By Alicia Wilson
Quote: “Hair impacts our lives. Even when it is not pretty. “
Code Name: Maintain Woman, Loc Therapist
Skills: Maintaining hair and teaching others
Hair Crush: Mary J. Blige
Imagine this, it’s 1986 and there’s big hoops and boom box radio. Hip Hop is making waves. Black people are wearing bright colors and enjoying the retro era. Black hair is making a statement. At times, that statement comes from tragedy, however, in the midst of that tragedy a skill is discovered and the Maintain Woman is born.
Our hair story starts when a relaxer goes wrong. Mrs. Eve suffers a chemical burn, but she did not want to go sit through another relaxer. This motivated her to learn how to do her own hair. She mastered the ability to hot comb the front hair and slick up the back, even though it was difficult to get the back of her head by herself.
When she was in junior high school, Eve would ask her Auntie to do the latest hairstyles on her. Whenever she was at a beauty shop, she would pay close attention to what the stylist was doing. She then learned how to maintain hairstyles between hair appointments and began asking her mom to buy her products so she could start practicing more at home. By the time she was in high school, she was not only doing her own hair, but she was doing it for her family and friends too. While putting her skills to the test, she continued to educate herself and her friends on how to maintain their hair styles between beauty appointments.
Eve later grew her skills of maintaining hair during her career as a loctician. She worked for 28 years in the hair industry and eventually became a loc therapist. Eve walks along with you on your loc journey and teaches you how to maintain your locs. She also teaches you about how your hair grows, which ultimately helps you to better understand yourself within your hair journey.
Eve’s Take on the Hair Industry
DW: What is your favorite old-school product?
EM: “90s Blue Sheen Oil can. I used to spray the hair down, giving it a nice shine which is the finishing touch to slaying hair!”
DW: What old-school products did you dislike?
EM: “Bonding black glue. It was death to hair follicles.”
DW: What is your favorite throwback hairstyle, short haircuts?
EM: “Favorite hair dues are from the early 2000s.”
DW: What is a frustrating conversation in the hair community?
EM: “I am on the side that natural hair equals chemical-free. What frustrates me is, I think that we let the little things about the natural hair community stop us from our own version of natural hair.”
DW: How did hair save you?
EM: “I was able to make a living off of it.”
Happy Napzz is a Vibe
When you open the door to Happy Napzz, you feel the energy. The Happy Napzz crew has mastered the ability to create a family-oriented space. From the decor to the events that they host, you feel at home every time you walk through the door. The crew refers to Happy Napzz as “she.” She is very nurturing and has major girl power energy.
Happy Napzz is a shop where they specialize in locs. With talent busting out the seams, they also do natural hair styling and braids. However, they understand that they are a little bit late to the party and a bit under the radar being part of an area with many established loc shops like Abby’s shop, Isis Brantley.
Happy Napzz understands their place in the community. They are like the new kids walking into the cafeteria asking if they can sit at the table with the cool kids. They are showing respect to everyone that came before them, while trying to get them to understand that they deserve to have a seat at the table too.
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Happy Napzz is a growing movement sweeping through Fort Worth, so stop in and catch a vibe. Happy Napzz is located at 6800 Brentwood Stair Rd #305, Fort Worth, TX 76112. To make an appointment call (318) 754-2817.