The story of Ayune Hair doesn't begin with a business idea but rather my own healing journey as a Black woman re-discovering her inner essence beyond the confines of the Western ideologies she was born into.

I left America and moved to Australia in 2012 after experiencing years of depression in this race towards attaining the 'American dream'. I was exhausted and disillusioned, constantly questioning the purpose of life beyond sitting behind a cubicle and waiting for the clock to strike 5, beyond continuously escaping my reality through glasses of wine and endless shopping for things I never needed. I know this story isn't unique to myself because every time I share it with a fellow Black woman I can see the resonance in her eyes.

After 5 years of healing and truly sitting with my trauma and pain, I began to feel lighter and calmer.

During this time, I moved to Indonesia and began discovering our interconnection, not just to one another as humans, but to all of life itself : birds, trees, frogs, dragonflies, water




Everything was alive and I was experiencing our oneness as I rode my motorbike into quiet rice fields and simply sat in silence. I was in awe of the beauty in simplicity.

In this continuous state of awe, the concept of Ayune hair arose. I realised that there are many Black women awakening to the divine nature of life and they will be yearning for spaces that meet who they've become.

I knew that I wanted to understand the process and create a brand that resonated with my soul. So I spent time in remote villages, making friends with locals and being patient with the slow process of creating an ethical brand.

Several years into creating this brand, I am still simply enjoying the unfolding of this journey and learning how to nurture the needs of my soul sisters each and every day.

As Grace Boggs once said "Love isn't about what we did yesterday; it's about what we do today and tomorrow and the day after."

The journey never ends but rather continues to begin again in beautiful and unexpected ways.

My aspiration is to normalise the act of choosing love in all spaces, not just within consumerism, but within every facet of our lives. 

So thank you for making it this far and may your life be filled with more moments of divine and expansive love.


I believe in holistic wellness as an integral component in returning to our true nature of love. Along with nurturing this space, I'm also a Reiki Master and Meditation practitioner, providing healing sessions for Black, Indigenous and Women of colour through my business, Brown Girl Bloom. 

Be well,
Valerie Weyland


(ps - I realise that many of my soul sisters are in the US, so you might notice my spelling seems slightly off and you're right. We spell words differently in Australia and that alone has been quite an interesting experience for me)