SUMTER, S.C. — Back-to-school is here and students across the Midlands are getting ready. One Sumter resident is hoping to help by giving free retwists to students of all ages.
“I’m feeling like 100%,” rising first grader Massiah Bolden says about how she’s excited to go back to school.
When she gets a fresh new hairstyle to show off her classmates, Massiah smiles, “I’m going to be 1000%!”
Massiah’s mom, Ladaisher Cuspert, is a loctician and is offering free retwists – usually priced at $65 – to students in Sumter.
“I’m just trying to help out,” Cuspert shares.
Cuspert says when it came time to get her daughter ready for school, she realized how expensive it can be.
“Shopping for a child that just don't stop growing. It's a lot. It's a lot,” Cuspert says. “I just decided to just do it for free for anyone in school, you know, it came back around so fast and there's a lot going on in the world today with just a lot of parents. They're starting to struggle.”
Between school supplies and new clothes, the cost adds up. Cuspert remembers how important it was to start the school year off feeling confident in how you look, so she wants to make sure all kids get that opportunity.
“I think that's very important on the first day, you know, first impression is basically your last impression. So you know, you gotta give off a good first impression,” Cuspert explains. “You want all the kids to be like, ‘That's a dope hairstyle. That's nice. I like that. Can I get that?”
“It all matters about the looks,” rising 9th grader Zatajh Bolden agrees. ”Everybody feels off the vibe and if you walk in school with a new hairstyle. Everybody's like ‘Oh, you changed your style.’ And you’re gonna get good impressions from other people.”
Cuspert is offering those free hairstyles right up until the start of school for Sumter County on Thursday. If you’re interested in a retwist, Cuspert says clients can message her on Facebook.
