Hot Combs, Hallelujahs & Hair Trauma | The Politics of Black Hair in Salons, Schools & Scripture

We’re taking it back to the roots - exploring the stories, struggles, and politics wrapped up in Black hair.

Aiwan opens up about being raised in a Pentecostal church that saw pride and beauty as sin - where dreadlocks were demonised, and even beads were banned. Tamanda reflects on her early obsession with Toni Braxton, the pain of getting her hair chemically straightened, and the complex cocktail of shame, admiration and resistance that came with being the girl with “the good hair.”

Together, we talk about where shame starts, how beauty hierarchies are enforced, and why so many of our earliest hair memories still sting. We share the pain and pride of coming into our own - from church restrictions to Nollywood tropes, from Black queer aesthetic codes to the pressure of salon culture and the silent scabs we’ve picked at school.

Together we ask:

• Who gets to define what’s “good hair”?
• Why are some textures still more ‘acceptable’ than others - even in natural hair spaces?
• What’s really in the products we’ve been putting on our scalps since childhood?
• And what does it look like to reclaim joy, health, and self-expression on our own terms?

This is a conversation about hair. And also a reflection on power, care, and reclamation. From chemical burns and hair-based bullying to Black queer self-discovery and political pride, this episode is a love letter to every Black person navigating their own hair story.

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