As a Black woman with ADHD who adores beauty, I feel trapped by the need to only do what’s safe... I can admit that the pressures of Black hair, and some of the criticism it attracts, warrant my reliance on protective hair styling.

As a Black woman with ADHD who adores beauty, I feel trapped by the need to only do what’s safe... I can admit that the pressures of Black hair, and some of the criticism it attracts, warrant my reliance on protective hair styling.

“AI chatbots are highly likely to be underpinned by Western ideals, non-spiritual and have a mechanistic way of looking at life..."

“AI chatbots are highly likely to be underpinned by Western ideals, non-spiritual and have a mechanistic way of looking at life..."

"PMDD is such an internal struggle, especially for Black women because we have to show up a certain way."

"PMDD is such an internal struggle, especially for Black women because we have to show up a certain way."

Motherhood has always mystified me — both the concept and bewildering physical experience — especially Black motherhood, where there is an unfortunate expectation of strength in spite of, well, everything the world throws at Black mothers. Social media hasn’t helped my anxiety. In the age of too much information, I know as much as possible about the greatest, transformative, worst, and ugliest parts of Black parenthood due to being online. It’s overwhelming, I try to explain to my mum. “I just did it, L'Oréal,” my mum says, shrugging, “you just do. Obsessing over the what-ifs isn’t helpful.” But I do obsess over them. For me, embarking on motherhood in 2022 means confronting the very unsettling reality that for Black women in the UK, pregnancy comes with a heightened risk. I think I want to become a mother but, here in the UK, what could that mean for me, my health and potentially, a child?

The real question is how long British media will continue to deny itself and its audience a full celebration of its homegrown talent.

The real question is how long British media will continue to deny itself and its audience a full celebration of its homegrown talent.

These reactions [online] reflect a deeper, insidious belief: that “good” women don’t end up in these situations, and if they do, it’s because they somehow deserve it.

These reactions [online] reflect a deeper, insidious belief: that “good” women don’t end up in these situations, and if they do, it’s because they somehow deserve it.

What’s frustrating is that, in 2025, we even have to recount such terrible tragedies just to make the point that youth gender violence is a problem across all communities in the UK.

What’s frustrating is that, in 2025, we even have to recount such terrible tragedies just to make the point that youth gender violence is a problem across all communities in the UK.

“Recently I’ve been able to recognise that the sense of loss I hold around Palestine is too big for me to meet alone. I can’t do this myself. My grief practices have to be communal..."

“Recently I’ve been able to recognise that the sense of loss I hold around Palestine is too big for me to meet alone. I can’t do this myself. My grief practices have to be communal..."

Of all the Black hair and skincare myths I’ve heard throughout the years as a magazine editor (and among my family and friends), the most pervasive is the “Black people don’t need sunscreen” myth. I’ve heard every anti-sunscreen conspiracy theory there is. You may have, too. Our ancestors never wore sunscreen! Black people in hot climates don’t wear sunscreen so why should we in the UK? Aren’t Black people immune to UV rays? While these are somewhat legitimate queries — especially considering Black people are rarely included in skincare research — dermatologists and aestheticians are clear: Yes, Black and brown people should wear sunscreen. Full stop.

Between recurring debates about “£1000 braids” and the sheer absurdity of a “4C hair fee,” how exactly did we get here? Unbothered has been paying close attention to cost disparities across Black hair products, hair salons, braiders and hairdressers in the UK, US and Canada to understand what’s driving some of the bloated pricing structures. Much like their customers, Black salon owners are very vocal about the high expectations (and demands for lower prices) for the essential and luxury services they provide. In a time of financial austerity — with energy and living expenses rising exponentially since 2020, when many salons were forced to close, severely impacting the livelihoods of people globally — do we fully understand the true costs of running a Black-owned business in 2023?

There’s a striking moment in Netflix’s Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story when the young Queen (played by India Amarteifio) is about to walk down the aisle, in full view of the disapproving royal court, to greet her new husband, King George. She denies her soon-to-be mother-in-law's wishes and is wearing an elaborate custom-made gown instead of a dowdy satin garb, her hair is styled in a big, wide and proud afro and is an example of her refusing to compromise herself or hide her “moor” heritage. The scene plays an important role in the origin story of the uncompromising and illustrious Queen Charlotte we’ve come to know in the Bridgerton series (played by Golda Rosheuvel) whose large and elaborately adorned textured hair wigs remind those in her presence that, much like her hair, Queen Charlotte rightfully takes up space.

Skincare enthusiasts seem to fall into two camps: the extremely knowledgeable alchemists who know their hyaluronic from their glycolic acids and the all-natural purists who prefer products made from untampered ingredients. I tend to fall somewhere in-between. Recently, in a toss-up between new moisturisers this winter, natural product Egyptian Magic Cream (£20) came out on top. While I can’t say how I first stumbled on the balm, its name was distinctive enough for me to take notice. Admittedly,...

Although the internet would have you believe that millennials are only obsessed with buying plants and artisan coffees, we are (mostly) all grown up. It'll come as no surprise, then, that when it comes to the beauty products we’re regularly purchasing, millennials are certainly "maturing." Plenty of trend reports say we’re much more focused on skincare than makeup, opting to invest in products that aim to enhance what’s underneath. (Though, I certainly still enjoy both.) Between lengthy Korean s...

On social media, Black bloggers and influencers also seem to be pushing back against prescriptive advice and ideals about Black hair; from natural hair beauty bloggers returning to chemical hair straightening without shame, to those abandoning the pressure to retain length and protect hair from breakage in favour of experimentation with different styles such as bleaching their hair ice blonde. As British beauty blogger ‘Sincerely Oghosa’, stated on TikTok earlier this week: “If the hair breaks it breaks!” Similarly, back in March, a person tweeted, “Just watched Melissa’s Wardrobe IG stories from yesterday and she said “I feel as though the next movement after the natural hair movement needs to be the HAIR IS NOT THAT DEEP movement” and I can’t explain how much I agree.”

The pros & cons of using minoxidil for hair loss

Our voice matters. Our money matters. It just doesn't make sense why these brands are not expanding their shade ranges and catering to Black people, especially when we spend the most coin!

Our voice matters. Our money matters. It just doesn't make sense why these brands are not expanding their shade ranges and catering to Black people, especially when we spend the most coin!

We see Elphaba’s nails before we’re officially introduced to Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in the hit Hollywood screen adaptation of the Broadway musical Wicked. The film’s catalyst moment when Elphaba Thropp first meets her nemesis-turned-bestie-turned-nemesis Glinda Upland (played by Ariana Grandé) is purposefully foreboding. We don’t see Elphaba’s face but the students of Shiz University are aghast as she approaches; they step aside as she ascends, her forest green ombre nails pulling her long micro-braids over her shoulder in cinematic slow motion. “I gasped,” shares London-based nail stylist Shea Osei to Unbothered over Zoom. “The nails are the first thing you see. I was like I did those! My artistry, my craft is out there.” Osei was part of the creative “green team” that transformed Erivo into the iconic green witch. As Erivo’s stylist of over 15 years, Osei was also fundamental in ensuring that the actor helped infuse parts of herself (her Blackness, her queerness, her creative essence) into her character in a way that was authentic and celebratory. Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba means Wicked’s central character has micro-braids and a full set of acrylics.

From the exploitation of poor women for high-grade “virgin” human hair to the mass dumping of synthetic hair in landfills, the hair extension business — expected to reach $1,185.1 million in the UK by 2027 — can be ethically murky. While pressure is continually applied to the fashion and beauty industries to change their ethical and environmental practices, the hair extension industry still remains largely unregulated, allowing for unseemly practices to go unnoticed by consumers.

It was my first time in Barbados since I was a child. My memories of my time on the island — living with my gran (gran-gran) and great-grandmother in our familial home — are hazy and I’m not sure which memories are mine or simply the retellings of my parents. On the very same day that I would see Rihanna in all her regalia, I’d also search for and find my gran-gran’s house (my house) for the first time in decades. My dad had texted me the address on Grand Kadooment Day and my taxi driver confirmed that my grandmother’s house was only five minutes away from the Crop Over celebrations. I was elated. There are no street names or numbered houses so the taxi driver and a van full of journalists asked strangers on the street if they knew of my great-grandmother and many said no. I was resigned to not finding the house when — call it fate or coincidence — one of my travel companions told the driver to stop the car in front of an old woman and her son walking by. They said they had lived on this street all their lives and remembered my family, who they described as “the ones that went to England and stopped coming back to Barbados”. My ancestral home was just a few short yards away. I stood in the street that I recognised from photo albums. I saw the steps where I chased geckos and played with local kids. And, on those steps, I cried for my much-beloved gran who died 10 years ago. This trip would reconnect me with a core part of my identity and it was life-altering — seeing Rihanna was only the icing on the cake.

On March 13 Patsy Stevenson was among the hundreds of people who headed to Clapham Common to mourn the death of Sarah Everard, who was murdered by Met Officer Wayne Couzons ten days earlier. As chaos erupted between demonstrators and police, Stevenson was photographed being pinned down and arrested, and the image went viral. In the months that followed, Patsy Stevenson claims she has been sent multiple death threats and, in recent news, the 28 year old student says she has been contacted by “abo...

On March 31, 2021, the UK government revealed the outcome of the highly anticipated Race and Ethnic disparities report, a review commissioned in the wake of the Black Lives Matter anti-racism demonstrations that took place during the summer of 2020. The results have triggered widespread debate after it was concluded that the UK was no longer “deliberately rigged against ethnic minorities” and “should be regarded as a model for other white-majority countries.”In response, some UK race advisors an...

From the moment I wake up, I begin tracking. I track my steps, calories burned, sleep quality, period, and ovulation. I track my runs on Strava and my heart rate, blood oxygen and performance zones. I sometimes track my food, my protein goals, and how much water I’ve drunk in a day. I source the majority of my health metrics from my Apple Watch but I am saving up for an Oura Ring (round-the-clock insights in jewellery form? Yes, please) and I’m more than due to try a glucose tracker. Frankly, I don’t need to worry about artificial intelligence taking over the human race because I AM ROBOT. To be clear, I have no negative associations with all my tracking — I genuinely find it fun and empowering — but to the ears of my loved ones, it all sounds “a bit much.” Or as my friend described it, “living life inside an Excel spreadsheet”. While tracking my health data has become embedded into my everyday life, it’s suggested that it could lead to health anxiety over time. Is there a thing about knowing too much about ourselves?

From the exploitation of poor women for high-grade “virgin” human hair to the mass dumping of synthetic hair in landfills, the hair extension business — expected to reach $1,185.1 million in the UK by 2027 — can be ethically murky. While pressure is continually applied to the fashion and beauty industries to change their ethical and environmental practices, the hair extension industry still remains largely unregulated, allowing for unseemly practices to go unnoticed by consumers.

For the first time in history, the UK government debated Black maternal healthcare in parliament on April 19 after a petition was launched calling leaders to examine why Black women in the UK are now “four times more likely to die during childbirth.” The petition, which gained 187,000 signatures back in 2020, was spearheaded by Five X More, a grassroots organisation committed to changing Black women’s maternal health outcomes in the UK. To keep the momentum going, Five X More has launched a new...

Motherhood has always mystified me — both the concept and bewildering physical experience — especially Black motherhood, where there is an unfortunate expectation of strength in spite of, well, everything the world throws at Black mothers. Social media hasn’t helped my anxiety. In the age of too much information, I know as much as possible about the greatest, transformative, worst, and ugliest parts of Black parenthood due to being online. It’s overwhelming, I try to explain to my mum. “I just did it, L'Oréal,” my mum says, shrugging, “you just do. Obsessing over the what-ifs isn’t helpful.” But I do obsess over them. For me, embarking on motherhood in 2022 means confronting the very unsettling reality that for Black women in the UK, pregnancy comes with a heightened risk. I think I want to become a mother but, here in the UK, what could that mean for me, my health and potentially, a child?

“Would you try this?” I ask a friend via video chat, on a particularly touch-starved night during the pandemic. Following a far-too-late-night Instagram scroll, back when all meaningful interactions were reduced to Zoom parties, I discovered the Instagram page of Emmanuel Lustin, a Haitian-American sensual masseur from New York, and was quickly introduced to the world of sensual massage on social media. As it turns out, I wasn’t the only one curious by intimate massage, although my friend wasn’t...

"I'm 15 years in now of seeing music, culture, talent, of speaking to people, of being present in studio sessions, of being able to document and see the actual timelines of people's careers from their first single to wherever they get to and beyond."

"I'm 15 years in now of seeing music, culture, talent, of speaking to people, of being present in studio sessions, of being able to document and see the actual timelines of people's careers from their first single to wherever they get to and beyond...

"For me, [it’s about knowing] that my daughter is back at home, knowing that I'm out there inspiring the next generation... When she grows up, she will know mum was up to something which was for the whole world."

"For me, [it’s about knowing] that my daughter is back at home, knowing that I'm out there inspiring the next generation... When she grows up, she will know mum was up to something which was for the whole world."

When I probed Lavinya Stennett, founder, and CEO of The Black Curriculum, about which aspects of Black British History she’d have loved to have learned in school, she sighs. “I mean, where do you start?” she says over Zoom, adding, “I think from a Black British perspective, it would have been really valuable if I had seen more Black STEM pioneers and ambassadors, and other people who work across those fields from an early age.”Pausing for a moment, Stennett adds: “I think the [comparative] overr...

Stephanie Yeboah is in the midst of celebrating a few exciting victories when we chat on the phone in late August. The content creator and campaigner's first book Fattily Ever After is due to be released September 3, and it feels like a long time coming. The book is a culmination of years of body activism online and it's also a milestone in her own self-acceptance journey as a dark-skinned, larger woman. As she explains: "Black women and our bodies have gone through it." But on top of publishin...

Sir Paul Smith performs a sartorial magic trick.

He picks up one of his classic blue suits and crumples it forcefully on his lap, before  unraveling the garment and revealing it to be as crisp and sharp as before - not a crease in sight. 

“I developed this for when I’m on an aeroplane or train,” he explains. “What’s interesting is that it’s made from wool instead of man-made fibres - th...