Addressing Afro Hair Care Challenges in Wrexham
Growing up as a teenager of mixed heritage in Wrexham during the 1990s, Natalie Edwards recalls the difficulty she faced in finding services or understanding how to care for her afro hair.
More than twenty years later, with two young children of her own, she often finds herself approached by people on the street seeking advice on caring for their children's hair.
Keenly aware that
"hair is part of identity", Natalie has become a key figure behind a series of workshops in north-east Wales aimed at bridging this knowledge and skills gap.
"These workshops are about more than styling, they're about belonging,"she said.
The mother-of-two from Coedpoeth explained that many parents have approached her
"fearing that they were doing the wrong thing"when caring for afro hair.
"It's traumatic if you do it wrong because it hurts and it can be quite frustrating, so people do want that information,"she added.
Reflecting on her own experiences, Natalie shared that when she had braids as a young person, people would frequently ask her for advice, and she would write down phone numbers for them.
She noted that this scenario is common outside major cities
"all across the UK really".
Natalie highlighted that while Wrexham has a small but growing mixed heritage population, access to afro hair care, specialist advice, and culturally relevant spaces remains limited.
This lack of access can impact confidence, wellbeing, and a sense of identity, she emphasized.
"Growing up [and living] in Wrexham for 30-plus years, I know how hard it is to find products, to find knowledge, to find suppliers and I knew it was a gap,"said Natalie.
While afro hair care is included in UK hairdressing course curriculums, it is one of three options from which students must choose two, meaning
"Afro hair learning often becomes that third thing that you aren't taught."
The workshops follow a BBC investigation revealing that some women travel across the UK to find afro hair care services.
The investigation also found that only a third of colleges offering hairdressing courses teach students how to care for afro hair, four years after being instructed to do so.
The Hair and Beauty Industry Authority updated its standards in 2021, mandating that all hairdressers be trained to work with afro-textured hair, which tends to be naturally dry, delicate, and prone to damage.
The BBC contacted 259 colleges across England about their inclusive curriculum; of the 237 that responded, only 82 confirmed they taught afro hair care.
Natalie, who co-founded the community interest company Done Together in 2025, noted that progress has been limited since she first moved to Wrexham, and stressed the importance of people feeling seen, supported, and represented.
She established the social enterprise with four other women from the city—Sian Edwards, Bev Jepson, Amber Percy, and Jayne Rowe—all of whom met while working at Wrexham University.
They decided to organize the workshops in collaboration with local hairdressers Helen Gibson and Lucy Carvalho from the Dare to Dream salon, which specializes in afro hair care.
Done Together secured funding from Adferiad, which administers the Welsh government's culture grants scheme supporting diversity, equality, and inclusion projects.
"Helen got in touch and said that she worked at a hair salon and I'd obviously referenced my hair at some point so she'd come up with the idea,"said Natalie.
The series of five workshops were designed for families and professionals, including one held online, coordinated by Wrexham University's diversity, equality, and inclusion project lead Yasmin Washbrook.
Natalie's mother, Veronica Edwards, who has lived in Wrexham for over 40 years and participated in one of the workshops, expressed her approval of the initiative, noting that afro hair
"is not as well catered for as it could be."
"When I came to college in Wrexham [in the 1970s], it meant going back to the West Midlands [to have my hair done],"said the 71-year-old retired teacher.
"It's been like that for quite a long time really so it's nice to see things being done.
"I still do sometimes go back to the West Midlands because there is a variety there."
Harley Almeida, 21, and his brother Jonah, 11, from Wrexham, also attended one of the workshops.
Musician and DJ Harley said he usually travels to Manchester once a month for hair care due to the limited afro hair services in Wrexham.
Attending a workshop locally was
"a change,"he said, adding that it was
"good for [his brother] to learn."
Anna, a blogger from Penymynydd, Flintshire, attended a workshop with her nine-year-old daughter Noora.
She said it was the first time she had encountered such a workshop and found the information very helpful because her daughter has a different hair type that can become tangled easily.
"I had got some useful information and practical tips to help take care of her hair,"she said.
"It's really nice to see things like this because we don't have that much diversity in the area,"Anna added.
Natalie's daughter Murran, 15, described the workshops as
"very factual and it's good to know because the majority of my family have got curly hair."
"I have got more Caucasian hair like my aunty. My natural hair is looser but I still have to use the same products,"she explained.
Coleg Cambria hair and media make-up student Ruth, 16, from Ruabon, called the workshop
"a good experience."
She said it was
"useful to know how to style afro hair as well."
Willis, 11, also enjoyed the workshop, especially the opportunity to practice afro hair care skills on his mother Natalie, who served as a model during the events.
Natalie described the response to the workshops as
"really lovely."
"It's wonderful to see that we've had friends, grandparents, children, grandchildren and brothers come in,"she said.
"We've had a lady whose children are grown up, but she's thinking about her potential grandchildren. I thought that was lovely as well.
"Another lady came because her goddaughter has afro hair and she wants to know how [to care for it], and I just thought that's absolutely brilliant."
The workshops have also been opened to people in caring roles, including foster carers, nursery workers, and care home workers, who may feel uncertain about afro hair care.
Natalie noted that advice on purchasing hair care products on a budget is also provided, acknowledging that such products can be expensive.
"You're talking about families who can't generally share products either because all the hair is different, so being able to get everybody to share what they use and where they buy it from and any hacks and then hearing from the hairdressers about how to use those products properly, it's just game changing,"she said.
'A real bonding experience'
Reflecting on the positive feedback, Helen Gibson said,
"It's so much more than just hair, it's about identity and bonding with your child.
"We have had people message us and say to us on the day as well what a difference it has made and how helpful they have found it,"she added.
Helen shared that one mother and daughter told her that since attending the workshop, hair care has become
"a real bonding experience"for them.
She also mentioned that some clients had previously been driving to Manchester every few weeks for hair care, which had become
"an inconvenience [for them], rather than something that's enjoyable."
"If I can help one person then I feel happy,"said Lucy Carvalho.
Lucy and Helen aim to make the workshops enjoyable, as afro hair care can otherwise feel like a chore.
The workshop included a quiz and a practical session on making hair care masks from natural ingredients such as avocados, yoghurt, and honey.
"We try to mix education in with hands-on activities because it is something you can get kids involved with,"Helen explained.
She emphasized the goal of empowering people to feel
"control over what happens to their hair."
Natalie said they hope to hold more sessions in the future, subject to funding, and plan to schedule some later in the day to accommodate more professionals, including hairdressers.
She noted that while some hairdressers have attended,
"we didn't have an awful lot of hairdressers, which is sad."
