Page 20 of For the Love of City

With traction alopecia being such an immense problem in our community thanks to the styles of the late 90s and early aughts I looked for a solution that would help.

Of course, wigs were right there, but a run-of-the-mill track sewn with a closure attached didn’t speak to me.

So I researched the best hair and the best non-chemical procedures that were being done.

I didn’t just watch YouTube tutorials; I was over in the hair capitals of the world: Xuchang China and Karnataka India.

Did folks look at me funny? Yes. Did I give two fucks?

Hell no. And the connections I made years ago because of my fearlessness were still serving me to this day.

I didn’t have a middleman when I wanted something and I ordered enough inventory to fill a warehouse.

Corey was telling me I needed to branch out, but if I added another iron in the fire his was gonna get put out. And I wasn’t ready for that yet.

“Are wigs all that you do?” She took a sip of her drink for the first time and I was glad she was finally relaxing.

“No. For those who don’t want a fully custom unit, I have other methods to help you feel confident.

There’s always something that can match your natural texture so you don’t have heat damage or chemical damage trying to texture match.

We can make a unit that will mold to your hair and be custom fit without any tracks. ”

“You mean all lace?” Her eyes clouded slightly like she was concerned and I had to clear up how I worked.

“There are multiple options, from silicon to a full lace wig. It will have hand tied edges that are custom to where your previous hairline reached if it has thinned out. There is a built-in band for reinforcement so you don’t have to worry about tearing or shifting once the unit is placed.

I will only provide glue-less options for clients so that there is no danger of your edges being affected.

The solution that you want for your hair is in your hands.

I’m here to advise you of what I think will work and talk to you about your history, but everything is up to you.

I’m not going to sell you on something I don’t think you need.

The blessings I have in my life are far too abundant for me to block more from coming because of greed.

“What can you do for me today?”

Her eyes were watery and I knew it was the anxiety of having someone see her without her armor.

I had been blessed with a head of natural hair and I would rock whatever bundles I felt like.

I knew that when your confidence took a hit, it was hard to come back from it.

I was going to do everything I could to give her that swagger back because she was a beautiful woman.

“Today we will do a scalp analysis, I will wash your hair and take note of what I think you need. We will talk about your diet and I will probably send you off to get your lab work done.”

“All of that?”

She was as surprised as most clients normally were when I discussed everything that went into my service. I wasn’t just a cut and color stylist. We were going into every aspect of hair care to ensure we were not only correcting the problem but that we were eradicating the root issue.

“I’d much rather discuss whether your issue can be solved with diet and treating you from the inside out than me to simply put a ten thousand dollar band aid on the problem.”

“When you put it like that…”

“Men have been saying that toupees were medical devices for years while women, especially Black women, were shunned for it. Said we were trying to be white for not wearing our hair texture when no one had our hair texture. Those days are long gone. We will take raw, single drawn hair all from one to two donors depending on what it is you need style and lengthwise and then custom process the hair in order to achieve your texture. Then depending on whether you want a full lace or partial lace we will hand tie each hair onto a cap that’s designed off of a mold of your head.

It’s part science and a lot of art in order to achieve the most natural look for you. ”

“And you have a package that comes with that?”

“The membership is thirty thousand for the year. That includes one unit, maintenance and styling and treatment of your natural hair. I have many celebrity artists who will have their specific stylist maintain their unit and some who send it in to me for service even if they can’t physically come to my chair.

Not to toot my own horn but I’m damn good at what I do.

And when you’re a full-time client we can track the growth and progress of your hair health so that you know exactly if I’m making a difference. ”

“Maybe we can start with the analysis and go from there.”

“That’s a good suggestion. Figuring out the condition of your hair is the best thing you can do in order to determine how you want to treat it. So come, let’s get you settled in so you can enjoy getting your scalp scrubbed.”

My subscription clients were always treated to a head spa with each visit. They weren’t paying me the kind of money they were not to be pampered when they saw me.

“So, take off the hat?” That nervousness was back and I understood she was showing me parts of herself that other people rarely saw.

“It’s like a trust fall: take off the hat and know I got you. So what would you like to do?”