Here are 5 things your hairdresser knows for sure (yes, that ol' 1950s Clairol ad is still packin' its punch...):
1.What your real hair color is.
2.How long you can let your roots go before recoloring.
3.Hairstyles that just will not work on you no matter how much you brandish that crumpled magazine page you tore out of the salon's copy in their face.
4.How much gray you have in the back of your head*
5.Some important facts and information about HIV/AIDS health, prevention and testing.
Hey, hunh? What was that last bit?
On World AIDS Day this year, December 1, some big players -- L'Oreal, UNESCO, and GBC (Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria) rolled out a big idea at Hair on Madison in Harlem: to educate budding hair stylists and colorists across the country to be up to speed on HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.
The Hairdressers Against AIDS initiative is smart, because really, all kinds of things can come up while you're waiting for that perm to set, having those extensions applied, or getting those tree braids. And it's comforting to know that if you bring up a sensitive subject, the stylist can 'go there' with you and offer concrete direction.
The initiative reminds me a little of Madame C.J. Walker, the first African American multi-millionairess whose humble beginnings with a little hair tonic spread out to do all sorts of good.
Mizani, an extensive line of high-end hair products popular in salons, is an example of how this is getting done "on the ground" -- with over 700 classes a year for stylists and would-be stylists, they use the Hairdressers Against AIDS educational information as a starting point. It gives added importance to the beauty call
.
Hairdressers Against AIDS recognizes the power of beauty and style to go far beyond a split end. On the team of educators, celebrity hairdressers such as Traci Washington (her clients include Faith Evans and Snoop Dogg) and Kimmi Hendrix, whose clients include Jennifer Hudson, Adam Sandler and Queen Latifah, raise the profile of the project.
In fact, Kimmi Hendrix (with the fresh platinum pixie far right) articulated the importance of the initiative the most succinctly: "We'd rather lose a client than lose a life."
NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn, in her newly svelte silhouette topped with a pert copper pageboy, admitted she sees her hairdresser far more than she sees her doctor. Which underscores the particular relevance of this initiative at this time, especially the preventive aspect, given the current state of health care. Quinn also confessed that her hairdresser has a unique way of showing her the state of her roots in the back of her head.
An interview with AIDS activist Maria Davis concluded with the observation, "if it's in your community it's part of your responsibility," and she noted that if it was next door, it could be at your door tomorrow.
Although the statistics are still scary (over 1 million Americans are infected with the virus, and roughly 20 percent don't know it), especially for women (AIDS is the leading cause of death for women ages 18 - 34 in the African American community) experts are optimistic that we may be at the end of this epidemic.
The aim is for Hairdressers Against AIDS to make a significant dent in these statistics.
Backcombing, not backsliding, is in order.
Photo, right to left: Hairdresser Kimmi Hendrix, NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn, AIDS Activist Maria Davis, Council member Inez Dickens (Harlem), Hair on Madison salon owner Rochelle Walters, U.S. Chair of Hairdressers Against AIDS Christine Schuster, Director of Education at MIZANI Veronique Morrison.