Syrian women in Egypt find solidarity in stylist classes
Cosmetology classes help displaced Syrian women form bonds and start fashion careers in Egypt.
Inside the apartment turned beauty center, a student lay on a pink stretcher as Nariman Hood stood over her, holding a small wooden stick to the girl’s face. Dozens of other students circled around the stretcher.
Hood tested her students, asking, “What skin type is this?” The students took turns answering, as she explained which products are for each skin type.
Many of the skin- and hair-care products Hood uses are only found in Syria. After class, she told her students that another batch of products would be coming soon for those who wanted to order them.
Hood, a middle-aged Syrian beauty specialist, lives in Egypt’s 6th of October City in the greater Cairo area. She has been interested in hair-styling, makeup and other beauty work since she was a young girl growing up in Damascus. What was first a skill learned out of necessity became a passion that she has been pursuing for more than 30 years.
