[foolscap]

My wife (who is black) has been told by numerous hairdressers that they can't do her hair not because she's black but because they do not have enough experience to do it correctly

When I attended Beauty School working with black hair was not even part of the course of study. Black hair is very different from other ethnic groups. Most hair dresser have to get advanced training in order to work within that market. Those that do make more money because the work is usually more labor intensive and takes longer.

[beelzepug]

"... working with black hair was not even part of the course of study."

You're right. My wife had to get extra traing to learn to work on black women's hair. More time and money out of her pocket, more time in the chair for the customer, higher total on the bill. That's the free enterprize system. Otherwise, I'm going to expect to get my V8 rebuilt for the same price as a four cylinder.