Photo by: Belinda from Kamashuka
Añya Grant is a Chemical-free hairstylist and consultant who assist her clients in first understanding their hair personality and then encourage them to love the hair they were born with. Currently she is working at Afro Girl Hair Design. Although she has a young face and a voice that accompanies it she is no spring chicken when it comes to her expertise on hair. With over 10 years of experience with styling natural hair, Añya is now a hair specialist to her friends, colleagues and new clients. Añya first started hair consultancy by unconsciously convincing her friends to stop using chemicals in their hair. While her high school friends thought they were coming over to her home to get their hair weaved or a weave tightening or a few tracks glued in, she would actually be looking at the damage that was done many years before and then educate them on leaving damaged methods of haircare behind.
At that time, Añya had no idea that she would have become a hair specialist for many. As her life went in another direction, Añya continued her education at York University, while there she completed honors double major in communication studies and fine arts cultural studies. When her studies was complete she wanted to pursue her dreams of being an event producer for many of the well known shows and outdoor events such as the Grammys, The BET Awards, The MTV Award show and much more. Her dream was starting to bud when she landed a summer internship as a Promotional intern at WBLS 105.9 the home to Wendy Williams and The Steve Harvey Shows. However it wasn’t until she completed University and decided that she wanted to travel for a year before buckling down to her long hour, puffy eye dream job (event planner), was when her life turned again.
Photo by: Sean Harrison
Añya then worked and lived in Salvador, Brasil and being there assisted her to rediscovered her self and her passion for hair again and immediately took the knowledge she had acquired and turned it into her first love – her business (iHEARTmyhair.com). Upon returning from Brazil, Anya decided to turn her passion into an everyday purpose. Anya firmly believes that “hair speaks a lot about what is going on with a person.” She then states that “By loving your Natural hair texture/ colour you are loving yourself even more.” Hence the slogan for iHEARTmyhair is Love the hair you’re in.
Since then Anya has created a workshop called The more things change the more things stay the same and The history of black hair and has been a featured guest speaker with The Children’s Aid Society, Toronto Natural Hair & Beauty Show, AfroChic Event in 2010 & 2011 and at a fundraising event for the Afrocentric Alternative School. Since then her workshop has now been transformed and published in her University’s School paper The Excalibur. Añya’s goal and responsibility is to make sure that iHEARTmyhair’s mission is honored and complete.
