I received an e-mail this morning from
The Beauty Brains with an article on trusting experts and self-proclaimed "authorities"with beauty decisions.
"Remember that just because someone is a subject matter expert in one aspect of hair or skin, it doesn't mean they are qualified to give expert advice.... In other words, dermatologists aren't formulators and stylists know hair, not hair products. "
I'll take it further and say some stylists know hair styles and
not all types of hair. I'll go even further and say that
stylists, dermatologists, formulators, and
trichologists are not
you! You live with your hair and skin everyday, and it's unbelievable how much power we give to third parties. When your hair becomes brittle or skin breaks out, you should be the first person to recognize it. Many women wait until they're in salons chairs or dermatologist offices to recall the sources of their beauty issue.
The best advice I received on hair wasn't from a trichologist or license cosmetologist, but from people who researched; achieved success through trial and error; and gave their information away for free. Authors like
Terri Laflesh and
Chicoro constantly give out helpful content, but equally sell
hair books that are more relevant than books written from licensed professionals.
From my experience, many licensed professionals hide or give misinformation
because they choose to speak on topics that aren't their specialties (such as
Joann Robertson and
Andre Walker with natural hair
).
I wish more beauty professionals would follow the
Elevation Principle of helping others with great, accurate information instead of trying to sell a product first.
Youtubers like
Naptural85 and
Kimmaytube have given enough credible content away to become authority figures in their own niche. If either lady chose to sell a product, they'd have no problem with credibility or sales.
The perfect example is
Audrey-Davis Sivasothy, author of
The Science of Black Hair, who spent years contributing information on hair communities and writing online articles.
Davis-Sivasothy is a health scientist with natural and relaxed hair experience, but she doesn't present herself as an all-encompassing expert.
The Science of Black Hair is one of the most respected books of its kind. Some would argue it is the first to merge science and knowledge of afro-textured hair in textbook form.
I am no licensed expert, but I have to live and sleep with
my hair and
skin. After spending thousands of dollars on ineffective hair and skin products by "opt-in-buy-first professionals," I'm skeptical about giving my power to "experts" and "authority" figures without consulting with
me. I know I am an expert too.
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