Celebrity hairstylist and salon owner Annagjid Kee Taylor wants us to get out of the habit of saying “good hair.” Taylor says, “as long as the hair is healthy, it’s good.”
And after reading comments on her YouTube channel where she shares hair tutorials, Taylor learned that people often associate good hair with silkier textures. But with her new children’s book, “All Hair Is Good Hair,” she hopes to change their perspective.
In between book signings and styling Tika Sumpter and Nafessa Williams’ famous tresses, we caught up with the new author to discuss the inspiration for her first children’s book, shifting the perspective on good hair and how to maintain it.
On the inspiration for the book…
“The book came to mind in 2015 after starting my YouTube channel,” Taylor told ESSENCE. “On YouTube, there are people from all over the world looking at your channel. And most of my clients in my YouTube videos have pretty tight hair when it’s wet. And I was getting some mean comments. And some were self-hate because they were coming from Black women. And if grown-ups are saying stuff like this, [it makes you think about] the way children are being raised,” said Taylor.
On shaping the perspective of hair…
“I think we have to remind children every chance we get of how beautiful they are and how beautiful their hair is. It’s important for children, and especially children with 4c hair, the tightest texture. That’s why I created Samaya (the main character in the book). I wanted her hair to be tight. I want children to look at her and say, ‘My hair is like hers.’ And I wanted them to see that there are beautiful ways to style 4c hair.”
On defining good hair…
“My definition of good hair is just hair, period. It’s simply that. And the best way to make sure you have even better hair, is to just take care of it.”
On tips for growing healthy hair…
“You want to make sure that you have a healthy hair regimen, that you invest in really good products. Make sure that you’re getting your trims every 8 to 10 weeks. Make sure that your hair stays moisturized and just give your hair the proper amount of love to retain your healthy hair.”
On the book’s message to Black girls…
“The world is better if you just contribute your beauty and your natural, original self to the world the way that you are. You never want to fit in and conform to what everyone else is doing because like I wrote in a book, that’s not fun if everyone is the same. And you don’t have to feel less than anybody because God created you for exactly who you are. And it might sound corny and it might sound cliche, but that’s literally the whole vibe.
It’s okay to want to change up your hair. You can always change it up, but don’t hate your hair because it is yours. And there’s really nothing you can do about the type of hair you have. All you have to do is embrace it and embrace it well. You’re beautiful, you’re amazing and you are God made.”