PsychoHairapy Research

PsychoHairapy research uses hair to assess, diagnose, and intervene on matters of mental health. The goal of the research is to develop innovative research methods to amplify hair stories and hair care spaces in the scientific literature in psychology. The PsychoHairapy Research Lab was established in 2014 in the Department of Psychology at Howard University by Dr. Afiya Mbilishaka.

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Brushed aside: African American women’s narratives of hair bias in school

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Grandma’s Hands: Memories of Hair Styling Interaction with African American Grandmothers

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Strands of Intimacy: Black Women’s Narratives of Hair and Intimate Relationships with Men

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PsychoHairapy: Using Hair as an Entry Point into Black Women’s Spiritual and Mental Health

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Don’t Get It Twisted: Untangling the Psychology of Hair Discrimination Within Black Communities

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Don’t Sweat Your Hair Out: The Frequency of Exercise for African American Women with Natural Hair

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Black Lives (and stories) Matter: Race Narrative Therapy in Black Hair Care Spaces

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“Don’t harm a hair on their head”: Culturally Meaningful and Ethical Psychological Data Collection in Black Hair Care Spaces

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“Hey Curlfriends!”: Hair Care and Self-Care Messaging on YouTube by Black Women Natural Hair Vloggers

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‘No toques mi pelo’ (don’t touch my hair): decoding Afro- Cuban identity politics through hair

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When Hair Care is Self-Care

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Press and Curl: An Examination of Ebony Magazine Covers to Understand the Cultural-Historical Trends of Black Women’s Hair

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“White folks ain’t got hair like us”: African American Mother–Daughter Hair Stories and Racial Socialization

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Faded Fresh Tapers and Line-Ups: Centering Barbershop Hair Stories in Understanding Gendered Racial Socialization for Black Men

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From About “Me” to About “We”: Therapeutic Intentions of Black American Women’s Natural Hair Blogs

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PsychoHairapy Through Beauticians and Barbershops: The Healing Relational Triad of Black Hair Care Professionals, Mothers, and Daughters

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Textures: The History and Art of Black Hair

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PsychoHairapy: Brushing up on the history and psychology of Black hair

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The Beauty Standards We Inherit

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PsychoHairapy Research

Get research and writing support through the Writing Sesh.

Read our work.

Brushed aside: African American women’s narratives of hair bias in school

Grandma’s Hands: Memories of Hair Styling Interaction with African American Grandmothers

Strands of Intimacy: Black Women’s Narratives of Hair and Intimate Relationships with Men

PsychoHairapy: Using Hair as an Entry Point into Black Women’s Spiritual and Mental Health

Don’t Get It Twisted: Untangling the Psychology of Hair Discrimination Within Black Communities

Don’t Sweat Your Hair Out: The Frequency of Exercise for African American Women with Natural Hair

Black Lives (and stories) Matter: Race Narrative Therapy in Black Hair Care Spaces

“Don’t harm a hair on their head”: Culturally Meaningful and Ethical Psychological Data Collection in Black Hair Care Spaces

“Hey Curlfriends!”: Hair Care and Self-Care Messaging on YouTube by Black Women Natural Hair Vloggers

‘No toques mi pelo’ (don’t touch my hair): decoding Afro- Cuban identity politics through hair

When Hair Care is Self-Care

Press and Curl: An Examination of Ebony Magazine Covers to Understand the Cultural-Historical Trends of Black Women’s Hair

“White folks ain’t got hair like us”: African American Mother–Daughter Hair Stories and Racial Socialization

Faded Fresh Tapers and Line-Ups: Centering Barbershop Hair Stories in Understanding Gendered Racial Socialization for Black Men

From About “Me” to About “We”: Therapeutic Intentions of Black American Women’s Natural Hair Blogs

PsychoHairapy Through Beauticians and Barbershops: The Healing Relational Triad of Black Hair Care Professionals, Mothers, and Daughters

Textures: The History and Art of Black Hair

PsychoHairapy: Brushing up on the history and psychology of Black hair

The Beauty Standards We Inherit