Baba Ari Shen Reflects on 56 Years of Sculpting Black Hair, From Indiana Roots to Detroit’s Rich Culture

Baba Ari Shen has been cutting, sculpting, and celebrating natural Black hair for over 56 years, from the 1970s to now, witnessing the transformation of Black hair culture through different eras. His journey began in Indiana, where he learned from legends in Black hair care and became a master of his craft. His work has taken him across the country to cities like Seattle and Los Angeles, but it was Detroit that captured his heart. Since the early 1980s, Baba Ari Shen has embraced Detroit’s rich Black culture, expression, and history, finding it to be the most profound Black experience of his life. In this dynamic Detroit is Different episode, he reflects on his roots, the influence of Gary, Indiana, including stories of the Jackson 5 before Motown, and his love for natural hair that continues to inspire his work today.