How far would you travel to get your hair done?
For most, it would depend on the stylist or the service.
For others, any sort of extended trek would have to be for a special occasion.
Brittany M. Reid
BuzzFeed News reported that she called26salons in her area, to no avail.
Eventually, Taylor did find someone to cornrow her hair: her grandmother, who lives two hours away.
A large part of Joness research is on the institutions of the Black barbershop and beauty salon.
Calling from her home in upstate New York, Jones uses her own surroundings as a mini case study.
Who gets to live in the suburbs?
Who gets to own a home?
When I moved here, I wasn’t expecting to find Black hair salons."
Redlining contributed to nearly all-white suburbs that were rich in resources but limited in Black-owned businesses.
Today,gentrification is steadily increasing.
While these neighborhoods have managed to maintain their oasis status, gentrification is persistent.
The barbershop where Jones conducted a majority of her research for the book shes writing has since closed.
“If the rent is going up, on the ownership side it’s harder, too.
That’s pushing these businesses out of the neighborhood despite the demand.”
Being a salon stylist can be a very lucrative profession, but it’s also one with high overhead.
But for Black practitioners who specialize in natural hair, the barriers to entry are even more nuanced.
Many cosmetology programs in the United States do not include natural hairstyling in their curriculums.
Once you do have the proper training, getting funding to open a salon is another matter.
Home ownership, services, and resources ended up restricted to certain communities and areas based solely on race.
This contributed to nearly all-white suburbs that were rich in resources but limited in Black-owned businesses.
This can make for a nation scattered with Black hair deserts.
The Black salon is arguably a pillar of Black culture and the Black experience.
It is a space completely separated from and impervious to the white gaze.
There’s camaraderie and community intimacy shared between chairs.
DaraLynis a 28-year-old hairstylist and esthetician who rents a station out of Blush Salon in Albany, Oregon.
The stylist’s clientele ranges in race and ethnicity.
“I would say there is a demand in my area,” she says.
“I think there are few options for textured hair care because many stylists are scared of textured hair.
On the opposite coast of the U.S. exists this same fear and hesitancy towards textured hair.
Serving such a large community means that Ford-Washington is booked up at least two weeks in advance.
Originally from the Twin Cities, Ford-Washington’s experience servicing her Duluth, Minnesota, community has been taxing.
In a desert, no one knows what to do.
“You’re not just doing a service…you actually are educating clients as well.
In a desert, no one knows what to do.”
All three stylistsAllurespoke with face moderate to significant demand for their services despite working in predominantly white communities.
Ford-Washington has some clients that travel nearly three hours and across state lines to see her.
“The opportunities here are limited,” Ford-Washington shares.
“As a Black woman, I want to see a Black woman doing my hair.
That’s my preference,” adds Jones.
We also offer a standalone curriculum for Natural Haircare and Braiding,” says Bruce.
Our revised 14th Edition of Standard Cosmetology will release later this year."
Along with this surprise came the realization that she was now living in a Black hair desert.
And, with no one who related to my hair struggle, it was also very isolating."
Today, Kingsman lives in Portland, works full-time in manufacturing, and is also a travel blogger.
It took Kingsman nearly a decade to findanystylist, let alone a reliable one that she could consistently visit.
But Kingsman’schronic painmade effective washing, blow drying, and styling on her own an extreme burden.
In Wasilla, Alaska, Hope Wells learned to do hair via YouTube.
Originally from North Carolina and Maryland, Wells has lived in Alaska for 27 years.
(As of 2019, the Black population in Alaska made up3.7 percentof the state’s total.)
“Before YouTube, because my oldest son is 36, it was really trial and error.”
Johnson has had two trusted hairstylists in recent years.
At her now-regular salon in Boston, she normally visits for shampoo presses or twist outs.
In addition to a well-executed hairstyle, what Johnson hopes to get out of her salon experience is community.
“Camaraderie and community,” says Johnson.
Im looking for that kind of bond."
“I want to feel comfortable and taken care of.
Im looking for that kind of bond.”
“I would sit in the chair every six days [if I could],” confesses Wells.
I feel like that was a very important part of my growing up.
So much gets talked about and so much is learned in the salon.
A salon that services textured hair could be a community-building asset.
Kingsman observes that the few Black stylists she’s found are almost always fully booked with clients.
The demand is present and strong yet, there are still so few options.
I strongly disagree with that statement.
The demand is there, regardless of the percentage, the suppliers just don’t care."
But for Johnson, skill level is a moot point.
“No,” Johnson maintains.
“Getting your hair done is more than a service.
It’s a sacred cultural experience.”
Where Do We Go From Here?
We must take a holistic view of the landscape we operate in.
They’re all tangled together.
Because it was never “just hair” for us.
