Over time, the more hair you touch, the more you absorb about its potential. This isn’t something you learn in a classroom. It’s what you learn behind the chair.

You might hear somebody say that African-American hair has a certain feel to it. But the reality is that not all African Americans—and not even all people of African descent—have the same hair texture. You just can’t make that assumption.

But through the power of touch, you can gather your own mental creative data. And when you compare your past experiences with the person in front of you, you’ll realize that you’ve been down this road. You know someone with hair like this. You know how it feels. And you know how to deal with it. You’ll realize what you can do with her hair and what you can’t.

Maybe her hair is thick, coarse, and long. You’ve put your hands on it to gather data. And you’ve imagined what it will take to go from completely saturated with water to semi dry to comfortably dry.

The information you gather will guide what you need to do. Maybe you need to add moisture to the hair. Or you need to adjust the heat according to how you’re looking to dry it. You may decide additional hot tools will be needed after blow drying.

Your goal? When that person you’re working on looks in the mirror, you’ll be able to see in her eyes whether she’s satisfied and comfortable with what you, the artist, have created.