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Root Therapy: How to Love Your Hair
Embrace and learn to love your natural hair with this eye-opening guide from “hair whisperer” to the stars, Felicia Leatherwood.
As a child there was nothing Felicia Leatherwood wanted more than long, flowy hair. But Felicia’s short afro grew up and out, not down. Her father who styled Felicia’s hair in her mother’s place, often didn’t know his own strength, and would rip Felicia’s delicate strands as he combed through her hair. At a young age, Felicia internalizes her hair as something to be managed, tamed, instead of a source of pride.
As hair trends come and go, Felicia’s beloved Jherri curl is replaced by every braided style in the book. She even tries her hand at weaves and relaxers. Felicia finds she loves doing hair so much she leaves her high-paying corporate job to enroll in beauty school and lands a hot new job at a salon where celebrities breeze through to freshen up their look. It isn’t long until Felicia is styling her first celebrity client. Felicia’s love of hair takes her around the world, to movie sets and several red carpets.
In Root Therapy, Felicia shares her journey of hair positivity, which opens the door to a beautiful spiritual journey of self-love. As a celebrity stylist and natural hair educator, Felicia has made it her life’s mission to share the message of hair acceptance. Complete with exercises that show you the merits of owning one’s complete self, Felicia encourages you to embrace your natural hair.
As a child there was nothing Felicia Leatherwood wanted more than long, flowy hair. But Felicia’s short afro grew up and out, not down. Her father who styled Felicia’s hair in her mother’s place, often didn’t know his own strength, and would rip Felicia’s delicate strands as he combed through her hair. At a young age, Felicia internalizes her hair as something to be managed, tamed, instead of a source of pride.
As hair trends come and go, Felicia’s beloved Jherri curl is replaced by every braided style in the book. She even tries her hand at weaves and relaxers. Felicia finds she loves doing hair so much she leaves her high-paying corporate job to enroll in beauty school and lands a hot new job at a salon where celebrities breeze through to freshen up their look. It isn’t long until Felicia is styling her first celebrity client. Felicia’s love of hair takes her around the world, to movie sets and several red carpets.
In Root Therapy, Felicia shares her journey of hair positivity, which opens the door to a beautiful spiritual journey of self-love. As a celebrity stylist and natural hair educator, Felicia has made it her life’s mission to share the message of hair acceptance. Complete with exercises that show you the merits of owning one’s complete self, Felicia encourages you to embrace your natural hair.
- GenresSelf Help
Audible Audio
Published August 11, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 19, 2026
Root Therapy really drives home the message that our hairs tells our story. Hair is therapy, self esteem, self care and so much more. Felicia Leatherwood is an icon in the natural hair space but from her memoir we get so much more. The affirmations, the wisdom, the healing journey we go on with her personal and professional stories.
I think every curly girl should read this one. We can all relate to so much in this book.
I think every curly girl should read this one. We can all relate to so much in this book.
April 23, 2026
Root Therapy by Felicia Leatherwood really hit for me. It’s not just about hair, it’s about everything tied up in it. The way she includes her story as an entrepreneur with her spiritual take on hair being ancestral and personal? It lands. She really has you thinking about where your beliefs about your hair even came from and how much of that you’ve been carrying without realizing it.
I also loved how real the book feels. You get stories from celebs and everyday clients and you see how much people go through when it comes to their hair because we know (especially as Black women) it’s never just hair. The journal prompts were so good for actually sitting with your own stuff and she still gives you real, practical tips you can use. And not gonna lie, I kept thinking about how I waited months for my first Felicia Leatherwood brush back in the day. This book gave me that same feeling. Worth the wait, and it delivers.
I also loved how real the book feels. You get stories from celebs and everyday clients and you see how much people go through when it comes to their hair because we know (especially as Black women) it’s never just hair. The journal prompts were so good for actually sitting with your own stuff and she still gives you real, practical tips you can use. And not gonna lie, I kept thinking about how I waited months for my first Felicia Leatherwood brush back in the day. This book gave me that same feeling. Worth the wait, and it delivers.
July 21, 2026
4.5 / 5⭐️s
ARC Review (Pub Date August 11, 2026)
In 𝑅𝑜𝑜𝑡 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑝𝑦: 𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑡𝑜 𝐿𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑌𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝐻𝑎𝑖𝑟 (𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐹𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑌𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓), Felicia Leatherwood taught me how to love on my hair in a way I had never thought of before. This was an eye opening read for me. What makes it stand out is the unique way Leatherwood approaches self-love through hair care.
Felicia Leatherwood is the hair care stylist to the stars. Her celebrity clients range from Jill Scott and Viola Davis to Yara Shahidi. In her upcoming book 𝑅𝑜𝑜𝑡 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑝𝑦 she delivers an insightful, informative, engaging, and at times witty, book of short stories. Leatherwood not only shares how she became a hair care therapist, but she also gives us a glimpse into her own natural hair journey.
But the main ingredient in this book is the journey she takes us on as she transforms the hair of some of her most memorable clients including Issa Rae (who also wrote the Foreword), Lenny Kravitz, Anthony Anderson, Cedric The Entertainer, Arsenio Hall, Ava Duvernay, and a host of other celebrities. However, she doesn’t just share stories about her celebrity clients. She also explains how she has helped many other men and women develop a happy, healthy, and beautiful relationship with their natural tresses.
I learned about my own hair neglect and detachment by answering a set of questions that’s placed at the end of each chapter. As Black women, our hair is extremely important to us. Yet, we tend to care more about how good our hair looks, rather than how healthy our hair is. This book teaches us how to connect our hair with our mind and body. For the first time in my life I realized my hair is not just ornamental. Instead, it is just as much a part of my body as my arms and legs. Therefore, I need to give it the same love and attention.
You may be thinking that because this book is filled with insight and information that lacks the entertainment factor. Well, I’m here to say, it most certainly does not! Root Therapy does a great job of balancing education with storytelling while also remaining entertaining, lighthearted and at times funny. There’s one story where the client kept her weave in for a year! A year! This woman had food and dead insects amongst other things in her hair. But to make matters worse she had the nerve to have an attitude when she came into the shop. Reading some of these stories was like hearing my bestie’s hair salon war stories😂.
To all my natural hair beauties, this is a great book to keep in your arsenal! But, you don’t have to have natural hair to enjoy the book. The entertainment factor makes it a good read for anyone.
Note: This book was gifted by the publisher Simon ＆ Schuster in exchange for an honest review.
ARC Review (Pub Date August 11, 2026)
In 𝑅𝑜𝑜𝑡 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑝𝑦: 𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑡𝑜 𝐿𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑌𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝐻𝑎𝑖𝑟 (𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐹𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑌𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓), Felicia Leatherwood taught me how to love on my hair in a way I had never thought of before. This was an eye opening read for me. What makes it stand out is the unique way Leatherwood approaches self-love through hair care.
Felicia Leatherwood is the hair care stylist to the stars. Her celebrity clients range from Jill Scott and Viola Davis to Yara Shahidi. In her upcoming book 𝑅𝑜𝑜𝑡 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑝𝑦 she delivers an insightful, informative, engaging, and at times witty, book of short stories. Leatherwood not only shares how she became a hair care therapist, but she also gives us a glimpse into her own natural hair journey.
But the main ingredient in this book is the journey she takes us on as she transforms the hair of some of her most memorable clients including Issa Rae (who also wrote the Foreword), Lenny Kravitz, Anthony Anderson, Cedric The Entertainer, Arsenio Hall, Ava Duvernay, and a host of other celebrities. However, she doesn’t just share stories about her celebrity clients. She also explains how she has helped many other men and women develop a happy, healthy, and beautiful relationship with their natural tresses.
I learned about my own hair neglect and detachment by answering a set of questions that’s placed at the end of each chapter. As Black women, our hair is extremely important to us. Yet, we tend to care more about how good our hair looks, rather than how healthy our hair is. This book teaches us how to connect our hair with our mind and body. For the first time in my life I realized my hair is not just ornamental. Instead, it is just as much a part of my body as my arms and legs. Therefore, I need to give it the same love and attention.
You may be thinking that because this book is filled with insight and information that lacks the entertainment factor. Well, I’m here to say, it most certainly does not! Root Therapy does a great job of balancing education with storytelling while also remaining entertaining, lighthearted and at times funny. There’s one story where the client kept her weave in for a year! A year! This woman had food and dead insects amongst other things in her hair. But to make matters worse she had the nerve to have an attitude when she came into the shop. Reading some of these stories was like hearing my bestie’s hair salon war stories😂.
To all my natural hair beauties, this is a great book to keep in your arsenal! But, you don’t have to have natural hair to enjoy the book. The entertainment factor makes it a good read for anyone.
Note: This book was gifted by the publisher Simon ＆ Schuster in exchange for an honest review.
July 20, 2026
I had the wonderful opportunity to read an Advanced Readers copy of the book and to participate in a group discussion with the author as a member of The Advanced Readers Club.
Some gems taken from the book:
"Hair is energy"
I grew up with people saying "oh you've got that good hair"...I always was perplexed by that because my parents taught myself and my siblings, that all hair is good hair.
Here's a quote from the book that truly resonates with me:
"The truth is, "good hair" was never about texture. Good hair is hair that is loved, cared for and celebrated."
This book is for anyone who wants to develop a truly personal relationship with their hair. The personal stories and the exercises at the end of each chapter are truly thought provoking.
Some gems taken from the book:
"Hair is energy"
I grew up with people saying "oh you've got that good hair"...I always was perplexed by that because my parents taught myself and my siblings, that all hair is good hair.
Here's a quote from the book that truly resonates with me:
"The truth is, "good hair" was never about texture. Good hair is hair that is loved, cared for and celebrated."
This book is for anyone who wants to develop a truly personal relationship with their hair. The personal stories and the exercises at the end of each chapter are truly thought provoking.
July 20, 2026
One thing I love about being a part of the ARC Reader’s Club is connecting with the author in an intimate, private session to just talk about the book, hear quality reader’s opinions, and to just reflect on what I read. This book was everything and it landed in all the right hands. It is not just a book about black hair specifically. It is a book about hair, community , and the role hair plays in our lives and how we view ourselves. The book is a collection of glimpses into varying patrons and clients that Felecia Leatherwood has served and the reflections that brought her there and the impact each person and style has left on her. If you have ever sat in a stylist hair then you already know the vibes. I remember as a little girl the Easter press & curl at the shop all day, but I also remember the infamous hair brush and my mother tackling me and my sisters hair before we left the house on a Saturday morning. “You not leaving this house looking like don’t nobody love you.” This book made me reminisce my own hair journey and the love hate relationship I had with my so-called “good hair”. If it’s so good why won’t it do this and why does it look like this… This book is part healing and acceptance of yourself and you hair with such endearing and thoughtful quotes and practices that really make you consider your inner self and relationship to you hair. I recommend this one for anyone really. Men and women. This book is very diverse and I think everyone can gain something valuable from it . I loved having long beautiful locs, I loved wearing my natural hair, and now after it all I love being a “baldie” by choice mostly.
Reflection: Think of 3 hairstyles in your life that you loved. What was it about these styles that made you love them? Check out younger me in the slides.
#arcreadersclub #bookspotlight #bookstagram # bookreview
Reflection: Think of 3 hairstyles in your life that you loved. What was it about these styles that made you love them? Check out younger me in the slides.
#arcreadersclub #bookspotlight #bookstagram # bookreview
August 16, 2026
2026 marks ten years since the premiere of Insecure. Every week, my friends and I would gather to dissect each episode. But one thing that always stood out to me was Issa's hair.
Her hair was braided, twisted, stretched, shrunken, pinned up, puffed out, and unapologetically itself. Week after week, it showcased the beauty of Type 4 hair. For so many Black women, especially those of us with 4C hair, it was the first time we saw our texture treated with that kind of care, creativity, and intention on a mainstream television show and for years I wondered who was behind those iconic styles.
Felicia Leatherwood!
Around this time, I stumbled upon the natural hair movement on YouTube. For the first time, I saw women choosing to begin again with a big chop and reconnecting with the hair they had been taught to reject. That movement gave me language, community, and permission to love my hair.
But over time, I also began to feel like I was standing on the outside looking in. The images that often received the most celebration reflected curl patterns that looked nothing like mine. As someone with 4C hair, I quietly wondered whether there was room for my texture in the movement too.
That's why this book resonated so deeply.
It's more than a hair book. It's part memoir, part guide, part affirmation.
Felicia shares personal stories, client anecdotes, practical hair instructions, reflection questions, and wisdom that reminds us our relationship with our hair is about identity, healing, and self-acceptance.Most of all, it felt like a love letter to natural hair in all its forms.
I highly recommend.
Her hair was braided, twisted, stretched, shrunken, pinned up, puffed out, and unapologetically itself. Week after week, it showcased the beauty of Type 4 hair. For so many Black women, especially those of us with 4C hair, it was the first time we saw our texture treated with that kind of care, creativity, and intention on a mainstream television show and for years I wondered who was behind those iconic styles.
Felicia Leatherwood!
Around this time, I stumbled upon the natural hair movement on YouTube. For the first time, I saw women choosing to begin again with a big chop and reconnecting with the hair they had been taught to reject. That movement gave me language, community, and permission to love my hair.
But over time, I also began to feel like I was standing on the outside looking in. The images that often received the most celebration reflected curl patterns that looked nothing like mine. As someone with 4C hair, I quietly wondered whether there was room for my texture in the movement too.
That's why this book resonated so deeply.
It's more than a hair book. It's part memoir, part guide, part affirmation.
Felicia shares personal stories, client anecdotes, practical hair instructions, reflection questions, and wisdom that reminds us our relationship with our hair is about identity, healing, and self-acceptance.Most of all, it felt like a love letter to natural hair in all its forms.
I highly recommend.
August 11, 2026
When I first opened this book, I was expecting an interesting memoir on being a fabulous natural hair stylist for the stars but NO! It’s so much more. Felicia Leatherwood gives self-help guidance and accounts of her personal hair journey and many experiences with her clients and their own struggles to love themselves and their hair. She provides journal exercises and hair care tips/instructions. She also provide a look at her celebrity clients and the behind the scenes of some of their iconic hair moments… clients like Issa Rae, Simone Missick, Teyonah Parris, Kim Coles, Jill Scott, Anthony Anderson, Arsenio Hall, and Ced the Entertainer. What was most meaningful was her undeniable love, care, and respect for all her clients and their hair especially her everyday clients. She remembered their stories with such great detail and valued them as individuals that she keeps near to her heart years later. The natural hair movement in the 2010s had died down, even seeing some of the YouTube girlies saying they have been there and done that and are now moving on to other content, so this book restarts the conversation and brings the focus back to loving our beautiful hair in the texture it grows from our scalps. This book came to me right as I was reexamining my relationship with God, myself, and my hair. I have gotten so much more than I ever expected from this book. I am starting back positive affirmations over myself and my hair. Felicia opened my eyes; I could relate to so many people in the book and no longer feel alone as I restart this journey.
July 17, 2026
I remember the traumatic times when for special occasions sitting in a chair in the kitchen, my mother had washed and greased my scalp and then the ever present hot comb heating on the stove. I had to prepare myself mentally for the sizzling pops to my tender scalp from the hot comb frying the grease. Whew child the memories and rites of passage our hair has endured. So when people ask can I touch your hair and I politely say no, please understand whatever condition my hair is in is a process and a journey. Plus I don't know where your hands been. Now this book, Honey Chile was an adventure and a journey. FINALLY someone spoke up about how the up's and down's, insecurities and struggles with our ethnic hair is brought to the forefront. Ms. Felicia covers so many stories and situations dealing with clients and their hair struggles. But goes so much deeper than that, there are exercises that will help you through the decisions on what direction one should go with their hair journeys. This novel was so inspirational and relatable for any and everyone. A big thanks to the author for writing this!!!!! Thanks again to Advancedreadersclub and Simon and Schuster for the gifted copy of the book.
July 20, 2026
Our crowning glory from nappy to natural and everything in between!
I think all Black women go through a love/hate relationship with our hair. In Root Therapy, Felicia Leatherwood describes her professional and personal journey to loving her hair and ultimately loving herself. "Teaching people to love their hair is the foundation to my work...and opportunity to educate a potential client".
Growing up my mom always said, "your hair is your beauty!" You will look and feel good about yourself when you hair is good. She wavered a bit when I first started growing locs and then she thought I was crazy and trying to find myself...maybe she was correct (lol).
Anyway, Felicia's is one of those hairstylist that teaches you how to care for your hair with honesty, empathy, and love. And, those are the folks who's hand are blessed to anoint your crown.
Our hair journey transitions from one stage to another depending on where you're at in life. I've stepped into a new era. The locs are gone and my curly afro grows each month until I'll change again.
Thanks, Jahdon Israel and the Advanced Readers Book Club for this gifted copy and book discussion.
I think all Black women go through a love/hate relationship with our hair. In Root Therapy, Felicia Leatherwood describes her professional and personal journey to loving her hair and ultimately loving herself. "Teaching people to love their hair is the foundation to my work...and opportunity to educate a potential client".
Growing up my mom always said, "your hair is your beauty!" You will look and feel good about yourself when you hair is good. She wavered a bit when I first started growing locs and then she thought I was crazy and trying to find myself...maybe she was correct (lol).
Anyway, Felicia's is one of those hairstylist that teaches you how to care for your hair with honesty, empathy, and love. And, those are the folks who's hand are blessed to anoint your crown.
Our hair journey transitions from one stage to another depending on where you're at in life. I've stepped into a new era. The locs are gone and my curly afro grows each month until I'll change again.
Thanks, Jahdon Israel and the Advanced Readers Book Club for this gifted copy and book discussion.
July 27, 2026
This book brought together two of my favorite things: natural hair and memoir! Felicia Leatherwood shares her life and work with the reader helping us to understand her hair journey and sharing the hair journeys of many people she has worked with. What struck me most about this book is the universal theme of how we must all learn to love and appreciate ourselves. While this is a book to love one's natural hair, it is also a book about self-acceptance and celebrating all of the ways that we are unique. I recommend this book to anyone beginning their natural hair journey, years into the journey and needing a refresher, and for readers open to challenging every norms that we have been presented with that tells of what is beautiful or normal or acceptable. Felicia Leatherwood invites to challenge all of those norms and to enjoy being our own imperfect, perfect selves (regardless of the curl pattern of your hair).
July 20, 2026
This is not a memoir, but the stories Felicia shares make you think and feel as the author does. The author's approach to styling hair can be likened to that of a healing practitioner. From this, we learn the methodology she has championed for so many throughout the years of her coveted career. Moreover, hair becomes a character in a bigger set of stories about overcoming and triumph over internal thoughts and limiting beliefs. This book is as much self-help as it is story, but with a non-invasive prescriptive lens. The message is a simple, yet profound truth. Self-love is the salve for wounded souls.
July 19, 2026
I really recommend this book for anyone who'd like support embracing their natural hair texture. In particular Felicia shows a lot of love to those of us with textures that are largely considered undesirable, such as Type 4 hair, and teaches us how to develop appreciation and care! It's heavy on anecdotes, but they show us how to get to the root of a myriad of traumas and misperceptions and offer a different perspective. Felicia has had quite an interesting journey in the haircare space, so you will find her story as interesting as those of her clients.
August 10, 2026
Root therapy is the self help book that gets to the root and supports your rise. Relateable stories lead the conversation while affirmations ground you. Leatherwood understands struggles & strength. Her words are gentle and powerful. This book gives us an inside look at life as a hairstylist while introducing us to healing from the crown. Each chapter concludes with a prompt to support the wisdom shared throughout. This is a must read for generations of women healing through their crown & reconnecting with themselves.
August 19, 2026
4.25 rating! I have heard of Felicia Leatherwood because of her very popular detangling brush and her celebrity clients. This book was a love letter to all of those women who have a hard time loving the kinks, coils, and curls (even me sometimes). Felicia has been a hair stylist for years and hearing the stories of various clients that have had all sorts of issues with their hair journey was heartbreaking and hopeful. She really is like a fairy godmother who wants to nurture and help people get comfortable with their hair and love it. A very lovely read!
August 3, 2026
I loved this book! Af an Afro Latina I could relate to many of the stories!
July 16, 2026
An incredible read that is funny, eye opening and reflective about our relationship to our hair and all it can tell us about ourselves.
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