I was doing a social media audit recently and I realized that I have come a long way in my pursuit to have healthy hair and wear extensions that will complement rather than replace my hair. I have sold, produced, customized, trained, and now I certify but I’m yet to scratch the surface of how best the African woman can manage her hair, with minimal damage, time, and finances.
Our hair goals are constantly evolving with trends and as we become more aware of the dangers of some processes and styles. For some, this realization is a bit too late because they now suffer irreversible hair loss and damage.
I remember the first time I lost hair in large quantities. I used to the normal hair on shoulder and the floor breakage; no big deal. But that morning I put a small tooth comb in my hair and looked down “WHAT!!!” It was as if I ran a clipper right through my head, 35% of my frontal hair was on the floor with a big bald patch that I had ignored for a while in clear view. I cried I swore, I desperately picked up my phone and started typing every word related to massive hair loss. Trust the internet. I got answers from what could be signs of terminal illness to ignore it, and it would grow back. Armed with zero information and damaged hair that I couldn’t hide. I set into depression and started investing in hairpieces, which at that time seemed like a solution. The first thing I did was to cut my hair hoping that regrowing would fix the problem. but as you can see, That wasn’t the solution neither were the products (I applied all sorts, from the unnamed concoctions to the very expensive brands ) I drank so much water, bought every hair vitamin that was advertised as a hair booster. Nope, it didn’t work and that was because I hadn’t identified what caused the problem in the first place.
You see the thing about hair loss and breakage; there are always warning signs, dry hair, stunted growth, the rapid loss of moisture, change in natural hair color name it. The list is endless. They are always there but because most of our stylists are as ignorant as we are; we ignore them till it’s too late. Then we start looking for solutions like headless chickens, even trying the most unthinkable remedies. Some which worsen our situations.
This blog is specifically to help others avert some avoidable mistakes and also know how to manage them per adventure they are already experiencing hair loss or breakage. I learnt from my experience which I must admit was expensive and an emotional roller coaster.
So how do we know where to start from? Who to talk to and how to re-grow what we’ve lost. I’ve been down the whole nine yards.
I will address hair loss, alopecia, and hair breakage extensively in subsequent editions. If you have questions, drop a comment below and if they are private you can send your email to salonbusinessafrica@gmail.com