It’s Saturday morning, and I find myself in the all-too-familiar struggle of dealing with my thick hair. As I bend lower in the shower, a large clump of hair strands catches in the thin slits of the drainage cover. It’s an unsettling sight that makes me dread to think about the amount of hair loss I’m experiencing from just this one wash.  The routine of cleaning, combing, and tying my hair in an updo has consumed over an hour of my time, and now I can feel the onset of a headache building at my temples, a reminder of the amount of effort I’m putting into this task. The thought of spending several more hours at Shiko's Crowning fills me with anxiety. My afro requires so much attention, and I can't help but feel overwhelmed by what lies ahead. I hesitate to reschedule my appointment—Shiko, the salon owner, has already been accommodating enough, and I’m worried that if I postpone again, she might revoke my membership and strip away the discounts I’ve worked so hard to maintain.