I went for a long walk Sunday * which took me through Hicksville, walking along Route 107. It’s my habit to start off early in the morning and stop off at some point at a hair salon and get someone to braid my hair for me. I’m pathetically awful at it and walking all day outdoors in the wind tends to result in really tangly hair.
Now, it’s been my experience on prior walks that I might have to try 4-5 salons because I get a lot of “Sorry no one here braids hair” or “The person who does that isn’t in at the moment”, but what I got this time was different:
Oh, no, we don’t braid men’s hair.
I tried in a lot of places, perhaps 12 or 14 or thereabouts. Maybe 4 of them gave the more conventional reasons (“no one here braids hair, sorry”) but the rest all said explicitly that this service is not available to men.
WTF?
I suppose I looked mildly disreputable because I was wearing a raggedy jean jacket and I had a hiking backpack on my back that sort of pulls it out of shape. But I had no difficulty obtaining foot massage and on other journeys have opted for full-blown table massages. My hair is clean and brushed and was not as of yet all tangly.
On the offchance that there’s some ethnic–gendered-cultural thing going on here, I can add that all of these hair stylist people were women, that in Hicksville they were all of Indian descent and it’s a heavily India-centric town these days. I’ve never heard of any beliefs or traditions proscribing Indian women from touching men’s hair though - ??
I’m assuming you’re black (it’s just that generally, white dudes don’t braid their hair)? And these were “black salons” turning you away?
I just ask because my advice would be to go to a salon that caters to African Americans-- even my non black friends who want their hair braided go to the black salons, since that’s something they tend to specialize in and do a better job at.
All I can say is, there is no prohibition for Indian women not touching men’s hair, and it’s not like it’s unheard of for Indian men to have long hair. Think Sikhs. While Hindu men do tend to keep their hair short, it’s not like it is anathema to grow it out.
Of course, it is Hicksville. They could have all just been stuck-up Long Islanders. (Disclaimer: My SO is from Hicksville.)
Ah getting out the broad brush here, but I’m really doubting he’s black - most African hair doesn’t really get all “tangly” such that it would need to braided early on in a walk…that sounds like non-African hair. Also, braiding African hair is not something you usually do on the way to somewhere else - that’s the destination. It takes awhile. Also “black” salons are kind of not going to have a bunch of Indian women working there, right? Maybe one or two, but black people working there is what makes a salon “black” generally… Weird that they wouldn’t braid your hair though…
This strikes me as ridiculous. You state that you have money and are willing to pay for a completely legal service. They turn you away. This makes no sense whatsoever.
If you’re just talking about a single braid down your back, I don’t understand at all. There’s no one at a salon that can’t do a braid. That doesn’t even make sense.
It’s really weird that they refused to serve the OP. However, I would suggest, if all the OP needs is a simple braided ponytail down the back, that he do a little practice until he can braid it himself. It would never occur to me to visit a salon to have my hair braided unless I wanted something very complicated. (I can french-braid my own hair, too, but the OP doesn’t need to go that far.) Either braid it before you go or carry some rubber bands/ponytail holders just in case.
I agree with Tamex. I originally thought you meant braids (like the cornrows posted). Like Tamex, it would never occur to me to go to a salon and ask for a single braid down my back-- it’d be like going in and asking them if I could pay them to do a pony tail for me. You probably get bizarre reactions because that’s a really strange service to ask for.
You are a well respected doper but to be frank your IRL pic is boho and intimidating enough to give a conservative Asian woman pause if you pop in the door asking for a braid. To them you could be trouble.
Don’t you have some regular place that has done your hair in the past?
Pull hair back
Use an elastic right near the head
Use another elastic an inch or so down from the first
Keep using elastics about an inch or so apart until you get to the end of your hair
The result is a kinda ponytail that is totally secured all the way down and can be done by even the least competent hair doer.
Of course this doesn’t include the awesome feeling of having someone else do your hair but at least you can get it out of the way before your walk starts without having to deal with really stupid shop policies.
(Disclaimer: My SO is from Hicksville.)
** sits in chair **
