When a child enters our home, there are many factors we consider to ensure their comfort and safety. However, one important aspect of a child’s well-being can often be overlooked—their hair care. This is especially true if the child comes from a different racial background, where hair care needs may differ significantly.
Hair is an important part of African American culture and identity, but white foster parents sometimes struggle to understand how to care for types and textures of hair that are unlike their own. And for some children, caring for their hair can be emotionally or physically painful if it has been neglected for a long time.
Nurturing a child’s hair is an essential part of transracial fostering or adoption, and that’s why I’m so grateful our latest guest was able to join us.
After earning a master’s degree in social work, Authrine T.K. Singleton began a career in child welfare. Through her work, she saw the gap in support for African American children placed in foster and adoptive homes. In 2009, she opened Master’s Touch Salon to be a resource and support to these families.
In this episode, you’ll hear common mistakes to avoid when caring for the hair of an African American child, practical tips for creating an effective hair and skin care routine tailored to the child’s needs, why proper care and styling of hair is a crucial bonding experience, and much more.
- Connect with Authrine on her salon’s website, Instagram, or Facebook
- Give to The Forgotten Initiative
- Foster Care & the Church
TAKEAWAYS FROM TODAY’S CONVERSATION:
1. Proper hair care is often overlooked.
When a child is in crisis, the first priority is always ensuring they have a safe and secure place to stay. However, foster and adoptive parents are also responsible for meeting a child’s broader needs. One need that is often overlooked is proper hair care, particularly when the child has a different hair type or texture than the foster parent is used to.
“Sometimes hair care and skin care are the last things people are thinking about—and they can be neglected.”
2. Ask about available resources in your area and take the time to build your skills.
When approaching hair that is different from your own, start by asking for help. There is no shame in not knowing how to care for a child’s hair—even experienced stylists don’t know everything about every type of hair. What’s important is that you take intentional steps to learn more and get practice. Ask your agency for any resources they may know of, reach out to the child’s biological parents if possible to see if they have a hair care routine, and ask for advice from other people in your community with a similar type of hair.
“I don’t believe in practice makes perfect. I believe practice makes better.”
3. Approach hair care with patience and understanding.
If a child’s hair has been neglected in the past, it’s important to handle their hair care with sensitivity. Without the right knowledge and techniques, caring for their hair can become an uncomfortable or even painful experience. However, when handled with patience and understanding, hair care can transform into a meaningful opportunity to build trust and strengthen your bond with the child.
“African American hair is beautiful, strong, and resilient. But if you ignore it, it can get tangled and difficult to manage. African American hair should be embraced because it is on the head of the person you love and care for.”
Meet Our Guest
Authrine T.K. Singleton is a foster parent, owner of Master’s Touch Salon, and a licensed cosmetologist. She has a master’s in social work and through her career in child welfare, she became aware of the gap in support for African American children in foster care. Through her salon, which was opened in 2009, Authrine helps serves as a pillar of support and an invaluable resource for foster and adoptive families. Authrine and her husband, Myles, have been foster parents for four years. Her hope is that everyone who enters her business would feel the quality they put in so that greatness can walk out.
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