Getting your hair done has long been considered a communal ritual within the Black community. You walk into the salon greeted by a palpable warmth and sense of belonging, even if it’s your first time stepping foot into the salon. The creation of apps like Instagram and TikTok, however, spurred a subgenre of Black entrepreneurship, serving as a platform for seasoned but most notably new stylists to broadcast their work and build their clientele. On its face, this change was amazing. Stylists no longer had to worry about the overhead cost of operating in a salon, and their prices reflected that (at first), and potential clients were able to see the quality of the stylist’s work before booking. Amazing, right? But somewhere along the way, things have gotten blurry with many women explaining that these stylists are now charging more than traditional hairdressers, requiring deposits that are often non-refundable and imposing a list of rules and requirements needed to book. Some even...
