Roll Out

To hell with what "they" say.

Hair stylists listens to a lot of shop talk in the hair salon. Shop talk ranges from topics hot off the press such as the most recent preposterous government shut down for a wall to keep the country safe from people entering the country illegally, to the latest R. Kelly fiasco, to unjust killings of innocent African American men, to America's history of mistreatment of women, and of course thee old hair care do's and don'ts.

While attending cosmetology school, I recall being advised to keep our opinions out of religious and political school of thoughts. To date, I do as advised. I merely listen because they truly do get heated. But, now when it comes to topics about hair, I'm mouth all mighty.

People enter salons with all kinds of notions about hair care. The notions, I must say are all pretty much entrenched from cultural practices to the ever popular and most credited, "they." Yaaaaaas huntee, you know what "they" trumps anything and everybody; including hair stylists. This particular statement was stated around the holiday. A customer entered the salon to purchase some hair care products. She entered the salon with a head full of curls. As everyone complimented her, the customer I had just styled asked in amazement, "How do you keep your curls looking so nice and lasting so long?" "Easy, I roll my hair every night on sponge rollers," she happily replied. In astonished unison, all the other customer responded, "Sponge rollers!" "Yes. Sponge rollers." She was bombarded with statements and questions about how bad sponge rollers were for hair.

Sponge rollers are great for preserving curls.

The customer chimed in very loud, "Ladosha, did you hear what she said? What do you think about sponge rollers?" I replied, "Well, considering I told her to use them, I think they are great for what they are designed to do." Everyone was shocked. You would have thought I took my shirt off, or sneezed without covering my nose, or said I voted for Trump. With haughtiness, they were disdained by the mere endorsement and approval of sponge rollers on hair; let alone to be used to preserve curls. They all had much to say about what "they" say about rollers on hair. There were so many poignant comments about "they," Their comments were coming at me like a swirling scene straight out of Stephen King's 70's thriller movie, Carrie. It was as if everyone's comment was swirling in my ears, "They're all gonna laugh at you. They're all gonna laugh at you." I literally put my head over my ears and yelled, "Who are they?"

The bombardment of comments were silenced. "Who are they," I asked? Everyone looked around at each other, but had no response. My sentiments exactly. In hair care and hair styling refrain from what "they" say. Ignore the comments in your head about what "they" say. Ignore, any comments or suggestions from what "they" say. I honestly have no proof of who "they" are but If I could make a good guess, I'd say, people who don't know much about how curls are created and recreated.

"They" are typically the people telling people things with no merit, rhyme, reason or truth. "They" are typically the people who do not read any instructions per the manufacturer. "They" are typically the people who have lost all or most of their hair from doing too much to their hair. "They" are typically the people who did not complete their training or continue their education in cosmetology or trichology. You see, "they" are not the people anyone should be listening to as a source of credibility or assistance.

For the records, all curls are created in many forms of a rolling, twirling or winding fashion. Be it rolling a curling iron barrel, twirling of marcel curling irons, turning of flat irons, winding hair in a circular motion using two index fingers, or physically rolling hair onto a roller; in order for hair to curl, it must be rolled. Therefore, it is very obvious, for the varying manipulations used to achieve curls are all done in some rolling, twirling or winding fashion; it is practical to do the same to preserve the curls.

The ludicrous claim that sponge rollers pulls or snatches hair out is the same claim "they" make about combs. Just as people refrain and refuse to use rollers to preserve and maintain their curled hair, they refrain and refuse to use a comb to comb out their hair for the same reasons; what "they" say. Rollers not combs pull hair or take hair out.

For the sake of Pete and Pam, please stop listening to "them." Them people will not be there in the morning when you wake up and your curls are gone because you did not roll your hair. Them people will not pay for your hair to be curled daily. Them people will not be their help you with your hair, but you will. Hair styles are not like sculpting and molding a statue. Hairstyles are like sculpting and molding the blankets on your bed. Once you get out, you have to make it back up. Once you get out, you have to make it up. Hair styles like making up your up bed. Once you roll out, you have to make it up as soon as you get out the bed. The longer you wait, the more you pile things on it as you get ready for your day; thus make making your bed more difficult.

The same rules apply for rolling your hair as it does rolling out your bed. Rolling hair is best done the moment you've lived in the hairstyle and is ready to preserve it for the next day to wear it and live in it!

Keep it simple. Roll your hair with sponge rollers to keep your curls. The plastic rollers are not best for all hair textures like the sponge. Plastic rollers may fall out. Sponge rollers snap in and hold through the night. If you are seeing hair in your sponge rollers, it is probably because you did not comb your hair out thoroughly prior to rolling your hair, your hair is dirty (dirty hair sheds profusely) or simply you are seeing hair that is naturally shedding.

Now as for what "they" say about rolling hair?  Put on some Ludacris, motivating you to have them... Rollout (My Business) and roll your hair!

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.