Ugly Before it's Pretty: The Evolution of Black Women's Love for Hair Texture and Ourselves, with Pekela Riley

11/11/22 • 84 min

Joining me in this episode, is Pekela Riley.

Artistpreneur, founder of True & Pure Textures natural hair extension line and salon owner of Salon PK (Jacksonville, Florida).

Pekela's artistic aesthetic is supremely creative, edgy & elevated; I would define it as 'texture-futurism'.

She founded the phenomenal True + Pure Texture haircare extension line out of the frustration of women of colour damaging their own natural hair to blend with silky mainstream extensions prevalent in the market.

Through the years of knowing her and her work, I am truly enjoying watching PK have a lifelong, unapologetic love affair with the magic she makes with textured hair.

Here's what we talk about:

Meaning behind her name, Pekela
Her zone of genius
What makes her great at what she does
Her insecurities growing up
Her personal beauty & fashion style
The overlap of being an artist and an entrepreneur
Viewing pivots in business as a "style-shift
How she gets into the zone when creating her artistry
Introvert or extrovert and how it plays in her creations
Managing expectations: "It's ugly before it gets pretty"
Her view on mentorship and the mentors in her head
The reason why she felt bringing True + Pure Texture to the market was necessary
The evolution of Black women's expectations on hair texture: "It's too silky, it's too shiny. We want more of who we are"
What makes True + Pure Texture special: the quality of microtextures
What ethical sourcing looks like for hair extensions
Reversing the taboo of wig-wearing: an extension of our expression
The importance of boundaries & self-care
Got 15 mins: Makeup vs hair
Where to find Pekela @pekalariley and @trueandpuretexture

Rate, review & subscribe on Apple Podcasts.

Follow The Texture Lounge on Instagram here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joining me in this episode, is Pekela Riley.

Artistpreneur, founder of True & Pure Textures natural hair extension line and salon owner of Salon PK (Jacksonville, Florida).

Pekela's artistic aesthetic is supremely creative, edgy & elevated; I would define it as 'texture-futurism'.

Through the years of knowing her and her work, I am truly enjoying watching PK have a lifelong, unapologetic love affair with the magic she makes with textured hair.

Here's what we talk about:

Meaning behind her name, Pekela
Her zone of genius
What makes her great at what she does
Her insecurities growing up
Her personal beauty & fashion style
The overlap of being an artist and an entrepreneur
Viewing pivots in business as a "style-shift
How she gets into the zone when creating her artistry
Introvert or extrovert and how it plays in her creations
Managing expectations: "It's ugly before it gets pretty"
Her view on mentorship and the mentors in her head
The reason why she felt bringing True + Pure Texture to the market was necessary
The evolution of Black women's expectations on hair texture: "It's too silky, it's too shiny. We want more of who we are"
What makes True + Pure Texture special: the quality of microtextures
What ethical sourcing looks like for hair extensions
Reversing the taboo of wig-wearing: an extension of our expression
The importance of boundaries & self-care
Got 15 mins: Makeup vs hair
Where to find Pekela @pekalariley and @trueandpuretexture

Rate, review & subscribe on Apple Podcasts.

Follow The Texture Lounge on Instagram here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

Building Your Business Idea One Brick at a Time with Jihan Thompson, co-founder of Swivel Beauty

It has been quite some time since Jihan Thompson (co-founder of Swivel Beauty) and I connected.

In this episode, Jihan and I chat it up and talk about what it takes to take your idea from a concept to a business.

Here's what else we talk about:

Transitioning from journalism to launch a beauty tech business
Where did the idea of Swivel come from
Pivotal moment when Jihan realized she had to launch the platform
Her experience in the Sephora Accelerate program and its benefits
How procrastination showed up for her and how she overcame them
Biggest learn in the entrepreneurship journey
Leveraging her network to bring Swivel to life
Introvert or extrovert and how it plays in her she runs her business
Tips for emerging entrepreneurs out there
Beauty rituals Jihan maintains today
Her upcoming scheduled beauty appts
Her fave hair/beauty products
Trendwatch: Thoughts on the flurry of celebrities launching beauty brands
Where to find her/Swivel Beauty: @swivelbeauty and swivelbeauty.com

Rate, review & subscribe on Apple Podcasts.

Follow The Texture Lounge on Instagram here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

It's Shea Butter Season; Storytelling Nigerian Beauty Rituals & Ingredients with Abi Oyepitan, co-founder of LIHA Beauty

Joining me in the virtual lounge this episode is Abi Oyepitan, co-founder of British skincare cult brand, LIHA Beauty.

We bonded over many many things: Beauty, being British & Nigerian and our Capricorn tendencies.

Abi is also a x2 Olympic athlete (100 - 200m sprinter) and the creative eye of the brand.

Both founders (Abi & Liha) met at university in 1998 and bonded over their Nigerian heritage and appreciation for good quality shea butter.

One of the many things I love about LIHA Beauty, is how they lean heavily on our Yoruba language, traditional culture and beauty rituals to influence their product naming and positioning.

Here is what we chat about:

Naming a beauty brand after a business partner
Why Abi & Liha came together to launch LIHA Beauty
Abi's biggest learning curve as a business owner: (know your numbers inside out!)
Overcoming her insecurity of being overly humble 24/7
Her most satisfying career moment to date
The influence of Yoruba tradition in LIHA Beauty's positioning
Abi's future vision for LIHA Beauty
Her earliest beauty memories & childhood beauty rituals (shea butter, black soap & dettol!)
The truth and wonders of traditional ose dudu (means "black soap" in Yoruba language)
The difference between traditional Nigerian ose dudu and LIHA Beauty's more moisturizing alternative ose gidi
What to expect from LIHA Beauty's Nigerian (golden) (sourced from Ogun state) and Ghanian (ivory) shea butters.
The million-dollar question: Can shea butter be used directly on the face or not?
All the ways to use these LIHA star products: Idan Oil (multipurpose with tuberose flower) and Orinrin Cleansing Balm (a favourite of mine)
How she pairs gua sha ritual with Orinrin Cleansing Balm
How she fares with setting boundaries
The difficulty of making friends at an older age
The upcoming beauty appointments in her calendar
Find out more about LIHA Beauty: @lihabeauty, www.lihabeauty.com and shop LIHA Beauty online on Thirteen Lune and in JCPenney Stores, if you are in the States.