For Black women, our relationship with our hair stylist is parallel to that of a therapist. Historically, the hair salon serves as a safe space for those few hours every couple of weeks where we can escape the woes of our career and professional life. Not to mention, it serves as a much-needed reset for the stresses that accompany day-to-day life, and for some, the only therapy that we can afford.
Can we also talk about the physical confidence that comes from a good “hair therapy” session? Thankfully, PsychoHairapy, understands.
The mental health and hair movement company founded by Dr. Afiya Mbilishaka, has created this certification program in partnership with Maui Moisture that equips hairstylists with the skills to recognize mental health issues in their clients and administer culturally informed mental health services and resources.
“I am humbled and honored to collaborate with Maui Moisture on my life’s passion, using hair as an entry point into mental health care,” says Dr. Afiya Mbilishaka. “I can more confidently imagine a world where hairstylists can support clients through stressful life experiences, by building confidence in using healing words and hair products.”
Maui Moisture’s mission is to provide curl confidence to help improve self-perception and esteem, something many women and girls in the textured hair community struggle with.
“At Maui Moisture, we embrace all hair types and cater to those across the curl spectrum, which is why PyschoHairapy’s mission resonates with us,” says Sheena Henry, Earned Media Manager for Maui Moisture. “We know that texturism, microaggressions, and discrimination have a deep and negative impact on how our consumer sees herself, affecting her confidence and overall mental health. We understand the deep connection between hair and mental health and want Black women and girls—especially those in underserved communities—to have the best resources for both their hair and their mental wellbeing.”
The brand’s ultra-hydrating, vegan-friendly formulas transform curls by using 100% aloe vera as the first ingredient in all their products, delivering 40x more moisturizing properties and 80% stronger hair*. With the brand’s purpose of transformation in mind, Maui Moisture enacts this partnership with PsychoHairapy to ensure their role in transforming women’s lives goes beyond a good hair day.
The PsychoHairapy Certification was initially established in 2019. With the current health pandemic, PsychoHairapy has been translated into the digital landscape and the demand for the course grew, training close to two hundred stylists. With Maui Moisture’s $100,000 funding, PsychoHairapy hopes to train an additional 100+ PsychoHairapists, hire mental health professionals to offer virtual group therapy, create PsychoHairapy workbooks and produce a self-paced virtual class to increase accessibility for certifications.
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