Afro Hair Fair brings textured hair education to help close Fox Valley's hair equity gap
Sophia Voight
APPLETON - Finding products or barbershops that work with textured hair can be difficult for the Fox Valley's Black community, but Appleton's first Afro Hair Fair brought the area one step closer to hair equity by showing how to care for textured hair and wear it proudly.
Sponsored by community organization People of Progression and Taperz Barbershop, the educational fair held Feb. 25 at Poplar Hall brought styling demonstrations and showcased local Black-owned barbershops and hair care products that work for textured hair.
"We had shelter directors, funders and cosmetology school facilitators, students, Black and biracial youth all here to learn about why there's a gap in Black hair access and organizing to support to really find more opportunities to close that gap," People of Progression Executive Director Kristen Gondek said.
As most Fox Valley hair salons don't know how to work with textured hair and beauty supply stores don't carry products for curly hair, Black people and families with Black children often have to travel out of the area to get the services they need or are left without proper care. This can be especially difficult for blended and adopted families with Black children without familial resources and people in shelters or group homes who often rely on hair care donations.
As textured hair is more sensitive and vulnerable to breaking and being unhealthy due to unsuitable products or haircare practices, it's important for Black people to have adequate resources nearby to maintain healthy and beautiful hair.
To help connect Fox Valley residents with hair resources, the Afro Hair Fair showcased Appleton barbershops King's Retreats and Taperz Barbershop, Shear Images salon and Green Bay textured hair product manufacturer FAVORYT.
King's Retreat owner and barber Jasime White opened her shop three years ago to provide men with a welcoming, luxury styling experience from one of the few female barbers in the area.
"It's nice to be a female barber — it's definitely different," White said. "My job is to fix (your hair), get it done and have you walk out with confidence and self-esteem."
Likewise, Shear Images owner Carla Manns has been styling curly hair along with her daughter Allayah for 25 years. And last year Carla created her own line of hair care product line "Shear Beauty" after having to drive to Milwaukee to get proper products for her clients.
"Around here we were limited, with one or two things we could use on our clients," Allayah said. "So, (Carla) was like 'let's work with a chemist and come up with a line that's actually going to benefit all hair types.'"
And to highlight the importance and beauty of Black hairstyles, Fox Valley residents proudly modeled popular Black hairstyles during a presentation on the history of hairstyles such as locks, box braids, twists, finger waves and natural afro hair.
"Our hair is more than hair," event moderator Eldridge J. Alexander said. "It is a part of our self-expression."
Continuing to help close the hair equity gap beyond the event, People of Progression is working with Appleton businesses on a donation drive of textured hair products for local shelters and transitional housing units. Products can be dropped off at DVSN 1, Basil Café, Lawless Coffee, Commodore Club and Trending Topic.
Sophia Voight can be reached at svoight@postcrescent.com. Follow her on Twitter @sophia_voight.
