What They Don't Tell You at the Hair Salon

What lies beneath is what comes to mind when I think of reading an expose' or a how-to book written by a whistleblower of sorts. I have always been intrigued by mysteries and the unknown.  My best friend, Krissy and I used to read the dictionary when were kids. I absolutely loved our leather bound collection of the Encyclopedia Britannica. When the maroon leather collection came out with the gold embossed letters, you couldn't tell me nothin'! I would read into the night, under my covers with a flashlight. Krissy and I would meet at each other's house or even sit outside on the stoop of the local church and look up the words and their etymology that was posted on the sign or engraved along the design of the church. Whenever my mother went looking for me in the house, I could hear as she peered into different rooms, "Ladosha, where are you, you nosey little critter. I know you're somewhere with your face buried in a book." I would jump out of room and yell, "Here I am!"

568 Likes...#wtf (what the frenchtoast)! 

The discovery of thoughts, facts, myths, lies, and tales was my thang. I simply loved learning about what laid beneath and what was hidden. Considering I loved to write, I would often put my findings in writing via a short story, a class writing assignment or even a poem. Hair is one of those topics I kind of got tangled in while I was in college. The story goes, "I was failing. The end." #LOL

Yeah, it went that fast. To turn that F into an A, I was put to the challenge to write about a less complex topic compared to the one I failed. Hair would be the simple topic. I did turn that F into an A. And the rest they say is history.

From pre-colonialism to slavery, from freedom to civil rights, from desegregation to today's headlines straight from the computer screen of the Yahoo news, racism lives; hair shaming. Yaaas lawd, these folks and their racism continues. Famed Actress and Comedian of SNL, Maya Rudolph shared with a writer of Allure Magazine her hair shaming experience from some of the White comedians at SNL; the Emmy award winning late night comedy show. The so-called professional White hair stylist on the set complained of difficulty doing Ms. Rudolph's hair. Ms. Rudolph felt some kind of way when comments were made about her hair not being able to fit under certain wigs. She also did not feel comfortable when another White comedian on the set would joke about the smell of burning hair as she got her hair styled...#smh at #SNL White people. As if White people hair is not difficult compared to Blacks. Hair shaming? Bull!ish. Racism? Yes. The notion of one group of people's hair being more or less difficult than other speaks to racism and why it hurts. It most definitely speaks to the lack of competence, skill set, proficiency, expertise, creativity and just plain ol', not knowing how to do you freakin' job on behalf of the hair stylish. Seriously, ONLY in the hair industry and POLICING can one use "benign neglect" at work and get away with it . Difficult hair texture? Difficult Black people my ahhz. Hair is hair. Skill is skill. Certain hair stylists and police officers can get away with that. Not in my blog. I'm putting the incompetent racist hair stylist on blast.

So, now I stand before you as a former F student turned hair stylist, turned author to blow the "sicle" off this popsicle stand of racism in hair styling. All those turns guided me into writing a book that debunks the crap out of racism that directly contributes to the incompetence in hair care and hair styling. If you can't do textured hair, then get out the industry. It only reflects lack of skills, lack of education, lack of training and the belief in the misappropriated terms and conditions of hair by anyone whose hair is different from yours or the status quo. Now I must write.  I write to offer solutions for people with real hair in real life. My book titled, What They Don't Tell You at the Hair Salon addresses the following three points:

1. Race is a social construct derived from pseudo-science and it has nothing to do with determining the texture of anyone's hair.
2. The health of hair is an inside job. Yes people, you are what you eat, drink, breath, poop and rest upon. 
3. Hairstyling is effective for all when the right hair products, the right hair styling tools and the right techniques are used per the unique hair fabric. 

Those three points are the premise of my new book. I hope you will enjoy it. You can follow me on all the social media platforms to watch me as I get jiggy with the facts about race, the health of hair and hair styling. This book is for hair stylists, parents, cosmetology instructors, counselors and everyone in between. The book is great for book clubs, meetups, classroom discussions, special interests groups and more. 

If you like my blog and want to get a little bit more into the mind and passion that drives me, I invite you to enter your chance to win hair care products from my line of hair products, The Wright Hair Products, have your hair and scalp analyzed as well as styled by me or a chance to win my eBook or the physical book by emailing me at: ladoshaw@yahoo.com. Share with me your hair or child's (loved one's) hair experience as it relates to race, health of hair or hair styling. Each week I will pick a winner. The winner will be emailed with instructions on how to get their winnings!  

Thank you in advance for your support. Remember, what they don't tell you at the hair salon...I will. 

Love, peace and hair grease.