Straight talk about caring for super curly locks

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This article was published 25/08/2018 (2611 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Not sure what to do with super curly hair?

A public workshop in Winnipeg Sunday aims to help.

“It doesn’t matter what ethnicity you are,” said Shondell Babb. There aren’t enough trained, experienced hairdressers in Winnipeg who know how to handle “textured, type-4, super kinky, coily hair,” said the Winnipeg woman, comparing such hair to the spring inside a ballpoint pen.

She is bringing an expert on handling that kind of hair to Winnipeg to teach members of the public on Sunday and hairstylists and students on Monday.

“There’s a lack of education about curly hair management,” said Babb, who grew up in Transcona. “The education is lacking and it has been lacking for decades,” she said. The result? “When people with curly hair go to a random hair salon, a lot of the stylists are petrified. They don’t have the skill,” she said.

“It’s a reality in Winnipeg — a lot of stylists are petrified by curly hair,” said Babb. People with super curly hair who’ve received scalp burns and hair breakage from chemical relaxers and hot iron straighteners are often petrified, too.

That’s why more people are drawn to the “natural hair movement” and embracing their curls, she said. It’s taken off and demand for it is growing in Winnipeg thanks to the city’s changing demographic, Babb said.

“There are more mixed kids in the city,” said Babb. The 2016 census said Winnipeg is home to nearly 16,000 people who identified themselves as born in Africa.

“A lot of times, parents don’t know what to do with it,” she said. “I consult with a lot of moms with mixed kids looking for tips on how to manage curly hair.” It’s not just people of African descent who can have type-4 hair, said Babb.

“The natural hair movement is for people of all ethnicities.”

Tickets to the “kid-friendly” 3 p.m. seminar Sunday at the Fort Garry Hotel are $25. To register, contact Babb at 204-227-6234 or thiahmgmtconsult@gmail.com.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca