Highbrow Hippie Blog

My friend and client Cleo Wade wrote a new book titled ‘Remember Love - words for tender times’, and I’d like to share a bit about it.I first read an early draft of this book when I was still freshly bruised from a traumatic experience in my life.  There was such an honesty and clarity in her words about heartbreak and friendship.  About feeling loss and finding ourselves again, that I ended up on the floor of her office with the pages in my hands, covered in tears from feeling a release that I clearly needed at the time.

Highbrow Hippie started as a blog in 2012 but our story began long before that.   Our friendship began nearly three decades ago, during our time at Spelman College, when we were sales associates at the same clothing store in Atlanta. As life would have it, we both went our separate ways after school, with Myka heading to Paris for grad school and Kadi heading to the Aveda Institute in NYC and eventually, working at Frederic Fekkai. 

After years of being known as a blonde, right before my summer break I was recently tasked with creating a new hair color for the gorgeous and talented Tori Kelly. The directive from her team was to give her new, deeper brunette some dimension, and a little lift.  When returning to a natural darker color, it’s always important to think of the approach- as going too dark can sometimes dull the hair. The ideal landing place is a happy medium that incorporates lightness and movement, and mimics the nuances that hair would have, if left to its own devices. The goal was to have a mix/blend of Tori’s new and old looks, so she still felt fresh and youthful, and most importantly, like herself.

Although the weather in LA is trying to convince us otherwise, it’s officially summer!  That means, more time spent outdoors, at the beach, in the pool, and in the sun.  All that translates a little more rest and relaxation but also, more wear and tear on your hair. Some of your summer habits can actually be supportive for your hair’s health - but in moderation.  Sunlight can help increase circulation to the scalp, seawater can help nourish the scalp with trace minerals, and we all know about the overall benefits of Vitamin D.

I’m a workaholic to the core. Part nature, part necessity, laziness and doing the bare minimum isn’t in my dna. With a brand currently in a major growth period, I’ve been in grind mode. The downside - my body gets beaten all the way up, and personal time becomes non-existent. As motherhood is the buzzword this week, I may not mother a child, but I sure as hell mother this business, at times sacrificing my physical health.