‘Watching It Grow And Flourish Brings Me So Much Joy’: Shahira Allen On Embracing Her Natural hair

Beauty enthusiast and content creator Shahira Allen began blogging four years ago. ‘In 2014 I was attacked in my hometown,’ Shahira tells us, ‘I was left with a broken leg and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).’ Shahira underwent two surgeries, months of physio and hydrotherapy as a result of the malicious attack, as well as a year of therapy. ‘When my therapy sessions came to an end, my therapist told me to find a way to replace these weekly sessions.’ This marked the moment that Shahira turned to blogging and created her now renowned platform Afro Glory as a way to share her natural hair journey, support other black beauty creators and raise awareness around mental health.

Now, the inspiring content creator uses social media platforms Pinterest and Instagram alongside her blog to showcase her passion for beauty with content spanning everything from bold and beautiful make-up tutorials to haircare tips and myriad skincare recommendations in-between. Here, Shahira talks exclusively to Grazia about her favourite natural haircare methods, where she draws her make-up inspiration from and how she recommends curating your social media feed.

On Discovering Her Passion For Beauty

‘My love for beauty came in stages,’ says Shahira. ‘The first stage was when I realised applying make-up served as form of relaxation for me.’

The second stage? ‘Realising other people saw beauty in a similar way,’ says Shahira who started discovering content creators through platforms like Pinterest. ‘I discovered tutorials, recommendations, black women teaching me how to use products, beauty brands and so much more.’

‘Stage three, that's the stage I’m currently in. I have worked in the beauty industry for two years as a social media assistant, junior content editor and junior brand manager and I’ve been able to see a whole world within beauty. It’s like finding the door to Narnia but instead of a wardrobe, lion and all the other things, it’s all about beauty campaigns, influencers, budgets, competitor research and so many more interesting things.’

On Hair Acceptance

‘I was 11 years old when I had my first hair relaxer treatment,’ says Shahira, ‘I remember feeling so good! I could feel the breeze on my scalp, my hair was hanging DOWN, I bought my first hairbrush. I was living the swishy hair dream, or so I thought.’ But the reality? ‘What no one told me was how many chemicals it took to get hair like that, the painful burn of the chemicals on my scalp, the large sore scabs that would form if I left it even a minute too long, the constant straightening to maintain the swish and the breakage. The breakage was the worst part.’

In a cast after surgery, Shahria made the decision to stop relaxing her hair. ‘I had been through so much physical trauma during the past few months, I decided not to alter anything else.’ Now, Shahira loves her natural hair – ‘watching it grow and flourish brings me so much joy.’ Her advice to anyone else who wants to embrace their natural hair? ‘Get on Pinterest! No seriously, it’s been an incredible source of knowledge for me and there are so many natural hair content creators on there.’

On Her Go-To Natural Haircare Routine

Shahira switches up her routine depending on what her hair needs. Typically her haircare routine begins with a mask – ‘I apply this in the shower, wait 5-minutes before rinsing.’ Next step is shampoo. ‘When using shampoo on natural hair, I like to advise people to focus on the scalp. Use a brush like a tangle teezer, £12, to gently exfoliate your scalp while removing product build up.’

Post shampoo and conditioner, Shahira applies a leave-in conditioner, cream and oil to seal in all the moisture. ‘I put a lot of time and energy into my hair, but I find it therapeutic, not laborious.’ Watch Shahira's 4C natural haircare routine on Pinterest here.

On Make-up Inspiration

One scroll down Shahira’s Instagram feed and you’ll soon clock her penchant for bold, bright and intricate make-up looks. ‘I draw inspiration from my experiences, from objects, colours, words and other people’s creativity,’ she tells us. ‘I think it helps that my mum is an artist, because I’ve watched her creative process which has helped me to develop my own.’

‘I also love to draw inspiration directly from beauty. I have an incredible Pinterest board that I constantly reference for inspiration called "makeup inspiration". Within this board you’ll find multiple categories like ‘inspiration is everywhere’ featuring everything from knee high galactic heels to patterns and shapes to help inspire me. You’ll also find ‘eye makeup’, "makeup for black people", "pride makeup" and many more great boards to keep you feeling inspired.’

On Her Favourite How-To Video

‘Wow! This is like picking a favourite child. I really put all my energy and love into all the content I produce so when I post something new it’s usually instantly my favourite because I’m constantly growing and evolving.

‘I do have a particular love for my Idea Pin "get creative with makeup". I would love to see more people using makeup for mental health care and this tutorial is kind of a little step-by-step on how that can be achieved.’ For the uninitiated, Idea Pins is a new feature on Pinterest which serves up ‘How To’s’ for ultimate inspiration.

On The Positives Of Social Media

‘It’s easy to forget that we can curate the things we want to see,’ points out Shahira. ‘Personally, I’ve never forgotten that the unfollow, mute and block button exist and thus, I’ve had a very smooth social media experience.’ In terms of Shahira’s personal life, she has been able to connect with so many incredible, like-minded and talented people via social media. ‘I’ve learned and unlearned so many behaviours with the help and energy of my social media family,’ she adds, ‘I am forever grateful to have the privilege that is social media.’

A Final Piece Of Advice

Don’t shy away from colourful eye make-up. ‘Pick your favourite colour and add it to the inner corner of your eye when you’ve finished your regular eye make-up look. When you feel a bit more confident, experiment with a colourful wing or add some colourful eyeshadow to your lower lash line.’

READ MORE: How to Care for Afro Hair: Everything I Learned About My Natural Hair During Lockdown

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