‘Heal by Hair’: the hairdressers of West Africa boosting clients’ mental health

By Isabel Gallacher

Content Warning: Mentions suicide, murder, drug addiction, domestic violence

For years, hair salons have served as safe havens where people are able to discuss what is happening in their lives. There is something incredibly comforting about sitting in a shiny black chair while someone offers you a friendly ear, showing genuine interest in what you have to say. It is this willingness to confide in our hairdressers and their readiness to make us feel heard that creates a beautifully unique bond. In West Africa, a scheme called ‘Heal by Hair’ has been launched to train hairdressers not just to listen, but to offer clients mental health guidance and support. This initiative offers hairdressers a three-day training course on how to recognise the signs of someone who is struggling and how to create an open dialogue with them. For a continent that has the world’s highest rates of death by suicide (WHO, 2022), the ability to provide support in a place such as a hair salon that is not only accessible but also deeply rooted in African beauty culture is ingenious.  

‘Heal by Hair’ was founded by Marie-Alix de Putter in 2021 following the murder of her husband and her own struggle with anxiety, depression and PTSD. She was pregnant at the time and turned to her hairdresser for support and comfort throughout her healing journey. De Putter’s trust and confidence in her hairdresser is a feeling many women can relate to. In 2021, the "Cross-Study Report between African Women and their Hairdressers" showed that “67.3% of women surveyed say they confide in hairdressers” and “6/10 would trust a hairdresser who is a mental health ambassador”  ("Cross-Study Report between African Women and their Hairdressers", 2021). According to a 2020 study, 73 million women in Africa experience challenges with their mental health, therefore providing them with access to a new network of support of other women could be key in the destigmatisation of mental health.  

The introduction of this scheme has facilitated open discussions surrounding taboo topics such as domestic violence, drug addiction and suicide. Although these hairdressers are not qualified to offer the same level of support as medical professionals, they are playing a paramount role in reducing the ‘mental health gap’, a term that refers to the tools needed to offer mental health support and those available. With an average of 1.6 mental health workers per 100,000 as opposed to the global average of 13, Africa has the widest ‘mental health gap' (WHO). The ability of hairdressers to recognise early signs of mental illness will hopefully allow people to receive treatment before they suffer a mental health crisis.  

The ‘Heal by Hair’ initiative serves as a pertinent reminder that we are never alone. By talking about our feelings, we can tackle the stigma of mental health and help relieve each other’s stresses and anxieties.