For many women, visiting the hairdressers is a stress-free and relatively relaxing experience, but for those with curly, coiled or textured hair, it is near impossible to walk into the closest hair salon and request a spontaneous cut and style. There has long been a stark gap in hairdressing knowledge that has racially segregated Black and afro-textured hair from white and straight hair.
According to the Hair and Beauty Industry Authority, out of 35,704 salons in the UK, only 302 were Afro-Caribbean in 2017. The need for more inclusivity and diversity in beauty has been an ongoing conversation for decades, and up until last year, hairstylists were not even required to learn how to style, cut and colour Black hair to qualify. This meant women with naturally curly hair, braids, locs and twists, had to request ethnic specialists or visit afro hair and braiding salons.
