Despite stepping away from relaxers , I only truly started to fall in love with my natural hair around a year and a half ago while interning at a fashion magazine. I got to test a range of luxurious products that made haircare feel like an indulgence, rather than a nuisance. I also began making regular salon visits to ensure my hair was trimmed, treated and in optimum health before being braided. However, while I took pride in my growing afro, it rarely saw the light of day. I wore my hair in a headscarf on the way to appointments, scheduled to ensure I was never without braids for longer than a weekend. I’d grown attached to the convenience of them. But as it became clear that lockdown would extend well beyond my usual eight-week window, I realised I’d have to face the thick mane of hair I’d grown so used to hiding away.