Stranger Teaches This Mother How To Style Her Black Daughter’s Hair And She’s Glad She Listened

Every parent strives to be the best for their children. That’s why when Stephanie Hollifield adopted her daughter, Haley back in 2016 when she was only 8 months old she tried her best even of she always struggled to figure out how to do Haley’s hair.

You see, Stephanie is white, while Haley is black. Stephanie Hollifield is a mother from Georgia and has five children, including two adoptive black children. Haley, her 2-year-old daughter, has lived with them since she was 8 months old.

Stephanie attempted every possible method. She sought guidance from friends and family and tested every product recommendation she received. She said, “I have asked strangers in Publix with kids with cute hair and I’m still not getting it.” Still, she was struggling. And that meant Haley was struggling as well.

She also tried searching for help online. On her Facebook post, she wrote:

“Dear Black Friends of Social Media. This clueless white momma is humbly coming to you to ask for your help with Haley’s hair… We are gentle as can be, but she still requires at least 6 minutes of cuddles after the trauma of her daily hair combing. I feel like it looks great for about an hour or two and then it is tangly and clumpy again.”

To her astonishment, a local black mother, Monica Hunter, offered to come to her house and demonstrate how to do Haley’s hair in person!

Monica arrived at Stephanie and Haley’s house armed with combs, products, headbands, and a wealth of knowledge. Monica explains that she wanted to touch Haley’s hair before giving her advice because every black girl’s hair is different. Monica shared, “It was important to me to touch Haley’s hair. Some hair is really soft, some are really kinky. With some, the coils are loose, with some, they’re tight.”

She found Haley’s hair to be “clean, soft, and manageable,” but she urged Stephanie to keep Haley’s hairstyles simple because she is so young. She also recommended Stephanie skip the daily combing and instead put Haley’s hair into protective styles for weeks at a time to encourage her hair to grow long and healthy. Then she put Haley’s hair in a simple protective style to demonstrate to Stephanie how to do it. She oiled Haley’s hair, separated it, and styled it into two ponytails with a lovely headband.

She was beyond thankful and posted an update on Facebook, sharing what had happened.

She wrote: “This lady, Monica Hunter, who I had never met in person before today, offered to come to my house and walk me through exactly how to style my daughter’s hair. She asked for nothing in return and wouldn’t accept my money. By the time she left, I had a little more confidence in fixing my daughter’s hair, and most importantly I felt supported by my new friend.”

Parenting a child of a different race presents new challenges for everyone. Both mom and daughter were frustrated by the “trauma of her daily hair combing” as Stephanie tried, again and again, to figure out how to do Haley’s hair.

Although the lesson was intended for Stephanie, Monica pointed out that she, too, had profited from their new friendship. Stephanie and Monica’s friendship will most certainly change Haley’s life, as she is now fortunate to have a mother who knows how to care for her hair.

Stephanie acquired some new techniques after just one educational and fun style session with Monica.