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Wash Day

Passing on the Legacy, Rituals, and Love of Natural Hair

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Hardcover (Paper-over-Board, no jacket)
$30.00 US
7.8"W x 9.42"H x 0.9"D   | 34 oz | 14 per carton
On sale Apr 02, 2024 | 256 Pages | 9780593579718
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A visual celebration of natural Black hair that highlights the powerful connection between mothers and their children during their wash day rituals.

“A beautiful love letter to natural hair and the rituals Black women have created.”—Roxane Gay

In this stunning book, documentary photographer Tomesha Faxio explores the power of “wash day,” a day that Black women dedicate to washing, detangling, conditioning, and styling their natural hair. The significance of wash day goes far beyond hair care—it’s an opportunity for Black women to pour love into their curly, coily locks and, when they have children, pass on this sacred ritual to the next generation.
 
Wash Day celebrates the unique bonds between Black mothers and their children through intimate photographs of their hair-care routines and insightful stories that detail their natural hair journeys. Faxio brings you into the homes of twenty-six different families, illustrating the many ways that these mothers have used wash day to instill love, acceptance, and confidence in their children about wearing their natural hair. Through hours spent with their children, typically at the kitchen sink, each of these mothers is resisting generations of hair discrimination by creating a space for empowerment, all while finding their own sense of self-acceptance along the way.
 
Capturing the inherent beauty and diversity of natural hair, Wash Day is a visual homage to Black culture, Black rituals, and the generational bonds that strengthen the Black community.
“Among beauty rituals shared by Black women worldwide, wash day may be among the most common . . . [In Wash Day] the dynamic photographer Tomesha Faxio captures an arresting and intimate collection of photographs and essays celebrating this time-honored, yet often underappreciated cultural touchstone.”—The Grio

“A beautiful love letter to natural hair and the rituals Black women have created for the special time set aside to lovingly care for Black hair in a culture that for far too long derided natural hair and demanded conformity. The images are quite lovely as are the stories of these families.”—Roxane Gay, New York Times bestselling author

“Faxio’s beautiful, tender images—especially of a mother’s hands washing and styling their children’s hair—are a loving and relatable celebration of our sacred ritual of caring for and sharing with one another.”—Natasha Tarpley, bestselling author of I Love My Hair!

Wash Day is a captivating and essential exploration of the cultural and emotional significance of natural hair within the Black community. It beautifully intertwines narratives of identity, heritage, and self-love, making it a vital read for understanding the deep-rooted connection between hair, history, and heart.”—Kahran and Regis Bethencourt, authors of Glory: Magical Visions of Black Beauty

“Author-photographer Tomesha Faxio has crafted a love letter by weaving interview texts with documentary images; she blends them in an eye-catching layout that will resonate with natural hair enthusiasts and those who are curious for a warm introduction to the terms, tools, and processes that go into textured hair.”—Joseph L. Underwood, co-Curator, Textures: the history and art of Black hair; Associate Professor of Art History, Kent State University

“This book is a beautiful and necessary testament to such a treasured part of Black motherhood and childhood. It is amazing to witness such an important cross-generational exchange which will undoubtedly unlock precious memories for many readers. We are so often only shown the final product when it comes to hair but it's the process that is so meaningful.”—Danielle Prescod, author of Token Black Girl

“In Wash Day, Tomesha Faxio has captured the bonds between mother and child, cherished family traditions, and the beauty of Black natural hair, all in one gorgeous book.”—Lori L. Tharps, co-author of Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America

Wash Day is a warm hug for those coming-of-age moments that left you questioning your hair and beauty. Tomesha’s work captures the stories that will help heal a generation. A joyful, honest read that doesn’t leave you tender-headed, but tender-hearted.”—Mechal Renee Roe, author of Happy Hair
Tomesha Faxio (she/her) is a self-taught documentary photographer dedicated to portraying and centering the Black experience. She specializes in portraits of Black women and women of color, wielding photography to reject Eurocentric beauty standards and alterations of natural beauty. Her photography has been featured online by Parents, Jezebel, The Guardian, USA Today, and Forbes, as well as in the documentary films Refuge and Love Wins Over Hate. View titles by Tomesha Faxio
Introduction

My Natural Hair Journey

I didn't know my “naps” were tiny curls until my late twenties. Since I wasn’t blessed with “good hair,” I don’t recall ever hearing the word curly being used to describe my tightly coiled texture. Just “nappy,” which, back in the 1990s, definitely wasn’t a compliment.

I learned early in life that my “bad hair” required a remedy. One such remedy came in the form of heat. I have vivid memories of Saturday night hot comb presses and holding on to my ears to shield them from getting burned. I remember the smell, the anxiety, and the result: straight hair that was deemed presentable for church on Sunday.

The more permanent solution for my “unwanted” texture required chemicals. I don’t remember my first hair relaxer, but I know it was applied pretty early in life. So early that I recall little to nothing about the head full of kinky hair that existed prior. After the cycle of regular relaxers began, my only interaction with my textured hair occurred when the troublesome “new growth” appeared and needed to be “touched up” with more relaxer. This routine conditioned me to dislike my hair in its natural state—the way it grew out of my scalp. I was taught to fix it, to alter it, to make it lay down and behave. I had no concept of any other way to treat my natural hair. I was only made to understand that it was not welcome.

One of my earliest memories of the extent of this conditioning is of a nine-year-old me, looking into the mirror after a full day of swimming. My skin had darkened from hours in the California sun and the edges of my hair were shriveled from exposure to the chlorinated water. I hated my reflection so much that I swore to never swim again.

Similar to many Black women, I was the recipient of generation upon generation of indoctrination about how my hair should look. My mother, grandmother, and mothers before them didn’t escape it, so neither did I. My grandmother had to get her hair pressed regularly when she was young because she was told she didn’t have “good hair” like her sister. My mother has expressed the desire to embrace her natural hair, but still feels societal pressure to keep her hair straight. This same pressure led her to decide to relax my hair before I was old enough to know the difference.

Growing up, I was surrounded by television shows, advertisements, and music videos that reinforced the idea that light skin and long, straight hair equaled beauty. Absent from my youth were mainstream representations of kinky-haired women presented as love interests or women in professional work environments. Years of anti-Black programming opened the door to subconscious self-hate in the form of my reliance upon heat and/or chemicals to keep my hair straight.

It wasn’t until the natural hair movement that I began to see my natural hair in a different light. Reminiscent of the “Black Is Beautiful” movement of the 1960s, the natural hair movement of the mid-to-late 2000s opened my eyes to the possibility that natural hair could be normal. While the movement began in the U.S., it spread throughout the diaspora—anti-Blackness and anti-kinky hair is a global issue, not just a U.S. issue. Many Black women started walking away from perms (relaxed hair)—some were motivated by a desire to prioritize the health of their hair, and others were inspired by the freedom that the natural hair movement offered. Either way, those who chose to go natural inevitably had to learn how to tend to their hair, some for the very first time. Thanks to social media, Black women were able to share and watch instructional videos, purchase products made specifically for their textures, read blogs depicting the journeys of fellow naturalistas, and publicly commune with one another about their hair. Thousands of natural hair blogs and vlogs were started in order to usher Black women toward the natural hair lifestyle. Black women no longer had to feel alone if they wanted to try natural hair. They were able to find communities of women online who were doing the same thing. Furthermore, through this virtual community, an entire culture was created where natural hair took center stage and self-acceptance was the goal.

This movement inspired me to question what I had grown up believing about my hair. Is my natural hair really unpresentable? Unprofessional? Unacceptable? No. I took a closer look at the prevailing beauty standard and realized it was never meant to include me. I realized that I don’t require fixing, alteration, or assimilation. I began to see that nappy has always been beautiful. So, in 2008, I cut off all of my relaxed hair and started my natural hair journey.

My decision to let my coils loose was the first step. The very next one included learning how to care for them. My big chop introduced me to my natural hair for the very first time. This meant I had no idea how to wash, detangle, condition, style . . . nothing. So, I, like many Black women during the early days of the most recent natural hair movement, turned to YouTube, natural hair blogs, and friends who had already made the transition. My community helped me figure out the process that would eventually become my regular ritual of self-care.

My natural hair journey is a continuous one. Having learned to embrace my hair, I am now passing the baton to my daughters. Even though my daughters have only ever seen me with natural hair, attended a predominantly Black pre-school, and had many Black aunties to look up to, White supremacy in the form of the hair texture hierarchy still managed to reach my oldest daughter when she was in kindergarten. I vividly remember the day she told me she wanted “White hair.” She asked, “Why doesn’t my hair lay down and swing around?” I knew at that moment that I had to be more intentional about ensuring both my girls learned about the value and beauty of their unique hair textures. I have the privilege of doing my part to ensure the “good hair/bad hair” lie surrenders its power. I’m continuously teaching my daughters about the origins of that lie, the current iterations of that lie, and ultimately, how to live free of that lie. I get to break the cycle. Today, both of my girls proudly show off their afros.

I’m certainly not an anomaly. The natural hair movement and the continued normalization of natural hair textures has not only impacted me, but many other Black mothers as well. So many of us have learned to accept ourselves more fully, and, in turn, are able to teach our children to do the same. We are now more informed about why we grew up thinking our hair was ugly. We have a better understanding of where these negative views of ourselves came from. We can see that these views are steeped in racism. We know that anti-Blackness is the culprit, not Blackness itself. In turn, we are equipped to teach our children the roots of racism and texturism, which is the idea that straighter hair is more beautiful or desirable than kinkier hair, so that they hopefully do not internalize the myths that keep these “isms” alive. While our children will likely continue to contend with non-inclusive beauty standards, we are putting them in a better position to understand and eradicate them.

As a photographer, reflecting on my natural hair journey, and likewise, the collective journey Black women have been on with their hair for centuries, I knew I wanted to capture the significance and beauty of this moment in Black hair history. I want to tell the natural hair stories of Black women and show how we are continuing our journeys through our children. I could not think of a better way to illustrate this generational story than through the ritual commonly known as wash day.

Photos

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About

A visual celebration of natural Black hair that highlights the powerful connection between mothers and their children during their wash day rituals.

“A beautiful love letter to natural hair and the rituals Black women have created.”—Roxane Gay

In this stunning book, documentary photographer Tomesha Faxio explores the power of “wash day,” a day that Black women dedicate to washing, detangling, conditioning, and styling their natural hair. The significance of wash day goes far beyond hair care—it’s an opportunity for Black women to pour love into their curly, coily locks and, when they have children, pass on this sacred ritual to the next generation.
 
Wash Day celebrates the unique bonds between Black mothers and their children through intimate photographs of their hair-care routines and insightful stories that detail their natural hair journeys. Faxio brings you into the homes of twenty-six different families, illustrating the many ways that these mothers have used wash day to instill love, acceptance, and confidence in their children about wearing their natural hair. Through hours spent with their children, typically at the kitchen sink, each of these mothers is resisting generations of hair discrimination by creating a space for empowerment, all while finding their own sense of self-acceptance along the way.
 
Capturing the inherent beauty and diversity of natural hair, Wash Day is a visual homage to Black culture, Black rituals, and the generational bonds that strengthen the Black community.

Praise

“Among beauty rituals shared by Black women worldwide, wash day may be among the most common . . . [In Wash Day] the dynamic photographer Tomesha Faxio captures an arresting and intimate collection of photographs and essays celebrating this time-honored, yet often underappreciated cultural touchstone.”—The Grio

“A beautiful love letter to natural hair and the rituals Black women have created for the special time set aside to lovingly care for Black hair in a culture that for far too long derided natural hair and demanded conformity. The images are quite lovely as are the stories of these families.”—Roxane Gay, New York Times bestselling author

“Faxio’s beautiful, tender images—especially of a mother’s hands washing and styling their children’s hair—are a loving and relatable celebration of our sacred ritual of caring for and sharing with one another.”—Natasha Tarpley, bestselling author of I Love My Hair!

Wash Day is a captivating and essential exploration of the cultural and emotional significance of natural hair within the Black community. It beautifully intertwines narratives of identity, heritage, and self-love, making it a vital read for understanding the deep-rooted connection between hair, history, and heart.”—Kahran and Regis Bethencourt, authors of Glory: Magical Visions of Black Beauty

“Author-photographer Tomesha Faxio has crafted a love letter by weaving interview texts with documentary images; she blends them in an eye-catching layout that will resonate with natural hair enthusiasts and those who are curious for a warm introduction to the terms, tools, and processes that go into textured hair.”—Joseph L. Underwood, co-Curator, Textures: the history and art of Black hair; Associate Professor of Art History, Kent State University

“This book is a beautiful and necessary testament to such a treasured part of Black motherhood and childhood. It is amazing to witness such an important cross-generational exchange which will undoubtedly unlock precious memories for many readers. We are so often only shown the final product when it comes to hair but it's the process that is so meaningful.”—Danielle Prescod, author of Token Black Girl

“In Wash Day, Tomesha Faxio has captured the bonds between mother and child, cherished family traditions, and the beauty of Black natural hair, all in one gorgeous book.”—Lori L. Tharps, co-author of Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America

Wash Day is a warm hug for those coming-of-age moments that left you questioning your hair and beauty. Tomesha’s work captures the stories that will help heal a generation. A joyful, honest read that doesn’t leave you tender-headed, but tender-hearted.”—Mechal Renee Roe, author of Happy Hair

Author

Tomesha Faxio (she/her) is a self-taught documentary photographer dedicated to portraying and centering the Black experience. She specializes in portraits of Black women and women of color, wielding photography to reject Eurocentric beauty standards and alterations of natural beauty. Her photography has been featured online by Parents, Jezebel, The Guardian, USA Today, and Forbes, as well as in the documentary films Refuge and Love Wins Over Hate. View titles by Tomesha Faxio

Excerpt

Introduction

My Natural Hair Journey

I didn't know my “naps” were tiny curls until my late twenties. Since I wasn’t blessed with “good hair,” I don’t recall ever hearing the word curly being used to describe my tightly coiled texture. Just “nappy,” which, back in the 1990s, definitely wasn’t a compliment.

I learned early in life that my “bad hair” required a remedy. One such remedy came in the form of heat. I have vivid memories of Saturday night hot comb presses and holding on to my ears to shield them from getting burned. I remember the smell, the anxiety, and the result: straight hair that was deemed presentable for church on Sunday.

The more permanent solution for my “unwanted” texture required chemicals. I don’t remember my first hair relaxer, but I know it was applied pretty early in life. So early that I recall little to nothing about the head full of kinky hair that existed prior. After the cycle of regular relaxers began, my only interaction with my textured hair occurred when the troublesome “new growth” appeared and needed to be “touched up” with more relaxer. This routine conditioned me to dislike my hair in its natural state—the way it grew out of my scalp. I was taught to fix it, to alter it, to make it lay down and behave. I had no concept of any other way to treat my natural hair. I was only made to understand that it was not welcome.

One of my earliest memories of the extent of this conditioning is of a nine-year-old me, looking into the mirror after a full day of swimming. My skin had darkened from hours in the California sun and the edges of my hair were shriveled from exposure to the chlorinated water. I hated my reflection so much that I swore to never swim again.

Similar to many Black women, I was the recipient of generation upon generation of indoctrination about how my hair should look. My mother, grandmother, and mothers before them didn’t escape it, so neither did I. My grandmother had to get her hair pressed regularly when she was young because she was told she didn’t have “good hair” like her sister. My mother has expressed the desire to embrace her natural hair, but still feels societal pressure to keep her hair straight. This same pressure led her to decide to relax my hair before I was old enough to know the difference.

Growing up, I was surrounded by television shows, advertisements, and music videos that reinforced the idea that light skin and long, straight hair equaled beauty. Absent from my youth were mainstream representations of kinky-haired women presented as love interests or women in professional work environments. Years of anti-Black programming opened the door to subconscious self-hate in the form of my reliance upon heat and/or chemicals to keep my hair straight.

It wasn’t until the natural hair movement that I began to see my natural hair in a different light. Reminiscent of the “Black Is Beautiful” movement of the 1960s, the natural hair movement of the mid-to-late 2000s opened my eyes to the possibility that natural hair could be normal. While the movement began in the U.S., it spread throughout the diaspora—anti-Blackness and anti-kinky hair is a global issue, not just a U.S. issue. Many Black women started walking away from perms (relaxed hair)—some were motivated by a desire to prioritize the health of their hair, and others were inspired by the freedom that the natural hair movement offered. Either way, those who chose to go natural inevitably had to learn how to tend to their hair, some for the very first time. Thanks to social media, Black women were able to share and watch instructional videos, purchase products made specifically for their textures, read blogs depicting the journeys of fellow naturalistas, and publicly commune with one another about their hair. Thousands of natural hair blogs and vlogs were started in order to usher Black women toward the natural hair lifestyle. Black women no longer had to feel alone if they wanted to try natural hair. They were able to find communities of women online who were doing the same thing. Furthermore, through this virtual community, an entire culture was created where natural hair took center stage and self-acceptance was the goal.

This movement inspired me to question what I had grown up believing about my hair. Is my natural hair really unpresentable? Unprofessional? Unacceptable? No. I took a closer look at the prevailing beauty standard and realized it was never meant to include me. I realized that I don’t require fixing, alteration, or assimilation. I began to see that nappy has always been beautiful. So, in 2008, I cut off all of my relaxed hair and started my natural hair journey.

My decision to let my coils loose was the first step. The very next one included learning how to care for them. My big chop introduced me to my natural hair for the very first time. This meant I had no idea how to wash, detangle, condition, style . . . nothing. So, I, like many Black women during the early days of the most recent natural hair movement, turned to YouTube, natural hair blogs, and friends who had already made the transition. My community helped me figure out the process that would eventually become my regular ritual of self-care.

My natural hair journey is a continuous one. Having learned to embrace my hair, I am now passing the baton to my daughters. Even though my daughters have only ever seen me with natural hair, attended a predominantly Black pre-school, and had many Black aunties to look up to, White supremacy in the form of the hair texture hierarchy still managed to reach my oldest daughter when she was in kindergarten. I vividly remember the day she told me she wanted “White hair.” She asked, “Why doesn’t my hair lay down and swing around?” I knew at that moment that I had to be more intentional about ensuring both my girls learned about the value and beauty of their unique hair textures. I have the privilege of doing my part to ensure the “good hair/bad hair” lie surrenders its power. I’m continuously teaching my daughters about the origins of that lie, the current iterations of that lie, and ultimately, how to live free of that lie. I get to break the cycle. Today, both of my girls proudly show off their afros.

I’m certainly not an anomaly. The natural hair movement and the continued normalization of natural hair textures has not only impacted me, but many other Black mothers as well. So many of us have learned to accept ourselves more fully, and, in turn, are able to teach our children to do the same. We are now more informed about why we grew up thinking our hair was ugly. We have a better understanding of where these negative views of ourselves came from. We can see that these views are steeped in racism. We know that anti-Blackness is the culprit, not Blackness itself. In turn, we are equipped to teach our children the roots of racism and texturism, which is the idea that straighter hair is more beautiful or desirable than kinkier hair, so that they hopefully do not internalize the myths that keep these “isms” alive. While our children will likely continue to contend with non-inclusive beauty standards, we are putting them in a better position to understand and eradicate them.

As a photographer, reflecting on my natural hair journey, and likewise, the collective journey Black women have been on with their hair for centuries, I knew I wanted to capture the significance and beauty of this moment in Black hair history. I want to tell the natural hair stories of Black women and show how we are continuing our journeys through our children. I could not think of a better way to illustrate this generational story than through the ritual commonly known as wash day.