Representation matters–even in the little things.
Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Then… Detangle. Deep condition. Hot oil treatment. Rinse again. Detangle again. Leave-in. Twist. Dry. Maybe hot comb or flat iron. And detangle one more time for good measure. If you’re a Black woman with natural hair, you’re familiar with this routine: It’s wash day! The day we give our kinks, coils, locs, and scalps some much-needed attention.
The wash day routine can be daunting, exhausting, time-consuming, and it may fill the curly girlies with dread. But photographer Tomesha Faxio is trying to turn this “chore” into something beautiful with her new book, “Wash Day: Passing on the Legacy, Rituals, and Love of Natural Hair to the Next Generation,” a collection of photographs and essays celebrating the inherent beauty of Black hair.
“Wash Day’ celebrates the bonds formed between Black mothers and daughters through gorgeous photographs of their hair care rituals and insightful stories that detail their unique natural hair journeys,” Faxio said in a statement to The Grio. “No matter where they are in their journey, each mother featured in ‘Wash Day’ is actively undoing generations of internalized hatred of natural hair, showing how this ritual can be both an act of self-love and a practice in resistance.”
Faxio sat with 26 families and took photos as they went through their distinct routines in order to capture their unique hair care rituals. Everyone’s wash day routine is different. It can take several hours or even a few days. It may result in a quick wash-n-go or an elaborate silk press. But whether you’re sitting under a dryer in the beauty shop or leaning over the kitchen sink, Faxio’s photobook shows that wash day is both a necessary step in self-care for Black women and girls and a way of connecting to our heritage, passing self-care traditions down from generation to generation.
“I learned so much from these moms,” Faxio said to CNN. “It’s work. But spending time with these moms and thinking about how we are able to pass on love of our hair — an inheritance of pride and joy in our hair, to our kids— it just renewed my love for the process.”
In addition to celebrating the bonding between family members, Wash Day also serves as a reminder of the beauty and versatility of Black hair, which is so often misunderstood, misrepresented, and mistreated, leading to systemic discrimination and stereotyping that can be harmful to Black youth. Through her photographs, Faxio seeks to remind the world that Black is beautiful, cleansing our souls as we cleanse strands.
“Wash day is a time when we can be intentional about reminding our children that their coils are worthy of the extra care and maintenance we give them,” she said.
Cover Photo: New Photography Book Honors the Black Family Haircare Tradition of ‘Wash Day’ / Photo credit: Tomesha Faxio/CNN