Ready Made

Big Ma, my great grandmother

I have a beautiful cousin named Nickcole who lives in Memphis. She had the pleasure of being raised in a home with our great grandmother. One day, I decided to ask her what was it like. I asked her if she could share with me an important lesson our great grandmother shared with her while being raised by her. She replied in her extreme southern accent, “Ooh, there’s so many. Ok cousin, here is a good one. Big Ma said, stay ready and ain’t gotta get ready.” Upon sharing our great grand mother’s beloved wisdom, that became the mantra of my life. As I continue living, I find myself looking for advice and wisdom to carry me through, motivate me and teach me like my Big Ma’s wisdom did. Blessedly, I am able to do this through conversing with my elders, the youth and reading.

I’ve talked to many, read many books and articles. Of all the people I’ve talked to and things I’ve read, no one has quite motivated and inspired me like the wisdom of my great grandmother like the legendary, Madam C.J. Walker. I was reluctant to becoming a licensed cosmetologist because my hair styling skills were very poor. My creative mind, fingers and concepts just would not mesh together to create all the elaborate hairstyles that makes once successful. Hair styles such as: finger waves, tapered Anita Baker styles, pineapple waves, En’Vogue’s updo’s, Aretha Franklin’s beehives, Beyonce’s hair weaves; you name it, I simply could not master the skills to bring about a fabulous hairstyle. Yet, while working as an outreach worker, people loved my hair. Their love of my hair influenced my decision to actually becoming a licensed cosmetologist. It was during that time I discerned the difference between hair care and a hair style. I deduced hair care is what contributed to what they liked about my hair. I was complimented on the appearance of it, the feel, the length and my scalp. As I investigated the idea of becoming a licensed cosmetologist, who could I turn to for guidance and lessons if I don’t actually know how to create a hair style, but was good at hair care? In the spirit of staying ready, I decided to do a lot of research and then enroll into cosmetology school. During this time, I read about a prominent African American hairstylist out of Boston, Massachusetts named Olive Benson. Olive Benson turned out to be my “Oprah Winfrey” of cosmetology. She had many accomplishments in her life. She helped improve the formula of hair color to create safe permanent coloring options for people with textured hair. She promoted hair care. She created her own line of hair care products. She styled many celebrities. She won many awards and served as a proctor for the American Board of Certified Colorists. She was truly in a lane by herself because she achieved all of this under the guise of trichology. Trichology is the science of scalp and hair. Olive’s stance on all great hair styles and hair coloring was healthy scalp and hair.

Ms. Olive Lee Benson

Fate would have it, the first year of me becoming a licensed cosmetologist, I had the opportunity to actually meet Ms. Benson. It was via one her customers who needed a hairstyle while visiting Cleveland.  She was a Boston news anchor woman named, Karen Holmes. Karen received compliments on my hairstyle from viewers and her hairstylist (unbeknownst to me), Olive Benson! Olive asked Karen if she could have my number to which she obliged. The day I got the phone call was like any other. The phone rang, I said, “Hello.” She introduced herself as Karen’s hairstylist. We talked literally for almost 30 minutes. We discovered we had much in common. There I was wanting to become a great hairstylist and she wanted to become a great social worker. Then via mid-sentence, she excused herself for not telling me her name. I replied, “Oh yeah, what is your name?” She replied, “My name is Olive Benson.” I immediately started crying. There was nothing I could say or do, but cry. How could that be? I’d patterned my entire career; even my hair color pattern after her. I did everything like Olive Benson, except roller set hair. It was my ability to blow dry hair safely that prompted her to call me because she admittingly was not a fan of blow dryers. She wanted to compliment me and invite me to meet her and share with her how I blow dried hair so effectively. During the conversation, I could feel my Big Ma’s energy of “stay ready and ain’t gotta get ready,” emanate from the ethers around me and the phone call. During this conversation, I asked Ms. Benson who inspired her. She replied, Madam C.J. Walker. “Oh, the lady who invented the straightening comb?” She suggested I do more reading about Madam C.J. Walker and to come visit her after I completed my research. 

Eager to meet her and learn more about Madame C.J. Walker, I ended up getting the facts in the form of a book that was gifted to me from a customer who new I was serious about my Madam C.J. Walker research so I could meet Ms. Benson. This was before the internet. So, when I got that book, I screamed with excitement. The book was titled, On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker by A’Lelia Bundles. Ms. Bundles is the great-great granddaughter of Madam C.J. Walker. It was truly a magnificent read. The book was drop dead interesting with facts about her humble beginnings, her struggles, her accomplishments, her family, her ability to build an empire, earn millions and shockingly the fact that she did not invent the straightening comb! I recall calling Olive Benson almost one year later with my research. I had to retract my statement. I was able to visit Olive Benson. We became good friends. I got a chance to be personally trained by her on her famous roller sets. She shared with me some of her secrets and more. She was most extremely proud that I did my research on Madam C.J. Walker. She introduced me to hair coloring and required that I become a Master Colorist to inspire other African American cosmetologists to become one as well. She mentored me to her last days. I was devastated by her passing. Currently, I’ve worked in the industry for 20 years and that was the only day, I simply could not come in.

Self Made: March 20th, Netflix

Ironically in June of 2020, I will have been in business working as a salon owner and cosmetologist for 20 years. And this month on March 20^th, Netflix will be airing a mini-series titled, Self-Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker. This mini-series is inspired by the book On Her Own Ground, again, written by her great-great granddaughter. NBA star LeBron James collaborated with a few of Hollywood’s heavy hitters to produce this series with a star-studded cast. In my lifetime of meeting fascinating people and reading fascinating books, I believe Madam C.J. Walker was the readiest made for her purpose and passion. She has impacted and influenced the entire beauty industry beyond measure. From homemade to door to door sales, to education, patents, image, determination, business and the newly enacted C.R.O.W.N Act legislation of 2019; this woman prevails as the greatest of all times. Her contributions and standards are being lived out as you read this blog. Her legacy of being self-made on her grounds is the epitome of the wise words of by Big Ma as shared with me by my cousin, “Stay ready and ain’t gotta get ready.”

Hair Care is Important

Hair styling. 

Google Image

The scalp is a microbial habitat. It secretes yeast and oil. Both attracts dirt and debris which ends up being trapped onto the scalp and hair. In addition to debris, unclean and unkempt hair and scalp are also the perfect breeding ground for head lice and nits. These biological factors applies to the entire human race. The environment of the scalp and condition of hair are what differentiates hair care and separate it from hair styling. Believe it or not, there was a time when hair care meant something. America was in a frenzy to clean up and to get their people clean. That time can be seen from a historical and cultural perspective. For example during the early to mid 1800's, America was transitioning from no plumbing to plumbing and from slaves to freed slaves. This time was unique because both histories were almost happening simultaneously; impacting American culture. A portion of this unclean problem would require tenacity and creativity. The unsanitary and unclean conditions not only affected the environment and communities, they also affected scalp and hair; especially of slaves. Now that they were freed, what was to come of their hair? Who could help? This came in the form of the tenacious and creative Madam C.J. Walker. This pioneer extraordinaire used her unique business acumen to introduce her cleansing methodology of hair and scalp care by promoting the use of her handcrafted hair care products. Historically and culturally she ends up teaching the masses of women (Black) that clean hair and scalp is hair care. Promoting cleanliness was very important during America's unique history of transitions. As of now that important history has been traded in for hairstyles and the now fading natural hair movement. It is my goal in my upcoming series of blogs, posts and videos to remind people that hair care is important. I plan on doing this by showing the difference between the two.

The current focus on hairstyles and the constant barrage of misinformation from the autodidacts of YouTube and their infodemic that fueled the natural hair movement, unfortunately has resurged the same hair and scalp problems that plagued people of color from yesteryear when America had no plumbing, people did not wash up and blacks (enslaved and freed) had no access to hair care products. Hairstyles definitely have their place and a very purposeful mainstay in people's freedom of expression. However, when you take a glance at the history of hair styles, it will validate the framework of the importance of hair care as the precursor to all hair styles. 

The history of hairstyling is strange in many ways. For example, in the 1500's, the Asians were saving cooked rice water to ferment and style their long tresses. The Assyrians were heating up metal helmets to achieve curls. The Europeans were coiffuring wigs with lard and covering them up at night in cages to keep away the rats. Meanwhile on the continent of Africa, Egyptians wore unique cornrow braided hairstyles that represented their tribes. They shaved their heads of hair to ward off lice. And they created elaborate wigs that were hand crafted from the scalped heads of their captives to wear stylishly. 

As societies grew and changed, so did their abilities to live on and off the fruit of the land. Make no mistake, living on and off the fruit of the land was no small feat. As mentioned above, cleaning, hygiene and plumbing would be a few of the various hurdles many developing nations struggled with. Some nations resolved their plights faster than others. Interestingly, the United States was close to last in developing sanitation, hygiene and effective plumbing systems with standards. They faced severe challenges in getting their citizens to clean and wash; even after getting their plumbing up and running. 

The lack of cleanliness and plumbing caused unsanitary and unsafe conditions. These were big problems for this newly forming nation. History teaches these unsanitary problems created conditions that were responsible for thousands of deaths for the soldiers serving during the civil war. In 1862 when President Lincoln signed the emancipation proclamation freeing all enslaved Africans, that changed the trajectory of what the United States would become. And of all the things to worry about, focus on, document, record and report during that time, hair would not be one of them. 

President Abraham Lincoln at the signing of the

Emancipation Proclamation. Google Image 

Hair was not a priority to the powers that be and the society at large. On the contrary, if you were a newly freed slave, hair was priority one. Newly freed slaves were all too aware of the role hair played in the culture of America. Hair determined if they would be rejected or accepted into certain aspects of this new "freed" paradigm. In addition, unbeknownst to many, having beautiful hair was also a rich part of their history as Africans. So, putting hair care and hairstyle at the forefront of their agenda as freed people would be inevitable. Free Indians, Mexicans, Asians, Blacks (freed slaves) who could pass as White by way of their softer textured or more straight to lighter colored hair would prove to be advantageous. They were being accepted into the new paradigm differently compared to the newly freed Negroes with tighter darker colored textured hair. The newly freed slaves knew that too. 

Hair, texture, and appearance would soon be resolved for this unique group of American citizens. The newly freed slaves had new racial categories assigned to them such as Negroes, Blacks, Mullatos, quadroons, octoroons and hexadecaroons. They were now experiencing the "Damned if you do and damned if you don't," idiom in the matters of hair care and hairstyling. This conundrum was quickly solved by the tenacious intelligent hair care pioneer, Madam C.J. Walker. This daughter of former slaves boldly entered the scene to do the damn thang for hair care and hair styling for newly freed Africans, now called negroes by demonstrating that hair care is important. She did it so well, she became America's first Black female millionaire.

Madam C.J. Walker's 

Wonderful Hair Grower.

 Google Image

Continue to read my blog as I delve into the difference between hair care and hair styling. I will write and discuss this issue on many levels. Follow me on social media, listen to my "What They Don't Tell You at the Hair Salon" podcast and watch me on YouTube @LadoshaWright. It is on these platforms where you will hear my take on the history of hair care starting with my reviews on the upcoming Netflix series titled, Self Made about the life of Madam C.J. Walker and her successful hair care empire! Peace, love and hair.