THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO BLACK MEN’S HAIR

Trips to the Beauty Supply Store Shouldn’t Be This Hard

No YouTube tutorial prepared me for this

J.Jackson
LEVEL
Published in
5 min readMay 6, 2020

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Photo illustration. Source: Glass Joe/Getty Images

Growing up, I spent several summers at my aunties’ hair salon. I got to watch (and learn) firsthand how a sew-in works, how to properly execute a blowout, and most crucially, what to do when a track falls out right before prom night and emergency surgery is needed. From a young age, I’ve been reasonably knowledgeable about everyone’s hair but my own. A low-cut Caesar has been my calling card into early adulthood, and the style served me well.

I was, as they say, in my bag — and that bag smelled like essential oils.

Then, I hit the full switch-up: I decided that I would grow my hair out on my head and my face. After what seemed like an impossible period of waiting, things started happening for your boy. Hair grew and increased in softness, my beard finally connected, and I turned the struggle into a cohesive and well-groomed mass on my face. It got so good that somebody’s daughter, whom I didn’t know at all, called me “a whole seat.” I looked up what that meant and realized that my new growth had put me into an entirely new space in life. (Also, that kids are fast as hell.) I was, as they say, in…

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J.Jackson
LEVEL
Writer for

Polymathic tendencies. If there’s oxtail involved, I’m probably en route.