Lies

I recall the time when I first shared the concept of opening a salon that teaches women how to do their own hair with my best friend Krissy. Her response, "Dude, you are so cool!" 

The concept of opening a salon that teaches customers how to do their own hair also reminded of a statement my biology professor once said about another concept for helping people diagnosed with AIDS, "Sounds good in theory; but not in practice." Hmm, I wonder what ever happened to Professor Clavesko, he was so sharp and smart. Oh, I digress!

How to care for hair is often times cultural.

Understand, hair styles are often influenced by trends and fads. But hair care is often times culturally. Hair care techniques are passed down from person to person based off of what is being taught to them by their very first hair care giver. 

So what was a former social worker to do with this concept of teaching women how to do their own hair in a hair salon who's business is supposed to be made off of doing their hair in the salon? I came up with a very creative way to do it.  However, the reality of folk's hair speaking the truth about their hair without them even talking would often times conflict with what they were saying to me. This was a challenge. Because I somehow had to find a nice way of saying, "You are lying." I also had to find a way to ask if I could do their hair.

Hair speaks to me!

Many do not know nor did they have the faintest idea that their hair would whisper to me, "She's fibbing." Yeah, kinda like the animals talking to Eddie Murphy in "Doctor Dolittle." But, how could I let the customer know that their hair was telling me something entirely different from what was coming out of their mouths. For example I would ask, "When was the last time you colored or had someone color your hair?" They would reply, "Oh last year. No it was over 3 years ago." When I anaylized their scalp and hair, I could visibly see and feel the color and cast on their hair. Another example, "Why do you have these tiny bald spots on your scalp?" That customer would reply, "Oh, I have a hair lost disease." When I could clearly see the residue from the hair glue and the very visible distinct horizontal pattern of patches of what appeared to be a result of a track of hair weave that had been snatched out. Now keep in mind, I most certainly did not want to call them a liar or imply that they were indeed lying? Things that make you go hmm.

So, I went back to my orimginal source, Krissy. "Krissy, help me!" I turned to Krissy because when were kids we had this fascination with words. We were in awe of the meanings of words and their origin. For some reason, we never played sports, did girly things or even play. But one thing we did do, was read. We'd read the bible, poems, history books; you name it. Hell, we even read the darn dictionary...lol Yep, we did that thang. After telling Krissy my dilemma, she quickly came up with a simple solution. The solution started with a few questions, "So are you saying people's hair fibers talk to you?" I was like, "Well, sort of. Their hair tells a story of how it is being handled, what has been and is being put on it, what they are eating or not. How much water they are drinking or not and so on." "Hmm." She replied. "So, in other words, their hair is speaking to you telling a story about the treatment of the hair externally and internally?" "Yes!" I frantically nodded. "Man Ladosha, you are more weirder than I thought." Then she himmed and hawed. Moments later after sucking her teeth, she said the magic word, "ADUMBRATE."

Everybody, meet Krissy!

If I never loved Krissy, that was one of those moments when the lawd shined the light from sky above onto this one special person; Krissy. I mean, the Golden Child was before me. Hmm, another Eddie Murphy movie...lol I gave her the biggest hug one could give.

Anyone thinking of becoming a hairstylist and is under the assumption that actually styling the hair is the whip. It is not. First of all you need hair when styling is the goal. Second you need hair that you can work with. The hair must be pliable, reliable, strong and resilient if you want to do anything to it. In addition, you have to assess what is it that your are toucthing and feeling before you to decided which route to take. 

Consultations are for more important, more fun, more creative and more money making than hair styling. Because consultations require a kind of je ne sais quoi that one cannot get in school or during testing at state board; they simply minimize, dumb it down or just do not do it at all. Shame. Because they hair adumbrates, it is imperative that we be honest with our customer each and every time they sit in our chair. 

Because so much has happened in between salon visits (rather 2 days or 2 months from the last salon visit), their hair is not the same.  At the salon where I work, it does not matter how frequent a person visits the salon, we do a consultation before every service. We also remind them how their hair adumbrates or tells a story about what is really going on before they utter a word. 

Teaching

Teaching our customers about the meaning of adumbrate BEFORE we even touch them, reduces the likelihood of them lying to us about things such as: when the last time they shampooed their hair, rather or not they put a chemical on their hair, rather or not they smoke weed or do drugs, rather or not they are on medicines or have allergies and so on. Teaching our customers the meaning of the word adumbrate also gives us permission to let them know how we know they are lying.

The goal is to never insult. Instead, the goal is to be honest. When you enter a salon you are making an investment in  yourself.  My job is to help you protect your investment. The best way I can do that is to always assess the current hair situation. Then I can tell you how to get the best bang for your buck. From their we provide a hair style that will fit your ability to re-create the look based off of your skill set to do your own hair and what is in your bathroom under the sink. 

Your words are important to us at the salon where I work. To be able to take care of your hair to get the style that you want, honestly is the best way to help a hair stylist get you there. Providing consultations to assess the scalp and hair before every service is a beautiful thing. From there, we can be honest about what it will really take to make your hair look nice.

Honest. No lie!