Overview

"This stunning collection of beautiful photographs and powerful essays by documentary photographer Tomesha Faxio captures the intimate details of ""wash day,"" a day that Black women set aside to wash, detangle, condition, and style their natural hair. Though wash day is routine practice in Black households, its significance goes far beyond hygiene or self-care. It is an opportunity for Black women to embrace their curly, coily locks and, when they have daughters, pass on this sacred ritual to the next generation. Wash Day celebrates the bonds formed between Black mothers and daughters through gorgeous photographs of their hair care rituals and insightful stories that detail their unique natural hair journeys. Faxio brings us into the lives of twenty-six different families, illustrating the many ways that Black mothers have instilled love, acceptance, and confidence in their daughters about wearing their natural hair. Through these stories, we learn how some mothers prioritize their children's comfort to teach them that their hair is not difficult or burdensome, while other mothers simply encourage their daughters to love their big hair, even when they themselves find it hard to love their own. No matter where they are in their journey, each mother featured in Wash Day is actively undoing generations of internalized hatred of natural hair, showing how this ritual can be both an act of self-love and a practice in resistance. Exploring everything from texturism and hair discrimination to the feeling of not being quite ""there"" in your natural hair journey, Wash Day is a visual homage to Black culture, Black rituals, and the generational bonds that strengthen the Black community. A visual celebration of natural Black hair that highlights the powerful connection between mothers and their children during their wash day rituals. ""A beautiful love letter to natural hair and the rituals Black women have created.""-Roxane Gay In this stunning book, documentary photographer Tomesha Faxio explores the power of ""wash day,"" a day that Black women dedicate to washing, detangling, conditioning, and styling their natural hair. The significance of wash day goes far beyond hair care-it's an opportunity for Black women to pour love into their curly, coily locks and, when they have children, pass on this sacred ritual to the next generation. Wash Day celebrates the unique bonds between Black mothers and their children through intimate photographs of their hair-care routines and insightful stories that detail their natural hair journeys. Faxio brings you into the homes of twenty-six different families, illustrating the many ways that these mothers have used wash day to instill love, acceptance, and confidence in their children about wearing their natural hair. Through hours spent with their children, typically at the kitchen sink, each of these mothers is resisting generations of hair discrimination by creating a space for empowerment, all while finding their own sense of self-acceptance along the way. Capturing the inherent beauty and diversity of natural hair, Wash Day is a visual homage to Black culture, Black rituals, and the generational bonds that strengthen the Black community."

Full Product Details

9780593579718

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Reviews

“A beautiful love letter to natural hair and the rituals Black women have created for the special time set aside to lovingly care for Black hair in a culture that for far too long derided natural hair and demanded conformity. The images are quite lovely as are the stories of these families.”—Roxane Gay   “Wash Day is a captivating and essential exploration of the cultural and emotional significance of natural hair within the Black community. It beautifully intertwines narratives of identity, heritage, and self-love, making it a vital read for understanding the deep-rooted connection between hair, history, and heart. This book is like sitting down with good friends, sharing stories about our roots and the beauty we carry on our heads.”—Kahran and Regis Bethencourt, authors of Glory: Magical Visions of Black Beauty “This book is a beautiful and necessary testament to such a treasured part of Black motherhood and childhood. Seeing the honoring of the wash day process through such carefully documented photographs, coupled with the stories of women from all over the country, is such a tender and loving celebration. It is amazing to witness such an important cross-generational exchange which will undoubtedly unlock precious memories for many readers. We are so often only shown the final product when it comes to hair but it's the process that is so meaningful.”—Danielle Prescod, author of Token Black Girl

“A beautiful love letter to natural hair and the rituals Black women have created for the special time set aside to lovingly care for Black hair in a culture that for far too long derided natural hair and demanded conformity. The images are quite lovely as are the stories of these families.”—Roxane Gay, New York Times bestselling author   “Wash Day is a captivating and essential exploration of the cultural and emotional significance of natural hair within the Black community. It beautifully intertwines narratives of identity, heritage, and self-love, making it a vital read for understanding the deep-rooted connection between hair, history, and heart. This book is like sitting down with good friends, sharing stories about our roots and the beauty we carry on our heads.”—Kahran and Regis Bethencourt, authors of Glory: Magical Visions of Black Beauty “This book is a beautiful and necessary testament to such a treasured part of Black motherhood and childhood. Honoring the wash-day process through such carefully documented photographs, coupled with the stories of women from all over the country, is such a tender and loving celebration. It is amazing to witness such an important cross-generational exchange which will undoubtedly unlock precious memories for many readers. We are so often only shown the final product when it comes to hair but it's the process that is so meaningful.”—Danielle Prescod, author of Token Black Girl “In Wash Day, Tomesha Faxio has captured the bonds between mother and child, cherished family traditions, and the beauty of Black natural hair, all in one gorgeous book. Although photographs and words lay static on the page, the lively images and heartwarming stories presented here offer a vivid and immersive experience into a rite of passage that will ring familiar and true for Black people across the diaspora.”—Lori L. Tharps, co-author of Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America

“A beautiful love letter to natural hair and the rituals Black women have created for the special time set aside to lovingly care for Black hair in a culture that for far too long derided natural hair and demanded conformity. The images are quite lovely as are the stories of these families.”—Roxane Gay   “Wash Day is a captivating and essential exploration of the cultural and emotional significance of natural hair within the Black community. It beautifully intertwines narratives of identity, heritage, and self-love, making it a vital read for understanding the deep-rooted connection between hair, history, and heart. This book is like sitting down with good friends, sharing stories about our roots and the beauty we carry on our heads.”—Kahran and Regis Bethencourt, authors of Glory: Magical Visions of Black Beauty

Author Information

Tomesha Faxio (she/her) is a self-taught documentary photographer dedicated to portraying and centering the Black experience. She specializes in portraits of Black women and women of color, wielding photography to reject Eurocentric beauty standards and alterations of natural beauty. Her photography has been featured online by Parents, Jezebel, The Guardian, USA Today, and Forbes, as well as in the documentary films Refuge and Love Wins Over Hate.

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