I almost cried for them...

[ilong]

This past weekend I went to an African Braid shop to have my own hair braided to wear under a wig (protective styling).

There were 7 other patrons in the shop getting braids/extensions. What I noticed was NONE of them had hair longer than about 4 inches!!! I felt bad for each of them.

One young woman was coming out of dreads. After the braider had removed all of the dreads - she took a fine tooth rat tail comb and ripped through the woman's hair - at what I assumed she considered combing . By the way - the comb was the same comb another braider had just used on another woman's head - and had not been cleaned. The braider took the lady in the back to wash her hair. Now if you know anything about african shops in a big city - cleanliness is not a priority and secondly how clean could this woman's hair get after getting it WASHED! They returned to the main part of the shop and the braider took a (not a very clean looking) towel and rubbed it over the woman's hair - to remove some of the water. She then took the same DIRTY rat tail comb and ripped through the woman's hair again!!!! I wanted to puke!!!

Another braider was pulling this one young girl's hair so hard she was literally wincing and cringing in pain. At times she lifted her leg in response to the pain. I am so serious - it was sad. The girl looked to be 17-20 - (some young ladies look older than they are). I cringed for her.
As the braider was braiding the extensions there was a constant pull on the girl's hair/scalp - the young girl did not think or know to place her finger at her scalp to reduce the pull. It was so sad.


But I really wanted to cry when I saw a little girl who looked to be no more than 5 years old getting long mini extensions installed. I wanted to scream no - no - no - she will be bald before she reaches her teens!!! Can you imagine how often and badly her hair (follicles) will be pulled wearing these butt long extensions? (Sleeping, playing, other kids pulling on them, etc.) The little girl could bearly talk ( I am very serious) and there she was getting zillions! Oh my - I think that is child abuse - no joke!

I said to myself these women need LHCF as I thought about you ladies here on LHCF with all this beautiful hair - loving and caring for it.

Before the braider started my hair I told her my head was very sensitive so my hair can't be combed hard, pulled, or braided hard. She did do as I asked - because believe me I was ready to walk if she hadn't.

The entire shop looked at me crazy when I pulled out my bag of combs for her to select from to use on my head (two wide tooth, 1 medium tooth, 1 rat tail with plastic tip and 1 rat tail with metal bar) . They really looked coo-coo eyed when, after the braider finished my hair, I walked over to a mirror spritz my hair with my water/conditioner mix in my spray bottle, applied my EVCO/EVOO/Castor Oil mix, pulled MY towel out of my bag, wiped my face and hands, put on my plastic cap, hair bonnet, said thank you and left.

 

[MileHighDiva]

I feel sorry for them, too! They were probably talking about you for hours after you left. Too funny!

 

[southerncitygirl]

this is the reason why there should be a natural haircare license so that basic cleanliness can be established like it is in barber/cosmetology school. they also could learn proper hair care. i don't play with sanitation-disinfection.

in alot of ways africans have an even more negative view of blackness (physical features in particular) than their brothers & outside of the continent all while eating their indigeous foods, clothing, and maintaining their culture/customs. they stay ripping though hair like they hate its nappiness. i stopped talking to one of my naija co-worker about hair stuff ( she braids too tight, rarely washes/conditions, hates her skin color,and stays wearing weaves/braids) but yet every time i flat-iron she's in awe and asking 50-11 questions bout what I did and asking did I relax 8000 times.

 

[ilong]

I feel sorry for them, too! They were probably talking about you for hours after you left. Too funny!

MileHighDiva - IKR
Oh and I don't think the Africans waited until I left. When they saw me "doing my regimen" they started conversation in their language (French I believe).

 

[ilong]

@southercitygirl

ITA - I think that may be one of the reasons, skin bleaching is rampant in African communities and so many African men seek and marry white women.

 

[Blessed&higlyflavoured]

Oh that sounds painful to watch. *cringe*

 

[Guinan]

Oh my! That's the main reason why I stopped getting braids. I used to always get micros in the summer & by the fall my edges were gone. I also hated when they would "clip" the hair that was frayed out; which was actually my hair. I would tell them only the extenstions, but they still ended up cutting my hair.

 

[sharifeh]

Is this Harlem? That sounds horrific :Nono:

Sent from my iPhone using LHCF

 

[dyh080]

Sounds like borderline abuse. This is why I would set my hair on fire before allowing them to touch my head.

You should have written down the LHCF web address on paper and passed it out to the patrons in this "shop".

 

[Mahogony7]

I love that you bought your own tools. I hollared when you said you bought out the condish mix and a shower cap. They tried to talk sh!t once and I kindly asked them in French was there a problem? No one uttered a word after that.

 

[Postal]

Sounds like Harlem, like Jamaica ave, like every braiding place. I used to get my hair braided at those places and thought tighter was BETTER. Thought it would last longer that way. SMH

 

[FrazzledFraggle]

That sounds like a horror film!

 

[thatscuteright]

this is the reason why there should be a natural haircare license so that basic cleanliness can be established like it is in barber/cosmetology school. they also could learn proper hair care. i don't play with sanitation-disinfection.

in alot of ways africans have an even more negative view of blackness (physical features in particular) than their brothers & outside of the continent all while eating their indigeous foods, clothing, and maintaining their culture/customs. They stay ripping though hair like they hate its nappiness. i stopped talking to one of my naija co-worker about hair stuff ( she braids too tight, rarely washes/conditions, hates her skin color,and stays wearing weaves/braids) but yet every time i flat-iron she's in awe and asking 50-11 questions bout what I did and asking did I relax 8000 times.

Reaching much?
A lot? Really though?
Not knowing proper hair care= africans having negative views of Blackness and hating their hair?

Outside of the message boards there are so many other kinds of Black women walking around with unhealthy , chopped, relaxer, or even non-relaxed damaged hair. I don't think Africans have cornered the market on "unhealthy hair practices".

 

[HoneyA]

It's really sad to hear stories like this when healthy haircare information is available. If you want to find the information, it's easy. I googled it in 2006. We are all here.

ilong I really do hope that you inspired them to talk about what you did and how you handled your salon visit and hair, yes, but also to look for information about why you did what you did. When you start to appreciate and learn to care for your own hair, (whether processed or in its natural state) is when you see it become healthy and lengthy in a way you never thought possible. At some point, I hope they learn this. There is too much info out there for this sort of crap to still be happening at salons.

 

[barbarita]

oh my goodness

 

[Channy31]

This is so sad

When I see women with awful weaves, balding edges who are in serious need of help I just want to say LHCF to them. LHCF should make business cards and give them to all members for us to give out to all those who do not have a clue.

 

[ManeStreet]

I dont go to the african braid shops in dc area anymore. They braid too tight & dont listen to my wishes. I gave up on them.

 

[bhndbrwneyes]

LHCF should make business cards and give them to all members for us to give out to all those who do not have a clue.

I completely agree. I have already talked to a few people about the forum and I want to continue to spread the word.

 

[Kerryann]

ilong girl i bring my own comb plus my own oil and i give all instructions. i refuse to be a part of any hair disaster anymore make me jack my own hair up nobody else

 

[SoopremeBeing]

Wow.....

I need to get my hair cornrowed for a crotchet weave, and this post just scared me from going to a salon.

 

[BostonMaria]

THIS here

The entire shop looked at me crazy when I pulled out my bag of combs for her to select from to use on my head (two wide tooth, 1 medium tooth, 1 rat tail with plastic tip and 1 rat tail with metal bar)

:notworthy :notworthy :notworthy

You're a smart gal LOL at first I thought you kinda exaggerated but after inspection, I realized I own just as many combs LOL

 

[BlackHairDiva]

This is why my mom and I always brought our own stuff going there. we never got our hair done both at once. One would get the hair done and the other would supervise.

This past weekend I went to an African Braid shop to have my own hair braided to wear under a wig (protective styling).

There were 7 other patrons in the shop getting braids/extensions. What I noticed was NONE of them had hair longer than about 4 inches!!! I felt bad for each of them.

One young woman was coming out of dreads. After the braider had removed all of the dreads - she took a fine tooth rat tail comb and ripped through the woman's hair - at what I assumed she considered combing . By the way - the comb was the same comb another braider had just used on another woman's head - and had not been cleaned. The braider took the lady in the back to wash her hair. Now if you know anything about african shops in a big city - cleanliness is not a priority and secondly how clean could this woman's hair get after getting it WASHED! They returned to the main part of the shop and the braider took a (not a very clean looking) towel and rubbed it over the woman's hair - to remove some of the water. She then took the same DIRTY rat tail comb and ripped through the woman's hair again!!!! I wanted to puke!!!

Another braider was pulling this one young girl's hair so hard she was literally wincing and cringing in pain. At times she lifted her leg in response to the pain. I am so serious - it was sad. The girl looked to be 17-20 - (some young ladies look older than they are). I cringed for her.
As the braider was braiding the extensions there was a constant pull on the girl's hair/scalp - the young girl did not think or know to place her finger at her scalp to reduce the pull. It was so sad.


But I really wanted to cry when I saw a little girl who looked to be no more than 5 years old getting long mini extensions installed. I wanted to scream no - no - no - she will be bald before she reaches her teens!!! Can you imagine how often and badly her hair (follicles) will be pulled wearing these butt long extensions? (Sleeping, playing, other kids pulling on them, etc.) The little girl could bearly talk ( I am very serious) and there she was getting zillions! Oh my - I think that is child abuse - no joke!

I said to myself these women need LHCF as I thought about you ladies here on LHCF with all this beautiful hair - loving and caring for it.

Before the braider started my hair I told her my head was very sensitive so my hair can't be combed hard, pulled, or braided hard. She did do as I asked - because believe me I was ready to walk if she hadn't.

The entire shop looked at me crazy when I pulled out my bag of combs for her to select from to use on my head (two wide tooth, 1 medium tooth, 1 rat tail with plastic tip and 1 rat tail with metal bar) . They really looked coo-coo eyed when, after the braider finished my hair, I walked over to a mirror spritz my hair with my water/conditioner mix in my spray bottle, applied my EVCO/EVOO/Castor Oil mix, pulled MY towel out of my bag, wiped my face and hands, put on my plastic cap, hair bonnet, said thank you and left.

 

[fatimablush]

Oh my! That's the main reason why I stopped getting braids. I used to always get micros in the summer & by the fall my edges were gone. I also hated when they would "clip" the hair that was frayed out; which was actually my hair. I would tell them only the extenstions, but they still ended up cutting my hair.

i hate folks who don't listen.

 

[fatimablush]

I love that you bought your own tools. I hollared when you said you bought out the condish mix and a shower cap. They tried to talk sh!t once and I kindly asked them in French was there a problem? No one uttered a word after that.

luv that response.

 

[ilong]

Oh my! That's the main reason why I stopped getting braids. I used to always get micros in the summer & by the fall my edges were gone. I also hated when they would "clip" the hair that was frayed out; which was actually my hair. I would tell them only the extenstions, but they still ended up cutting my hair.

pelohello - ITA - one shop actually used a lighter across my hair to get rid of the fray ends on top of my head- I almost jumped out of the chair. I never got zillions. Two rows of cornrows was all my patience would endure.

 

[SimplyLive]

I'm African myself and I would never step foot in those type of African shops. no way no how.

 

[ilong]

HoneyA - you know although I felt sad for the women, it was their decision to have the installs. But , the little girl - NO - she was (is) a victim of a parent who made a very pathetic irresponsible decision, which could lead to permanent injury (hair loss). I can't even imagine how that little girl will feel (if and) when she is BALD in her teens with little to no hope of her hair growing back.

 

[My Friend]

I think everyone should should take their own tools to both the hair salon and the nail shop. PERIOD.

 

[ilong]

I love that you bought your own tools. I hollared when you said you bought out the condish mix and a shower cap. They tried to talk sh!t once and I kindly asked them in French was there a problem? No one uttered a word after that.

Mahogony7 - IKR = I know I looked a hot mess, walking out of the shop with the black ($2.99) satin bonnet on my head wearing earrings. But I didn't care. My daughter laughed and asked if I actually left the shop like that. I said sure did.

OMG - I can't tell you how many times I've wished I could speak French so that I could listen then reply in French. That would be the ultimate.

 

[ilong]

Not sure if I am being realistic, but I want to be optimistic and not believe that EVERY African braidingbraiding shop operates at this level. However, ITA with that there is a definite need for licensing and facility inspections.

The mere fact that braiders will "wash" (not shampoo), blow dry, press, apply hair products, goes well beyond just "braiding" - which elevates them to an increased service provider and should require licensing.
There should be a basic level of hygiene, cleanliness, and health awareness required for even "braid only" shops if you are servicing patrons.