Afro haircare specialist launches dedicated hair education programme for foster parents and children.
A Birmingham-based business owner has launched an innovative education programme to increase focus on the specialist needs of black and mixed heritage children within the foster care system.
Untangled has been created by Kameese Davis (pictured front page), afro haircare specialist and founder of afro haircare brand, Nylah Naturals, to help foster carers and social workers support black and mixed heritage children in caring properly for their hair, which is crucial in enabling them to build strong self-esteem.
The six-week programme will be officially launched at a dedicated event being held at Birmingham’s Hallmark Hotel on 13th May 2019, and will focus on helping foster carers develop a clear understanding of how to care for children with afro hair, whilst enabling them to learn a set of skills and tools to pass on to lack and mixed heritage children in their care.
Kameese confirmed: “Having previously worked with and looked after children in various capacities for over eighteen years, including roles as a back-up carer to family members and friends and an intensive Connexions personal advisor working with children who were both within care or were care leavers, I have experienced first-hand the challenges black and mixed heritage children face in knowing how to care for their hair.”
“I am, therefore, delighted to announce the launch of Untangled, a dedicated six-week programme to help foster carers and social workers understand exactly how to care for afro hair, where key lessons can be passed on to children in their care to look after their hair independently as they grow with age.”
Research has shown that black and mixed heritage children are over-represented in the British care system. Conversely, in many areas of the UK there is also a shortage of foster carers who are of the same cultural or ethnic background as children requiring care.
Untangled is the first initiative of its kind, where the comprehensive programme will incorporate insightful lessons from hair professionals and key speakers from the fields of self-love, cultural identity, black hair care, dermatology and trichology, to help Foster Carers and Social Workers fully understand afro haircare.
“The formation of the Untangled project has provided me with the opportunity to merge my wider work experiences with my passion for black hair care and the development of the Nylah Naturals brand, which all unite in my end goal to remove the negative stigmas perpetuated towards afro hair textures,” continued Kameese. “Sadly, I have witnessed and experienced the lack of understanding surrounding afro haircare, but I am certain this new course will really help to demolish the misrepresentation that exists of black hair types.”
Founded by Kameese in 2017 after feeling frustrated with a lack of haircare products for afro hair types with sensitive skin, Nylah Naturals is dedicated to providing safe, gentle and effective hair products and is fast becoming one of the UK’s leading brands for afro haircare.
For more information, visit nylah.co.uk