Essence Wigs

The Victoria’s Secret Fashion show came back bigger and better than ever!  It was a fantastically colorful night as the Empire State Building lit up pink right before the show. The Victoria’s Secret fashion show has always been a huge symbolic representation of fashion for the brand but past leadership hit the snooze button on the annual showcase ever since the pandemic.  The fashion show is the brand’s premiere event to introduce the season’s hottest undergarments and lingerie. During the show, fans are treated to looks that manage to blend high fashion with fun, flirty and luxurious pieces that are signature to the Victoria’s Secret brand. The 2024 fashion show was an epic event that saw the return of numerous former Victoria Secret Angels both from the far and recent past.  Beauty was clearly on display on the catwalk with eye catching looks that featured lace, fine embroidery, bling and all that’s glitzy and glamourous. There was one feature of the show's beauty theme...

Almost 90% of black women have used a chemical relaxer at some point in their lives; many of whom began using it as children.  Usage of chemical relaxers has posed significant risks to the health of minority women. Women who use chemical relaxers are often unaware of the health conditions that they can introduce.  They have been clinically linked to reproductive disorders, infertility, cancer and other diseases.   A reporter for the New York Times, Linda Villarosa, spent a significant amount of time gathering facts about the health crisis surrounding chemical relaxers.  Through a lens similar to one idealized by black female epidemiologists, Villarosa discovered the well-researched link between the frequent usage of chemical relaxers and uterine cancer in black women.  These chemically-laced relaxers contain ingredients that act as endocrine disrupters which lead to early puberty and cancer in black women. Chemical relaxers have always been aggressively ma...

Isis Gaston bka Ice Spice is the IT Girl of Generation Z.  Like a roaming colorful butterfly, she seemingly came out of thin air and blazed her way onto the rap girl scene.  She’s already formed collaborations with female rap heavy hitter, Nicki Minaj and pop sensation, Taylor Swift only three years in the game.  While briefly attending SUNY Purchase in New York, Ice Spice met and began creating music with her producer friend, Riot (Ephrem Lopez Jr.).  Riot encouraged and motivated her to pursue a rap career and she's since been successful. Ice Spice recently released her debut album, Y2K , on July 26th following the releases of her mixtapes in previous years.  The album contains 10 tracks and is 23 minutes long.  She's since embarked on her first world tour in July.  One thing about Ice Spice is that she knows how to get the crowds moving with her catchy drill and trap bops. Ice Spice has always sported a signature curly afro reminiscent of a ginger h...

Summer is finally in full swing and the temperatures are A-rising.  The bees are buzzing, the birds are chirping and the leavings are dancing.  It's one of the most beautiful seasons of the year.  The warmer the weather the less and less fabric is desired.  Hitting the style reset button is necessary during summer months especially if you're used to braving the cooler weather in heavy frocks and other winter essentials.  Just as one's wardrobe must be appropriate for the season, the choice of hairstyle also matters.  Summer worthy hairstyles should allow the hair and scalp to breathe.  Protective hairstyles and hairpieces should be lightweight without contributing to excess heat generation in the wearer.  Summer is also the time where folks vacation and encounter places and experiences where getting wet is the norm.  Hairstyles worn in water filled settings must be able to withstand high moisture levels.  Crochet units (netted cap) are p...

A Tik Toker went live a few weeks ago to voice her boldly outrageous opinions about natural hair as it relates to femininity, men and beauty.  The woman who goes by the name @theblackshea on Tik Tok probably didn’t realize that her opinions on black women and natural hair would be discussed at such a viral level.  The Tik Toker stated in a video last week that she personally feels prettier wearing straight wigs and extensions that are made with hair from other races.  She even went as far as to admit that she knows that her personal belief about her appearance stems from internalized self-hate.       What Influences Attitudes such as the One TheBlackShea Displayed? One of the most outrageous comments that the Tik Toker made is concerning her belief that black women do not look feminine and pretty with natural hair.  TheBlackShea was honest enough to confirm that her beliefs about her appearance stems from a place of self-hate. View this...

Afro textured hair was often viewed as a cultural and spiritual symbol in ancient African civilizations.  Kinky hair was also seen as a reflection of physical beauty in ancient African circles. The popular R&B song with lyrics, “I am not my hair, I am not this skin, I am not your expectations, no” probably would not have rung true for ancient humans in these circles.  To them, hair was a physical embodiment of who they were and all they hoped to be. Their hair was an outer expression of their social and relationship status in society.  Certain hairstyles reflected age, their connection with the divine as well as the power that was imbued within.     During the historical days of slavery, specific cornrow braid patterns were created by slaves to provide roadmaps that illustrated pathways to freedom (Vargas, 2003).  Those enslaved would use cornrow braids to hide maps and to give directional guidance to other slaves concerning how to escape regions in t...

Country music artists Mickey Guyton, Brittney Spencer and Madeline Edwards performed a rendition of "Love my Hair" at the CMA Awards in 2021.  It is a beautiful song about embracing the hair that we were given and finding freedom through self love and loving one's natural hair.   The song was inspired by Faith Fennidy, a young African American girl who faced hair discrimination while attending school in the south.  She was prohibited from wearing braids in the classroom by the school's principal, who gave her a week to remove them or face expulsion.   Watch as Mickey, Brittney and Madeline perform this iconic and inspirational song while stylishly sporting BIG curls and fros. Lean back and listen to the soothing sounds of these black country music artists:

Brazilian women sure know how to bring the heat, sugar, spice and everything nice.  They’re usually confident, exuberant, and brimming over with passion but there’s something that many love about Brazilian women: their hair!  When one thinks of buying hair, Brazilian is often the first type that comes to mind.  It’s a grade of human hair that can be purchased for wigs or even weaves but who is it named after? Brazilian women of course!                         Brazilian woman wearing big curly crochet style And who could forget about “Brazilian” keratin treatments?!  There’s this fascination that some have with Brazilian hair and it being one of the most coveted types of hair. Brazilian women love curls and there is one trend that is taking Brazilian society by storm.  Big curly vivacious hair is the it girl look in Brazil; it’s a look that we over here at Essence Wigs have been ...