Highbrow Hippie Blog

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.

Too many of the conversations around wellness are limited. They lack inclusivity, and often, fail to incorporate social determinants into the picture. That’s the truth.Today, we hope you take some time to remember that the heart of true wellness is a commitment to both the wellbeing of one’s self, and the larger community overall.We’ll continue to do our part- joyfully, uniquely, and confidently making room for ourselves, in an industry that doesn’t always. And we will always aim to be, our ancestors wildest dreams.

Towards the end of last year, we posted about our thoughts on wellness, recalibrating our thoughts surrounding the topic.  Why?  Because it’s one of the pillars of our brands so honestly, we’re constantly thinking about it, but also, because our definition of wellness is always changing. Of course, we have a hardline definition - it’s right there on our website, “Health is a state of body, wellness is a state of mind” - but to us, wellness isn’t a static state and there isn’t a singular vision of what it looks like.It’s all about finding what works for you, what makes you feel nourished, whole, and embodied.