The Tribulations and Glories of Afro Hair in Quebec

Styling frizzy hair in Quebec can be a real headache. The science of this delicate and versatile hair is not taught in any public school, yet almost half a million Quebecers have this type of scalp. A more comprehensive version of DEP's hairdressing work is coming soon. Until then, barbershops struggle to control their legacy.

In her Quebec salon, Mwamini Ntabio sees all kinds of hair disasters on her chair. From wacky hairstyles to distressed braids. “It's so serious, it plays on people's heads. Some say: “I shave everything!” »

Very few salons outside of Montreal comb these messy locks. Vocational studies training doesn't just fix “too curly” hair. There are still some specialized salons, because anyone can be a hairdresser in Quebec: here, unlike in Ontario or France, the government does not require any license from hairdressers. Many people like Mwamini learned their skills by watching their elders do things. “Earlier an aunt used to take care of survival. Today, young people want better,” she says

The previous hairdressing training update was over 20 years ago. Its rewrite won't be completed this year, according to people interviewed destiny ; It will peak in 2025.

Some private training courses — online or in English — offer refresher courses. Cece Elusma, alias Miss Ladyblue, was one of the pioneers of these parallel schools. The lack of black hairdressers is “a problem everywhere,” she says at her Montreal salon. Self-taught “on dolls from Haiti,” she perfected her art in Atlanta. According to her, “we barely touch” the Afro style here. “It takes a different approach, an international approach. »

Gradient of gradients

Salvatore Falci, a hairdresser with 28 years of experience, is in the third version of the program. After viewing the subsequent content, he found it “really encouraging.” The art of very curly hair is discussed. The lack of proper hair care is “very stark” in Montreal, confirms this former teacher at the Pointe-de-l'Lay School Service Centre.

Now a teacher in the region, at a 24-join center in Sherbrooke, he feels a growing sense of unease across the region. He combs the roots of his new students and notes that the whole range of curls must be covered in the new course, between very curly African hair and very straight Asian hair. “Everybody's going to be. » However, teachers are already “stretching a bit” to improve their lessons. Expectations are high in the profession, he assured. “We are ready for new technologies. We are going to have fun! »

However, straight hair is still prevalent in Quebec. Without a critical mass of black clients in many cities or towns, many hairdressers hesitate to part African hair due to lack of practice. “People with afro hair go to afro salons. There is no mixture, it appears,” said Stéphane Roy, president of the Association Coiffeur Quebec and owner of a salon in the Montreal district of Ahamsic.

“Obviously, anyone with extremely curly hair wants it to look good and he puts all the odds on his side. »

Inheritance of frizzy hair

In Quebec, “If a training establishment [les cheveux afros], it will be full,” says Mwamini Ntabio. Passionate about this hair, she created a temporary exhibition about it in the national capital.

Too preoccupied with simple hair care, many members of the black community continue to take excessive care to the detriment of style, blaming young hairdressers. “We often do the same braids because we protect the hair. And we've been doing this forever. »

Bantu, vanilla or layered braids: African hair offers a lot of potential, not forgetting extensions and colors. But don't ask this natural hair activist to straighten super curly hair.

“Doing a trendy hairstyle means losing heritage,” she insists. “We have a part of the heritage that we dare not try. When others try the hairstyle, we get angry and start yelling. But we allowed it [ces coiffures] In the room! Some styles are coming back as soft people try. »

Winter and winter definitely complicate three-dimensional fantasies, although “you can have a winter hairstyle and a summer hairstyle”.

Trained or not, barbers have been working professionally with African hair in Quebec since at least 1870. John Williams, himself of Afro-descendant, opened a salon that year in Montcalm headquarters, the oldest domestic building in the capital.

This report is supported by the Government of Canada-funded Local Journalism Initiative.

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