Since the dawn of time blacks have been known for their creativity. A staple in the black community, creativity has been something blacks have always been known for in multiple spaces. Arts, music, fashion, and sports are a few to mention. No matter what it is there is a noticeable difference when you add a little "black magic" to it. Some call it flavor, and others may refer to it as "seasoning", however whats undeniable is that when blacks put their touch on it nothing less than magic is the outcome.
Another space that blacks have long dominated is black hair. Every black girl can remember growing up getting their hair styled, and all black boys can remember their freshest haircut for photo day at school. Our creativity has produced some of the most extravagant and creative hairstyles for both men and women. While the hair industry may not seem very profitable to some, blacks know all too well how much it cost to slay with an amazing hair do.
According to the market research firm Mintel, the black hair industry is potentially a 500 billion dollar industry. While this sounds alarming at first sight, any black person or friend of a black person knows the amount of money that can go into black hair care. Sometimes the prices are extreme, however, we pay them to feel that feeling of getting out of the chair and knowing you are all that and a bag of chips.
Historically, women have always paid more for their hair and hair services. However, there is a new wave of innovation where men are now paying just as much if not more. In the past couple of years, #ManWeaves have been a thing so to speak.
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A man weave is a hair extension solution to male pattern baldness or hair thinning whichhappens so often to black men and even men everywhere. While in the past, our Caucasian counterparts have found such solutions as toupee and combovers black men have not always had that luxury due to the uniqueness and coarseness of our hair textures. This has all changed in recent years after black stylists began putting their black magic on men's hair and creating the very extensions that balding black men have been looking for.
Brush wave replacement unit™ client absolutely loved his hair and gave a huuuuuuuggggge tip??
A post shared by HAIR REPLACEMENT EXTRAORDINAIR (@cimajestudio) on
As a newly balding black men, I couldn't have been more excited to hop on this train and find the solution to my ever conflicting problem of thinning hair. So I did the unthinkable and got a man weave. Why you ask? Confidence.
Growing up as a kid I was always praised for my nice fine and pretty hair texture. From as far back as I can remember I was always the kid with "good" hair. Now spare me the political arguments regarding respectability politics when it comes to black hair and our views on "good hair" (insert stale face). However, in the past two years, it seemed as though hundreds of hair strands would fall out as I brushed my waves daily and before I knew it I was becoming more and more bald at the crown of my head.
This was a major problem for me because it took a shot at my confidence. I felt going bald would age me and make me look older and therefore less desirable. Why to some this is funny, there are millions of men out there like me that understand how hair can affect your overall confidence.
I take my appearance very seriously and always want to put my best foot forward in terms of how I present myself. Having that small knock in confidence made me feel insecure and ugly. Being amid twenty-something year old I felt as though losing my hair would be the end of my youth and instantly place me in an old man category.
The solution to my stress came one day when I was scrolling instagram and found an artist in my area who performed this "voodoo" that the internet has coined for man weave. I booked the artist and couldn't be more pleased with the results.
I got out of the chair with the biggest grin on my face knowing that my confidence had been restored a million percent. While most things in life you can put a price tag on, having my confidence back in that very moment was something that was priceless and worth every penny.
Brandon Herring is a financial professional by day and ratchet scholar by night. A graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign his areas of specialty include personal finance, entrepreneurship, business, and marketing. He Is a self-proclaimed know it all with a love for his community, and seeks to contribute philanthropically through financial education amongst African Americans.
