On a Saturday morning in East London, a hair salon was repurposed into a sanctuary of validation and education for black and mixed heritage children in the foster care system.
Saturated with the sounds of hairstyling equipment and energised with the vibrant rhythm of afrobeats, 35 hairstylists worked on children’s hair in professional harmony, as they exchanged tips, traded products and offered each other the occasional helping hand.
In the periphery, foster parents socialised amongst themselves and attentively watched their children’s hair transform, absorbing in new tips and tricks for the maintenance of textured hair.
In a reality where 80 per cent of UK foster parents are white, co-hosts Emiola Lanlehin and Jade Buffong organised the Crowned with Care (C.I.C.) event in recognition of the cultural dissonances surrounding hair which may arise for black and mixed children raised in non-black homes.
In a podcast studio one floor above the scene, the two CEOs took a reprieve from the liveliness to reflect on the space they had created.
23-year-old Lanlehin said: “Being able to pour into their [the children’s] cup with what we have is really important, especially as a black or mixed child, hair is the biggest thing about us and our appearance – it is huge within our culture.”
The hairstylist added: “Even today, I’m like, well, my hair has to be done because I’m going out. Most people wouldn’t say, ‘I’m going to get a haircut because I’m going to an event today’.
“It’s that type of mindset which is deeply ingrained in who we are as people.”
The two entrepreneurs raised nearly £10,000 to offer a full day of free bespoke hairstyling to black and mixed children in the London foster care system, hosted in Stā Studios, a hairdresser salon in Whitechapel.
Foster parents and their children were offered a thorough education on textured hair and all-inclusive goodie boxes brimming with quality hair care products, supported by hair industry giants: namely Lush, Tangle Teezer and Cantu.
Children from the ages of five to 18 were offered a range of hairstyles, from intricate braiding – stitch and jumbo braids being amongst the most popular requests – to barbered fades.
ManeHookup founder Buffong said: “It’s not just about the stylists and the products. It’s about the music, it’s about the food, it’s about them being in a professional salon to have that full experience as they have their hair washed, conditioned and blow dried.”
Mariam, 9, had just finished getting her hair braided when she said: “I got stitch braids, and I feel really happy with it.”
The co-hosts both drew from their respective business experience within the black hair industry to form the building blocks of Crowned with Care.
Recognised by Vogue, Buffong founded ManeHookup to amplify the visibility of hairstylists who shoulder the complex responsibilities of running an independent business – particularly for those who may lack in marketing experience and social media literacy.
Lanlehin, who founded the first C.I.C. event a month prior in Leicester, is the CEO of DOOPs, a platform providing afro-textured hair education and training to foster carers and parents.
While living in Nigeria with her grandparents – who played a prominent role for children in care – Lanlehin recognised the cultural dissonance surrounding hair that black and mixed children can experience when raised in a non-black household.
Lanlehin identified hair as a true “pain-point” for those children, inspiring her to create DOOPs.
The founder said: “A lot has to have happened in your life for you to be in the care system.
“So the reason why I think this is important [C.I.C] is because there’s more than one way to empower someone and even just by making them feel good, making them feel beautiful, is a really huge way of building confidence within these children.”
She added: “I haven’t cried yet today but I think I might.”
Together, the entrepreneurs networked to build the foundations of Crowned with Care: Lanlehin contacted London councils for foster parent directories, and Buffong connected with social care workers through social media platforms, spreading the word via LinkedIn or Whatsapp groups.
To help fund C.I.C, both took to social media to build momentum: with Buffong’s last Instagram post alone generating £3,000 in donations, and catching the attention of Tangle Teezer, who contributed their products in support of the event.
A number of London Boroughs were involved to bring the event into fruition, including but not limited to Camden, Lewisham and Newham.
Rebena, who has been fostering for Camden for 19 years, brought her three children to get their hair done at C.I.C.
She reflected on how the event has streamlined the access to the right hair care and techniques for her children, offering a personalised service that no amount of research on YouTube or Google could offer.
The mother shared that the event taught her how to create protective hairstyles for her daughters and how to effectively blow dry their hair.
She said: “It’s amazing advice and it should have been done sooner. We’re here to provide for our kids, but we didn’t have the knowledge. Now that we do, hopefully it can make us better foster parents.”
Buffong voiced that hair care education is typically inherited via a family structure, and children lacking the appropriate hair care knowledge and resources could end up feeling lost – particularly those who have been exposed to traumatic experiences and may feel more hesitant in articulating their frustrations.
The ManeHookup founder affirmed that the C.I.C. event serves as a community space that fosters a support system – one that acknowledges and validates those feelings of discomfort as entirely justified.
Hairstylist Lanlehin, who is also a professional hair stylist, said: “There was one little boy earlier who was looking at his hair afterwards and he was so excited and so happy.”
Maxine, who has been fostering children for Camden for 13 years, brought her 5 year-old daughter of mixed heritage to the event.
The foster mother expressed relief in the provision of hair stylist- approved products, and through the process, learned to apply more oil to her daughter’s hair and scalp.
Replenish Culture – a business duo offering skincare and hair products to foster children of black and mixed heritage – partnered with C.I.C. to develop goodie boxes filled with quality shampoo, conditioner, durags and bonnets.
Co-founders James Kargbo and Sarah Livingstone – a foster carer for 11 years and Chair of Camden Association – drew into their unique perspectives from working intimately within the social care system and experience designing product boxes to shape the goodie boxes.
Social worker Kargbo said: “They’re made with a lot of love. Me and Sarah have seen children opening them, and seeing their reactions, it’s just really heart-warming.”
Livingstone added: “A little girl who got her hair done opened her box and she was ecstatic opening it up, because it’s a little gift to them saying, ‘we see you and we want to celebrate you’.”
Freelancer hairstylist Sarah Sango who specialises in braids and has worked for Vogue, noted how fulfilling it was to be able to see the children’ s reactions to their hair, and provide an enriching experience for the parents.
Nneka of NaveyahHairCare, who also specialises in braids and stitch braids came across the event via Buffong’s social media post.
She said: “The children’s reactions have been really good. I worked on a really young child, and he had a lot of patience, but he loved his hair. It was really good to see his and the parents’ reaction.”
Nneka added that the event was a valuable experience for the foster carers to see how black hair is styled, and to witness their children’s reactions to receiving professional and appropriate hair care.
Athlete and TedTalk host Buffong reflected on how the event has curated a micro-community and support system for the 35 hairstylists – who are all DBS approved and paid via the fundraiser.
Through her work with ManeHookup, the founder aspires for black hair businesses to generate sustainable wealth which can be transferred within their families and community.
She said: “The narrative at the moment is that being a hairstylist is really hard. Working towards something worthwhile doesn’t necessarily mean it should be easy, but it shouldn’t be painful.
“It shouldn’t be like you’re pouring your everything into it and not getting anything out.”
Lanlehin added that the hairdresser training in the UK education system is severely lacking in textured hair training courses.
She said: “Most black hair stylists are not professionally trained because there is no option to.”
Recognising the trauma which can arise from a bad hair experience, Buffong said: “There’s three things that people really need when it comes to their hair: the right people, the right products and the right education.
“This event in particular is providing all of those three things to the people who need it most.”
Feature image credit: Jade Buffong
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