It has been fifteen years since I have had my hair cut, and it is only down to the middle of my back. My hair is super thin and fragile, but because it is curly it looks thick. On most days I wear my hair up because I do my best to look the same every day so as not to upset or distract my clients. A lot of my clients need things to be as close to the same as possible each time. The need for sameness is not something people talk much about when they talk about having a therapy practice. The need for sameness works in my favor because it allows me to wear my hair in a protective style every day. It also minimizes the amount of hair products I use. Most days, I don’t put any products in my hair. This is fortunate because I have to import the products I use on my natural hair. I can find shampoo and conditioner in the store, but I cannot find oil sheen or any products for my scalp. Most often I just use a leave in conditioner as a moisturizer, but I know I am doing the bare minimum to care for my hair and suspect this is why it keeps breaking off.

There are simply no hair care options for natural hair in Nagoya, Japan. We have been here for 12 years, and I have yet to find someone who can cut Rasta’s hair. About once every three or four months we try a new hair salon to see if they can cut his hair into a nice round afro. This always has interesting results. The last time left me a bit traumatized with all the dips and divots they cut into his hair. Luckily, our strategy of having them cut about half of the length we would like removed allows me to go in and clean it up. His haircuts thus far have been harrowing experiences for all. It is always a surprise to me that Japanese hairstylists appear so confident in their ability to cut natural hair. Everyone who has cut his hair has sworn that they have cut natural hair before, and I cannot tell whether they are telling the truth until the hair cut begins. I miss the experience of going to the barber shop and getting his hair cut. There really in nothing like an American-style barber shop here in Nagoya. My main concern is who will cut his hair when I can’t anymore. Hopefully, we will have found a replacement by then.