Just when you thought the hair industry couldn’t get any more inspiring, we discovered a new hair storytelling programme, created by the founder of Scissors of Oz, Oz Isset. The idea behind ‘If In Despair Brush Your Hair’ is to empower people through hair.
Meet Oz and Shahira
The goal for Oz is to get women to talk about their heritage, their experiences with hair trauma, hair care and self-care strategies. And considering the demand to be more inclusive when it comes to conversations about race, different heritages and all-round diversity, we think a little Afro-hair empowerment is just what the world needs right now. Watch this first film from Oz, talking with influencer Shahira about her Afro hair care worries.
Pre-Covid, Oz had planned to hold workshops of around 30 participants to come together and share their experiences. However, post-Covid, she has transformed these plans into unique one-to-ones at the Scissors of Oz premises in London. Each woman is filmed having an open conversation about her hair journey. The aim is that these videos will hopefully reach a wider audience online and encourage others to share their own hair care stories, to maintain their sense of wellbeing and mental health.
Afro hair care learning
More needs to be done in-salon to educate on Afro-heritage hair. So, why not watch the video with your team and use this as a learning tool? Or try to open-up a conversation about it and inspire your clients and fellow stylists to inform others on why Afro hair comes with its learning curves. Because the need to normalize it in salons is just as important as the need to learn about it.
Discover the answers to questions like “will I damage its natural texture if I brush it dry?” And, “what sort of language should I avoid when talking about Afro-heritage hair?” Words like ‘unruly’ and ‘tame’ are commonly used and give the impression that it’s a nuisance. It isn’t. And no matter what a woman’s heritage, she should feel 100% included every time she steps into the salon.
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