What if you had a waterproof headscarf that was actually cute every time you went swimming?
Black Enterprise recently reported a story about a new invention that would help us keep our hair safe and covered while swimming.
“According to the USA Swimming Foundation, roughly 64% of black children have little to no swimming ability.”
“This particular statistic reinforces stereotypes about black people and swimming and there are myriad reasons for this particular skill deficit, including racial segregation dating back to Jim Crow laws.”
These days most black parents take swimming as a skill set pretty seriously. I know I do because that was how I was raised.
Maybe times have changed but the statistics are still pretty alarming. Women like 38 yr old Danielle Obe are shifting the tide (pun intended).
She wanted to find a way to encourage her own daughter to swim but did not want to risk ruining her hair.
Read below via Black Enterprise:
For 38-year-old Danielle Obe, living in London, she wanted to find a way to encourage her daughter to learn how to swim.
Six-year-old Kayla began to dread going to the pool because of her hair; Obe had given up on swimming for over two decades because she did not want to risk damaging her fragile coils. She told Metro UK that she was tired of the time-consuming routine when it came to her hair.
“The chlorine dries out the hair, causing it to be frizzy, brittle and ‘thirsty,’ which is what causes breakage, hair thinning, and—in some cases for women with processed, delicate hair—it falls off if the hair is not thoroughly washed out, conditioned, and rehydrated,” said Obe.
“Getting into any type of aquatic activity then was a huge no-no. I couldn’t go swimming in the evening after work.
If I did, how would I turn up for client meetings the next morning? Kayla hates getting soap in and around her face, so when it came time to wash her hair after swimming, she would scream and scream.”
This constant problem led her to create, Nemes, a waterproof headscarf specially designed for black women’s hair.
Afro texture hair is more fragile than other types of hair and is specifically more vulnerable to chemicals in the chlorine found in swimming pools that makes hair drier.
The time it takes to replace that moisture after swimming and styling can be very off-putting for black women looking to swim on a frequent basis.
Obe and her daughter decided to experiment with different swim caps and nothing worked.
It was trial and error that led Obe to create something of her own.
Obe invented her swim caps, based on ancient Egyptian designs, to protect all hair types in the water. Now her entire family uses them.
She also created the Black Swimming Association in partnership with Swim England after a recent report from Sport England revealed that 95% of black adults and 80% of black children living in the United Kingdom do not go swimming.
“After I created the design, I began sharing it with people. My aim was to encourage more people to go swimming, but we have also found many people use them in the shower, or to re-hydrate their hair,” she said.
“The Nemes can be used by everyone, not just BAME [black, Asian and minority ethnic] people, to swim, steam, spa or shower, and protect color-treated hair in chlorine water so hair color lasts longer, and most especially, designed for Afro-Caribbean hair and hairstyles.’
I absolutely love the waterproof headscarf, and cannot wait for them to go on sale! They are currently on pre-order and will be available this Spring. Click here to learn more.
Even if you invest in the waterproof headscarf you might be wondering how you should be caring for your hair before your first swim? If you are! Click here.
