Common myths about afro hair care have meant that Black people often feel they have to choose between exercise and maintaining ‘good hair’. Hair should never be a barrier to fitness but if, like most Black women, you’re on a strict wash day schedule and the thought of sweat-induced shrinkage is all too terrifying, it can be easy to prioritise your hair to the detriment of your health.
Whatever the reason, neglecting physical health has serious consequences and the pandemic has made us all more aware of the links between working out and mental clarity. It’s important now more than ever that people develop sustainable exercise routines which is why Nike x Charlotte Mensah’s workshop couldn’t have come at a better time.
The workshop was the first of its kind to interactively teach Black women how to manage their hair after exercise. A highly anticipated event, it was attended by women from across the world, proving the influence of Mensah’s work is as far-reaching as her well-groomed tresses.
An experience that was open to Nike members only, began with a beginner friendly run around Kings Cross, guided by Nike Coach Manni Ovola. Once the women were able to release some endorphins, they were invited back into the gym for a weight training session.
The idea to team up with the sportswear brand, Nike, came from stories Mensah had heard from women all her life who struggled to maintain their kinks and coils after exercising.
“The relationship between exercise and women with curly hair textures is something I’ve heard about for years - be it anecdotally in my salon or through my own experience,” she says.
“I remember PE at school and almost all of the black girls not wanting to participate. I remember my daughter’s experiences at school and her reluctance to participate in PE as she got more image conscious.”
A masterclass from the curl expert herself is how the day ended. In this session Mensah offered useful advice and tips and a live demonstration of protective styles women can do, to help them manage their hair on the go. The goal of the session was to demonstrate new techniques women can incorporate into their routine, to help support them on their exercise as well as the confidence boost to get out there and embrace their natural hair.
Throughout the interactive session, women were giving a safe space to discuss their hair care struggles, whilst learning new ways to love and care for their tresses. Mensah was able to show the women that having afro or textured hair doesn’t necessarily mean your hair is more ‘difficult’ to manage, it just requires some extra care which isn’t a bad thing.
Charlotte Mensah has changed what it means to care for natural hair. Her salon located right on the border between two worlds: Notting Hill and Kensal rise, provides a familiar sense of sisterhood, that nostalgic feeling you had as a young child when your aunty braided your hair. It is a place where women can go to have their hair celebrated and cared for, not ‘fixed’ or ‘corrected’.
The first black woman to be inducted into the British Hairdressing Awards Hall of Fame, just so happens to be a mother of two, a successful businesswoman, an internationally proclaimed hairstylist and a philanthropist with an extensive resume - Mensah is the definition of a boss babe, and she does it all with a contagious smile on her face. When asked how she is able to balance it all, she echoes Nike’s trademark slogan “Just Do It”. It’s about enjoying what you do she says and after a two-hour session with Nike, she returns back to her first love where she spends the rest of her evening meeting with clients.
Mensah’s black hair bible, Good Hair, plays on the idea of what ‘good hair’ really means. The title is a nod to what it means to have healthy, luscious locks in a world that sees beauty through a Eurocentric lens.
Good Hair is the essential guide to afro, textured and curly hair for anyone who may not have had access or exposure to the key information they needed whilst growing up. The book explores the history of Afro hair which stems back almost 6,000 years to Mensah’s first hair care duty at aged 13 which birthed her long-standing passion. The handbook combines the traditional techniques of Mensah’s Ghanaian birthright with the Stonebridge Estate swag of her Ladbroke Grove childhood.
Charlotte’s 5 top tips for maintaining healthy natural hair whilst working out:
1. Make sure your hair is away from your face. It is important to keep your hair out of your face when working out, you can put it into bantu knots or a top bun. A sweatband can also be a useful tool to have.
2. Don’t be afraid to sweat. It’s natural and supposed to happen after an intense work out.
3. Regular treatments. If you want your hair to remain nourished, hydrated and moisturised, make sure you go for regular treatments.
4. Don’t forget to get regular trims. A lot of people are walking around with two years of dead hair without realising it.
5. Don’t forget to moisturise! Sweat can make the hair lose moisture so it is important to carry essential oils or leave-in products to hydrate your hair.
