Black hair is so complex. It comes in numerous textures, curl patterns, colours, lengths and styles. Try as we may, it’s nearly not possible to learn the whole lot there’s to find out about Black hair in a single lifetime. Thankfully, this yr’s Beauty Carnival on the 2022 Essence Festival of Culture featured a few of the very best hair professionals within the business who were available to show how you can create flattering hairstyles, advise on which products to make use of and spill the tea on all things Black hair.

Paula Britt, hair educator, pixie cut specialist and owner of Blendz Salon in Atlanta, took the Essence Fest Beauty Carnival stage to discuss alopecia, edges and ways to keep up healthy hair. After all, we were taking notes your entire time.

Scroll below to your ultimate healthy hair checklist— straight from the pixie cut queen herself.