The Business of Braiding

Last week I met with a Josie Meredith, who is opening a hair boutique near Davis College where we teach the Certified Networker course. I met her at a WEN meeting and decided that since I have that connection with Davis, that I should help her to connect at the college, too. But of course I wanted to get to know her first.

Josie was a delight. She told me all about the new store and what she's going to offer when it opens in just a little while.

But the best part of the conversation was what I learned about hair braiding.

Josie is an African American. The little bit I knew about hair braiding was that it is an integral part of the black culture. But I just thought that there were either regular stick out from the head kind of braids or corn rows.

My education helped me to understand that hair braiding is an art. Josie told me that sometimes the hair is braided in a line across the head to provide a foundation for a wig.

I almost didn't recognize Josie when she met me at Panera, because her hair was a different color and definitely a different style from when I first met her. Of course, she was wearing a very handsome wig. What was so very interesting to me, was that when I originally met her I was so attracted to her hair style and color. I assumed that it was all her own, but found out that was not the case. It was also a very nice wig.

Continuing my education, Josie told me that sometimes the hair is braided in tiny little braids just at the roots and then the hair is left loose otherwise. This gives body to the style.

Josie also said that it is usual to weave pieces of real hair into the braids to make them stand up just right. She said that Caucasians can have braids, but that she does have to use the extra hair braiding technique for them. One other point, those with straight hair have to have a small rubber band at the end of the braid to keep it from unraveling while those with very curly hair don't need that extra help.

How does all this help me???? Well, You just never know when I will need to refer someone who can do braiding. I can't say that I have already been asked for this, but I do want to be ready!

Additionally, It was so evident that Josie knows what she's doing so that when the wig store opens, I am going to be introducing her to my friend, Robin Isenberg, Executive Director at the Victory Center. They provide free services to cancer patients. I know that Josie will be a resource for Robin's clients when they need wigs.

Thanks, Josie, for taking the time to fill me in about your culture.

What's the most interesting one to one meeting you've had recently?