When I was a little girl growing up, my mother cared for and style my hair. My sister and I never had the privilege of going to the hair salon. My mother simply could not afford it. In addition, she was warned that hair stylists were not to fond of tender headed little girls with hair twice the size of Chaka Khan's. So, I grew up never going to a hair salon, never looking inside one, and never knowing what a hair stylist looked like.
Then my prom came around. So naturally, my mother thought my prom would be thee reason for me to finally go the hair salon. A guy friend recommended his sister to style my hair for my special occasion. My sister was not to fond of my first salon visit because I had no relaxer in my hair. "Hmph, forget her. I'm going to the salon to get my hair popped," was my immediate thought.
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| My dreamy prom hair doo! |
The bus stop was actually in front of the hair salon. My first impression was not good. Instead of opening a glass or fancy door, I opened a screen door. Immediately, I knew something wasn't right. The screen door squeaked. Upon entering the door, I could feel a wave of heat that was hotter than the scene in Total Recall. But, I did not care. After all, I was getting my hair done. The place was small and cramped. My hair stylist did not greet me. Her "shampoo girl" simply said, "Hi, come on and follow me to the shampoo bowl." I mentioned, that I had an appointment with, let's just say her name was Ms. Hairstylist. She replied, "I know, I'm gonna shampoo you for her."
So, I sat at the shampoo bowl. She draped me in a black cape and took my ponytail down. She was thin built, but had obviously very strong arms, she had nail art on her acrylic nails and she wore a black apron. Before I knew it, she reached over and began rinsing my hair with very cold water. The water was sprinkling and splattering in my face. I was not liking this experience. I mean everybody knows you don't shampoo hair in cold water. As she moved about rinsing my hair, I became even more uncomfortable. Why? She wreaked of marijuana. So, I held my breath as much as I could. As she rinsed my hair, she said, "Girl yo hair is thick. When was the last time you had a touch-up?" I asked, "What's that?" She replied, "You know a relaxer?" I replied, "Oh, I don't have a relaxer." She yelled over to Ms. Hairstylist, "Girl, this girl ain't got no relaxer in her hair!" And just as if I had the Ebola virus, Ms. Hairstylist, two other hair stylists and a customer came over to the shampoo bowl, quickly examined my wet hair as I laid back into the bowl. She then sat me up and snatched my cape off and balled it up. I was very nervous. Before I could ask what was the problem. The shampoo assistant quickly placed a plastic cap on my head and said, "Girl, you betta go get you a relaxer because ain't nobody gone be pressing yo hair. I don't even think hair salons really have straightening combs any more. And yo hair is too thick to be blow drying it." So, I sat up looking very dumbfounded. My hair was big. My straight hair had turned back into Chaka Khan gone wild. The water dripped from my wet hair onto my face, down my cheeks and back of my neck. She walked me to the door and said, "We don't do press and curls here. And you can't do pump waves on an Afro!." I stood in the doorway wondering, "Why didn't she just ask me?" I then heard a lady under the dryer say, "Dag, you could give her a towel so she won't be on the bus getting people wet." And with that, she opened the screen door and tossed me a towel. I stood in the doorway feeling all out of sorts. There was nothing I could do. I knew they were not gonna let me back in. After all, they made it abundantly clear, they were not going to do my kind of hair. It never occurred to me get irate, go back in and demand that they do something to my hair. Though I had never visited a hair salon, I made the obvious conclusion. The reason she never did a consultation or even talked to me was because she did not know how. She did not care. Her goal was one thing and one thing only; to shampoo my hair. How sad. |
| I didn't look this nice with my cap on...lol |
At the end of the day, my mom finished my hair, I went on to college, became a social worker turned hair stylist. Why? Because they don't talk to you at the hair salon.
When I was a social worker, I worked with many women and teen parents helping them to develop coping skills to get through the day's stressors to reunify them with their children and become gainfully employed. During that time, many of the women disclosed how much they hated their hair, in spite of routine salon visits. They also disclosed how much money and time they invested into hair style. The other thing I thought was interesting. Many disclosed how they could never duplicate the hair style or how it would not last.
After hearing enough of those sad salon stories from the families I served, my co-workers and reflecting back to my own experience, I just had to do something.
The demand has become so large that I have re-directed my career to do more. I have held workshops, think tanks, speaking services and training other licensed professionals to make a difference in how people are being serviced at hair salons.
I decided it was time to do something different to help more people with textured hair. As I step from behind the chair again, I decided to collaborate. With the help of my friends and colleagues from other professions, we will address what they don't tell you at the hair salon about hair care and hair styling. We will discuss why consultations are not taking place. We will discuss why you are being sold the wrong products. We will be on hand to educate and offer solutions.
I have learned from one thing from three salon scenarios. The first lesson is from my first scenario from my one and only salon experiences, the second is from the families I served and the third is from my friends and co-workers. I learned that a beautiful hair style does not start with a picture from a magazine or from your phone.
A great hair style comes from great hair, great products and a skilled licensed professional.
Great hair comes from genetics, nutrition, detoxing, exercising, sleep and positive thinking. Great products are a result of matching the product to your hair fabric and hair style goal. A great hair style comes from a licensed professional who knows how to discern your request. He or she can meet the demands of what it takes to style your hair fabric.They conclude their service with information and instructions on how to care for your hair, even if you choose to not come back at all.
On Saturday, February 27th between 10-3pm, I will be joining Global Hair Care Solutions and the YWCA of Cleveland to host our first annual Hair and Wellness Seminar. The seminar is free. The day starts with a free continental breakfast to network and make new friends. There will be 6 workshops that will teach the connection between hair and the science of hair, nutrition and hair, detoxing and hair, water and hair, positive thinking and hair and what they don't tell you at the hair salon about hair. Participants will receive door prizes and giveaways such as; purses, scarves, Himalayan sea salt, detox tea, and samples of hair care products to name a few. Yvonne Pointer will be the keynote speaker. Please register at:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-science-of-hair-hair-care-wellness-seminar-registration-21419035913
