Michele #mixedmonday
This weeks #mixedmonday is Michele Scott-Lynch, the Founder of curly hair brand @boucleme.
Bouclème have strived to deliver quality, sustainable and natural curl care solutions in their products. It wasn't until Michele was in her thirties and watching her daughters grow, that she started to appreciate the beauty of her own curls and needed to be their role model. It was then that Bouclème was born. Packed with high performance actives that aim to restore moisture, Bouclème is committed to seeking naturally derived ingredients proven to deliver great results.
How would you describe your ethnicity?
I would describe myself as mixed race, my mother is from Jamaica and has lived in the UK since she was 9 yrs old and my father was Irish. My Jamaican grandparents came over to the UK back in the 1950s, my granddad worked for the GPO and my Nana was a seamstress. They left their 2 children behind, my mum and her brother, whilst they found work and set up life here in South London. My grandad set up one of the first interracial clubs in Clapham. My father was one of 13 children from an Irish Catholic working class family. He was born in Ireland but grew up in Glasgow, the family later returned back to Derry in Northern Ireland. My father was killed in the troubles aged 23, I was almost 2 years old. It was a very tough start in life for me.
Has your mixed-ness influenced your career in any way?
My mixed-ness inspired me to create Bouclème. I had spent years chemically straightening my curls because I hated them. Hairdressers did not know what to do with my hair and my mum didn’t know how to keep it looking curly so relaxing seemed to be the only option. In my 30s I read Malcolm X’s autobiography in which there is a section that he talks about the process of ‘conking’ (aka chemically relaxing) hair. He talks about the pain from the burning of your scalp whilst the relaxer does its work and how it was a form of self degradation that black people endured in order to conform with a Western view of sleek straight hair being the most beautiful.
This resonated with me and I recognised that that was the reason I straightened my hair, to fit in. I vowed from that day on that I would never straighten my hair again. As I embarked on my journey to curls, finding plant based and effective products was impossible, there was nothing available for curly hair. I started Bouclème to create the range I couldn’t find: quality products, rooted in nature and serious about curls. I wanted to redefine what it means to be curly and help everyone find the confidence to be who they are.
If you could describe your mixed identity in one word, what would it be?
Interesting.
What is the best thing about being mixed heritage?
Having two incredible cultures as part of my heritage, although I have to say I’ve never felt fully accepted as black or as white but muddled around somewhere in the middle. I grew up in a very white area and went to a predominantly white school so often felt on the outside. Now as an adult there is so much I love about both my Jamaican and Irish roots it’s a real blessing to be a bit of both. I see so many things that both countries have in common, strong sense of family, farming, religion, love of a good drink and a good dance. It’s no wonder my mum and dad were drawn together.
