The Purpose of this Project
Silke is a personal passion project inspired by the unique relationship between Black Afro hair and the weather. Many women in the Black community often choose their hairstyles based on environmental conditions, particularly in the UK, where humidity and dew point can make or break a hairstyle. Through extensive research and development, I discovered that dew point plays a more critical role than humidity alone in determining whether wearing natural hair out is safe or damaging. This insight became the foundation of Silke: a web app that empowers users to make informed decisions about their hair by analysing localised weather data.
The Technical Implementation
Built with React, the app uses useState, useEffect, and context for state management. Weather data is fetched from a third-party API, parsed to extract temperature, humidity, and dew point, and compared against predefined thresholds to generate contextual haircare advice. User searches are saved in localStorage, allowing quick access via a location-switching tab. The FAQ section uses array filtering and input event listeners for real-time keyword search functionality. Users can search for a city to view current and forecasted weather metrics (temperature, humidity, dew point) for the next five days. A smart headline system offers tailored haircare advice based on the weather, such as “Avoid silk press” or “Ideal for natural styles.” Each search is saved to localStorage, enabling users to revisit cities through a dashboard with a seamless location-switching feature. A comprehensive FAQ page offers quick access to information, with a search bar for filtering results by keyword.
Results & Future Potential
Silke has been well-received by members of the Black community, who appreciate the thoughtful combination of weather science and hair care. Planned features include: - SMS alerts: Users will be able to input their salon appointment date and location. If the dew point for that location suggests unsuitable hair conditions (e.g. a silk press is likely to revert), they will receive a text 48 hours in advance, giving them time to reschedule or cancel without losing their deposit. - Brand partnerships: There’s potential to integrate protective hair products directly into the platform, giving users real-time recommendations on what to use when styling in less-than-ideal conditions. Silke is more than a weather app - it’s a tool for empowerment, education, and proactive self-care.