We’ve all been there. Your favorite hair vlogger shows a Bantu knot out that made her serve Chaka Khan realness, you get inspired, and wake up with hair that looks like you stuck a fork in an energy socket. That’s ok. Add a lil fluff here, a shake there, and get to that 6:30 Am bar shift. Fuck! You’re on the register. And for this shift, and the next 5 shifts, you are going to be financially and socially punished for having the audacity to clock in looking less than pristine.
I am not being facetious. It costs to clock in as an ugly Black girl. You might as well pencil in about 30 “Rough night?" “Are you ok?” “You seem mad.” “Are you upset?” No. Just ugly. Can I not be ugly for a day? And that’s just the customers. Do not let any of your company leadership see you, because sometimes your years of being solid turn into dust when you “Do not fit the company image.”
That’s just the social consequences. Your tips are taking a hit. A hit so bad you want to open up a class action lawsuit against Cantu. Your customers that you usually ke ke with now are avoiding eye contact and rounding up to the nearest dollar. You look ugly. and you don’t deserve to pay your light bill with that dusty ass fro. The not so funny thing is that your tips already get the Black tax. I will go into the history of tipping in America, but frankly, its expensive being Black. Don’t be Black and thicker than a ristreto shot of House Blend.
At one of the shops I have worked at, we pooled credit card tips. I used to put them in the spreadsheet for the paycheck distribution. When I tell you that every time one of the Black barista’s were on register the tips were at least 20 percent lower. If it was both of us on bar and register, it was at least 30 percent. Now I am aware that my aesthetic is an acquired taste, but I really was shocked that even my very beautiful, sweet, kind, and efficient co worker didn’t get the pretty tax break on the Black tip tax. If you don’t think that adds to the turnover rate of your Black employees, you are just not thinking.
The disrespectful orders, the salty stares, the mentions of our body parts, the forced conversations about police brutality, the threats because we are out of oat milk; all are kind of a part of the job when you brew while being Black. The expectation of being aesthetically palatable increases if you brew while being Black femme. Black is beautiful, but sometimes I’m not. The fact that my moments of ugly can affect my career and ability to provide for myself is a problem. So tip your barista (venmo: Cydni-Patterson) and give us the same space to be ugly that you give to other people. The coffee will still taste damn good.
Recipe:
Spiced Green Coffee Scalp Oil
This is an unconventional recipe, but I am an unconventional bitch. What can I say?
Ingredients
Green (or roasted) Coffee Beans
Amla Powder
Licorice Powder
Fenugreek Seeds
Clove Powder
Dried Rosemary
Mustard Seeds
Avocado Oil
Most of these things can be found at your local Indian Grocer, for under 7 bucks per item. Coffee has caffeine, and caffeine blocks Dht a chemical that causes hair fall. Amla, Licorice, Fenugreek, and Mustard seeds all are Ayurvedic properties for hair and skin that you need research. Clove has anti-fungal properties. Rosemary is the most researched herb in the context of hair growth, and has similar benefits as the active ingredient in Romaine. Rose is just that girl. I am being very broad because I am not a doctor nor will I be responsible for it not working for you. I use Avocado Oil because it is one of the 3 oils that penetrate the hair follicle, it doesn’t have a super high comedogenic rating, and can be bought at most grocery stores. I also use this oil to oil cleanse, seal in my twits, etc.
Method:
Put ingredients and carrier oil in a jar.Use the steam setting on your instapot/ slow cooker for an hour with a little water and the jar sitting on the rack. After that hour is up, let it sit in the unplugged machine overnight. Shake and filter!
I love to infuse oils with random shit. I use it for my shea butter, cooking, ash defense, spa days, etc!
Thanks for reading. I’ll be back to brew up more chaos!
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