According to consumer analyst Mintel, approximately 56% of the U.S. adult population has some degree of rough hair, but the majority do not feel comfortable caring for their hair.
Hair care is a scary process due to stigma and lack of awareness of education deficiencies. Amid this underestimation, managing and nourishing hair, especially textured hair, becomes even more of a burden.
This raises the question of how professionals are educated, starting from cosmetology schools, which is the teaching method of hair texture.
It is standard to give preference to straight hair, curly hair is excluded. Some may be discouraged, not only because of the many stereotypes that persist, but also because of the dissimilarity that hair responds differently to moisture and requires a great deal of management.
Hairstylist Marsha Conaway recalls her experience during her 31 years in beauty school. Conaway said the relationship between how people view curly hair in the professional setting has changed.
“Back then, they were basically trying to make their hair as straight as possible,” Conway said. “It was all about straightening the hair and making sure the whole texture of the hair was straight.”
Curly hair has never been much of an option for looking professional in the workplace, and it also plays into why curly hair isn’t taught much in the first place, or where its drawbacks stem from.
Despite the black hair industry being worth an estimated $2.51 billion, many people have no idea what products and materials they need or what steps to take to shape and properly manage their hair. I don’t know what I need to follow. These practices are primarily offered within industry.
As more and more people have textured hair, most of the accessible knowledge is searched on the internet to fill the gap.
However, influencers and brand ambassadors make up for most of curly hair people’s presence in the media, selling more products than their experience and hair type alone can attest to.
Customizing a functional hair routine requires specificity, which complicates the process and advice cycle.
Cosmetologist and curly hair expert Lorraine Martinez talks about the conditions curly hair needs to overcome challenges and embrace what curly hair really is and can be.
“A lot of blind people are leading blind people,” Martinez said.
Some people may like that a product works for another person’s hair, but they don’t know if that product will work for that person’s hair type.
Martinez advises people to consult experts and do their own research, as everyone is different and has different needs, from product types and ingredients to specific hair cuts and shapes. said.
She explained that most people with textured hair prefer services from people with textured hair due to a disconnect in education. This is because there is an implicit trust in the cultural knowledge and personal expertise that makes the hair experience comfortable.
“There’s a foreignness to it, so to finally embrace their curly hair after a lifetime of it (exclusion) brings a sense of joy and pride for me,” Martinez said.
Curly hair is more than just another area of hair, it comes with its own history and knowledge of all shapes, patterns, products, and pores, not to mention trial and error.
Because of these unique differences and specifications, it can be treated as a separate subgenre of hair care, which can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be.
As acceptance increased, so did the level of interest and methodologies implemented, creating a better environment and less struggle through trial and error with curly hair.
Its versatility and importance should be practiced not only in the beauty field but also in self-care as a whole.
Individuality shouldn’t be a burden for people of all ages and backgrounds with waves, curls, and coils. Our differences are what make us special, no matter how long it takes us to realize it.
