With few hair and beauty options, some members of P.E.I.'s black community find their own solutions
'Barbershops, they're a place for community. They're a place for conversation'
When Luke Ignace thinks about the things he misses most about his home in the Bahamas, he can't help but think about his barber.
"Back home, I love going to the barbershop," Ignace said. "Having a place where you can feel represented is one of those things that's so rooted in our history, like going to a barber and having a black barbershop, and having black products and going to the salon.
"That's cultural, we kind of need that."
Since moving to P.E.I., Ignace said he's found it challenging to find a barber or hairdresser who knows how to cut his hair. He said he's been to at least three different barbershops in Charlottetown, and while all of them made him feel welcome, he said he hasn't been able to find a barber or salon that focuses on, or specializes in, cutting black hair.
"People have to understand, right, we don't have the same hair. The same concepts, the same rules don't apply when you're cutting our hair," Ignace said.
In some cases, barbers have told him they simply don't know how to cut his hair because they haven't done it before or aren't comfortable with the technique involved, which is something he says many of his friends have experienced.
"I feel like I can't identify with the shop, you know I feel like there's no representation for me here," Ignace said.
He said while he's met many skilled barbers on the Island, he finds it challenging to find a shop that feels like it reflects his own culture and heritage.
"My experiences in barbershops have definitely been nice over here, but they could be better. There could be a lot more community behind it," he said. "Business is business in the end and you need to make sure you're representing different ethnic bodies in businesses, especially like barbershops."
Hard to find products
Kiara Fernander, who moved to the Island to study business at UPEI, also works as a freelance makeup artist. She said she's also struggled to find a salon that offers the services her hair requires, as well as beauty products.
"There's a big lack of not only like black-owned beauty brands, but also brands that cater to women of colour," Fernander said. "When I'm in a situation where I can't find a foundation that matches my skin tone, it's a big problem."
Fernander said she often has to order products online or wait until she can make a trip off-Island to get what she needs. She said this can be a big challenge for her business but can also take a toll on the self-esteem of those who are looking for these products but don't see their needs reflected on the shelves.
"To be brutally honest, it almost feels like we're an after-thought," Fernander said.
She said she would love to see a beauty salon that specifically caters to the black community open on the Island, and has even thought of opening one herself. But until that happens, she said she and her friends rely on each other to get their hair done rather than going to the salon.
Cutting hair from his living room
Ignace has also taken things into his own hands. When attending UPEI in 2014, he started offering free haircuts to his friends and classmates.
He said he still has people knocking on his door looking to have their hair cut and he tries his best to create that barbershop feeling he's been missing, right in his living room.
"Barbershops, they're a place for community. They're a place for conversation," Ignace said. "It's a culture within a barbershop that you can't really find anywhere else.
"I really feel like a barbershop would be such a great place for community to be built around the black culture," Ignace said. "Not having that on P.E.I., it really affects you."
Hairdressers' association looking into solutions
Sherri Runighan, president of the P.E.I. Hairdressers' Association, said while there are a number of hairdressers and barbers who are trained in the techniques to cut black hair, there are many who say they've never had the chance to learn.
She said the association will look at different ways of solving the problem, including establishing a list of barbers and hairdressers who are trained and making that information available on their website.
"It is important because I think our population is growing with immigrants that come to live on the Island and of course it's important for them to have all those needs met," Runighan said.
Runighan said the association will also discuss the option of bringing more training to the Island.
Ignace says he hopes to raise awareness about the need for a community space like a barbershop on P.E.I., and hopes to someday open one himself. Until then, he said hopes to see more salons and barbershops start to offer the services members of his community need.