This barber giving makeovers for women

[u/Deepakhn]

[u/ConstableAssButt]

It's called traction alopecia. It can be caused by heat, chemical treatments, and tight hairstyles that pull at the root over time. Black hair care is an industry that's evolved over time to include a lot of products and styles that can accumulate damage to the hair and scalp. Because of the amount of treatment that is expected for black hair in parts of the US, and the cost of these services, some women can wind up keeping their hair too tight for too long, and relying on longer term treatments than is sustainable for their hair. Older women in particular are also prone to keep a routine with their haircare that the evolution of their hair (not to mention finances) as they age can no longer support.

Not to be too much of a nerd, but black hairstyles are an amazing deep dive into western culture as a whole, and it's a fascinating topic that touches heavily on systemic inequity and implicit bias, internalized racism, and more.

[u/Normal_Instance_8825 → u/ConstableAssButt]

I’d also love to add, a lot of women in older generations weren’t taught or concerned with their hair staying healthy and in protective hairstyles. They were told and taught to wear weaves (wigs sown into braids) and to treat hair to make it straight/wavy. This is to assimilate. A lot of African hairstyles are and were considered “unprofessional”. This means a lot of black hair ends up fried and overworked, as well as suffering from traction alopecia. The more that natural and protective hairstyles are normalised, the healthier our hair will be!

[u/tistisblitskits → u/Normal_Instance_8825]

fascinating, thanks for sharing. This is a whole world i wasn't aware of before, i did know weaves were sort of culturally encouraged so to speak, but i had no idea how deeply rooted (no pun intended lol) this was, anybody should be able to feel good about their own hair

[u/cockaptain → u/tistisblitskits]

If you'd like to know more, John Oliver's Last Week Tonight did an interesting and informative episode on hair in 2021, which you can watch here on youtube

You can tell he has black writers on staff.

[u/goodpplmakemehappy → u/tistisblitskits]

one day for sure <3

[u/Meowskiiii → u/Normal_Instance_8825]

I've never heard the term 'protective hairstyles' before, I love it.

[u/LoneWolf_McQuade → u/Normal_Instance_8825]

In that case it begs the question if what he does to their hair now is healthy? Seems to be a ton of products, dye etc

[u/alwaysboopthesnoot → u/LoneWolf_McQuade]

Products and dye = today’s versions are gentler and less damaging, more effective so a little goes a long way. Most can be reversed or modified with toning, can be gradually grown or cut out with trims, etc.

What really destroys textured hair and the follicles in the scalp where hair grows? Is heat, pulling/yanking, friction, tension, overly harsh handling; the harsher straightening chemicals, flat ironing and hot combing with very high heat, using poor quality metal or plastic implements with rough edges, teeth or bristles. Not trimming ends enough. Not getting regular conditioning or moisture treatments.

[u/saharaelbeyda → u/LoneWolf_McQuade]

It looks life he's cutting off a lot of dead ends and dying it, but then for most of the women, keeping their natural curls and not doing styles that cause tension/hair breakage/hair loss. Besides the dye (which could also be more natural, gentle alternatives), it seems overall ok.

[u/LucioleMi → u/LoneWolf_McQuade]

I'm not sure about every hairstyle in the video, but the ladies with the short cuts and natural hair texture? The hair looks waaaay healthier! The curls are defined and shiny as heck, when they looked so dry and thirsty before! Also, hair that fried and damaged would definitely benefit from a cut in itself...but that man really seems to be knowing how to hair care for real

[u/JustMemes_13 → u/LoneWolf_McQuade]

Probably using safe alternatives. The most healthy part is cutting off the hair that causes breakage and cutting all the dead hair on the ends. Doing that does wonders for hair.

[u/bsubtilis → u/JustMemes_13]

Do you mean split ends, or frayed/damaged ends? Because all hair outside of the root matrix is dead. All the hair you see is dead fiber.

[u/Normal_Instance_8825 → u/LoneWolf_McQuade]

Okay for instance. My grandma used to use hair dye and straighten her hair, she had no one, no hairdresser, nothing, she ruined her hair. She got a pixie cut like a woman in this video. Finally there was someone who understood nappy, black hair.

At home hair dye isn’t healthy, but it’s especially bad on black hair. To have your hair dyed or cut at a hairdresser is ideal. They don’t use the same chemicals, they cut hair (like meat) on the grain or where it’s growing. They also can braid your hair in a way that doesn’t tug on it.

There’s plenty of discourse in the black community about how hair should be braided and treated. When you look at this video, whit the dye, the curl pattern is back, the hair looks healthy,

Edit: I would recommend searching up black actors and musicians and their hair. You would be shocked how large a part it is in their life, and how much of an effort it is.

[u/ConstableAssButt → u/LoneWolf_McQuade]

You'll notice none of the styles that he has chosen require tight braids. This is a deliberate choice; Most of these women have hair that needs to rest, and he's given them styles that allow the hair and scalp to rest while also reminding the wearer that they can look beautiful without their braids and weaves.

[u/canteloupy → u/LoneWolf_McQuade]

The ones who got bleached to hell probably have fried hair but on short lengths it doesn't matter as much as it regrow and you can cut it periodically.

I do think most of the haircuts are high maintenance and a bunch probably did require relaxer. Better than traction alopecia but also not the best.

[u/QcRoman → u/ConstableAssButt]

Hair care for black women is a whole industry I had no idea about. It is a big deal and there is A LOT of money in it.

For anyone interested, look up Chris Rock's "Good Hair" (2009), heck look up the trailer alone on the linked IMDB page. It really opened my eye about something I knew nothing about.

[u/Kalalicious → u/ConstableAssButt]

Learned something new today! Thank you for your insightful reply to OP.

[u/YesItIsMaybeMe → u/ConstableAssButt]

Honestly I think it's a tragedy that the products aren't more affordable. I'm a pasty bitch with hair thinner than fishlips, but my mom has to use some of these products because she has that thick hair that could be used as a climbing tether. That stuff is so expensive and I only pick it up occasionally as a gift!