It’s been about 10 years since I set foot in a salon that works with afro hair in the high street. I live in Brighton, a small coastal city in the UK. If you have afro hair you can probably already guess that salons that have professionals skilled in working with afro hair are hard to come by.

So when I found out about Simon Webster Hair based in the centre of Brighton I was ecstatic. Then lockdown happened and I had to wait a little while longer before trying their services out.

The first time I stepped into the salon for my hair appointment was after the 3rd lockdown, and up to about 2 months back, salons had been closed for almost a year. The salon was buzzing with life, I got a warm welcome in and was offered a drink. A far cry from the streets on Eastham where I’d be haggling for discounts and a slot to get a weave done.

A lot has changed for me over the years, my time is far more valuable, I wear my hair natural and most of all I want my salon experience to feel like a treat not a chore. And this experience certainly did, it surpassed my expectations.

So travelling to London, to haggle for discounts in the streets of Eastham is not on my agenda any longer.

Meet Javi

My hairdresser was Javi, who has a lot of experience working with curly and afro hair. Having lived in Spain, Chile and Argentina, he’s worked with different kinds of curl patterns. He’s seen the trends of straightening blow dries, trained in Deva cut and can shingle 4c curls into it’s beautiful curl pattern.

Trim and Treatment

He made me feel at ease, was very friendly, making the whole experience great. I also had access to digital magazines that I could browse through my phone. I must be honest, I didn’t get to try these as I was busy chatting away to Javi.

He started by trimming my hair, using the deva cut technique. He explained that this is the best technique for curly hair as it means you don’t cut off more hair than you need ( a non scissor happy hairdresser, tick).

What I also noticed, is that it got rid of all the dead hair and knots at the ends, so when he was applying the treatment, he wasn’t snagging and pulling my hair. A couple of other benefits for me, is that I know I can pop in for a quick trim without going for a wash and treatment and it’s environmentally friendly as you aren’t using water or electricity.

Speaking of treatments, I came in asking for hydration, but as he was cutting my hair in its dry natural form, he was able to see what it needed. And so he made up a treatment for moisture repair and bond repair by combining Shu Uemura master serums hydration treatment and Goldwell’s Bond Pro protection serum. If you know about Olaplex, then you know about protein bond repair, Goldwell’s bond pro works in a similar way. It penetrates and protects the hair fibre from within. I named this ‘the Javi magic potion’ because it left my hair so soft and the curls well defined. I basically got 2 treatments in 1.

I opted for a frohawk look for my finished look, which I rocked for a few days after. I will definitely be going back for more of Javi’s magic potion or a dry deva cut trim next time.

Products used:

Treatment- Shu Uemura master serums hydration treatment and Goldwell’s Bond Pro protection serum

Styling- KMS Moist Repair Leave-In Conditioner

Cost: £95.00

The story behind the salon

We also sat down over a glass of wine, to get all the juicy details from Sophie Webster on the story behind the salon. If you are single, get your pen and paper ready to take some notes on landing a date.

The Afro Hair Plug: It’s great to finally catch up after so long. I remember you telling me about the whirlwind romance behind the salon and I know our followers will be interested in your story, as well as the ins and outs of the salon. Shall we start with how you and Simon met?

Sophie: We met 9 years ago, Simon was my hairdresser and I asked him out on a date.

(both laughing)

It was a whirlwind romance, we got married and shortly after, we decided to open our own salon all in the space of 9 months. Simon really wanted it to be in this area (the North Laines, Brighton). It’s where he grew up, his best friend owns a pub a few doors down, it’s a really nice community of small businesses who support each other.

The Afro Hair Plug: We love the salon ethos to include all textures, especially afro hair which is often overlooked and have gender neutral pricing. How did you decide that was how you were going to set up your business?

Sophie: I don’t come from a hairdressing background, so I didn’t even have a question as to whether we would include afro hair, I just thought why not. One evening I was watching a programme with Charlotte Mensah going around different salons in London and being turned away because they didn’t work with afro hair and that’s when I realised that not every stylist is trained. We spoke to all our stylists to find out who would be comfortable working with afro hair should a customer with afro hair walk in and it was a real eye opener for me that a lot of them didn’t get the training at NVQ level. Simon himself, picked up the skills over the years and taught himself how to style afro hair. Simon and I had a frank discussion and we wanted to make sure that we’d always have a stylist that was trained to work with afro hair.

We don’t price based on texture or gender, it’s the time and level of skillset that we charge for. So a hair treatment with a Junior stylist would be priced different to a Senior stylist.

The Afro Hair Plug: What are your plans for the future of SWH?

Sophie: Well, we’ve been asked about expanding, opening more branches following our success with this branch. We did expand our team at one point, but we felt it lost the essence of what Simon Webster Hair is, and so we wound things back to what worked well for us. For now, we are keeping in small, keeping it local and really enjoying the community feel of being a part of North Laines small businesses.

There you have it, our take away from this conversation is if you see something or someone you like, go for it! You can find Simon, Sophie and team in the famous Brighton North Laines. To check out their salon profile head on over to theafrohairplug.com/Simonwebsterhair.

Disclaimer: Please note we paid for all the services and this is an honest review of our experience. We are not being paid or sponsored by any of the brands mentioned.

4C Hair at an award winning high street salon in Brighton was originally published in The Afro Hair Plug on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Seems like only yesterday we were wondering if lockdown would be over in time to take a summer holiday or throw a Halloween party. Now, just like that it’s Christmas. Ouch. Well the big positive here is that if there is one holiday that is perfect to be celebrated without leaving your home it’s this one. So cosy up by the telly, get Mariah on Spotify and pour yourself a very large mug of mulled wine. You’ve earned it. We all have.

On the gift side of things, The Afro Hair plug has got you covered. We’ve put together a few ideas for Christmas gifts and stocking fillers to suit every budget, with vegan products, black founded brands and small businesses you can’t go wrong with. As someone that’s used relaxer, done the wig thing, dabbled in weaves, braids, then transitioned from relaxer to natural and done big chopped, I’ve probably sampled just about everything on the list. So yes that’s right… my 4c hair has seen it all, and I’d like to try and help you save your coin and avoid buying the wrong products. For the beard gang I’ve used the help of the black men in my life to get you some recommendations.

We will also be giving away some of the products on this list. Read on to the end for more details.

10. Shea Moisture — Raw Shea Butter Range

This range helped me through my transition journey from relaxed hair to natural hair. It’s not easy maintaining two very different hair textures with tangling and clumps of inseparable strands, this helped a lot. Go get it for that person in your life trying to embrace their natural hair without cutting off all their relaxed hair.

Cost: £33.00 from Super drug or Boots for the 3 main hair products (shampoo, conditioner and treatment masque)

9. Bouclème Revive 5 Glow

The last six months might have kept us indoors, but this revive 5 glow limited edition will leave your hair and skin radiating like you’d had a full summerly vitamin D fix. They say fake it till you make it, so slap this on and you’ll have everyone wondering where you got that glow. Bouclème is not only black owned but also female owned and this product is 92% natural and vegan. I can’t think of a good reason not to add this to the gift list at such a good price.

Cost: £14.00

8. TressureTress discovery box subscription

The first & largest natural hair product discovery box. The TressureTress discovery box is perfect for those who like to try new products and mix things up. Also I’ll just throw it out there that they’re Black female owned #blackgirlsrock. They were recently running a flight pop up with some amazing products. Missed it? Don’t worry we secured a box with products we’ve hand picked for you that we’ll be giving away. #ReallyI’mtheplug

Cost: The monthly subscription box is £20.00

7. Dizziak Deep Conditioner

Absolutely had to include this one after seeing all the rave reviews it’s been getting. It’s great for a mixed household of hair from types 1 to 4c, to help declutter that bathroom shelf and have a product that works for every one. No mineral oil, no cruelty and vegan oh and did we mention black owned. It’s also winner of Cosmopolitan’s beauty awards in the best hair treatment category. Buy it as a gift and use it as a household (shhh, we won’t tell if you don’t).

Cost: £22.00

6. Aveda- Nutriplenish™ deep moisture hair trio

I knew about Aveda for a long time but never considered it for my hair type. A friend of mine told me about a great experience she’d had at an Aveda salon in Covent Gardens, London and how great the products were. The nutriplenish is a new line that launched this year and another one in the list that works for all hair types. Perfect for these winter months to get hydration back into the hair. This line is part of the Christmas gift guide from Aveda and comes with beautiful packaging and a discounted cost. It’s another vegan and cruelty free one on the list. We’ve got the deep moisture trio which will be part of our give away.

Cost: £35.00 (Worth £46.00)

5. Manketti Hair Oil by Charlotte Mensah

This product is by one of the true pioneers in afro hair styling; Charlotte Mensah. I bought this in the summer and fell in love with the scent. It seals the hair nicely, tames frizz and if you like getting a silk press you’ll want to have this on hand. Feeling generous, throw in the candle from this range which smells absolutely divine.

Cost: from £15.00 to £48.00

4. Dr Bronner lavender pure-castille liquid soap and organic hair crème.

Yes you read that right: Dr Bronner for afro hair. This is a great mother and baby combo. I use Dr Bronner for myself and my daughter’s 4c hair. I’m a minimalist and love a product that is vegan and multi purpose. I use the liquid soap diluted down to wash my hair and body and the same for my daughter. I’ve been using it as a body wash for years, then decided to try it on my hair. I couldn’t believe the amount of slip it gave for me to detangle my natural hair. So I bought the hair crème to try out and it gave my curls amazing definition. I pair this with the Manketti hair oil for a full LOC method on our hair. Look out for this in our Christmas giveaway.

Cost: £9.49 for the hair cream and £2.39 to £20.49 for the liquid soap

3. Natural Hair Loving skinny silk scrunchies

Now you’ve got the perfect hair products, you need a good scrunchy that won’t snag those curls and damage the hair. Natural Hair Loving have some nice silky skinny scrunchies with good stretch that can be used to tie hair up in a bun or high puff, they also feel really soft on your hair. They come in various colours to pick from. This is another black owned one to check out on etsy.

Cost: from £6.00 for 1 to £20.00 for 4.

2. Mr Blackmans Grapefruit & Caramel Tobacco Beard and Aftershave Balm

For the beard gang, this award winning beard and after shave Balm can be used to banish stray frizz and keep stray hairs in place. For the clean shaven this can be used to moisturise and soothe the skin. With ingredients like Coconut, Avocado oils, Shea butter and soothing Aloe Vera you’re good to go. It also contains grapefruit which is my personal favourite fragrance note. A lot of classic scents have grapefruit as it has that unique citrus aroma, think Acqua di Parma Colonia Assoluta eau de cologne or Tom Ford Venetian Bergamot. I’ve bought a few of these as stocking fillers for all the men in my life. Award winning, a bargain price and black owned, need I say more.

Cost: £9.95

1. The ultimate gift of self care- Hair pampering vouchers

With the year we’ve had, I think we all deserve a little self care. Who doesn’t love that feeling of sinking into that salon chair, laying your head back and letting someone else look after your hair. We have a selection of small businesses on www.theafrohairplug.com who sell vouchers or you can prepay for a loved one. These are not just any hairdressers and barbers, they’ve taken the time to train and learn afro hair so they can open their doors to everyone. Imagine you, and your diverse group of friends or family walking into the same salon and getting your hair done, yes it’s possible. That’s what you can do with these stylists.

Give away details

We will be giving away some of the products listed in this gift guide. Look out for posts on Instagram between 1st December to 12 December to enter the competition.

The Christmas gift guide for afro hair and beards to suit every budget was originally published in The Afro Hair Plug on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

On March the 3rd 2020 I was probably working with a 3 week average for the year. If you were to see me at any point up until then, I likely still had a line up. Possibly even a good one. This was about 3 days before I was due to catch a flight to South Africa to see my wife and daughter for the first time in almost 2 months. I knew about the ‘rona. We all did, right? Hand sanitiser was harder to come by than Wagyu beef, and at least one person in your office knew a guy that knew a guy that had passed through Wuhan. Yet it all still felt very abstract in the UK as winter drew to a close. There didn’t seem to be any existential threat and certainly nothing that was going to disrupt my 3 week line up average for the year. I’d be back home with my wife and daughter in 2 weeks, and by then I was foolish enough to be quite sure it would have all blown over.

“When I did step into that barbershop for the first time in 161 days, I had long since acknowledged how wrong I had been about the scale of Covid 19. It wasn’t the ‘rona anymore. We were all on far more formal terms.”

161 days. That’s how long passed until the next time I stepped into a barbershop. My barbershop. In that space of time my daughter learnt to crawl, I changed jobs, social change was demanded in a way not seen for two generations….809,000 people lost their lives to something that supposedly was a hoax. Something that started out as a beer meme. It was still only August. People were still dying, people still even refused to accept this was for real. As far as non existential threats go, it was behaving quite firmly outside of it’s given remit. When I did step into that barbershop for the first time in 161 days, I had long since acknowledged how wrong I had been about the scale of Covid 19. It wasn’t the ‘rona anymore. We were all on far more formal terms. But it wasn’t until I heard the clippers power up, until I took that last moment to muse over caesars and skin fades, that I fully appreciated what this experience meant to me. The world had changed, so the collective bustle and banter of the shop has been replaced by gates, masks and booking apps. It created a distance both social and cultural for black men. The former a necessity, the latter a casualty of such. And here’s the thing, I’d be lying if I said getting a good line up was a priority for a lot of those 161 days.

A good chunk of the time the main priority was keeping my family safe, hoping I still had a job at the end of this and maintaining a decent but non “hoardy” level of toilet paper. But I did miss it, if not for the broader social meaning behind the experience of entering a barbershop, then just for the cut itself. Just to sit back and watch the surgery take place and to walk away knowing that everything I wear fits a little better after a good line up. Every Instagram filter seems to take care of itself, and the brush challenge suddenly makes a lot more sense. A good line-up takes off 5lbs, probably lets you experiment with the rest of your look a little more because who can really argue if your hairline is legit, right? You’re more confident on a zoom call, even if the camera is off, and nobody gets to tell you otherwise.

I’ve been coming to my barbershop for years, for as long as I’ve lived in this city. My older brother was Wayne’s first customer, my younger brother is his most frequent (he has an unbroken 2 week line up average for the last decade). But we live in this city, we know this city. So for us the trust is there, the plug is there. Truth is I’ve been getting the same cut for over 10 years, in fact I’ve been getting the same cut since I shaved off my dreads in the 90s. Maybe one day that’ll change, and maybe the black barbershop will be back as we once knew it. But until then I need to get back down to an average of 3 weeks on the year. So that means only having a good line-up from now until boxing day.

www.theafrohairplug.com

The Barbershop during a Pandemic was originally published in The Afro Hair Plug on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.