Singer and songwriter Naomi Cowan is no stranger to the world of entertainment. Indeed, she is reggae royalty (she’s the daughter of celebrated Jamaican musicians Tommy Cowan and Carlene Davis). But, while reggae runs through her veins, what’s been running through her roots these days, are Mielle Organics haircare products. The global brand, launched in 2014 and currently in 87 countries, has recently announced Cowan as one of their ambassadors.

The campaign, aptly labelled #MoreThanAStrand, is focused on strengthening the bond between daughters and others across the US, Africa and the Caribbean. As an ambassador for the region, Cowan will be chronicling her self-love and haircare journey over the course of the next month via social media, a timely reminder during these uncertain and stressful COVID-19 times, especially for women of all ages, that making the time to care for oneself is important for maintaining one’s sanity.

SIDE BAR

Naomi’s Take on Mielle

Mielle provided me with a line of products specifically for my hair type and curl pattern (Type 4) — this is their Pomegranate & Honey collection. Like many black women, my hair is a mixture of curls, coils and kinks and I do get frustrated some days when I’m not wearing braids, like I just want to creme it again or texturise it! So far, I’ve used the products for one week and I’m really liking them. I’m not really the most disciplined or consistent person with my haircare routine; I consider myself a bit of a lazy, natural hair kinda girl. I’ve had my hair relaxed for so long that I really don’t have much patience to spend six hours each time. So far the pomegranate & honey products from Mielle have made some of the steps in haircare much easier, especially the detangling because that is THE MOST STRESSFUL PART! My fave products so far [are] the leave-in conditioner, the twisting soufflé, the detangling conditioner and the curl refreshing spray.

The #MoreThanAStrand global beauty campaign is such a unique approach to storytelling. I’m really happy they approached me to be part of it. When they first reached out, they shared that the purpose of the campaign was to strengthen the bond between mothers and daughters across the US, the Caribbean and Africa. I think every black girl can relate to having either a mother, aunt, grandma or another female play a role in their hair journey, and so for me it was a no-brainer. I’m actually going to be including my mom in the series of videos I’ll be releasing because she was one of the first people to remind me over and over that my hair is beautiful. It was so hard for me growing up to accept that about myself.

The overall response from friends and across social media has been super-positive, and for that I’m really grateful. I never expected it to resonate so deeply on social media. I made an effort to approach the campaign a little bit differently from your everyday social media post. I didn’t want to do the typical ‘hair vlog’. I wanted to use it as a platform to tell my story as a black woman. I hope more women see that they’re not alone in the journey to self-love.

The product line can be found in various pharmacies islandwide: Fontana (Kingston, Ocho Rios, Mandeville), Med-Spring Pharmacy (Manchester), Town Centre Pharmacy, Vivian’s Beauty Supplies, Desie Variety Fashion Store, Hometown Pharmacy (Saint Catherine), and New Ocho Rios Pharmacy Ltd, ADC Pharmacy (Ocho Rios).