I remember when I was in beauty school years ago. I went to a beauty school where I could learn all hair textures. Being a woman of color, I learned so much about curly and coily hair from an early age. I knew how to grow it, care for it and style it on myself and everyone else who wanted me to do their hair. Around 8 years old I was already adding hair extensions to my mother’s hair. In high school, I was braiding fellow student’s hair & performing manicure/pedicure services on my family & friends.
I attended a beauty school which was predominately Caucasian. I was intimidated early in my education because it was something new to me. I was out of my comfort zone & worked on straight hair just a few times prior to school. We used to always compare hair textures back then. Straight vs. kinky. It would bother me when taking clients as a Senior in beauty school. To become a Senior, I had to received enough classroom instruction, pass my freshman exams & meet the required hours. Once completed I was able to perform beauty services in the clinic, salon area of the school. We used all the same shampoos and conditioners on all clients. We didn’t use shampoos for clients based on their race or hair texture. We used these products based on the needs of the hair. So if a client came in with color-treated hair, we would use a color protection shampoo. If a client’s hair was dull and lack moisture, we would use a moisturizing shampoo. Everyone face similar needs with hair regardless of the texture.
Las Vegas is really diverse. My instructors were of different nationalities and they all had their own set of expertise. One thing they all agreed on when it came to the beauty industry is, “Hair is Hair. It will grow back and the only difference is how you care for it.” I was conditioned like many others to believe there was such a huge difference between hair. Accepting the fact that hair is hair helped me master all hair textures over the years.
Here are some interesting facts about hair…
#1 Hair grows the same way on every single head in the world unless that person just can’t grow hair. The only difference it the pattern based on the actual texture of the hair.
#2 Hair is naturally dead. It’s alive on the inside of our heads. Once it’s out of the scalp, it’s no longer alive.
#3 Shampoos, conditioners, styling products & treatments should be used according to the client’s needs.
#4 All hair can use the same shampoos and conditioners based on one’s individual needs. Just make sure they are a great professional brand. Hair = Hair.
The only differences…
#1 Styling the hair. When it comes to styling products, this literally makes all the difference. This is when hair type should be taken into consideration. Hair can be styled the same exact way, but a couple of tweaks must be taking into consideration.
#2 Natural oil production. Extremely curly hair absorbs moisture & need moisture to thrive and stay healthy. This is all based on styling preferences. Curly hair can go up to 2 weeks before it needs to be cleaned. This is to wash build-up & product from the hair and scalp. This can be done with a clarifying shampoo. Paul Mitchell’s Shampoo Three is a great clarifier you can pick up by clicking this link.
Straight to wavy textures produces oil very quickly. As oil build up on the scalp it travels to the hair weighing it down. This leaves a shiny appearance. With straight hair, some with this hair type shampoo their hair every single day to wash away the oil build-up. However, I do not recommend daily washing, because it does more harm than good. Some use dry shampoos to clean the hair and scalp between washes. Read my Beauty 101 post to find out the best time to shampoo your hair.
We all have different hair that makes us unique in our own way. Styles are unlimited based on any hair texture. Embrace these differences!
The Tony Mama 