As for her hair’s personality, she characterises it as "sensitive and stubborn"—exactly like its owner. It demands love, attention, and good product. Neglect it, and it’ll push back.
“My hair is just really sensitive. But stubborn though. Sensitive and stubborn. It's a great combination. It just needs attention, love, a little TLC… she just wants to feel important.”
You read that right, the hair has her own pronouns. And why not? She’s fabulous.
Another surprising fact? Anoeska can't wait to go grey. When it hits 80%, she's embracing the silver look. “I always do something the majority resists,” she says with a smile. “That’s also how I started the salon.”
Hair that has a personality of its own
Anoeska's current style isn't her favorite. She'll tell you that straight up. After seven years with a buzz cut, she's growing her hair out as part of a spiritual journey that started last October. The process is messy. Uncomfortable. Imperfect.
"Right now I don't like this style, but I just make it work. I put gel and mousse in my hair and I still love it, but it's not the look that I'm going for. It's a work in progress."
Like most of us right? There's something so freeing about accepting where you’re at.
ANOESKA SCHMIDT
People can wear their hair naturally and feel good about it.
"I always had the feeling like if you just do what you want, and do it with love, people will come to you."
Fifteen years later, that philosophy has built more than a business. It's created a space of self acceptance and celebration of natural beauty.
Sensitive&
Stubborn
Anoeska Schmidt braided her own hair for the first time at nine years old. She was fed up with her mother not understanding her texture and messing with her energy. So she locked herself in her room…and figured it out (pre-YouTube). And that was the spark that brought us here.
Today, Anoeska runs The Natural Nation (TNN) in Amsterdam Spaarndammerbuurt. But calling her a salon owner misses the point entirely. She's a healer. A therapist. A woman on her own spiritual journey.
The emotional (and physical) nature of her work can take a toll. But these experiences also connected her to her spiritual self. From the early days of the salon, her grandmother guided her to release negative energy and take care of her own inner peace. And that allowed her to find even more meaning in what she does.
“I started paying closer attention to what I was sensing in others. You end up in conversations you never expect. That’s how my spiritual side really emerged. It’s still exciting—it gives life a different role, a deeper purpose.”
The most rebellious thing to be is yourself
Fifteen years ago, leaving a salon with natural hair was radical, especially for Black women. Anoeska set out on a mission to change that with a message of empathy and self love.
"I wanted to let people know that no matter your profession or lifestyle you can just wear your hair naturally and be good with it."
In those early days, almost every woman that came in cried in the chair.
"It's the nature of the trauma they're releasing," Anoeska explains. "The indoctrination of 'everything needs to be straight'… and when they see themselves natural, they're either shocked by how beautiful it is—or they hate it."
"This needle is quite special because they don't sell this size anymore. I use it to make sure the locs are just tight enough, and created my own technique to make sure the hair will always be bouncy and fluffy."
Her method protects roots and keeps hair healthy. And it's so good she built an entire business on it. “This thing that’s helped me make a lot of money” she laughs. “I just have to find another manufacturer.”
Hair is more than just your crown
Anoeska doesn't just style hair. She reads it. Feels the energy behind it.
"I can make the hair look nice, but if your brain and heart don't connect, you will never find your true self."
She learned this as a child. Her grandmother's touch felt peaceful. Her mother's felt stressful.
"When my grandmother did my hair, I felt nothing. But when my mom did it, I felt stress. That's when I realised energy transfers. If you're not balanced, it affects the person in your chair."
This sensitivity shapes everything. Anoeska even created her own technique for locs using a curved needle that's almost impossible to find now.
"In the beginning, women were already crying and going through emotional stuff. Now we're in another energetic cycle—and I want to offer a space where people can release and also uplift themselves again."
For Anoeska, it's about creating community. A place where men and women can embrace their natural beauty without explanation or apology. Where every texture tells a story worth celebrating.
Fifteen years in, her mission remains the same: helping people feel at home in themselves. In a world that often demands conformity, The Natural Nation stands as proof that your natural self is not just enough—it's everything.
* This article is part of Natural Identity, a portrait series uplifting Black voices and experiences from everyday people who have found their community and home in and around Amsterdam.
Holding space for healing
Now Anoeska is expanding her vision. Monthly sound healings and water rituals are in the works, where she hopes to provide a safe space for complete emotional release.
Images by Jennifer Grube
Writing by Caitlin McCarthy
