Meet Miriam

Opting for protective styling to look after her natural afro hair, Miriam is a huge advocate for wearing weaves and hair extensions. Believing that everyone should be free to explore hairstyles that they love, she wants to inspire people to find their own groove with hairstyling.

I'm Miriam, I'm 31 years old and I live in London. I grew up with an interest in hair and loved the idea of learning how to do my own hair. I experimented a lot and tried different hairstyles, hair extensions and wigs before landing on a full head weave. Afro hair is very fragile and needs a lot of care so having a weave has really helped get my natural hair back to a good condition alongside monthly treatments when I remove the weave.

I'm delighted to be working with CLOUD NINE to educate and inspire others on caring for hair extensions and weaves.

Being able to find out my optimum styling temperature with the CLOUD NINE Temperature Calculator has been a gamechanger. A lot of people mistakenly think you don't need to look after hair extensions, but it's really important that you do. I love looking after my extensions and now I can really help them to stay healthier and shinier.

As she wears a weave, Miriam's top priority is protecting her hair extensions and helping them last longer. After using the CLOUD NINE temperature calculator, Miriam learned she should be styling at 150 degrees.

Try it now to learn your optimum styling temperature for your hair type.

Where did your hair journey begin?

My hair journey began when I was quite young. When I started college, my friend used to do my weaves and hair extensions so I really wanted to learn how to do it myself. I spent some time working in a salon as a junior so I was able to learn some tips and styles from professionals and really start to experiment with my hair.

Where are you currently on your hair journey?

I feel like I'm in a place where I'm still experimenting. I do like to try different things but my go to is weaves and hair extensions as I personally don't like to wear wigs. I feel my most confident when I wear a weave as it allows me to protect my natural afro hair. It means I can style, colour and experiment without causing damage to my natural hair.

What styling challenges have you faced from having afro hair?

It's so difficult having an afro in the UK because of the weather. It's constantly raining and the humidity makes your afro frizzy and so hard to manage! I'm originally from Africa where it's hot so it's much easier to manage afro hair. I like to go for protective styling by wearing a weave to keep my hair in good condition. Another challenge is that hairdressers are afraid of styling afro hair and it’s a tough subject to tackle. People often feel uncomfortable to handle the hair extensions.

How has your hair journey impacted your confidence?

Being able to experiment and switch up my styles has really made me feel confident over the years, although it's not always been this easy. People would comment saying I don't look myself when I was experimenting and it really made me struggle with my identity. But I feel like I'm in a good place now. Whether it's up, down, straight or curly, it gives me great confidence to know I have flexibility and options to choose from when it comes to styling my hair. When do you feel most unstoppable?

I honestly feel unstoppable when my hair looks great. My makeup could be a mess, outfit could be off, but as long as my hair looks great, I literally feel unstoppable. I might be getting ready for a night out, or a big event - something nice where you get to dress up and look really good, that's when I feel the most unstoppable. When I was younger, my mum would say to me, 'your hair is a crown.' It stuck with me and I really feel as though when I've got my crown on, I'm ready to face the world.

What piece of advice would you give to someone struggling with afro hair?

I grew up surrounded by so many styles and trends it was really hard to keep up. The best thing I can advise is to do what feels best for you. Don't listen to what people tell you, or what they ask you, figure out what you like and run with it. Whatever hairstyle gives you confidence, whether it's wigs, braids, hair extensions or your natural hair, do whatever feels good for you. Oh, and make sure you use the right temperature for your hair type!

What do you love about CLOUD NINE?

I've been using CLOUD NINE products since I was a teenager, I honestly love them - they're a brand I truly believe in. When you wear hair extensions and weaves, it's really important that you look after them. With CLOUD NINE, I can turn down the temperature and use a lower heat when styling in order to protect my hair. I still get great results and it looks healthy and shiny!