How to Support Black Aestheticians
An Aesthetician Shares How to Give Black Skin Experts the Credit and Business They Deserve
As we aim to become more conscious shoppers by backing more Black-owned businesses, much work can be done in the area of supporting more Black beauty industry professionals, as well. There is no shortage of amazing makeup artists out there and talented hairstylists that are underrepresented in the beauty space and we can all take steps to change that.
There's adjustments to be made on both the brand and consumer-side of things. For anyone wondering how you can make a difference, it's simple: frequent more Black-owned salons and seek out more diverse experts. To help vocalising what exactly that looks like, Naeemah LaFond, hairstylist and global artistic director at Amika, created a guide on how to support Black hairstylists, and this started a chain reaction. Soon after, New York City-based makeup artist Jaleesa Jaikaran did the same for her field of work and most recently, Lakeisha Dale, aesthetician and founder of MelaSkin Studio, followed suit and created a guide on how to support Black aestheticians and skin experts.
"As black woman working in this industry, I have experienced microaggression and averse racism too often with clients and my peers," read Dale's Instagram caption. "I have been in situations where I have not felt supported when it comes to addressing these situations. I have been the 'trainer' without being compensated for it. I have worked for companies where the only representation was on the service provider level. I have been asked by white clients whether or not I have my licence or gone to school, to validate me providing the service. It happens enough to become too much. These are some of the reasons Melaskin Studio was born. A place where black clientele is the priority. A place where we are both free of racism and microaggresion. Where my passion for teaching my people about skin wellness is appreciated. But I'd be doing my beauty community a disservice to not speak up about ways that I think black skin care professionals can be supported."
Keep reading to see all of her directives on how you can give more Black aestheticians the business and credit they deserve.
