*Prepared for BGLH by Meosha Tall of 1MeNaturally
Introduce yourself!
E: My name is Ebony and I’m from Sydney, Australia! I’m currently a student, but I one day hope to become a fashion editor of a magazine or an actress.
What is the natural hair scene like in Australia?
E: Most of the African girls I’m friends with get their hair braided or wear weaves. I know a few mixed girls however, that leave their hair natural.
When and how did you transition into natural hair?
E: I’ve pretty much always had my hair natural although I did go through a stage where I wanted straight hair more than anything. About 2 years ago I used to straighten it 2-3 times a week despite my family telling me how much prettier I looked with curly hair, and how the heat was ruining my hair. It got to a point where the ends of my hair would no longer curl. By that stage I regretted straightening it so much and wanted my curls more than anything.
After the straight hair stage I decided to start fresh. I cut my hair to my shoulders in order to get rid of all the straight ends and to help it grow back healthy. I promised myself I would embrace my curls and stop straightening my hair. Since then it’s grown back and my hair is healthier than ever.
In what ways (if any) has going natural affected you?
E: Leaving my hair curly and natural ended up being a huge confidence boost. I’m always getting told how cool my hair is and I love that it sets me apart from everyone else. I came to realize there was no point wishing for something else when you can rock what you were already given.
How would you describe your hair?
E: The texture of curls I have would fall under the ‘3b’ category. When I was younger they would have definitely been 3c, but as I’ve gotten older and my hair has gotten longer the curls have loosened. My hair is thick and soft. On occasion my curls are frizzy (usually at the top), but for the most part easy to manage as long as it’s well conditioned. My curls can be both tight and loose depending on the conditioners I use and whether they are blow-dried or dry naturally.
What is your regimen?
E: My hair regimen is pretty straight forward. I wet my hair, put conditioner in it and brush it through everyday. Every 2nd or 3rd day I wash it with both shampoo and conditioner. After that, depending on the weather I let it naturally dry or usually dry the roots and leave the bottom to dry naturally. I know washing your hair and drying it everyday is bad, but it makes it so much easier to style and manage especially for school.
I don’t really have specific products I use. I try lots of different ones. I’ve tried all kinds of salon treatments and leave in conditioners, but none of them have left me impressed. They usually make my curls separate and look thin or spring up and leave my hair looking really short. I try to buy conditioner and shampoo aimed at curly hair and have found that Pantene for curly hair gives me the best result. It makes my curls defined yet maintains the length, and leaves my hair looking really shiny.
How do you retain length and moisture in your hair?
E: For moisture – Minimal heat (straightening, blow drying). Lots of conditioner! For length – Trimming the ends of my hair every few months.
What mistakes have you made with your hair that you’ve learned from?
E: Not to use African Balms in my hair! I tried and ended up having really oily looking hair for ages. My hair isn’t the right texture to take it. Also straightening my hair so much that the ends end up staying straight.
What would you like to see in Australia in terms of hair care?
E: African Australians feeling beautiful and confident without feeling the need to wear a weave, braids, get their hair relaxed, etc.
Is there a blog/webpage where we can find you?
E: eeebony.tumblr.com
52 Responses
There’s a great place to get products for natural and black hair in Australia. It’s called Essence. They even carry products from the USA like Hair Hope Growth Oil.
1461 Centre Rd, Clayton 3168
03 95448605
https://www.ebonyhairexpressions.com.au/
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I LOOOVE THIS SITE. Who knew there were African Australians? I didn’t and now am convinced our beauty resonates all over the globe. I wish mainstream advertising would recognize that and not just bi racial looking but the beautiful dark skin black beauties around the globe.
Her hair is gorgeous. I have the biggest geographical crush on Australia and I will move there one day. I promised myself.
Gorgeous hair mate! Like others have commented, it’s refreshing to learn about naturals from varied parts of the world.
+1
My oh my isn’t she so sweet! Love your style Ebony!
I concur! Beautiful!
This is a nice article. She definitely has the classic Aussie boho-style! I lived in Adelaide Australia earlier this year and I used to get all kinds of strange stares & comments about my hair. Even the Aboriginese wanted to touch it! LOL It wasn’t negative rather curious. I’ve never had so much attention drawn to my wild (auburn colored)blow outs before infact, it actually bothered me when strangers would stare or ask to touch. When I was in Sydney or Melbourne, no one even looked twice but I ended up dyeing it black anyway just to cut back on the stares. It seemed to help.
Also when I had to do the census, I noticed there wasn’t a box for American so I had to put African-Australian. The weird thing about that term is that I feel I have no ties to any African traditions or customs of my ancestors. It’s kinda sad actually. My family has been in the US for so many generations that I would like to just be called American.
You don’t have to select ‘African-American’ on the census. Just put other and write in what you want.
American is not a “race” so therefore, that option is not available.
Pretty young lady and very beautiful hair. I love these post that feature ladies and hair from all over. Very interesting!!
YAY!! I’m in Sydney too studying at UNSW, we should link up 🙂
**love her hair** is what I meant :o)
Love Love her !
Gorgeous hair! Love it.
It’s not a necessarily a bad thing to wash your hair as frequently as you do because if it is working out great for you in the long run then continue on with it. What’s great for you may be bad for someone else and vice versa. Keep up the good work and always do what’s best for you because your hair appears to be very healthy.
I have a lot of relatives living in Australia and I know there are black people there too but rarely do you hear of Africans in Australia regarding natural hair! This post is simply refreshing (just like the other post a few days ago, Marawa’s interview). Her hair is gorgeous.
Simply gorgeous! Her hair seems ridiculously healthy. We have a similar routine, I rinse my hair every day and go through it with my leave-in and cleanse every 2-3 days and have great results so I don’t think any harm is being done. Great pics, will check out her site.
BTW: I’ve heard Aboriginal but never African Australian, really cool to know!
seriously? it’s called globalisation.
You don’t have to attack her… she said she didn’t know… Now she knows.
I find that this sight brings light to a LOT of unknown people, ideas, facts, and things… no need to get up in arms.
i was just expressing my amazement to her small minded view of the world. i am so happy she is enlightened now.
@”Globalisation” you did attack her, and for no good reason. And as for your baseless generalizations, not all American Blacks believe we were the first and last stop in slavery; actually, anyone even MINUTELY educated in Black history knows we weren’t the first stop at all and that more Blacks went to other countries in the Americas than they did to the US.
A simple “African Australians are Africans that migrated or were born in Australia,” would have sufficed but you wanted to be a veritable asshole.
And, as far as I can see, Aboriginees look entirely more “Black” than they do Asian. However, they may be a mixture of the two races from times past, just they way many people from Samoa or Papua New Guinea look like a Black/Asian mix.
Lastly, GLOBALIZATION does NOT refer to racial identities/terms or migration of peoples; it is more ABSTRACT in that it refers to a circulation of ideas, economy and popular themes in culture. You are thinking more of IMMIGRATION, not GLOBALIZATION. Globalization does not account for the relocation of peoples. I should know, one of my Bachelors Degrees is in International Studies: Culture in the Age of Globalization from the University of Wisconsin: Madison.
hahaha ok. that’s what your wikipedia definition tells you, but it is the goal towards an almost borderless society which implies the movement of people to facilitate the circulation of ideas and cultures and popular themes. and i certainly don’t need a degree to tell me that.
and just because you’re dark doesn’t make you black either. they are genuinely dark skinned asian and i’m not talking about islanders either. and yes it’s true aborigines probably originated from africa long time ago, but it’s been so long ago that they’re more linked genetically to asian then they are bantu.
and who are you to regulate what i say or do. i expressed an opinion. hate or love it. i don’t care. you talk about me attacking people, stop attacking me. i didnt do anything to her.
oh and its good to know you’re enlightened about black history month too. good for you 🙂
and you’re taking what i said about ‘immigration’ way out of context – ‘skilled migration and refugee influx’? that was me explaining the increasing black population in australia. i was clearly referring to the use of the term ‘african’ to express a relation to africa and that it is a global theme. my response to annie here was my astonishment to her lack of this understanding towards other black populations derived from africa who live elsewhere.
* my response to annie here was my astonishment to her lack of understanding with regard to the use of this term by OTHER black populations derived from africa who live elsewhere – especially considering she is sooo cultured.
All she said was she didn’t know there were African-Australians. You took that as a jump-off point to attack her. How is she wrong because she didn’t follow Australia’s particular racial immigration patterns???? You sound ridiculous. Do you know all of the races that have settled on EACH continent??? I bet not. So what did you hope to gain by talking down to her?? You gain nothing and you look ignorant. And, you also sound jealous that she is “soooo cultured.”
on another note, what you simply may ‘see’ is not always what ‘is’. one would think someone with your academic history would be able to see such a fallacy
Wow you had a lot to say, but unfornately, the more you write the more apparent it is that you are uneducated and instead of holding up a useful dialogue you “mask” your lack of knowledge and lack of tact by snide remarks that fail to denigrate the opposition.
Black history month eh?? So, bc you are “English” or whatever you propose to be, you are more educated on history than Black Americans? You generalized a country bc you are ignorant. We do read, we DO know our history, and what you know couldn’t fill a tea cup. Obviously.
I am a Ph.D. major at UCLA studying African Diaspora and Afro Descendants in Latin America, I daresay I know Black history and there are many credible academics that would disagree on how Black Aborigines are. Plus, Aborigines are also part of an “Islanders (Torres Strait Islanders) make up.
I didn’t take anything out of context. You said “seriously? it’s called globalisation.” Nowhere did you say “Africans immigrated”—immigration IS NOT GLOBALIZATION! Go get educated on globalization! here is the Stanford definition for you: In popular discourse, globalization often functions as little more than a synonym for one or more of the following phenomena: the pursuit of classical liberal (or “free market”) policies in the world economy (“economic liberalization”), the growing dominance of western (or even American) forms of political, economic, and cultural life (“westernization” or “Americanization”), the proliferation of new information technologies (the “Internet Revolution”), as well as the notion that humanity stands at the threshold of realizing one single unified community in which major sources of social conflict have vanished (“global integration”). Fortunately, recent social theory has formulated a more precise concept of globalization than those typically offered by pundits. Although sharp differences continue to separate participants in the ongoing debate, most contemporary social theorists endorse the view that globalization refers to fundamental changes in the spatial and temporal contours of social existence, according to which the significance of space or territory undergoes shifts in the face of a no less dramatic acceleration in the temporal structure of crucial forms of human activity. Geographical distance is typically measured in time. As the time necessary to connect distinct geographical locations is reduced, distance or space undergoes compression or “annihilation.” The human experience of space is intimately connected to the temporal structure of those activities by means of which we experience space. Changes in the temporality of human activity inevitably generate altered experiences of space or territory.
That means, that bc of increased technological communication, culture is being disseminated over long distances and people have access to those cultures. It does not talk about identities bc of MIGRATION.
You are still a troll, but educating you was good for a laugh. Read a REAL history book and one about manners for that matter.
ha. never said i was English. once again you took what i said out of context. and yes secondly i do know that aborigines are considered to be islanders. HELLO I LIVE IN AUSTRALIA. you know for someone so smart, you’ve completely missed the mark of my posts. i in no way claimed to know more about black history month than black americans – i was responding to the dig made against me for spelling globalisation with an s as opposed to a z – because that’s how it is spelled in UK english – i do live in a commonwealth country, but than again you prob don’t even know what that is. and yet u obviously claim to think you know more about africans in australia than i do. ok whatever rocks your boat, miss phd. and i in no way made reference to slavery in the first damn place. my initial comment, which you clearly seemed to be missing, was about the use of the term – african to express a relation to africa!!! omw! go bak and read my posts.THAT WAS MY MAIN MESSAGE.
you accuse me for generalising a continent because i’m ignorant? honey, the whole point of me commenting in the first place because of the ignorance with regard to africans in australia in this whole post. i was just enlightening people.
and yes, my “what you simply may ‘see’ is not always what ‘is’” was a response to ur : “And, as far as I can see, Aboriginees look entirely more “Black” than they do Asian”. hows that for a generalisation.
ok so i may misconstrued the meaning of ‘globalisation’,thank you for enlightening me.
and im not a troll. being a troll expressly implies that my main intent was to cause chaos or whatever. i’ve actually managed to educate some people, and yes even you. i may have been a bit caustic, but that’s just how i am.
Hey! Thanks for replying to her condescension. Also go badgers! I’m currently a student at u-dub also.
We can lift others up or tear them down. Sadly she choose the latter.
*speaking to moreniqua
I’ve actually lived on 4 different continents, in 8 different countries, speak 4 different languages fluently, am an American married to a foreign national, worked in the foreign service for the State Department, taught English abroad, visited over 30 countries and count hundreds of acquaintances and many good friends from New York to Siberia to Burkina Faso and yes even Australia among my close contacts. I have an intimate knowledge of the breadth and depth of the word “globalization” whether you spell it with a “z” or an “s”. With all of this experience, I’m still not immune to learning something new every day.
I’ll however never for the life of me fathom why mean-spirited people troll otherwise wonderful and inclusive sites such as BGLH to spread acerbic, passive-aggressive toxicity to others engaged in a wholly positive experience. Your goal is to derail not only EVERY single post, thread and meaningful discussion on this site and all others, but to frankly be an ass. I pity you. It’s a shame the mature people on this site too often have thoughtful responses buried under nonsense by the likes of you.
And by the way, I meant I’d never heard the TERM ‘African Australian’ used, as opposed to Aboriginal or modern African immigration.
Hey Annie, my nationality is Ghanaian/Australian. However African girls born here or even just living here are considered to be ‘African-Australian’:)
i don’t see how i am a troll for merely expressing my opinion. i am entitled to that right and whether it’s positive or negative should be of no consequence to you. i am merely highlighting how african ‘americans’ believe they’re the only ones in the whole world, as expressed not only by this Annie but also numerous other commentors below, that use the term ‘african’ to express a relation to africa.
i just so happen to be one of those african australians and i wanted to highlight how people should brighten their horizons and think outside the box for a change; do things outside of the scope of their televisions and facebook changes.
yes i spell globalisation with an s because that’s how it’s spelt in english.
* facebook pages
OK, I’ll bite. I am one of those people who were shocked to hear of African Australians. I didn’t mean those who were born and lived in Africa, I meant black period.
This does not in any way, shape or form mean that I think that America is the end all and be all of blacks (how silly would that be), I was shocked because my girlfriend visited and she said the atmosphere was very hostile to blacks, so much so that she has no plans on visiting again. She is very well traveled and her husband is white and european, so to have her say that stuck with me.
You’re African/Australian? good for you. Instead of being offended, why not enlighten us?! How long have you been down there? What are race relations like in comparison to the US (if you’ve ever visited)? Is there a natural awareness movement like that here in the US?
lol. i was affronted simply because i was called a troll for expressing a contrary opinion.
i find it easier to identify myself as an african australian to express my dual nationality. but even so the ignorance and negative race relations makes it harder for some to identify and me sometimes. i dont consider myself australian in the sense that i hold cultural beliefs or ideologies – i’m australian in every way on paper only. the fact of the matter is i’ll never be australian because im not white and i dont have a problem with that. the said is same for the aboriginals who are also considered black as well. all in all black people those from africa and the aboriginals are given a bad reputation and a lot of it has to do with media portrayals and stereotypes.
yes i live in Oz now and i can say that is it hard – if you’re not white and you’re dark skinned you’re classed as black regardless. but i guess the same applies for minorities everywhere. everyone who isn’t white encounters trouble. australia as a whole is not a tolerant society, no matter how much they say otherwise.
in terms of natural hair, i find as an african myself, growing up there’s always been this perception that we could never grow our hair. i know for me that was the case and the reason we looked to the americans and what they did with their hair, like relaxing and what not, was all done for the sake of length.
considering that, a majority of females are with the weave movement, relaxers and what not. but i honestly cannot speak for every black person in the Oz. i kno and have seen naturals and as a recent natural myself i was one of those girls.
and the black population in australia has grown significantly over the years – due to migration and also the african refugees australia has taken in. i still get the ‘oh it’s another black person!’ excitement. 😛
and by what i mean by dark skinned – anything that isn’t white even if you’re like … brown or like tan or something 😛
you could be indian and be considered black here as well. for those interested, google indians and melbourne. you’ll be enlightened about how nasty race relations here can get. but that being said, as a whole i cannot say that australia is the worst place on earth, it’s just not as tolerant and that takes time and education. there are and will always be good people amidst a sea of adversity, regardless of race, religion and other differences.
Thanks, your experience echos that of my girlfriend.
Regardless of the weave movement, we’re glad that you’re on team natural.
@globalisation,
How are relations between African Australians and Aboriginals? Do they identify with each other? I’ve read that there were tensions between Sudanese refugees and some Aboriginals.
As a Jamaican American, I definitely identify with African Americans, although I recognize that our cultures/histories are very different.
no, generally i can say they do not, of course there will always be exceptions to this rule. there’s actually a lot of animosity between blacks and aborigines. why? i’m not really sure.
but what you makes you and african americans similar is that you have direct origins to africa.
the same cannot be said for aborigines. we’re completely different in that regard. i think a lot of it has to do with australia’s represenation of what ‘black’ is – to australians being black is being american. so from that perspective, a lot of africans are not considered ‘black’ enough, you know? well espcially those who do not conform to those standards.
personally, i feel its more of a hierarchy system. blacks and aborigines are at the bottom of the food chain, and you know at the end of the day, no one wants to be last. refugees and aborigines in australia are given a bad rep for being supported by welfare – people resent that and it resonates quite profoundly.
I agree Annie L. This site is almost becoming like those sites where angry black women just attack other black women who are attempting to have mature discourse.
Also,lack of knowledge of a particular fact does not make one “small-minded”. What a condescending thing to say.
I agree as well! Well-said!
What I love about this site is the diversity. I did not know that there were black Australians either. I wonder if they will showcase any blacks from Ireland or from the Asia Pacific region. That would be cool.
At least French naturals are checked! Ive seen some on the site!
Not regarding African Australian, I’ve met one girl once in Italy and she came from there and I was really surprised because of all that I’ve heard about Australia and racism. To me it’s kind of like Japan where I know that there are very few black folks, but now thanks to ebony& globalisation Im aware!
Well in France the diversity is great, People come
From northern & southern Africa, Asia and the former colonies which became real states in the 1800 such as Guyana, Martinique & Guadeloupe (in the west indies), la Reunion (in the Indian ocean). My parents were born in Martinique.
so thats a bit of the diversity scene in France
And the natural scene is not that extended yet in hexagonal France.
I hope This didn’t bore you or was out of topic
X
I stand corrected, but aren’t the Aborigines similar to the Native Americans, or in the case of the Caribbean, the Caribs and Arawaks? If such is the case, they aren’t of African descent.
no aborigines are not of african descent, in fact they are more asian than anything else genetically speaking. african australians refers to black people from africa, who were either born in australia or who have migrated to australia and are now residents/citizens (kind of like how americans have chinese-americans and such). the black population is due to refugee influx and skilled migration.
Thanks for clarifying the first statement made by Annie L. which seemed to equate Aborigines with Africans – at least my interpretation of it.
You make some interesting points. If I were you I would remind Australians of how the country was first settled i.e. British convicts. I’ll definitely Google the race relations in Melbourne to see what’s happening there as well.
On another note I remember watching a soap opera set in Austrailia (when I lived in Trinidad), and I could have sworn that there were black actors. This was about 25 years ago, so perhaps my memory is fuzzy. Anyway, I do remember the “recent” hoopla with the Olympics concerning one of the athletes, a female Aborigine runner – think she carried the flag and it was the first of such – and more recently the Quantas contest. Some of us on this side of the pond do read. Lol!
LOL! About convict argument. Yep it’s a relevant topic for discussion that’s for sure. But honestly, I don’t let them get me down. I know what I’m doing with my life and where I’m going.
Ah yes, the female you are referring to is Cathy Freeman. I remember watching it on TV while still in Africa.
That aside, Australia’s multicultural development is actually very recent. It’s only been about 30 years since the White Australia policy was abolished. It’s entirely possible you could have seen black actors on TV – whether they were Africans or even Islanders.
And it’s good to know that some of you read on the other side of the pond 😛