Wait… Can Caffeine Cause Migraines or Cure Them?
Plus exactly how much coffee is ideal for migraine prevention. POV: You’re sitting in your favorite hair salon with freshly washed hair and you glance at your phone. You see a notification that triggers some negative feelings and let out a huff of annoyance. Your hairstylist asks if everything is okay, and you can’t help but launch into a long-winded rant about what’s bothering you. Sound familiar? Plenty of others have been in your shoes (or, chair).
In fact, spilling your emotions to your stylist is actually pretty common: One in three salon-goers consider their stylist to be like a therapist. But, most hairstylists don’t have any mental health training, let alone a degree in psychology. Clinical psychologist and hairstylist Afiya M. Mbilishaka, PhD, has all of the above, though, and she’s made it her life’s work to support mental health through hair care (now with an assist from Maui Moisture).
“I had one pivotal phone call with my Aunt Brenda that helped me figure out exactly what to do after college graduation,” Mbilishaka says. “I said, ‘I don’t know if I want to study psychology or hair,’ and my aunt says, ‘Why can’t you do both?’” Although Mbilishaka’s aunt was probably suggesting she attempt to balance her two passions, Mbilishaka took it literally and started looking for ways she could combine them, while also addressing the huge mental health disparities in Black communities.
“To engage Black women on a cultural level, mental health providers must acknowledge the significance of hair and make use of the existing social support of hairstylists, the natural helpers in the community,” Mbilishaka says. That’s how she came up with the idea for PsychoHairapy. As she reflected on her own experiences and culled through data that showed that Black women are more likely to book
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