Tag Archives: Ayesha Casely-Hayford

Our hair, we are born with it yet there is so much we do to try and change our natural hair texture, and our hair’s appearance. Antonia Opiah’s Huffington Post article  “The Changing Business of Black Hair”  reported that the black haircare industry is estimated to be worth half a trillion dollars, as …

On 24th January 2017, the Royal School of Speech and Drama will be hosting a special discussion. Attendees will explore the views of actresses and actors from different cultural backgrounds, ages and genders – to compare and contrast what they think about hair and how they deal with their own. This …

What Is The Best Thing About Your Hair? Over the last 12 months, the Afro Archives series looked at how the acting industry is set up and compared experiences of people with different hair textures, ages, genders and cultural backgrounds. In answering the above question, this is what the actors …

Would You Shave off All Your Hair For A Film? This month’s Afro Archives Episode Eleven brought a mixed bag of responses to this question “would you shave off all your hair for a film?”: “I wouldn’t even consider it” – Ketorah Williams “I would do it in a heartbeat”  …

A South African proverb says: “Money can’t talk, but it can make lies look true.” First performed in May 2015 at the Simpkins Lee Theatre in Oxford, With You Always looks at western development investment in the African continent. Inspired by the book entitled ‘Aid, NGOs and the Realities of Women’s Lives: A Perfect …

One of the most recognisable faces on British TV, June Sarpong has strong Ghanaian heritage and was delighted to be the public lead for Superdrug’s Shades of Beauty campaign. If you regularly shop at Superdrug, you may have already noticed a wider choice of products, all due to their new campaign, which aims …

Afro Archives episode 10 asks “Why Go Natural With Your Hair?”  – “It’s important to go natural because it’s who we are…let loose…let ourselves out…just be you” – says actress Alice Fofana. I wanted to ask this question “ Why Go Natural With Your Hair?” for our October release because …

What Do You Do After You’ve Washed Your Hair? Shrinking hair, flexible hair, shiny, soft, fresh, bouncy – leave-in conditioner, no conditioner, blow-dry or shake it and go. Such variety among the actors in Afro Archives episode 9 as they describe what they do after they wash their hair. Washing …

How Do You Take Your Hair To Work? A reveal into the world of extensions and wigs. The fixable practice of hair for beauty and health reasons. I think of this part of the hair experience as being a secret world. You have to know where to go, what to buy, …

Does Your Hair Affect Preparing Character Parts for Auditions? Until now, the women have dominated Afro Archives, we have a lot to say! This topic of preparing character parts was no exception: “You don’t have an office worker with afro hair” is a theme running throughout. In Afro Archives episode …

What Do You Do With Your Hair For Theatre Rehearsals? In the acting world, few hair and make-up professionals know what to do with afro-textured hair. Natural afro hair shrinks. Lighting and even sweat affects afro-textured hair. We wash afro hair less often, in order to protect it because of …

What Do You Hate About Your Hair and Being An Actor? A common view that came out on Afro Archives episode four is that as an actor, our hair is not our own. Changing our hair, means getting new acting headshots. When we walk into the audition room we are …

Afro textured hair can take more care and attention in order to capture a certain look or style. If you’re a performance artist or presenter, then there is a specific challenge when it comes to ‘replicating exactly the same look – over and over’. That issue, and more, are subjects for …