From the title of this post you may have guessed it already………I am!!!!
I am now a trained and certified hair care consultant after successfully gaining a Diploma in Afro Hair Care. I actually completed the course in September 2013 as part of a project I have been working on.
I am so happy to finally put it out there, share why I decided to get certified and what I gained from the course.
WHY I DECIDED TO GET CERTIFIED
My journey to becoming certified actually started before Hairducation went live.
Whilst still building the blog, I told ladies who approached me for advice that the blog would be going live soon and they could learn how to care for their hair on the site.
I always got two types of reactions. Some ladies looked forward to reading the blog whilst others didn’t seem so keen. These ladies often made comments such as “oh I have to read the blog” or “I just don’t see myself doing it”.
This second reaction got me thinking about ladies I had introduced to other hair care blogs in the past but still maintained their bad hair care habits and continued to have major issues with their hair.
I realised at that point that the “self help”, learn and do it yourself approach to hair journeys simply does not work for every woman.
I believe the following types of ladies don’t gain much from hair care blogs
1) Ladies who don’t do their hair themselves
Hair care blogs are great for ladies who want to take charge of their hair and gradually do it all themselves. However there many ladies who prefer to go to salons and may not be keen on doing their hair themselves. So learning how to care for hair when they have no intention of doing it themselves may seem redundant.
2) Ladies who want a healthy hair transformation but do not necessarily want to become hair care gurus
The fact is not every woman wants to learn the ins and outs of black hair just so she can take care of it. These ladies want to improve their hair but may be overwhelmed by the information or simply not be willing to get that deep into hair care do’s and don’ts. And there is no crime in that.
3) Ladies who need an intervention
These are the ladies whose hair never seems to thrive and is increasingly getting worse. Such ladies are looking for miracle products and help from stylists.
That was me before my hair journey. I was looking for help for my hair but couldn’t find it. When I did find help on social media, I had to go through the process of figuring it all out for myself which took a few months because I wanted to be sure of what I was getting myself into. In those months, my hair loss continued.
What I needed at the time and couldn’t get was an intervention. I needed someone to assess my hair, review my hair care habits, tell me what I was doing right and wrong, set me on the right part and support me through the process.
With all the above in mind, I decided that somewhere down the line I would want to offer a more hands personalised consultation and support service for ladies who wanted it.
The first step of me offering this personalised service was for me to receive formal training and get certified. I did not want to be a self appointed consultant and I wanted to make sure I was qualified for the task.
WHAT DID I LEARN ON THE DIPLOMA COURSE
After deliberating on what exactly I wanted to offer and the structure of the service, I had the task of finding a course that would give me appropriate training. I eventually found a training institute in London, England that offered exactly what I needed, a diploma in hair care focusing specifically on black hair.
The course was very intensive; we spent the mornings learning theory on various aspects of black hair structure and care. Around midday we would move to the salon within the institute where we would practice what we had learnt on mannequin heads. In the afternoon we would work on live models/clients. There was hardly a moment to take a break, it was full on…and I absolutely loved it.
The course included training on client consultations, hair and scalp analysis, patch testing, relaxing, trimming, working with extensions, health and safety and so much more. I was impressed by the combination of science based theory classes and the practical salon sessions. It was certainly worth flying 6000miles for.
WHAT NEXT??
I have recently completed the final aspects required for the service to go live which involved finding a salon which understood and were keen to incorporate my services.
I will do a detailed post soon to share how the Hairducation Consultation and Support service will work.
What I will say for now is that the service will benefit everyone whether it is ladies who simply want to kick start their hair journey and need a bit of initial coaching or ladies who want a full on salon implemented regimen.
I hope you will be back soon to learn more about the consultation service and for my next post about co-washing.
X
Lade
Learn | Change | Grow
Wow congrats! Im so happy for u, my mum just bought a whole tub of conditioner that contains mineral oil 🙁 and we can’t waste it it cost her a lot of money. Is there anyway to use it without wasting it?
Oh my God Im so happy for you I’d love to go to your salon one day but I live in Spain, but on summer I might be goin to Nigeria to visit my family, I could force my parents to take me there.
It looks like you flat ironed your hair and you trimmed your hair is looking amzing!
Author
Hello Adanna
Thank you so much.
Just because a product contains mineral oil doesn’t mean it is unusable.
Hopefully the percentage of mineral oil it contains is little. You should avoid products that contain mineral oil but its not the end of the world if one or two of the products you use contains a small amount of it.
What you should really look out for is whether the conditioner works well on your hair. you can always use it for co-washing or for your hair extensions.
Thanks for the comment about my hair in the post. it is actually one of my wigs. My hair was hidden away because of the cold weather. 🙂
It looks so natural wow, yeah but mineral oil is the first or second ingredient, anyways we can use it on one of my mums extensions 🙂
Awww! Congratulations darling! This is great news. I was actually thinking about this a couple of days back!! Proper formal training is good despite having the hands on experience over a number of years.
I’m sure this consulting arm of your company will do very well. Great stuff.
So many women really can’t be bothered (or don’t have the time) to go the whole hog on their own. This meets that need perfectly. Well done!
Author
Thank you soooooo much Tolu
I completely agree, although I had a decent amount of knowledge before the course but I certainly learnt loads as well, there were so many little details I learnt which actually makes a big difference. It was awesome.
and yes I know so many women who really don’t work well with DIY hair care.
I hope its the beginning of something great
Thanks again hun
x
Lade
Yaaay! Congrats Lade. That’s great news. Certified afro hair consultant in the house! This means more goodies to come for our tresses ladies. So excited! My hair I have to say is so much happier, less breakage and thicker. To women, to great hair and most importantly to our hair guru. xxx
Author
LOL Yusie, thank you!!!!!!
Here’s to healthy hair for all.
I am glad your hair is better.
x
Lade
Yayyyyy!!!So excited for you Lade! Can’t wait to read how the consultation service will work, expect several referrals from yours truly! Wishing you even greater achievements hunie!!!
Author
Thank you sooooooo much Damilola. its been something ive been working on for such a while and I am very eager to get started.
your referrals will be in very good hands, as much as I care about my hair, I care about that of other too.
The details will be up soon.
x
Lade
So exciting!!
Author
Very very very exciting!!!
Congrats lade,i am happy for you .It is always satisfying and most importantly fulfilling to achieve that which you determiningly set out to achieve, I look forward to learning more from you.thanks
Author
Thank you very much Mercy. It certainly is.
x
Lade
Congrats Lade! We (your silent supporters) are proud of you. Cannot wait for you to baby my hair 😀
Author
Hello Sayo
Thanks you soooo much. Lol on silent supporters.
I am looking forward to it too. 🙂
x
Lade
Congrates Lade, wshn u all d best. Pls i hv questions abt ur relaxer stretch using wig. When u hv single braids done & fix d wig,do u use full or u-part wigs.Do u leave-out some hair when using u-part wigs & hw do u care for the left-out hair. Then, hw do u ensure that it corresponds wit the wig since u will hv natural roots.thanks
Author
Thank you Lily
I only wear u-part wigs and leave out a small section at the front. I take care of the leave out hair by cleansing and cowashing it often. I moisturise and seal it every day and avoid using heat on it. I don’t worry too much about blending my hair with the u-part wigs because when I am on a stretch I tend to wear wigs that will blend well with my texlaxed texture.
Hope that helps.
x
Lade
Oh dear! This is great news! Congratulations, I’m happy for you. Be sure to know that success awaits u. I know u must av done this out of the care u av for others. Which is one of the ingredients u need for success. And also the passion u av displayed. Well done!
Author
Thank you soooo much Bisola.
Your kind comment is much appreciated.
Congratulations on your certification. lovely site you have here.
Congrats Lade! I am extremely proud and happy for you, great thing are ahead.
Author
Thank you so much Candice
Congratulations Olamide. Well done!
Author
Thank you!!!!!
Congratulations Lade, I’m glad you made the effort and I love your passion. May it be the beginning of another successful venture for you.
I have someone who would love to consult only the week of June 23-27th , how can she meet you?
Secondly, I have sent two emails requesting for more details on wigs but I did not receive a reply.
Once again, thumbs up!
Author
Hello
Sisimi
thank you so so much
You should have received a response. If you haven’t there is a chance we didn’t get the email.
I will contact you via your email address to discuss further
x
Lade
Thank you Lade, I am still looking forward to your mail. Cheers.
Author
My pleasure, please check your inbox and spam folder for the emails.
Thanks
Lade
Wow! Nice! Congratulations!!! Best wishes; you’ll succeed.
Author
Thank you Ceca
Congrats Lade. I wish you success. Wish you were here in owerri :(, I would have abandoned my hair for you, lol.
Author
Awww thanks Juliet…….I would have loved working on your hair. I hope you are still enjoying your wig
x
Lade
Congrats dearie, well proud of your achievement! that’s amazing and you are truly inspiring taking it to the next level! onwards and upwards I pray for you. This is just the beginning!
Author
Thank you so much Taiwo and amen.
I ready do appreciate it. I pray the same for you and all you set your mind to.
x
Lade
Congrats, this is soo cool. Its a lot of work doing one’s hair especially with the family and husband that wonders y I wear a shower cap for hours. So i cant wait for your salon….Goodluck!!!
Author
Thank you so much Bosa.
The consultation service is now live and has been going great so far.
x
Lade
hello, I’m a 54 yr old black female with a head of hair that I have killed. yesterday I got hold of the scissors l!!!!
l have been permed, after my hair fell out due to over perming, than back to perming, my hair is this and does
not hold a curl. I sweat heavy,mostly in my head, I need help!! I’m be wearing a natural hair wig, but it’s to hot.
I paid $120.00 on a piece, that’s too much hair! and I do not wear. I’m live in Baltimore,Maryland. please
contact me. thank you.