On 8^th September we were up at 4AM for the St Kitts Caribbean Wellness Day Walk. It was hard waking up at that time, way before the sun was up, but it was worth it.

This walk was months in the making and started as an idea, back in June, at the first planning meeting of Caribbean Wellness Week. The planning meeting brought together the Ministry of Health and its partners all working towards a common goal of  improving the health of the nation.

So, on 8^th September, feeling pretty sleepy, we drove to the meeting point at the Caribbean Cinemas parking lot and joined about 50 other people to recognise Caribbean Wellness Day and the importance of physical activity.

The walk was led by Elite Fitness, a local gym, who started off the morning with a warm-up and then we hit the streets of Basseterre for a lovely walk. The route took us through town, all the way down Cayon Street and then we turned left onto Wellington Road and continued to the airport roundabout and then turned onto the bypass road and made our way back to the cinema where we finished off with a cool-down session.

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We walked a total of 7.49KM which took us an hour and 20 minutes and with the inclines in two locations, the route provided us all with a great workout.

We had a great time and it was a so nice to see the diversity of people in attendance – old, young, male, female and all shapes and sizes.

This event not only celebrated Caribbean Wellness Day, but it was the launch of Caribbean Wellness Week which runs until Friday 14^th September. Look out for all the events being organised this week. Highlights include the a Health Fest on Thursday 13^th September, National Sneaker Day on 14^th September where everyone is encouraged to wear their sneakers to work and the grand finale at the Marriott, a soca-cise party starting from 4pm with free health checks from 2:30pm.

Come out, get active and let’s make sure that we create a healthier nation!

For Immediate Release

3rd September 2018

In April 2018 Tola Okogwu was featured in a BBC interview about the potential dangers of hair care products marketed at Black women. The interview went viral and was shared by thousands of women all over the world. Black women were rightly shocked and concerned and yet it did not cause much of a stir across mainstream media. This inspired her to join forces with Abi Begho and Sheila Marshall to create a documentary uncovering the truth behind the safety of hair products for Black women.

In a study, published in April 2018 by researchers from the Silent Spring Institute and Battelle Memorial Institute in the USA it was found that 80% of black hair products contain endocrine disrupting and asthma causing chemicals. Endocrine disrupting chemicals are of particular concern as some studies have linked these chemicals to hormone-related health conditions including, breast cancer and fibroids. But what does this research actually mean for Black women using these products daily? Should they be worried? Should they stop using these products?

Black women need to be empowered with clear, accurate, reliable information so that they can make informed decisions about the products that they choose to purchase. This is why the ‘My Haircare Nightmare’ documentary is so important. Tola, Abi and Sheila’s goal is to create a documentary that will provide some answers, stimulate discussion and question a culture that has created a market that perpetuates the myth that natural afro hair needs to be ‘tamed’ with product after product.

Their documentary will creatively explain the science behind the research and delve deeper into the societal and cultural pressures that lead black women to use these products. They will speak to real women and hear their hair stories.   The documentary will also provide expert advice and practical approaches to help Black women reduce their level of exposure to EDCs and asthma causing chemicals. They will speak to scientists, manufacturers, consumers, influencers, policy makers and more to gain a deeper understanding of the issue and what we should all be doing about it.

In order to make this documentary happen, the collective needs to raise over £80,000 and have launched a crowdfunding campaign to turn their vision into a reality.

https://igg.me/at/myhaircarenightmare

For interviews and more information

Ronke Lawal info@ariatupr.com

Notes to Editor

Tola is an author who holds a Bachelor’s degree in journalism and has written for several publications including Black Beauty and Hair Magazine and Metro UK.  An avid reader, Tola enjoys spending time with her family and friends around her home in Kent where she lives with her husband and daughters.

Abi Begho is the Founder of Lake Health and Wellbeing, an organisation which seeks to address the health inequalities that exist where the black community faces a number of health challenges. Abi is very passionate about giving back to her community and has been recognised for this work having received an award from the MGC GCC for her contribution to health and wellbeing and was nominated for an Active Citizen Award.

Sheila Marshall Following her MA in International Political Economy Sheila worked for 10 years across film and television. This includes working in development for Film4 and the UK Film Council. Sheila also produced “Outtakes US Presidents” for BBC, a comedy show about presidential gaffes. Since 2011 she has worked as an independent filmmaker on Right Between Your Ears and other projects, including a pilot magazine show “Living Resourcefully”.

We are absolutely delighted to announce that the My Hair Care Nightmare Documentary Crowd Funding campaign is kicking off on Monday 3rd September, and we’d absolutely love for you to be involved.

We’ve teamed up with Tola Okogwu of My Long Hair Journey and filmmaker Sheila Marshall to answer the question: Are Black Hair Care Products Safe? We aim to highlight the recent research which showed that 80% of black hair products tested contain endocrine disrupting chemicals and ingredients linked to asthma.

Our goal is to educate and empower women caring for Afro textured hair so they can make an informed decision about the products they choose to buy and use. The film also seeks to highlight alternative and safer brands so that consumers realise they have options.

We’d very much appreciate you supporting our crowd funding campaign by making a donation and helping us spread the word so we can raise the funds to make this film a reality.  We want to make a big splash and create a buzz this week.  If you can please post about the campaign on your social media platforms and let your networks know, that would be great. We started a hashtag #MyHaircareNightmare where people can share their hair and product stories.

The link to our Indiegogo Campaign Page is https://igg.me/at/myhaircarenightmare

We’ve included some images and videos in the Dropbox folder below. Please use #myhaircarenightmare and tag us @myhaircarenightmare (Instagram) and @myhaircarenigh1(twitter).

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ek76ijvmyx8hzej/AADUvB3z4Vrz70lLdSkLzrXra?dl=0

Don’t have time to create a post? Have no fear, below are some suggested posts.

• Are your hair care products safe? My Haircare Nightmare documentary aims to find out. Support @myhaircarenightmare (Instagram)/ @myhaircarenigh1 (twitter) Indiegogo campaign to help make this film happen. https://bit.ly/2NwnOJm #MyHaircareNightmare #HaircareNightmare

• We’re supporting @myhaircarenightmare (Instagram)/ @myhaircarenigh1 (twitter) indiegogo campaign because 80% of hair products marketed at black women contain potentially harmful ingredients. Be part of the REVOLUTION by giving at https://bit.ly/2NwnOJm. #MyHaircareNightmare #HaircareNightmare

Want to have a bit more fun? Then share your #HaircareNightmare story.

–       Tag your friends, nominate other people. Help us to get the conversation going
–       Your post could make all the difference

What We Know

Research published in April in Environmental Research found that 80% of black hair products in this study contain endocrine disrupting (EDC) and asthma-associated chemicals. A second study published in 2017 by researchers at Rutgers University found a link between breast cancer and the use of hair dyes and relaxers and a research study published in 2012 identified a small link between fibroids and relaxers.

We surveyed 215 black women and 86% of respondents were very concerned and 13% of women were concerned about the main conclusion of the study published in April.

63% of women in our survey stated they didn’t feel able to identify the chemicals, that researchers stated may be cause for concern, and a further 30% stated that they can only sometimes identify these chemicals.

The most recent Nielson Beauty & Personal Care Report stated that black women spend nearly nine-times more than their non-black counterparts on hair products, demonstrating a high quantity of product consumption, which means exposure to any chemicals could be high and long-term.

More Information

We really appreciate your support! Let’s make a difference and once and for all get to the bottom of this issue. For more information please email info@lakehealthandwellebing.com and you can also sign up to the My Haircare Nightmare mailing list here

Looking For Organic Black Hair Products?

Check these brands out:

Afrocenchix
Almocado 
Camille Rose Naturals
Pure Goodnes
Root2Tip
Shea Butter Cottage
Shea Decadence
Yaphene
CARA B Naturally – Natural Products for African American babies

And view some more on Amazon – Organic Black Hair Products

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Disclosure: this post contains an affiliate link. Find out more here

It is Caribbean Wellness Day on 8th September and this day kicks off a week of wellness activities to celebrate Caribbean Wellness Week.

Caribbean Wellness Day  started in 2008  following the CARICOM Summit on Chronic Diseases held in Trinidad in September 2007. This annual event was established to:

• increase the awareness of the non-communicable diseases (NCDs) burden in the Caribbean;
• mobilise and strengthen public, private, and civil society partnerships for NCDs;
• promote multi country, multisectoral activities in support of wellness; and
• showcase national and community level activities to promote healthy living and encourage residents to develop good health practices.

Wellness Walk 

We attended the St Kitts Caribbean Wellness Week’s planning meetings organised by the Ministry of Health and are delighted invite you to the St Kitts Caribbean Wellness Day Walk on 8th September at 5AM (!).

The Ministry of Health will be partnering with Elite Fitness and other local gyms to spearhead the inaugural Caribbean Wellness Day Walk. This is just one of the many activities organised to commemorate  Caribbean Wellness Week which runs from 8th to 14th September.

Owner of Elite Fitness, Althus Herbert, said:

“The Elite Fitness Gym is glad to have been afforded the opportunity to partner with the Ministry of Health for Caribbean Wellness Week and honoured to be the leading gym to spearhead the walk. We pride ourselves in maintaining the physical well-being of our clients. We are also looking forward to this being an annual event and collaborating on future events with the ministry,”

The meeting point is at the Caribbean Cinemas  parking lot. The event will start with a warm-up activity and then attendees will make their way to the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank and back.

Registration is just $10EC for children who are 12 and under and $20EC for attendees who are 13 or older.  We delighted to say there is a special corporate registration package of $15EC per person for every 10 people registered from the same organisation.

Join us for an invigorating, fun walk to start your day on a healthy note. We hope to see you there!

You can listen to a short promo clip here

A big big thank you to everyone who has completed our black hair products survey. We really appreciate you taking the time to provide us with your thoughts and concerns on the research published back in April about the chemicals in black hair products and what we can do to raise awareness and begin to address this issue.

Your feedback has been really useful and  we’ll be exploring how we can take forward your suggestions by continuing our partnership with Tola Okogwu of My Long Hair Journey.

We’re delighted to say that over the past few months we’ve been charting a way forward and are on the cusp of starting a hair revolution! You can be a part of the change by supporting our journey to explore the potential health issues surrounding Afro hair care products. How do we plan to do this? Through a documentary film that aims to demystify the harmful ingredients in black hair products and answer the question once and for all – are our products safe?

To be kept up-to-date, you can sign up to our mailing list here

We’re really excited about this new project and hope you’ll join us on this interesting exploration.

Looking For Organic Black Hair Products?

Check these brands out:

Afrocenchix
Almocado 
Camille Rose Naturals
Pure Goodnes
Root2Tip
Shea Butter Cottage
Shea Decadence
Yaphene
CARA B Naturally – Natural Products for African American babies

And view some more on Amazon – Organic Black Hair Products

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Disclosure: this post contains an affiliate link. Find out more here

We just finished reading Flow Fighter: How I Kicked My Fibroids and Heavy Periods to the Curb by Holly Bridges. We thought this was a very insightful and informative book that not only explores the personal experience of the author but that of other women, young and old, with fibroids, endometriosis and heavy menstrual bleeding. In this book we also hear from gynaecologists, young doctors, women’s health advocates and sexual health experts and through all these perspectives readers are given a comprehensive view of the fibroids experience.

We were also taken on an educational journey with the author having conducted extensive research into fibroids, other gynaecological conditions and heavy menstrual bleeding. The book explains, in detail, the latest warnings from the FDA and Health Canada on laparoscopic power morcellators and the drug Esmya. Helpfully and impressively we’re provided with:

• Timelines that provide context and background to these warnings,
• Letters, quotes, summaries of research, recommendations and reports from all interested parties on both sides of the argument of these warnings – the FDA, Health Canada, gynaecologists and other government agencies

The above facts were interspersed with commentary from the author which gave us some good background into both issues.

Our educational journey continued with a reminder of the structure and function of the women’s reproductive system, what fibroids are and what constitutes heavy menstrual bleeding.  The book covered all the treatment options for fibroids and what their pros and cons are. The author also reflects on the injustices that exist with respect to women’s health where the lack of focus on conditions like fibroids mean:

• There are still major gaps in research;
• There is a significant delay in the diagnosis of many women leading to years of unnecessary suffering;
• There is no clear understanding of the cause of fibroids and the best approaches to treat women;
• We have a healthcare system that is not patient-centred leading to women feeling isolated and confused.

Author Holly Bridges also discusses the reasons why hysterectomies are so common, why doctors recommend invasive treatments over non-invasive approaches, and why this needs to change.

At the core of this book is the message that women need to be empowered with all the information they need to make an informed decision about their treatment.

The format of the book is useful with many chapters ending with a list of takeaway messages. In addition, the author, throughout the book, refers readers to useful resources. These include books, research papers, videos and websites.

The book ends with a chapter entitled ‘Empowering Our Daughters’ which we thought was very important section because there is a need to ensure that the generations of women who follow have a better experience.

The only topic that we felt was missing was a discussion on the impact of diet, exercise and environmental toxins on fibroids. This was touched on very briefly and there was recognition at the end of the book that this is an area that requires some attention and the author will be exploring this in the future.

This was a very interesting and informative book and we recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about the experience of women with fibroids and how we can move forward and ensure that women get the best care possible.

You Can Claim A Discount on this Book

We’re delighted to say that Holly Bridges is offering a 20% discount on her book to all our blog readers. To claim your discount, visit her website and use the discount code LakeHealth at check out.

Also, the first few people who register to attend our fibroids self-care webinar in October will be entered into a giveaway and one lucky person will win a copy of the book.

Have You Read Flow Fighter?

Have you read this book? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Please leave them in the comments section below or send us an email

Disclosure: this post contains an affiliate link. Find out more here

We love collaborations and are so delighted to have teamed up with the family business Almocado for our upcoming fibroids self-care webinar series.  As a sponsor of our webinar series Almocado will be offering those who attend our webinars a 20% discount on their hair and body products – yay!

About Almocado

Almocado is a small family-run business based in the UK who we discovered several years ago. Almocado was founded in April 2010 and create artisan hair products for curls, kinks and coils which are handmade with love, you can tell by the way each order is packaged with care – sometimes a surprising free sample is included or a note that expresses that love – we really appreciate their personal touches.

Not only do they create hair products, but their collection includes skincare products and they are certified Sisterlocks consultants.

The founder and CEO of Almocado is the lovely Annette Clark-Headley who is very warm and friendly and has a truly inspirational story.

Annette is a British-Barbadian who graduated from the very prestigious Cambridge University and started her career in the fast-paced world of investment banking. It was during this time that she started exploring holistic therapies becoming passionate about wellness and stress management which led her to receive training in this area.

“In a nutshell, the company was birthed to fulfil a desire I have to provide holistic solutions (hair care, skin care, emotional & physical wellbeing) to the community.” – Annette Clark-Headley

Not long after starting Almocado, in July 2010, Annette was diagnosed with Alopecia Totali and by October 2010 she was completely bald. This was a difficult time for Annette personally and professionally, and professionally she was deeply concerned about whether her business would survive – could someone bald succeed in the hair industry? Annette rose to the challenge and refused to let her baldness act as a barrier to her business success and continued to spread the message of love and acceptance as the basis for cultivating healthy hair.

As an Oxbridge graduate she utilised her research and analysis skills to identify effective natural ingredients and by bringing together nature and science she has created products of the highest quality that have made her business an award-winning one.

Why Almocado?

We love Almocado and teamed up with them for a number of reasons. Firstly, they are a brand that truly cares about the health and wellbeing of their customers – their products are hand-made, paraben free, natural and organic.  In addition, their products are safety assessed and meet the stringent EU regulations. All of this means that their products don’t contain endocrine disrupting chemicals which many women with fibroids are keen to avoid.

Furthermore, the genuine interest the team at Almocado have in their customers’ wellbeing means they regularly host open-house events at their studio so they remain attuned to the needs of they customers, we also like that they go above and beyond the call of duty to make sure their customers are satisfied and it’s nice to see that they donate a percentage of their sales to Alopecia UK.

We just really like that love is the foundation of their business, and it’s genuine, as it is evident in everything they do.

Products We Love

We’ve been using Almocado’s products for quite a few years now and our two favourite products are their Avocado Honey Hair Milk and their Cherry Vanilla Moisture Mist

Avocado Honey Hair Milk

The product description states that:

“This luscious easily absorbed treatment is what your precious coils have been crying out for. Rich in moisturising soy lecithin and honey and packed with Pro-vitamin B and Silk Protein, the Triple Treat Moisture Milk strengthens, moisturises, improves manageability and reduces breakage while delivering botanical extracts and nutrients to the hair shaft.”

We can attest to this, this is a great moisturiser leaving our hair feeling soft and hydrated.  Once we purchase it, we pretty much use it daily, but since moving to St Kitts it’s harder for us to get products shipped to us so we’ve been rationing our last order!

Cherry Vanilla Moisture Mist

On Almocado’s website they say about this product:

“Think of this as a conditioning berry-tastic hair tea! Carefully blended with natural Aloe Vera and herbal extracts to refresh and hydrate without feeling sticky or greasy.”

All we can say about this fantastic hair mist is: wow! It smells divine and is perfect for adding some much-needed moisture to kinky hair. It’s just beautiful, we think of this product as a special treat for our hair and try to savour every drop of it. This product has the added benefit, for us at least, of having an aromatherapy effect, the smell just relaxes and soothes us…hmmm.

Thank you

We’d like to say a big thank you to Annette for supporting our webinar series, we’re so grateful. We’d also just like to thank and acknowledge her for being such an inspiration and fantastic role model for black women in business. She does business the right way, with kindness, dedication, excellence and integrity; we applaud her and wish her continued success with her business.

More Information

You can find out more about Almocado on their website here.

You can find out more about our webinar series and sign up to the first session on fibroids, diet and hormones led by Le’Nise Brothers, the founder of Eat Love Move, on our website here

Wednesday 8th July, 2018

Today’s episode is an update on our episode 8 where we discussed the launch of the Healthy Caribbean Coalition’s childhood obesity prevention campaign. In this short episode we touch on the HCC’s success at the CARICOM Heads of Government meeting and give up an update on the HCC’s childhood obesity petition.