"My relationship with my hair is one of deep reverence. It is an extension of my essence, a story of my lineage, my ancestry, and my becoming."
An ode to the sisterhood between Eva Kandra & Maya Crowder ~ the tender love grown and nurtured with every cycle of becoming.
Ben Rayner, photographer, was welcomed into the intimate home of Maya Crowder, where Eva has been staying whilst traveling through Australia. Nestled at the foot of the mountain where Wilson’s Creek begins, Maya’s home rests on sacred Bundjalung Land.
Eva felt called to show the love between sisters. “Maya is my other half, my ride or die. We keep our sisterhood very sacred; honored with the respect, care, and intention it deserves,” she says. “We have spent many years living on different lands, consistently showing up for each other, no matter the distance. It’s painful to be apart, so time when we can physically be together, is such a sweet and savoring time.”
“To cook together, to brush each others hair, to sing and dance and read and simply just be together. Laughing, crying, laughing and crying, and continuously committed to exercising expressing truth with love. Our friendship is based on respect, and for us valuing respect means, the desire to understand and witness each other fully, even in moments of challenge, even in moments of joy.”
Eva is using the Scalp Stimulate Duo.
From what Eva has shared, over the years, they have continued to journey deep, bringing their friendship into therapy, into ceremony, and the quiet spaces where truth can unravel safely. With every layer they shed, they step closer. Learning how to love each other better, to see one another more clearly, to grow as friends, as sisters, as women.
Maya is usually behind the lens, but this time, Eva asked her to step in front; to be witnessed, to be held and their bond to be seen ~ to capture these moments as keepsakes, something to hold onto when they are both old and gray, reminiscing on a time that was so precious.
What is your relationship with your hair?
My relationship with my hair is one of deep reverence. It is an extension of my essence, a story of my lineage, my ancestry, and my becoming. In Balinese tradition, much like many Indigenous teachings, hair is a bond to the spirit world, a connection to our Leluhur, our ancestors. It is a thread to wisdom, growing with us, carrying the knowledge of all that has been.
Eva is using the Hair Growth Oil.
How has your relationship with your hair evolved over time?
It hasn’t really... I’ve rarely experimented with different styles or lengths ~ the shortest my hair has ever been was just above my nipples. Both my mother and father have long, long hair. And though my mother is non-indigenous Canadian, she instilled in me the beauty and teachings of long hair as a connection to ancestry. So, from birth, I let my hair grow naturally.
That said, I have had my head shaved, multiple times as a baby and toddler, for Balinese ceremonies. I definitely wasn’t stoked on that... but that’s a story for another time.
My Mother, Ibu Sari, 2023 My Father, Made, 1999
My Father, Made & me in our garden doing our hair rituals, 2000
Do you have any hair rituals?
As a child, I always went to the spa with my mum. I remember being not even two years old, stacked on magazines to boost me up to the hair-washing bowl. I used to get a treatment called Creambath, a treatment that can be traced back to traditional Balinese women’s self- care in the villages. The ingredients were simple: avocado, sometimes mixed with aloe vera, cucumber, or the meat of the coconut, but most of the time, it was just cold, rich, whipped avo.
In the villages, hair was often washed with coconut water. That’s why all the dadong’s, grandma’s, hair is so luscious and healthy.
Nowadays, I oil my hair with Hinu or castor oil, massaging my scalp, feeling the connection to my roots ~ both literal and ancestral. My deepest connection to my hair is when I prepare it for ceremony: washing, cleansing, and either tying it back in a low bun or braiding it. I braid with intention, whispering prayers, offering gratitude for all that it holds as it anchors and bridges me between the worlds of matter and spirit.
Other times, I let it fall freely, allowing it to catch the wind, to move as it wishes ~ until, of course, it’s completely matted from the motorbike breeze, and I’m stuck untangling it for a solid hour... haha.
Eva is using the Scalp Massager.
How do you practice self-care in your daily life?
Self-care, for me, is listening ~ listening to what my body, my heart, and my spirit need each day. On the days I struggle to accept my experiences; whether it’s chronic fatigue, burnout, hormonal shifts, or the natural rhythms of my menstrual cycle, I have to remind myself to rest. To simply be with what is, without the pressure to understand or fix it. These days are the hardest ~ the ones that ask for surrender when the mind wants something different.
Eva is using the Hydrating Mist.
Some days, self-care looks like slow, intentional breath work or rolling out my mat for a long, gentle practice. Other days, it’s lying on the earth, letting myself be held. It’s in the simple things; drinking herbal teas, tending to my skin with oils and massage, painting, journaling, reading fantasy and erotica, nourishing myself with food that feels like love.
Self-care is also in the boundaries (fml haha) - in saying no when needed, in creating space for rest.
What brings you the most fulfillment and happiness?
Deep presence. The moments when I feel life moving through me fully ~ when I am teaching and witnessing someone come home to themselves, when I am in nature, held by its vastness, when I am creating something with my hands, when I am laughing with people I love. Fulfillment is in connection ~ in being with others in a way that feels real, open, heart-led.
EVA'S HINU HOME PLAYLIST
I. Amaphupho – Trinix Remix, Onset Music Group
II. Holy Ghost – Omah Lay
III. Maphupho Fezeka – French Fuse, Zandimaz, Onset Music Group
IV. Feel It – Cupidon, Milaa
V. Kiss of Life – Sade
VI. Reflections (MCXI Hz) – Malte Marten
VII. Grow - A COLORS ENCORE – FACESOUL
VIII. Take It All Back – Xiuhtezcatl
IX. Careful – Xiuhtezcatl
X. Reincarnated – Kendrick Lamar
XI. Dodger Blue (feat. Wallie the Sensei, Siete VIIX, Roddy Ricch) – Kendrick Lamar, Wallie the Sensei, Siete7x, Roddy Ricch
XII. Kafi Lied – Kalabrese, Palinstar
XIII. Freaking Out the Neighborhood – Mac DeMarco
XIV. Cupa Cupa – Parra for Cuva
Listen on Spotify.
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