In many cases, taking care of your hair often relies on the assistance of other people — especially if you're a Black woman, as regular trips to the salon for anything from cuts and trims to protective style installations have been the norm for us for years. But one look at the news or even social media lately will remind you that the last two months have been anything but normal. With lockdown across the country due to the spread of COVID-19 came the temporary closures of many hair salons [1], leaving Black women to rely on themselves for their everyday hair needs.
From learning how to box braid [2] via YouTube tutorials to using this time to master their next wash days [3], read ahead to see how 12 Black women have been taking care of their hair while stuck at home.
Brea Cubit
"Within the first few weeks of social distancing and self-isolation, I wore my hair natural. It felt amazing to just let it be without a lot of manipulation. But I get bored very easily, so I recently decided to straighten my hair and experiment with different ways to healthily apply heat. Honestly, I haven't made any groundbreaking discoveries, and I already miss my curls. I'm just insatiable when it comes to my hair, but we love each other anyway." — Brea Cubit, assistant celebrity and entertainment editor at POPSUGAR
Mekishana Pierre
"Like most women who rely on assistance when it comes to hair maintenance, the pandemic put a kink in my hair plans. To be 100 percent honest, I do the bare minimum when it comes to my hair outside of regularly getting it cut at the salon and keeping it cute under braids, so I've kept to that while staying at home. I had braids going into quarantine and recently had to take them out. I've been keeping the curls moisturised with my essential mish-mash of the Coco Crème collection from Carol's Daughter and Mielle Organic's Pomegranate & Honey collection.
After reading this article on braiding hair at home [4], I've decided to take a chance and do my box braids! The Way salon [5] in New York City came through for all the girls and began an amazing online beauty supply shop where I can get a kit with everything I need [6] to give myself some braids. So stay tuned for that drama!" — Mekishana Pierre, assistant entertainment editor at POPSUGAR
Brittni Rhoden
"I've been using social isolation as a time to learn about my hair in all of it's different stages, from freshly washed and conditioned, juicy coils to it's drier, day 3, 4, 5+ texture. Like many, I've taken a break from heat and more trendy protective styles and have been using the time I'd spend at the salon getting a press or braids to experiment with and perfect a wash day routine, including products to use the day before a wash.
As a person who loves having her edges laid, and who takes out any protective style the moment it begins to 'grow out,' this quarantine period has also allowed me to worry less about what my hair looks like and simply focus on it's health in a way I've never taken the time to do before. The extra time I've found by not having a daily commute is now used to research and diagnose my hair type as well as finding oils and potions that I can DIY [7] now that beauty supply stores are all closed. As for how my hair's been styled, it's wrapped up under layers of silk and satin head scarves." — Brittni Rhoden, senior workplace specialist at Group Nine Media
Danielle Jackson
"I'm used to covering my natural hair up and wearing it in protective styles, and while there's nothing wrong with that, I was also letting my hair's health slip through the cracks. Wash days can often take up a whole day for me, and they're quite the workout, so I would also go way too long without re-conditioning my hair before all of this happened.
I spent the first few weeks of my time in the house creating an actual wash day routine for myself, washing and deep conditioning once a week and just letting my hair do what it wants to give my scalp time to breathe. A few weeks ago, I decided to give myself box braids for the first time (with help from some life-saving YouTube tutorials) and, even though it was pretty difficult, it was well worth the six-hour journey." — Danielle Jackson, assistant beauty editor at POPSUGAR
Rachael Edwards
"Since being on lockdown, I've been forced to re-familiarise with routines like deep conditioning every two weeks and detangling weekly. While I miss the convenience of a steamer and a professional's touch, it's been fun to explore new products and techniques for detangling like finger combing and using a conditioner to pre-shampoo. Not to mention, conditioning my hair all day since working from home, has been a huge benefit!" — Rachael Edwards, social media coordinator at POPSUGAR
Tamara Pridgett
"Since we began social distancing, I've been sticking with the basics. I'm not the best at doing hair so the looks I've been turning to are braid outs, a slicked back pony with a braided bun, and every now and then a wash-and-go. Last week I wanted to straighten my hair so that I would have to do it for a while, and taught myself how to do a silk press thanks to Black YouTube! It was a superexciting moment for me." — Tamara Pridgett, assistant fitness editor at POPSUGAR