For many years I’ve been blessed by my friendship with Pamela Ferrell, one of the country’s leading experts on natural Black hair. Pamela and her husband Taalib-Din Uqdah co-founded the Washington, D.C. hair salon Cornrows & Co. in 1980, pioneering the natural hair care movement with African-inspired braids and hairstyles. They point out that their philosophy and the natural product line they created for their styles long predated today’s green movement: Cornrows & Co. has always featured a chemical-free salon with plant-based products, focusing both on protecting each client’s health and using products that are locally made and safe for the earth. Today, using chemical-free products and embracing “natural beauty” have gained traction in many mainstream circles — yet both…

Jump to original: 

Embracing Who You Are