8/18/2020 - Yauri
At first glance, you know that Yauri is an outgoing hair activist; however, you might not have known that she struggled with embracing her true hair texture. She’s come a long way in her hair journey, but she finally appreciates her hair texture as part of her culture.
From a young age, Yauri was taught by her family and community that having curly hair was undesirable. “I was always told that my natural hair was too much. My family sees any type of curly hair as ‘undone hair.’ A lady in my church even told me that I looked better with straight hair because my hair looked too big for me.” Due to the discrimination Yauri received, she strived to appear more euro-centric when she was younger and did this by straightening her hair to get the “ideal” texture she was searching for. Yet, all this unnecessary straightening of her hair gave her a lot of heat-damage.
It turns out that Yauri was looking for the wrong thing, and instead of trying to be something she’s not, she discovered the value of her natural 3c hair texture.
In 8th grade, she cut her hair short to get rid of all the damage. After cutting her hair, Yauri started researching influencers such as Jasmine Brown and Lisette for hair inspiration and also learned how to do hair from peers at school. Yauri became very passionate about her hair, and this passion led her to pursue hair professionally.
“The summer of 9th grade, I had been really into box braids and wanted to get them done on my hair, but when I asked, my mom said they were too expensive and that if I wanted them done, I would have to do them myself.” With this, Yauri decided to take this opportunity to produce the braids herself, using hair she bought from a local beauty supply store. It took her two days to complete them, but she was surprised to find out that she was actually good at braiding. After seeing Yauri’s braiding, one of her friends commissioned Yauri to do her little sister’s hair. This was the start of Yauri’s hair business. “Everyone knows me for hair. I’ve established myself as a hairstylist, and doing this is what I want in life.” Yauri hopes to go into business administration for hair, expand her business, and maybe one day own a salon. Yauri has never braided someone's hair if they weren’t a person of color. “I’m very big on respecting culture, and I’m big on not appropriating.”
When Yauri accepted her 3c hair type, she also discovered her Afro-Latina culture. When we asked Yauri if she always identified as Afro-Latina, she said, “Not at all. No one ever educated me on this, and my parents didn’t help either because they are very whitewashed. There are a lot of Dominicans who are ignorant of their black culture.” Her peers in high school were very educated on race and ethnicity, and from them and additional research, she realized that she was indeed Afro-Latina. “I am very big on my Dominican pride. Spanish was my first language.” Yauri’s hair journey has influenced not only herself but also the people around her who once judged her natural hair. We at Naguzine know that she will inspire other young girls to appreciate their natural hair as much as she does, through her hair braiding business.
Written by Damia Mckeithan
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