Texture Diaries is a space for Black women across industries to reflect on their journeys to self-love, and how accepting their hair, in all its glory, played a pivotal role in this process. Each week, these women share their favorite hair rituals, products, and the biggest lessons they’ve learned when it comes to affirming their beauty and owning their unique hair texture.
British singer-songwriter Arlissa’s rich voice and vulnerable lyrics offer a sense of warmth in an otherwise difficult time. (Let the opening strings on her single, “Healing,” take you on a ride.) But she’s quick to admit that her musical journey, which began at age 15, has been one of self-actualization. “It’s just been this wacky journey of being in the industry, working with a bunch of people who didn’t get me and then finding myself through all of that,” she tells Vogue on a Zoom call. “My musical journey mirrors the journey of life; people will take you further and further away from who you are. And then it’s your job to try and find out who you are again.”
Her hair journey has a similar theme. “I realized for the first time, only about four years ago, that I have some beautiful hair,” the 28-year-old says, adding that growing up in a predominantly white school had a detrimental effect when it came to her self-confidence. Bad experiences in the hair salon didn’t help either. “I once went to get my split end cut and this woman cut my hair into a bob. And I cried,” Arlissa recalls. She started to feel compelled to straighten it all the time. “I wanted it to be as long as possible. And it wasn’t long anymore and all that stuff. It was my pride and joy,” she says. “I just didn’t realize how much I was conforming to eurocentric beauty standards.” She finally decided to chop her hair into a pixie cut at the beginning of the decade, and let it grow from there.
Today the rising star looks up to Solange for hair inspiration, because “she constantly celebrates Black hair.” When it comes to braided looks, Zoe Kravitz is another star on her moodboard. “But I tried the braids thing, and it didn’t work for me,” Arlissa says with a laugh. To keep her curls healthy, Arlissa is loving Shea Moisture’s Curl Smoothie and Ouidad’s Curl Shaper Shampoo. Her biggest hair secret? “Rice water masks. It makes your hair shiny and grow faster,” she shares.
Arlissa’s debut EP, The Lovers, is due out in February 2021. “The Lovers is my birth tarot card. And I very much liken it to the reason why I’ve done everything in life the way I’ve done it,” she says. “The songs really reflect what I’ve been going through in quarantine,” she details of her upcoming project.
As for any upcoming hair moves? “I feel like one day I’m going to have a buzz cut or something,” she says. “Because, why not? Our hair can do so many magical things. I just can’t even believe that we ever believed otherwise. Our hair is beautiful. It’s so unique. It’s so powerful. You need to celebrate it.”
The post British Singer-Songwriter Arlissa Shares How She Keeps Her Curls Healthy appeared first on Honk Magazine.
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