If you’re a Black woman trying to get a silk press or God forbid…your hair braided, you are caught up in a time-consuming and mentally taxing experience. Clients are thrown in the chaos of overbooked stylists, long wait times to get into a chair, rising service prices, attitudes and oh …those deposits. All that has led us to question if it is even worth the hassle. Dang, what will it take for a woman to keep a standing appointment with her favorite hairstylist these days? But here’s a wild idea: what if we turned to AI-powered robots to handle our hair care needs? Now, before you roll your eyes and dismiss the idea, innovators are already taking steps to make it happen.
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Artificial intelligence was designed to make lives easier — and now it might be your new hairstylist in the near future, too. Angle Bush, founder of Black Women in Artificial Intelligence, is developing a robot to handle hair braiding needs with speed, precision, and ease. In a viral video, Bush is collaborating with other Black women to develop a more straightforward solution for hair braiding. The goal? To make it faster, cheaper, and easier to achieve one’s desired look. This means no more spending 6-8 hours getting box braids on a Saturday while your girls are out having brunch. And it guarantees reliability for faster appointments and fewer surprises with the styling results. Sound appealing? We sure think so.
While Bush’s work may be groundbreaking for Black hair care, it bridges a gap in technology and beauty that has never been seen before. Surprisingly, countries like China have already started using robots to wash hair while also assessing hair quality and skin health. It’s time for us to follow this innovative trend and bring it to the forefront of the Black hair care industry.
Let’s face it, women are fed up with time abuse and poor service in salons. From braiding to laying down a lace front, the process is labor-intensive for the stylist and exhausting for the clients. Just take a scroll through social media, and you’ll find countless women sharing their exhaustion of being in the hair salon. As one X user stated, “Black hairstylist. Y’all need to do better. Shouldn’t be at the salon all f***ing day.”
On TikTok, clips of clients arguing with stylists are way too common — including a resurfaced moment from WeTV’s L.A. Hair, where one of Kim Kimble’s stylists and a client exchanged words over her “unclean hair.” Viewers flooded the comments, calling out his disrespectful behavior. “This is why some people don’t like to go to the salon, because of people like him,” one TikTok user commented. “I have been a stylist and an educator for years and I don’t play.” It has gotten out of hand.
“I don’t have time for y’all h**s who act like your customers are your opps,” Jessie Woo jokingly shared on The Baller Alert podcast. “It’s like the Ten Commandments on the front page of your website. All these motherf***ing rules.” From 75% deposits to surprise upcharges, she aired her frustrations—and rightfully so.
“So is she lying or naw?” One Threads user posted about the clip. Although Jessie Woo’s portrayal of hairstylists’ demands is comical, most find her experience too familiar. Her rant reflects a collective sentiment: women are tired of unprofessional and unnecessarily expensive services. Well, this is where AI steps in as the ultimate “fix-it” solution for haircare.
Listen, we totally get it — salons serve as a social oasis in our community. However, for many, it has become a source of stress. AI plans to offer a different kind of freedom — not just from lost time, aggravation, and inconsistent service — but also from unreliable appointments, surprise fees, and salon drama. Imagine a future where you can get your hair done as easily as ordering coffee, simply by selecting an option on a touchscreen. This is more than just offering convenience; it’s reclaiming Black women’s time with an innovative solution that meets their hair needs.
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