OUR STORY

Here at Strands of Silk, we celebrate all women (and men) and love the lustre, beauty and diversity of our natural hair.  

We both grew up in tropical north Queensland with naturally curly hair. Something about the rainforest humidity meant that we struggled with frizz and bed hair through our teenage years. Unfortunately this meant we spent a lot of that time hating our hair. We turned to a daily dose of heat, and unfortunately damaged it in the process. After we did some digging, we discovered the benefits of hair wrapping and silk. After trying silk sleeping caps and pillowcases, we were amazed by the results on our natural curls and skin, and we wanted to help others be able to embrace and love their natural hair. 

We also discovered that hair wrapping has a rich history dating back centuries in many cultures, and likewise, that silk fabric has been used in many cultures for centuries.From all corners of the world, women have wrapped their hair for a variety of reasons. The long history in black hair culture of hair wrapping by African Americans have been well documented. Other cultures, such as Jewish women who wear tischal, Amish women and their practice of Christian veiling, and Muslim women who wear hijabs, have also used the practice of hair wrapping throughout history. From Western nations, famous paintings such as Vermeer’s Girl with the Pearl Earring and Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel fresco provide familiar images.

We also recognise the rich culture of the fabric silk, dating back to its origins in China in 4000BC. Later, silk was adopted by cultures such as Korea, Japan, and India, being widely used as a luxury fabric. As it is a low friction material, people through history have acquired the benefits for skin and hair of sleeping on silk. If you are interested in learning more about these benefits, you can check them out here.  

We acknowledge that these many cultures have recognised the significance of both silk and hair wrapping, and wish to share and celebrate the benefits.