One of the many things that black womxn can bond over, time and time again, all over the world, is how bloody difficult it is to do our hair! I mean this whole hair discussion is not just about our hair but how we do not see enough of it till this day. So much so, that a lot of predominantly black salons cannot take adequate care of it. This is mostly because of what we look at as acceptable now.
The thing about black womxn’s hair, is how our hair has always been something thought of as obscure and ugly in comparison to the western standards that we are made to subscribe to daily. When we are forced to abide by the rules of a culture that doesn’t care for us, there are bits of ourselves and our identities that we are made to cut off and leave behind. And what we are left with now is people that try to touch our hair without asking (eeuw). This shock and awe has a more sinister undertone than one would think. The systematic racial prejudices that we face, force us to take drastic measures to assimilate in a world that is not for us. And yes, though some may not consider it, changing your hair can be drastic. Especially when someone strips you of the value you hold in your natural state. Mainly because they see themselves as the standard as what should be normal and humanly accepted. So as soon as you don your ‘fro at work or school and are told that your natural being is not natural, you are automatically deprived of your humanity. You are not deserving of respect, you are less of a human because of your naturality. Because of your 4C hair.
Alright, now that that has been unpacked, we asked some womxn with 4C hair what they hated about going to the salon and the responses were the sad and usual responses we 4C womxn have become accustomed to hearing. From being charged extra because our hair is thick to them not having a clue about what to use on our hair thus leaving it brittle and dry. And getting your air braided is even worse! You don’t want to relax your hair, but they insist. Detangling is a mission, because for some reason, hairdressers think that a comb must effortlessly glide from the front to the back of your head. This one thing I have never been able to understand. There’s too much of me, packed tightly, for a tiny plastic thing to conquer in one go. Respect my coarse afro!
Of course, this is in no way demeaning womxn that relax their hair and/or wear weaves, good on you. We just want people to be more attentive to our natural hair. We should not be pressured into relaxing our hair or blow drying when we do not want to.
Handy Tip:
I have recently come across a young womxn that is excellent with coarse hair. I’m talking about how she detangled my hair with her fingers, in sections. It was the best experience I have ever had with someone touching my hair. Everything took about 6 hours to finish up. Her name is Phindile Langavi and you can contact her on 0797402746 to schedule an appointment.