40 Hamilton stylists do their part to ease costs, giving free hair services to Black youth next month

Over the last year, Hamilton hair-business owner Lohifa Pogoson Acker has noticed fewer Black youth and others with textured hair have been getting it styled, while some are visiting the salon less frequently. 

"I'm seeing people who I know have always had pristine looks, stretching their hairstyles for months more than they should just because of affordability, because of the sacrifices they have to make," Pogoson Acker told CBC Hamilton.

Pogoson Acker said she's had similar feedback from dozens of hair stylists, barbers and other business operators throughout Hamilton.

Believing hair styling is important for well-being, especially for young people, Pogoson Acker has organized a March 15 event where over 40 Hamilton hair stylists and barbers will offer free styling and cuts to racialized youth.

"I know many people, by virtue of where the economy is ... the rise in the cost of living, interest rates — so many factors have contributed to many families having to make decisions about expenditure, about what to keep on their budget lines and what to take off."

Pogoson Acker recalled that hairstyling was declared a non-essential service during COVID-19 in 2020, leaving many people to figure out their own ways to deal with their hair.

With today's high cost of living, many people are thinking twice about paying for hair care, she said, "because people are more concerned, as it should be, with putting a roof over their heads than about how they look and how they present." 

Getting hair done makes for 'a different person'

But Pogoson Acker also said many young people place importance on getting their hair styled on a regular basis, as it's good for their mental health and well-being.

"It is very, very important especially in the textured hair community, especially in the Black and racialized community, because hair is a huge part of identity," she said.

"I know, especially young people when their hair is done, they're a different person — they come out in the streets with all kinds of pride. And it goes the opposite way as well. When their hair is not done … they don't feel as confident, they don't present as confident.

"And that is such a marker of progress and of possibility for young Black people — how do you present, are you confident, are you self-assured, do you have that self-pride in who you are? I think that's just so important, and I really want to see a community where young Black people are embracing who they are," Pogoson Acker said.

The cost of living — including the price of energy, food and other goods — has been heavy on Canadians for some time. According to the latest statistics, inflation rose 1.9 per cent in January. 

For Hamilton mom Debbie Johnson, dealing with the cost of living has meant making fewer trips to the stylist for her 10-year-old daughter Harper to get her textured hair done.

As any person with curly and textured hair knows, the knots can be unbelievable.- Debbie Johnson, mom of 10-year-old Harper

"Last summer when she was starting to go into her summer camps and everything, I took scissors to her hair," Johnson told CBC Hamilton. "Having curly hair, it's a little more forgiving … I know to cut a little bit off the end, to get rid of some dead ends. We did that and it kind of boosted her confidence."

Johnson is white and Harper's dad, who died in 2021, was Black. 

"I had never dealt with textured hair before, so it was all a learning journey for me," Johnson said.

She said she has turned to videos, forums and people of colour with textured hair for suggestions on how to best treat her daughter's locks. 

"As any person with curly and textured hair knows, the knots can be unbelievable," Johnson said.

When Harper was five years old, Johnson said, she took her to a hair stylist for the first time. While making the appointment, she said, she was told it would cost around $60. She ended up paying more than double that amount.

"A lot of places do have pricing for kids, but for some reason, if their hair is longer, or thicker or more coarse, that completely changes things," Johnson said, adding the amount of time it had taken for the stylist to wash and comb through Harper's hair was why the price was doubled.

"Having a child with curly hair like Harper's, it's something that we just have to plan for. So, maybe twice a year, we're going to go in — or three times a year. However often it might be, I can kind of budget and plan for that," Johnson said.

"I do find the pricing has gone up, as with everything, just the cost of not only hair care, but across the board — everything across the board has just gone up so astronomically."

Excel in Style is more than just about hair 

Pogoson Acker said she's thankful to the dozens of stylists and barbers who will offer their services at no cost at Excel in Style next month. The event will be held at Bernie Custis Secondary School, across from Tim Hortons Field, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.

"They're so gracious, so conscientious and so sacrificial to take a Saturday, which is a high-earning Saturday because of the back-to-school rush for those who are able to afford to get their hair styled," Pogoson Acker said through tears.

"So, Saturday March 15 would be the Saturday of March break, before the kids go back to school on Monday. Any salon owner, or barber or stylist will tell you that that's the day they make their most money when it comes to back-to-school styling.

"For them to give up potential to earn on a high, high, high-earning day to come out and style for kids who are in need for free, it really melts my heart, and I'm just so grateful that we found over 40 of them who are willing to do that for this purpose."

Pogoson Acker said several other organizations — including the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program and the Afro Canadian Caribbean Association — will be at the event with programming for young people and to encourage youth engagement.

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.