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A lot of people don’t know that the curl typing chart wasn’t originally created to help consumers understand their hair. It was developed as a communication tool for session stylists working in television, film, fashion, and media. If a director, producer, or stylist needed a quick visual reference, saying “3B” or “4A” instantly created a picture of the hair they were looking for.

Somewhere along the way, people started using that chart as an identity instead of a description.

The problem is that hair doesn’t behave according to a chart. Hair changes based on length, density, grooming habits, styling choices, environmental conditions, and the overall health of the hair’s ecosystem.

That’s why I don’t categorize hair by curl types.

I categorize hair by function.

• Hair that rises
• Hair that spreads wide
• Hair that drops

These categories describe what the hair naturally wants to do.

When we understand how hair functions instead of what box it fits into, we can solve real problems. We can understand why it dries the way it does, why it tangles, why it shrinks, why it loses shape, and how to make it work with less effort.

Your hair isn’t a number or a letter.

It’s a living system with predictable behaviors.

The goal isn’t to identify with a category. The goal is to understand how your hair functions so you can work with it instead of against it.

It took me probably 10 years into having my cosmetology license to fully understand curly hair. Not because curly hair is difficult, but because most of us were taught to manage it before understanding it.

A lot of curly hair isn’t “bad” or “unmanageable.” It’s just responding to years of manipulation, tension, heat, confusion, and routines that disconnect people from their natural texture.

The more I learned, the more I realized healthy hair usually needs less forcing, not more.

My clients usually look like themselves after every haircut — and that’s intentional. We’re not chasing a new identity every appointment. We’re refining what already works for their face, their lifestyle, their vibe, and their natural hair behavior.

I think we should normalize clients becoming familiar with themselves instead of depending on a barber or stylist every 2 weeks to “fix” them.

This client used to get a fade every 6 weeks. Now I see him every 4–6 months because we stopped fighting his hair and started understanding it. At first, he’d come back saying the sides were getting puffy. Whole time, all he needed was a comb technique and better grooming habits.

Now our sessions are less:
“Cut everything off.”

And more:
“What’s actually bothering you?”
Is it not laying right?
Not staying out your face?
One side curling differently?
Not swooping the same?

That’s where the real work is.

I used to think being a hairstylist was just doing hair. But a huge part of my job is teaching clients how to manage their own hair so their life becomes lower maintenance, more efficient, and more connected to what naturally works for them.

While everybody else is trying to get you back in the chair as often as possible, my goal is the opposite. I want to see how far we can stretch your appointment. I want your hair life to become easier, softer, lower maintenance, healthier.

The value of a service isn’t how often you need it. The real value is how long it lasts.

I’m not interested in creating temporary beauty that falls apart in two weeks or styles that slowly damage your hair while keeping you dependent. I want to help heal the hair’s ecosystem. I want your hair to get stronger between every visit, not weaker.

That means our appointments become less about “Which celebrity look are we doing today?” and more about:
When did the hairstyle stop working for you?
What’s causing stress in your routine?
What actually fits your lifestyle?
How can we make your hair easier to manage long term?

As a hair groomer, I know less is more. The goal should be freedom, not endless maintenance. Your hair should work with you, not trap you in a constant cycle of doing, fixing, hiding, and repeating.

Healthy hair should become more effortless over time.

Should we go 4 months between appointments.

Over the past few months, I’ve shared a lot of critiques, theories, and strong opinions about hair, grooming culture, and afro-textured hair specifically.

And honestly, I owe some people an apology.

Not for questioning things or challenging practices that never sat right with me — but for sometimes speaking without enough sensitivity toward the people attached to those choices and traditions.

I’ve been a licensed cosmetologist for 15 years, and my passion has been understanding afro-textured hair in its natural, air-dried state because I felt like it was deeply misunderstood by the industry.

A lot of our grooming practices as Black people always made me ask: why do we feel like we always have to do something to our hair to exist comfortably?

That question became my life’s work.

But now, I want critique too.

I want conversation. I want pushback. I want people to challenge my ideas so we can learn together. Salon culture used to allow that, and I feel like we’ve lost it.

So tap in. Tell me if I’m making sense or not. I promise to continue sharing thoughtful explanations and to keep learning publicly.

This conversation is bigger than Black hair. I want us to understand ALL hair more deeply.

If you’re passionate about hair, culture, beauty, or education, follow along. I’m excited to grow with y’all.

My beautiful mother and her beautiful hair done by @chxnellcherie_ in Philadelphia❣️

What I’m realizing through these virtual consultations is that healthy hair grooming really happens in layers.

It starts with the foundation session: learning your hair, understanding your texture, adjusting your routine, and building a process that actually works for your lifestyle. Then comes the real work — living with your hair daily, practicing the techniques, becoming more efficient, and learning what your hair responds to over time.

Then we reconnect.
How has your hair been feeling?
Has your routine become easier?
What’s working? What’s not?
What can we improve or advance in next?

I can’t overload people with everything at once. I have to meet people where they are and build from there. And honestly, I’ve been loving this process. I love seeing people become more co

Over the past few months, I’ve shared a lot of critiques, theories, and strong opinions about hair, grooming culture, and afro-textured hair specifically.

And honestly, I owe some people an apology.

Not for questioning things or challenging practices that never sat right with me — but for sometimes speaking without enough sensitivity toward the people attached to those choices and traditions.

I’ve been a licensed cosmetologist for 15 years, and my passion has been understanding afro-textured hair in its natural, air-dried state because I felt like it was deeply misunderstood by the industry.

A lot of our grooming practices as Black people always made me ask: why do we feel like we always have to do something to our hair to exist comfortably?

That question became my life’s work.

But now, I want critique too.

I want conversation. I want pushback. I want people to challenge my ideas so we can learn together. Salon culture used to allow that, and I feel like we’ve lost it.

So tap in. Tell me if I’m making sense or not. I promise to continue sharing thoughtful explanations and to keep learning publicly.

This conversation is bigger than Black hair. I want us to understand ALL hair more deeply.

If you’re passionate about hair, culture, beauty, or education, follow along. I’m excited to grow with y’all.

My beautiful mother and her beautiful hair done by @chxnellcherie_ in Philadelphia❣️

What I’m realizing through these virtual consultations is that healthy hair grooming really happens in layers.

It starts with the foundation session: learning your hair, understanding your texture, adjusting your routine, and building a process that actually works for your lifestyle. Then comes the real work — living with your hair daily, practicing the techniques, becoming more efficient, and learning what your hair responds to over time.

Then we reconnect.
How has your hair been feeling?
Has your routine become easier?
What’s working? What’s not?
What can we improve or advance in next?

I can’t overload people with everything at once. I have to meet people where they are and build from there. And honestly, I’ve been loving this process. I love seeing people become more co

Over the past few months, I’ve shared a lot of critiques, theories, and strong opinions about hair, grooming culture, and afro-textured hair specifically.

And honestly, I owe some people an apology.

Not for questioning things or challenging practices that never sat right with me — but for sometimes speaking without enough sensitivity toward the people attached to those choices and traditions.

I’ve been a licensed cosmetologist for 15 years, and my passion has been understanding afro-textured hair in its natural, air-dried state because I felt like it was deeply misunderstood by the industry.

A lot of our grooming practices as Black people always made me ask: why do we feel like we always have to do something to our hair to exist comfortably?

That question became my life’s work.

But now, I want critique too.

I want conversation. I want pushback. I want people to challenge my ideas so we can learn together. Salon culture used to allow that, and I feel like we’ve lost it.

So tap in. Tell me if I’m making sense or not. I promise to continue sharing thoughtful explanations and to keep learning publicly.

This conversation is bigger than Black hair. I want us to understand ALL hair more deeply.

If you’re passionate about hair, culture, beauty, or education, follow along. I’m excited to grow with y’all.

My beautiful mother and her beautiful hair done by @chxnellcherie_ in Philadelphia❣️

What I’m realizing through these virtual consultations is that healthy hair grooming really happens in layers.

It starts with the foundation session: learning your hair, understanding your texture, adjusting your routine, and building a process that actually works for your lifestyle. Then comes the real work — living with your hair daily, practicing the techniques, becoming more efficient, and learning what your hair responds to over time.

Then we reconnect.
How has your hair been feeling?
Has your routine become easier?
What’s working? What’s not?
What can we improve or advance in next?

I can’t overload people with everything at once. I have to meet people where they are and build from there. And honestly, I’ve been loving this process. I love seeing people become more co

Over the past few months, I’ve shared a lot of critiques, theories, and strong opinions about hair, grooming culture, and afro-textured hair specifically.

And honestly, I owe some people an apology.

Not for questioning things or challenging practices that never sat right with me — but for sometimes speaking without enough sensitivity toward the people attached to those choices and traditions.

I’ve been a licensed cosmetologist for 15 years, and my passion has been understanding afro-textured hair in its natural, air-dried state because I felt like it was deeply misunderstood by the industry.

A lot of our grooming practices as Black people always made me ask: why do we feel like we always have to do something to our hair to exist comfortably?

That question became my life’s work.

But now, I want critique too.

I want conversation. I want pushback. I want people to challenge my ideas so we can learn together. Salon culture used to allow that, and I feel like we’ve lost it.

So tap in. Tell me if I’m making sense or not. I promise to continue sharing thoughtful explanations and to keep learning publicly.

This conversation is bigger than Black hair. I want us to understand ALL hair more deeply.

If you’re passionate about hair, culture, beauty, or education, follow along. I’m excited to grow with y’all.

My beautiful mother and her beautiful hair done by @chxnellcherie_ in Philadelphia❣️

What I’m realizing through these virtual consultations is that healthy hair grooming really happens in layers.

It starts with the foundation session: learning your hair, understanding your texture, adjusting your routine, and building a process that actually works for your lifestyle. Then comes the real work — living with your hair daily, practicing the techniques, becoming more efficient, and learning what your hair responds to over time.

Then we reconnect.
How has your hair been feeling?
Has your routine become easier?
What’s working? What’s not?
What can we improve or advance in next?

I can’t overload people with everything at once. I have to meet people where they are and build from there. And honestly, I’ve been loving this process. I love seeing people become more co

Over the past few months, I’ve shared a lot of critiques, theories, and strong opinions about hair, grooming culture, and afro-textured hair specifically.

And honestly, I owe some people an apology.

Not for questioning things or challenging practices that never sat right with me — but for sometimes speaking without enough sensitivity toward the people attached to those choices and traditions.

I’ve been a licensed cosmetologist for 15 years, and my passion has been understanding afro-textured hair in its natural, air-dried state because I felt like it was deeply misunderstood by the industry.

A lot of our grooming practices as Black people always made me ask: why do we feel like we always have to do something to our hair to exist comfortably?

That question became my life’s work.

But now, I want critique too.

I want conversation. I want pushback. I want people to challenge my ideas so we can learn together. Salon culture used to allow that, and I feel like we’ve lost it.

So tap in. Tell me if I’m making sense or not. I promise to continue sharing thoughtful explanations and to keep learning publicly.

This conversation is bigger than Black hair. I want us to understand ALL hair more deeply.

If you’re passionate about hair, culture, beauty, or education, follow along. I’m excited to grow with y’all.

My beautiful mother and her beautiful hair done by @chxnellcherie_ in Philadelphia❣️

What I’m realizing through these virtual consultations is that healthy hair grooming really happens in layers.

It starts with the foundation session: learning your hair, understanding your texture, adjusting your routine, and building a process that actually works for your lifestyle. Then comes the real work — living with your hair daily, practicing the techniques, becoming more efficient, and learning what your hair responds to over time.

Then we reconnect.
How has your hair been feeling?
Has your routine become easier?
What’s working? What’s not?
What can we improve or advance in next?

I can’t overload people with everything at once. I have to meet people where they are and build from there. And honestly, I’ve been loving this process. I love seeing people become more co

Over the past few months, I’ve shared a lot of critiques, theories, and strong opinions about hair, grooming culture, and afro-textured hair specifically.

And honestly, I owe some people an apology.

Not for questioning things or challenging practices that never sat right with me — but for sometimes speaking without enough sensitivity toward the people attached to those choices and traditions.

I’ve been a licensed cosmetologist for 15 years, and my passion has been understanding afro-textured hair in its natural, air-dried state because I felt like it was deeply misunderstood by the industry.

A lot of our grooming practices as Black people always made me ask: why do we feel like we always have to do something to our hair to exist comfortably?

That question became my life’s work.

But now, I want critique too.

I want conversation. I want pushback. I want people to challenge my ideas so we can learn together. Salon culture used to allow that, and I feel like we’ve lost it.

So tap in. Tell me if I’m making sense or not. I promise to continue sharing thoughtful explanations and to keep learning publicly.

This conversation is bigger than Black hair. I want us to understand ALL hair more deeply.

If you’re passionate about hair, culture, beauty, or education, follow along. I’m excited to grow with y’all.

My beautiful mother and her beautiful hair done by @chxnellcherie_ in Philadelphia❣️

What I’m realizing through these virtual consultations is that healthy hair grooming really happens in layers.

It starts with the foundation session: learning your hair, understanding your texture, adjusting your routine, and building a process that actually works for your lifestyle. Then comes the real work — living with your hair daily, practicing the techniques, becoming more efficient, and learning what your hair responds to over time.

Then we reconnect.
How has your hair been feeling?
Has your routine become easier?
What’s working? What’s not?
What can we improve or advance in next?

I can’t overload people with everything at once. I have to meet people where they are and build from there. And honestly, I’ve been loving this process. I love seeing people become more co

Over the past few months, I’ve shared a lot of critiques, theories, and strong opinions about hair, grooming culture, and afro-textured hair specifically.

And honestly, I owe some people an apology.

Not for questioning things or challenging practices that never sat right with me — but for sometimes speaking without enough sensitivity toward the people attached to those choices and traditions.

I’ve been a licensed cosmetologist for 15 years, and my passion has been understanding afro-textured hair in its natural, air-dried state because I felt like it was deeply misunderstood by the industry.

A lot of our grooming practices as Black people always made me ask: why do we feel like we always have to do something to our hair to exist comfortably?

That question became my life’s work.

But now, I want critique too.

I want conversation. I want pushback. I want people to challenge my ideas so we can learn together. Salon culture used to allow that, and I feel like we’ve lost it.

So tap in. Tell me if I’m making sense or not. I promise to continue sharing thoughtful explanations and to keep learning publicly.

This conversation is bigger than Black hair. I want us to understand ALL hair more deeply.

If you’re passionate about hair, culture, beauty, or education, follow along. I’m excited to grow with y’all.

My beautiful mother and her beautiful hair done by @chxnellcherie_ in Philadelphia❣️

What I’m realizing through these virtual consultations is that healthy hair grooming really happens in layers.

It starts with the foundation session: learning your hair, understanding your texture, adjusting your routine, and building a process that actually works for your lifestyle. Then comes the real work — living with your hair daily, practicing the techniques, becoming more efficient, and learning what your hair responds to over time.

Then we reconnect.
How has your hair been feeling?
Has your routine become easier?
What’s working? What’s not?
What can we improve or advance in next?

I can’t overload people with everything at once. I have to meet people where they are and build from there. And honestly, I’ve been loving this process. I love seeing people become more co

Over the past few months, I’ve shared a lot of critiques, theories, and strong opinions about hair, grooming culture, and afro-textured hair specifically.

And honestly, I owe some people an apology.

Not for questioning things or challenging practices that never sat right with me — but for sometimes speaking without enough sensitivity toward the people attached to those choices and traditions.

I’ve been a licensed cosmetologist for 15 years, and my passion has been understanding afro-textured hair in its natural, air-dried state because I felt like it was deeply misunderstood by the industry.

A lot of our grooming practices as Black people always made me ask: why do we feel like we always have to do something to our hair to exist comfortably?

That question became my life’s work.

But now, I want critique too.

I want conversation. I want pushback. I want people to challenge my ideas so we can learn together. Salon culture used to allow that, and I feel like we’ve lost it.

So tap in. Tell me if I’m making sense or not. I promise to continue sharing thoughtful explanations and to keep learning publicly.

This conversation is bigger than Black hair. I want us to understand ALL hair more deeply.

If you’re passionate about hair, culture, beauty, or education, follow along. I’m excited to grow with y’all.

My beautiful mother and her beautiful hair done by @chxnellcherie_ in Philadelphia❣️

What I’m realizing through these virtual consultations is that healthy hair grooming really happens in layers.

It starts with the foundation session: learning your hair, understanding your texture, adjusting your routine, and building a process that actually works for your lifestyle. Then comes the real work — living with your hair daily, practicing the techniques, becoming more efficient, and learning what your hair responds to over time.

Then we reconnect.
How has your hair been feeling?
Has your routine become easier?
What’s working? What’s not?
What can we improve or advance in next?

I can’t overload people with everything at once. I have to meet people where they are and build from there. And honestly, I’ve been loving this process. I love seeing people become more co

Hair is the flower of the body, and every human is a living ecosystem. Like plants, we all have different environments, different needs, different ways of thriving. The question is: why do we cultivate anything in this world? We cultivate things to thrive. To perform better. To become more efficient. To stop surviving and start flourishing.

Every head of hair in my practice is treated like a living ecosystem. Like a house plant removed from its natural habitat and placed into a container that now has to be understood, maintained, and cultivated properly. We can nurture it into full bloom, or we can fight against it. We can cultivate it, or like a bonsai tree, keep cutting it down and forcing it into stress cycles for aesthetics.

That’s the power we have over hair.

But over here, the goal is cultivation. Helping humans survive and thrive through understanding the ecosystem growing out of their scalp.

So what is a “protective style” if the hair underneath is becoming harder to detangle, harder to manage, harder to style, and less elastic over time? What are we actually protecting if the person never learns their natural curl pattern, never understands their hair cycles, and never discovers what their ecosystem truly needs to thrive?

Protection without understanding eventually becomes dependency.

Your hair was never meant to be hidden from you. It was meant to be understood.

Who told you that you had “4C hair” because your hair was unmanageable?

If you can’t see a curl pattern, that doesn’t automatically mean your hair has no pattern. A lot of the time it means the hair is dehydrated, tangled, coated in buildup, or has never been properly cleansed, detangled, and air dried in a way that allows the coils to form naturally.

And that’s not your fault. Most people were never taught.

I’m here to teach the basics first.

We need to reposition the afro for what it really is: hair that rises. Hair designed to protect the human body from the sun. Hair that is efficient, adaptable, low maintenance, and intelligent by nature.

I’m giving you 15 years of cosmetology experience, plus 25 years of living with the same beliefs many of you have now:
“It’s dry.”
“It’s hard to manage.”
“It shrinks too much.”

I didn’t understand shrinkage.
I didn’t know when to touch my hair.
I didn’t know how to properly detangle it.
I didn’t know how to work with it instead of against it.

It took me years to understand what I’m going to help you learn much faster.

We’re going to clear this up about the afro one way or another.

Follow and join the journey as we unlock the afro.

I’ve had to transition in my career.
Not away from doing hair — but deeper into understanding it.

I still work behind the chair, but now every new client goes through a consultation first. Because at this point, hair health comes before everything for me. Before trends. Before quick transformations. Before another product, cream, gel, or miracle promise.

I care about keeping your hair on your head long term.
I care about people not reaching midlife confused, thinning, breaking, balding, and disconnected from their own hair because nobody ever taught them how to actually care for it underneath the styling.

Style your hair however you want. Be creative. Express yourself. I’m not against that. But maintenance matters. Split end management matters. Understanding your hair matters. The ecosystem of the hair matters.

And I don’t want this knowledge locked behind stylists anymore. I don’t want people feeling dependent on appointments, products, or constant fixes just to maintain what should’ve been protected in the first place.

My goal now is bigger than just making hair look good for a day.
I want to help people build long, dense, healthy hair that lasts. I want to put healthy hair back into the hands of the people.

Because honestly, I miss the fun part of hair artistry. I miss the creativity. I miss the freedom of just creating beautiful looks without constantly trying to rescue damaged hair first.

So this season of my work is about education, prevention, restoration, and teaching people how to truly care for their hair.

So we can all get back to creating again.

Meet Benjamin!

Most people aren’t struggling with their hair because their hair is “difficult.”
They’re struggling because no one ever taught them how to work with it.

That’s where my virtual consultations come in.

During a consultation, we sit down one-on-one and break down your hair specifically — your density, your strands, your patterns, your habits, and the things that may be working against you.

No guessing.
No random products.
No viral trends.

Just real education and practical techniques so you can finally understand how to manage your hair at home.

Because once you understand your hair, everything changes — detangling, drying, styling, growth… all of it.

If you’ve been frustrated with your hair for years, it might not be the hair.

You might just need the right information.

Book a virtual consultation and let’s figure it out together.

My bad. #hairstylist #relatable

Sometimes the most valuable haircut doesn’t feel like a haircut at all.

When I do my job right, you don’t need products.
You don’t need tools.
You don’t need frequent appointments.

You wake up and go.

That’s not “nothing.”
That’s intelligence applied to hair.

I cut dry so you can feel every change as it happens.
I stop, reassess, re-wet, and adjust with you—not for a dramatic reveal, but for long-term function.

Knowing when not to cut is just as valuable as knowing where to cut.

Most people only recognize value when hair starts fighting them again.
When it’s in their face.
When it needs constant fixing.

My work removes the fight.
And sometimes that makes people forget what life was like before.

That doesn’t make the work less valuable.
It makes it effective.