Singer Keyshia Cole has found solace in her past by revisiting pivotal moments that occurred in her life in the Lifetime biopicKeyshia Cole: This Is My Story.
In the film, the 41-year-old, who makes her acting debut by portraying an older version of herself, highlights various struggles she has gone through in Oakland, California, before becoming a Grammy-nominated and multi-platinum-selling artist. For context, Cole was placed in foster care by her biological mother, Frankie Lons, at two years old because the late star was battling a drug and alcohol addiction.
Leon and Yvonne Cole, close family friends, ultimately adopted the "Heaven Sent" vocalist and legally changed her last name to Cole. Despite the hardships, Cole reconnected with her mother and siblings numerous times, many of which were captured in the reality television show Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is.
In recent years, the duo appeared to have repaired their relationship when Lons sadly passed away in July 2021 at 61 from an accidental fentanyl overdose. Shortly after losing Lons, Cole's adopted father, Leon, tragically died after suffering COVID-19 complications.
During a recent interview with People magazine, Cole opened up about her healing journey and how it was reliving those moments on set with actress Debbi Morgan, who plays the role of Lons.
Keyshia On Her Healing Journey And Her Mother's Past Addictions
In the June discussion, the "Let It Go" songstress revealed that working on Lifetime's Keyshia Cole: This Is My Story helped her make peace with the unresolved issues she experienced in her life.
"This is like my way of making peace with a lot of things. I was able to relive those moments and make peace with it all. That was my goal," she said.
Further into the interview, Cole added that although she was reluctant to share the good and bad parts of Lons' story in the project, she decided to include it because she wanted everyone to know a more human side of her mother.
"Part of me was like, 'I don't want to show her in that way.' But she had fans as well and I thought it would be kind of selfish at this point," she stated. "And there's a lot of great things about my mom that they have never [been] seen. She was always joking or always going crazy, one or the other."
When asked how it was shooting the film with Morgan following Lons' death, Cole explained that she could always feel her mother's presence around, which gave her the closure she needed.
"A lot of the moments felt like she was there. I felt I was able to tell my mom goodbye because I didn't get to tell my mom goodbye. In an eerie way, I was able to speak with my mom. Maybe she could hear it," she said.
Keyshia On How She's Coping Following The Loss Of Her Mother And Adopted Father
As the subject shifted to how Cole is coping with losing her biological mother and adopted father, the "Love" singer disclosed that prayer and her children have made the experience a bit easier.
Cole shares Daniel Gibson Jr.,13, with ex-husband Daniel Gibson and a 3-year-old son Tobias Khale with ex Niko Khale. The "Shoulda Let You Go" vocalist revealed that being an active parent and her daily duties as a mother played a huge role in her journey.
"I'm good. I just pray and I'm so thankful to have my kids because they are my light," she stated. "Just being near them and being able to take them to school, pick them up, be a regular parent, that is a lot of my healing, being able to give my children something that I didn't really experience."
Keyshia Cole: This Is My Story is now streaming on the Lifetime app.
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Now, when you go to the hair store you are inundated with all kinds of hair textures, colors, and more. That’s why it was so upsetting to read the latest report about synthetic braiding hair.
Delmaine Donson/ Getty Images
A Feb 27 Consumer Reports article revealed that most popular synthetic hair brands that are used for braiding have dangerous chemicals such as carcinogens, lead and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The report stated that 10 of the brands were tested and all 10 had these chemicals. These brands included Shake-N-Go, Sassy Collection, and Sensationnel.
These chemicals include benzene, which is a carcinogen that has been linked to acute myeloid leukemia and unsafe levels of lead, which can cause kidney damage, brain damage, and cardiovascular problems in adults.
In children, it can cause brain and nervous system damage, learning disabilities, behavioral problems and even developmental delays.
James E. Rogers, PhD, director and head of product safety testing led the testing for synthetic braiding hair. “Our exposure and risk analysis found all nine products could expose a regular user of any of these products to a level of lead that could be concerning over time,” he said.
As shocking as this is, it also brought some clarity around why I’ve had issues with wearing braiding hair as of late.
Not only have I dealt with scalp irritation, I’ve even had breakouts on my back from the hair touching. Since then, I’ve started rinsing the hair with apple cider vinegar, and haven’t had that many issues. However, the report stated that ACV isn’t a “cure-all” and can potentially release harmful chemicals when rinsing the hair.
@javonford16 Replying to @Julianna Rebundle vid: @Javon Ford Beauty #blackhairstyles #braidinghair #blackgirlhairstyles @Consumer Reports
While the report sparked some outrage, chemist Javon Ford has a different view. In a TikTok video, he shared that the report was tested for oral exposure and not dermal exposure.
He showed a screenshot of an email he allegedly sent Consumer Reports questioning their decision to test this way. The email said, “the best model to use, in our view, is the ingestion model for the reasons given in the article.”
“While I understand they went with that model, I don’t agree with it because you’re not intentionally ingesting braids,” Javon said. The chemist also said that the amount of chemicals found in the brands is “conservative” compared to other types of products.
So what does this mean for us braid-wearers? If you still want to wear braids, but have some concerns, you can limit how often you wear them. Another option is wearing non-toxic braiding hair or plant-based hair. The only downside is that it's pricier than synthetic hair.
The Consumer Report also suggested checking for recalls, reading labels carefully, and reporting adverse effects. Hair isn’t regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, so it’s best to do your research when making purchases.
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