Black History Month - A Tribute to 'Doing Hair' Among Siblings

Team Afrolocke February 23, 2024 4 min read

Friseurin mit schwarzer Schürze steht in einem bunt dekorierten Friseursalon und hält eine Haarbürste

For many Black women and men, professional hair care is a kind of safe space or refuge that almost everyone visits at least once in their life. We often rush through everyday life - we have little time for anything - but when we do our hair, time stands still. We take time for our hair. Someone else takes time for my hair, and here I get to be who I really am and show my hair as it is.

A tribute for this year's Black History Month to Afro shops, Black hair salons, and all the siblings in the community who take time to care for Afro hair - a place of self-care.

As a kid, my mom always did different hairstyles for me, from African Threading to braids to twists and "pick and leave" curls. While she did my hair, I played with my Barbies and often tried to braid their hair like mine. Sometimes I fell asleep, took snack or dance breaks, and afterwards I'd run straight to the mirror to admire myself and ask my mom if I was now a princess.

Even as adults, we feel beautiful and seen as soon as our hair is done - no matter the style or hair texture.

After my mom moved from Ghana to Germany, she didn't have much time to deal with her own hair every day - as a trained seamstress she worked a lot. In a corner of our hallway stood a big shoe cabinet with mirrored doors.

I remember my mom sitting on a chair in front of it to braid her hair - sometimes it took the entire day.

As the saying goes: practice makes perfect. And she definitely proved that. By the time she had me and my sister, she'd perfected her technique and conjured up beautiful hairstyles for us. I asked her what braiding hair means to her, and she said:

"I'm so grateful that I get to do other people's hair, even though I never learned it professionally. I think this is a talent God gave me."

She adds: "Doing such intricate hairstyles for other people makes me incredibly happy. When I do hair, I feel like I'm in Ghana. There you go to a trusted pro or salon, so it means a lot to me when people trust me with their hair. It reminds me of my own good experiences at salons in Ghana."

Inspired by my mother's words, I spent the following days chatting with a Nigerian hairdresser who has lived in Munich for several years - taking a little trip back in time.

As a child in Nigeria, she ran through the fields, braided the grass, and brought it to the aunt she lived with. For her next birthday she got a doll, on which she could practice braiding much better.

Over time, after finishing primary school, she got the chance to learn the hairdresser's craft professionally. When I asked her what braiding hair means to her, she said:

"When I braid hair, I feel free. It's a kind of practice for me that releases joy and happiness."

I ask her what goes through her head while braiding?

"I lose track of time because I love braiding for other people. I try to focus fully on what I'm doing to get the hairstyle just the way it's wanted.

In our community, you can't really measure the value and gratitude we feel for these everyday pillars.

Most of us have an "auntie," a friend, or a cousin's cousin who does our hair - and without these people, a huge part of our identity, especially around our hair, would be lost.

In our Afro-German community, products like ours from Afrolocke are developed to support finding an identity - not just for ourselves, but also for our hair. This year, during Black History Month, a huge thank you to all the symbolic and very real pillars who keep all these self-care rituals alive.

Ayekoooo!

Your Nana