Is braiding someone's hair dangerous?

From The Reader: Black women have been braiding hair for generations, and until recently they didn’t need a license to do it for a living. Now the state requires braiders to spend thousands of dollars on beauty school, where they must learn to cut, dye, and perm--services they never wanted to provide. Instead they’re going underground.

Apparently, the cosmetology industry thinks it's not safe for an unlicensed woman to braid another's hair. How utterly ridiculous! This fascinating article in The Reader explores the issues of licensing for braiders and lockticians and examines the rifts between the communities of African-American and African natural hair-care practioners.

Read the whole article here.