The Black Hair Experience
Canadian Edition
I was ten years old, just on the edge of eleven. Spring is here and my birthday is coming up soon, so that meant perhaps no boots, mittens and ski pants – if the weather holds and stays warm and nice. That also means that my mother’s first project was to get her girls looking like Spring.
Tears started to well up in my eyes when she said we were going to Mrs. Martin’s Hair Salon for a relaxer. She was in her 60’s and said ‘old (styles) were gold’. She was one of two Black professional stylists in my small city in the 1980’s. The city is much bigger, however, not much has changed. I hated the whole process (pun intended). There was a lot of discussion about my hair and how hard it was to straighten. Okay, the hairdresser says she’ll leave the relaxer cream in a little longer. The result was straight hair, which will eventually dry out and break off and chemical burns that I’ll smother with Vaseline.
At 16, I was able to make most of my own decisions since w a young woman and I asked that I would be able to do my own hair, go to the hairstylist I chose and have a style I feel confident in and could manage. My mom agreed. First was a cool cut on my natural hair (which is not bad hair!). Years later, in my 20s, Mom admitted to me, that with the four of us with long hair, mine being different from my sisters and needed to me managed differently (got my Dad’s hair), she cut mine, but it just didn’t grow back the same. Relaxing all of our hair, including hers, made it easier for all of us to look respectable in a reasonable time everyday.
I started wearing braids my last year of highschool. I had no time for daily hairstyling, so braids. My hair thrived! I learned that it loved moisture. I’m a LCO girl - 4b, 4c, non-porous. Seal that moisture in!
Easy to wash, now I could: ski, swim , play, love, sweat, dance, dress up, be my true hippie self, decorate my braids, stroke them, mysteriously hide my face or pile them on top my head to reveal myself, have my girlfriend style them, fan them across my pillow like my late husband did, feel comfortable and confident at seeing me looking back at me from the mirror.
Finding help to look after my own hair, or even finding a Black full service salon where I can be comfortable also getting a manicure/pedicure is difficult for many Black people in Canada, especially if you live far from major cities like Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg or Vancouver. Some of the areas in Canada that desperately need Black hairstylists and esthetician are Newfoundland & Labrador, Yukon, Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Prince Edward Island, and many smaller cities, towns and rural areas across Canada.
Learning how to care for our hair and battle harsh winters has added challenges. One woman has taken on that challenge in Montreal. Nancy Falaise Brossard has done much to help Black women, especially young women to embrace and love their hair.
Black women in Canada are still being discriminated against due to hair - style, look, professionality, colour, locs, braids, etc. May 2024, Canadian Member of Parliament, Celina Caesar-Chavannes, spoke to the Government about body shaming and hair discrimination of Black Women. This issue not only affects women, but also Black men in Canada. ‘The Politics of Black Hair’ on Psychology Today is an interesting read authored by a Black psychologist.
I’ve travelled one hour each way to Toronto just to have my hair done. I learned and tried new products with my friends, and begged my hairstyle obsessed little sister for a quick redo or updo. that became hairstyling obsessed. I’d talk to any Black hairdressers, stylists, even barbers I’d meet to learn more about caring for my hair. It’s mine, and I had to learn to love it and to care for it.
Today I have lovely locks, coloured with henna in my natural colour to cover up greys. I use temporary wash out colour if I feel like a looking like a walking party, lol! Currently they locs are protected by braids, but this Fall, I’ll be saying goodbye to my single braids. I’ll be proudly wearing my locks, and I going to get a small fade at the base of my neck. Maybe Boo can do a little heart where he likes to kiss me.
My son, who is 15, is going into his 3rd year with freeform locks and an undercut.
I love my locs.
This is how I see myself in the future: a woman aging gracefully with beautiful white locs shining like a crown on her head.