Esteemed Reader,
We are Faith and kēr of Nylut Directory Services and we would like to take the opportunity to formally introduce you to our venture of amity. This is a website borne of the experiences that shaped us as two dark-skin Black women who struggled to navigate accessing skin and hair based services, some that we really needed — it took us hours, days and in some instances months to locate a service provider within our locale who could render basic services that many in our same region accessed without even a second thought. It is through this that the idea for Nylut was birthed; a directory service tailored for Black, Indigenous, and other peoples of colour (BIPOC), that connects users to service providers who possess the proper skill-sets to supply these specific hair and skin based needs and wants.
We’re beyond elated to be launching this product in our hometown Regina! As a celebration of this exciting moment we would love to share with you a feature on the site that we hold with the deepest reverence, over the years in our community work, we noticed the difficult time 2STQLGB+ persons had finding service providers that made them feel comfortable, secure and wanted; so we used this opportunity to create the Positive Place Rating System which is a first of its kind feature that assists gender and sexually expansive people in finding not just welcoming but most significantly affirming service providers. It is our hope that this innovation helps improve people’s quality of lives and that we can continue to develop more solutions.
It would be a lie to say this is not a scary moment, it is… people are finally seeing something we’ve been working on for ages. Absolutely nerve-racking! This has been a sojourn of love, one that’s had a few heartbreaks, a handful that were utterly devastating; which for the most part only went to reify that we were not only on the right path for us but also our personal commitment to this undertaking. Nylut is our baby and it is petrifying showing the world something so precious to you but it is time. This was meant to be shared because now it is ours, all of us.
If we make at least one individual life easier in relation to finally having access to the right people to work on their skin and / or hair needs, then we are content.
We are all blest to be at home in Treaty 4 Territory.
Warmest wishes from the both of us,
Faith and kēr, co-founders
