19:18You're blessed.
19:19You might not be able to do everything everybody else can, but you can do a lot with what you have.
19:24So be grateful for what you have.
19:27Get the right products and enjoy it.
19:30The exact same thing.
19:31And don't stress about it.
19:33It's not worth stressing over it and adding to everything else that you are going to experience and go through and just love it and enjoy it as they said.
19:44So thank you for joining us, Demetria, Dr. Rolanda and Chiquita.
19:48It was an amazing and powerful discussion.
19:50The Essence Festival of Culture presented by Coca-Cola continues after this.
19:54So stay tuned for more exciting conversations.
19:57We'll see you next time.
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