African American Salon Vs. Dominican Salon

[Br*nzeb*mbsh~ll]

I had to thank so many of you because you hit the nail on the head.

I don't see myself EVER returning to an AA salon, sorry.

I've beena DS salon-goer for 12 years now, before I even heard of LHCF.

Two years ago, I decided to transition and was terrified of going to the salon, I had recently dropped my AA stylist for damaging my relaxed hair. I decided to visit a new DS salon and once I explained my situation, the stylist was like, "No problem, Mami, your hair is beautiful, you don't need relaxer. No more relaxer for you!" Now they do use flat irons (which I found amazing - my last stylist didn't even have one in her salon!!).

But, they have gone through this natural head of 3c/4a bsl hair without a blink. When I've even questioned AA stylists about my hair, their eyes glaze over and they get all intimidated because of the 'thickness' and 'length' and immediately raise the price by $30 to $40!

The Dominican salons' ambiance may not be as sultry (okay, let's just say humble surroundings) as the AA's I've frequented, but the ladies make up for it in kindness and pleasantry.

I'm not even gonna talk about the attitude, drama, 8-hour wait, over-booking and quick-change prices... Have mercy!

 

[Royalty8790]

I would like to get my hair done at a DS but it seems like a lot of you lady's say the Dominicans complain or have less experience with 4a natural hair.

 

[Br*nzeb*mbsh~ll]

^Not in my experience.

Dominicans DO NOT complain, and they have experience with all types of hair. I've seen them work with 4zzzzzzz hair countless times.
It's the AAs who complain, 'your hair is too long,' 'your hair is too thick,' 'oooh, couldn't be me with all this hair, don't you get hot?' yada yada yada...

 

[swirl]

once i discovered dominican stylists i stopped letting black folks do my hair altogether! hell, i don't even try to straighten my OWN hair anymore. i love the drama free environment (i like the assembly line), the ease of getting in and out, the price, and the way my hair looks when i leave. i remember feeling sad after leaving black salons. i love my dominican stylist soooo much that i give her christmas presents every year!

 

[SummerSolstice]

Probably because the roundbrush technique the Dominicans use isn't taught in beauty schools. Most AA stylists wash and set. And for relaxed hair I think that's a better option than high amounts of direct heat touching chemically treated hair.

Also having your clients sitting under the dryer for a while also gives you time to work on other people's head. They have a system. I certainly don't miss spending hours in the salon under the dryer and waiting. So glad I'm not a slave to the salon anymore.

I personally have had more negative experiences with the Dominican salons than positive but there are good AA salons and stylists just like there are bad Dominican salons and stylists. To each his own...

This isn't true. I honestly believe that a lot of women of all colors are lazy. We are taught plenty of techniques and some girls choose to use them, others don't. Many of my classmates don't listen in the science parts of class... I think this is where I will excel over them just b/c I can match a technique to a hair type. Many of the girls at my school have no idea how to straighten natural hair, in any way. And when someone with natural hair walks in to get their hair done, they run. Same thing happens with women with super short hair or super long hair. They decide what they want to learn and then pick what they are good at.
When I was taught the blow-out, it is somewhat awkward at first. If you're not a person willing to step outside of your box then you might not choose to do that.

 

[bluediamond0829]

Like some people mentioned there are good and bad things about AA and Dominican stylist. First of all I cant go to Dominican stylist because of my hair being so fine. When I first went it was wonderful but after the other times I couldnt do it and my hair wouldnt come out like I wanted with the bounce and shine.

AA they are expensive especially in ATL(not sure about any other place) even when i was in South Florida I could go and find someone to do a relaxer for less(not a professional like Affirm one though)---but still just to have the professional application applied with a relaxer and I remember a salon down in South Florida that you could get a wash and set(rollerset) for like $25.00 and maybe $30 for a wash,set and condition(but they had us lined up waiting)...

Now that I'm natural it is about $100 to pay just to get may hair done and its times when i think that it would be cheaper going back and being either texlaxed or relaxed especially with me workin out and the upkeep of my hair and trying to decide ok what to do next with it.

 

[xcuzememiss]

like i said before, its not that Dominicans have some special DNA code or magic potion. Its all about technique. if AA salons lowered their prices and used different techniques in they would make a killing! Their practices aren't all that healthy anyway. they still use crazy heat, and depending on the shop half of the stylist aren't certified or even know the right way to apply relaxers.

 

[dany06]

I can tell you some difference. AA salon try to hide what products they use (like turning around the bottles, and they turn you away from the big mirror sitting in front of you until they are finish ( you cant see what they are doing until the end). While at Dominican salons they constantly are speaking spanish and I see that they perform way more rollersets. That is the only difference that I see.

 

[Br*nzeb*mbsh~ll]

Some Dominican stylists hide their products, too, lol! My first stylist, God bless her, would put her precious products in various bottles with no labels! My sista and I would snoop around and try to find the names...we came up with a few.

But we've got good detective skills.

 

[glamazon386]

^Not in my experience.

Dominicans DO NOT complain, and they have experience with all types of hair. I've seen them work with 4zzzzzzz hair countless times.
It's the AAs who complain, 'your hair is too long,' 'your hair is too thick,' 'oooh, couldn't be me with all this hair, don't you get hot?' yada yada yada...

That's not true all the time. It really depends on the stylist. I had a plenty of Dominican stylist tell me you need perm mami. I haven't had a perm in over 4 years.

 

[glamazon386]

This isn't true. I honestly believe that a lot of women of all colors are lazy. We are taught plenty of techniques and some girls choose to use them, others don't. Many of my classmates don't listen in the science parts of class... I think this is where I will excel over them just b/c I can match a technique to a hair type. Many of the girls at my school have no idea how to straighten natural hair, in any way. And when someone with natural hair walks in to get their hair done, they run. Same thing happens with women with super short hair or super long hair. They decide what they want to learn and then pick what they are good at.
When I was taught the blow-out, it is somewhat awkward at first. If you're not a person willing to step outside of your box then you might not choose to do that.

I'm not talking about a regular blow out. All stylists should know how to do that. I'm talking about the whole process of the Dominican Blow Out. The setting the hair on rollers under a super hot dryer, then blowing hair that's already dry with a scorching hot dryer while pulling it with a roundbrush. They really teach you do to that in beauty school? To use double heat on somebody's hair like that? And on chemically treated hair?

I understand what you're saying though. It's up to the stylist to be well versed in everything instead of picking and choosing what they like. I remember a few stylists telling me that weave techniques were not taught in beauty school. They learned the basics in school but all the other tips and tricks they had to learn on their own by taking additional classes, watching videos or learning from experience.

 

[LovelyNaps26]

i've gotten my hair professionally straightened about 5 times since 2005 when i went natural. i have a lot of body with the blow out BUT my hair doesn't stay straight too long. my hair is pretty coarse, so i actually need a little "grease" to weigh it down or it'll frizz up in a few days. the woman i go to in boston is a black woman from the Caribbean and treats my hair gently. i can get a hard press (my hair looks relaxed) and suffer NO heat damage. so i think it really depend on the training. that being said i probably wouldn't go to her if she charged the $70 a lot of the AA stylist in boston charge. as a student, $40 (with tip) is my max.

 

[Britt]

like i said before, its not that Dominicans have some special DNA code or magic potion. Its all about technique. if AA salons lowered their prices and used different techniques in they would make a killing! Their practices aren't all that healthy anyway. they still use crazy heat, and depending on the shop half of the stylist aren't certified or even know the right way to apply relaxers.

Totally agree w/ this
Your hair will flourish if you continue to deep condition, get trims as needed, and get a rollerset... It's really all about technique.
I just when people bytch about their hair thinning and they continue to get their hair blown out w/ that hot *** blower continuously.
Hmmmm, lets see ...
Piping hot blow dryer + hella smoke coming from it+ your scalp being on fire + your hair being stretched and pulled w/ a roundbrush= a recipe for disaster.
It doesn't take a hair connoisseur to figure this out. It seems like a basic common sense, but I do know that some people are really in love w/ the look of a fresh blowout. Hey, it's frequency comes w/ a price. I personally think a flat iron is far less damaging.

 

[Enyo]

NPR talked about this too. Sorry if this a double post:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126797971

 

[SummerSolstice]

I'm not talking about a regular blow out. All stylists should know how to do that. I'm talking about the whole process of the Dominican Blow Out. The setting the hair on rollers under a super hot dryer, then blowing hair that's already dry with a scorching hot dryer while pulling it with a roundbrush. They really teach you do to that in beauty school? To use double heat on somebody's hair like that? And on chemically treated hair?

I understand what you're saying though. It's up to the stylist to be well versed in everything instead of picking and choosing what they like. I remember a few stylists telling me that weave techniques were not taught in beauty school. They learned the basics in school but all the other tips and tricks they had to learn on their own by taking additional classes, watching videos or learning from experience.

Yes. All you need to know is how to hold the blow dryer and the brush. Whether or not you get good at it comes from practice and watching others. And then like you said extra classes... If you can do it on one head of hair you should be able to do it on others, you simply have to adjust your tension and products. A roller set is the first thing you learn in beauty school also. So even if they didn't show us the whole process, we would all know just from learning the basics. Its really not hard. People who don't do it that are certified choose not to be able to. In fact most stylists who suck choose to suck LOL. Its really not a complicated process. Its really funny to me that more black stylists don't do it, and that its labeled as a "dominican" thing. I thought there was more involved to what they do when really, its not something ANYONE can't do. I used to see my cousin doing it in her salon and i didnt even realize it was the "dominican" blow-out I think I've read a few threads where some women on here did it on themselves, which I know is a pain LOL. I personally think dominicans are very lucky to have the procedure named after them LOL b/c its something anyone can do.

I also wanted to add though, working with all that heat does take skill and practice...

 

[glamazon386]

Yes. All you need to know is how to hold the blow dryer and the brush. Whether or not you get good at it comes from practice and watching others. And then like you said extra classes... If you can do it on one head of hair you should be able to do it on others, you simply have to adjust your tension and products. A roller set is the first thing you learn in beauty school also. So even if they didn't show us the whole process, we would all know just from learning the basics. Its really not hard. People who don't do it that are certified choose not to be able to. In fact most stylists who suck choose to suck LOL. Its really not a complicated process. Its really funny to me that more black stylists don't do it, and that its labeled as a "dominican" thing. I thought there was more involved to what they do when really, its not something ANYONE can't do. I used to see my cousin doing it in her salon and i didnt even realize it was the "dominican" blow-out I think I've read a few threads where some women on here did it on themselves, which I know is a pain LOL. I personally think dominicans are very lucky to have the procedure named after them LOL b/c its something anyone can do.

I also wanted to add though, working with all that heat does take skill and practice...

I see what you're saying. It's all smoke and mirrors. The Dominicans just perfected their technique. I can see why people think it's a Dominican thing though bc that's where you see it most often. Most AA stylists I've been to usually don't blow dry. They give everybody a wash and set and then style afterward. I guess everybody has a method to their madness.

As far as skill and practice goes I guess it's no different than any other procedure. Some people do things by the book and others do it their own way (even if it causes damage ). I know I've had to raise an eyebrow at some AA stylists applying relaxers before. I guess they wanted to do it the way they wanted to.

 

[sylver2]

well my hair stayed Neck length for almost 2 years while i was with a AA salon. they encouraged me to get a touchup every 4 weeks and trim every single week. never again!
and they were maad expensive. Most AA salons to me cared more about styling. how it LOOKED. straightening with the curling iron then flat ironing..uh uh.
im all about embracing your own but they need to do me right.
I grew up on dominican salons and been goin since 1987. I know their roundbrush technique.You have to find the right ones and i don't encourage frequent blowouts. u can get just your new growth blown.

 

[Barbara]

I have native New Yorker friends, and they tell me how Dominican salons are less expensive and do a good job. That may be true, but after reading a few threads, I think it really depends on the stylist. I've learned you can't put all of them in the same boat.

If you have a good stylist, then keep him/her. You never know you had a good thing until it's gone.

 

[chelleypie810]

I was also going to add that whenever I go to an AA salon they do NOT want to rollerset my hair! When I ask for a rollerset they act like I'm speaking another language. Same thing goes with a blowout. I know when you go to beauty school they have to learn how to blowout and learn how to roll. It just doesn't make sense to me.

Glamazon I also wanted to add that you said that Dominican use super heat on your hair twice but most AA salons I go to also blowdry your hair and then flat iron on the highest heat setting. Maybe I'm so used to going to good Dominican stylists I'm just very, very biased, and since a person at an AA salon broke my hair off BAD (relaxing and perm. coloring my hair in the same day even though he claimed it was a rinse) and it's taken me 2 years to get where I am now, I'm just a little bitter.

 

[kmn1980]

And for the lady that mentioned how Asians have taken over the beauty supply industry and Dominicans have taken over the salons...If we just embraced our own and stopped trying to be like everyone else and learn how to care for our own hair it wouldn't matter what they did.

No need to hide because you are delivering the straight up truth.

 

[Emoniegirl03]

I just went to the dominican salon for a relaxer and treatment, trim and stlye. it cost $50.00 very friendly gave me a lollipop lol ! downsize my hair was sooooooooo stiff and dry ;-( . Black salon for the same thing its $90.00 but my hair swings!!! sooooooo i dont know. Mights stick to the dominicans for the sake of my wallet and just moisturize my hair myself at home!!!

 

[chelleypie810]

^^^alot of the times they will allow you to bring your own products. That's what me and my fam do.

 

[shai_butta]

I've had issues with both Dominican and AA salons and if I can help it i stay out of salons altogether. HOWEVER I think the take away message to this article is that black salons, and really the entire black hair industry as a whole, is finally beginning to get competition. Because our hair is unique we had very little information (until the blessed internet came along) about what our hair needs to thrive and the AA hair industry has been able to thrive off of that lack of information because until recently you didnt really have an option because your AA stylist was by default supposed to be the most knowledgeable about your hair than anyone else.
I am irritated that AA salons have taken advantage of the lack of information in the black community but I'm not gunning for their downfall either. But they officially have competition and will have to step their game up collectively if they would like to continue thriving.

"If you want a revolution the only solution, evolve." <--I know yall know where I got that one but its true and definitely applies to what's going on in black hair today.

We're getting smarter, more capable. Our hair is no longer this confounding growth that we need a specialist to take care of because its so alien and frustrating to us. We want it taken care of properly, at reasonable prices, with a level of professionalism that suits our lives and we dont care what boat or spaceship the folks that can do that for us got off of. If AA salons improve their practices to compete instead of being bitter about the way thangs used to be they wont have any problems. But they need to get on it quickly before their bad PR becomes insurmountable.


Heres a link to an article I stumbled on about ethnic hair product companies revamping their ingredients to meet consumer needs.

We're changing things, ladies. Slowly but surely

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb3235/is_4_27/ai_n52454030/

 

[southerncitygirl]

Dominican salons jacked my hair up(in less than 3months i had excessive thinning, breakage and dryness had to cut off about 6 inches) and i later found a stylist who is black( from the caribbean) who transitioned my relaxer and i've been natural for sometime now, my hair is longer than its even been. yes, she is more expensive but i prefer quality and i just visit her less often. my cousin is a hairstylist in VA talks about her clients from nyc that have jacked up hair from these salons and they were clueless as to how unhealthy their hair was. i don't believe in going the cheap route with stuff related to my hair, skin, overall health, and nails. i think some folks hair can take more abuse than others and bad salons exist on every level....but i ain't taking no more chances!!

 

[Boujoichic]

Isnt the article talking about dominican salons pushing out black businesses(hair salons) but arent a lot of Dominicans black (of african descent)? I believe they even mention this in the article. If so why the division? African "American" salons should just step their game up to keep customer's.

 

[glamazon386]

I was also going to add that whenever I go to an AA salon they do NOT want to rollerset my hair! When I ask for a rollerset they act like I'm speaking another language. Same thing goes with a blowout. I know when you go to beauty school they have to learn how to blowout and learn how to roll. It just doesn't make sense to me.

Glamazon I also wanted to add that you said that Dominican use super heat on your hair twice but most AA salons I go to also blowdry your hair and then flat iron on the highest heat setting. Maybe I'm so used to going to good Dominican stylists I'm just very, very biased, and since a person at an AA salon broke my hair off BAD (relaxing and perm. coloring my hair in the same day even though he claimed it was a rinse) and it's taken me 2 years to get where I am now, I'm just a little bitter.

This is just my personal experience but the majority of the AA salons I've been to my whole life wet set everybody. I remember being 6 years old sitting under the dryer waiting for my fingerwaves to dry and screaming because it was hot. Having customers sit under the dryer for an hour gave them time to work on multiple heads.

The one stylist I went to for years based all of her styles from a roller set. She rolled everybody's hair. If you wanted a roller wrap you would get a rollerset, get it dry wrapped and then sit back under the dryer for a few mins but never a blowdrier to a head that has already been wet set and dried.

I remember I asked my stylist once if she would blow dry my hair so I could get out quicker and she told me no because she didn't want to put direct heat on my hair. Even when I got my weaves done I sat under the hooded dryer. When I had a short pixie hair cut I got my hair wet wrapped and sat under the dryer. I never got my hair blowdried. I rarely saw flat irons too. They usually used the marcel irons if they needed to bump somebody's hair.

It could just be a regional thing. IDK... I've only noticed it maybe the past 5 years or so. But I haven't been a frequent salon goer since I started college in 2002. Before that I had a standing weekly or bi weekly appointment (depending on the season) ever since the 1st grade.

I get my hair blow dried in the salon now but that didn't happen until I started going to "white" salons/spas. That's where my current stylist is. My moms last AA stylist was at one too. My mom didn't get her hair blowdried when she went to her though. I went to her a few times and she gave me the option to blow dry. I've noticed that they book their appointments much closer together than AA salons and only work on one person at a time so they really have no choice but to blow dry to get people in and out in a reasonable amount of time. You know you could be in an AA salon all day long.

 

[secretdiamond]

That's not true all the time. It really depends on the stylist. I had a plenty of Dominican stylist tell me you need perm mami. I haven't had a perm in over 4 years.

I got that almost every time I went to a DS unless I had just gotten a fresh relaxer. The last time I went to a DS was over 2 yrs ago after not going for quite some time. The lady actually cursed my hair out in Spanish. She also called it a brillo pad & soo difficult and was upset she was assigned to my hair as she looked longingly at my friends hair who is a 3c/4a. I was only like 3 weeks post!

I turned over to her and said "if you don't want to do my hair, then don't. I'm sorry my texture isn't good enough for you." I decided to be nice and use my own comb to help with the detangling showing how easy it actually is when you know what you're doing.

That was the LAST time I went into a DS. I just got so sick of hearing "you need a perm mami" while they tapped the rattail comb on my roots. And this was from different salons.

And no, I didn't tip her a$$. lol

 

[SVT]

Strangely, the first thing I thought when I read the article was that the wall street journal was trying to stir up division between minorities. I'm taking a class right now and the Latino population has now passed blacks as the largest minority group in the US. We are living in a political climate where many of the majority race is getting scared of the possibility of a minority take over. Texas has just gone crazy now trying to get rid of ethnic classes in the school system such as Mexican studies or Affrican American studies. I know gone all off track from hair but I couldn't help wonder if they would put Polish immigrants and white Americans against each other. There are many valid points regarding the Dominican salons but there are good stylist everywhere from both ethnic groups, you just have to find them.

OT: Oh lawd! Please don't get Texas mixed up with them crazy Arid Zoners.

 

[RossBoss]

Strangely, the first thing I thought when I read the article was that the wall street journal was trying to stir up division between minorities. I'm taking a class right now and the Latino population has now passed blacks as the largest minority group in the US. We are living in a political climate where many of the majority race is getting scared of the possibility of a minority take over. Texas has just gone crazy now trying to get rid of ethnic classes in the school system such as Mexican studies or Affrican American studies.

Considering the fact that Latino culture is very discriminatory against dark skin while praising anything closer to a European ideals, Blacks have more to fear than Whites. I don't buy that "Whites beez tryna' to divides da Blacks and Browns", anti-Blackness is ingrained in Latin American culture and it will become more transparent once they become majority.

 

[BlackDiamond21]

Thank you WSJ!

All they did was put out there the same thing we have been complaining about for DECADES! Black salon's have a bad reputation and they have no one to blame but themselves. Between the LONG waits, over booking, OVER PRICED services and gossip - I CAN'T STAND YA'LL !

I thank gawd that I came to the East Coast and found the Dominican salons. It was like my prayers had been answered when I didn't even know I had been praying

For all the years I have been here, I have set foot into two different black salons and both were for color. The first was your typical hood spot that f*cked my hair up and the second was a dream come true and yes, I paid top dollar for it and have no regrets. (BTW, Marie takes appointments based on how long it will take to have your services done, so there is never any waiting or over booking. She will have you wait a week or more just to ensure she does not over book - NOW THAT is hard to find in a Black salon! It's something I like to call... PROFESSIONALISM!) However I wont go back for weekly maintenance, roll and set, because the price is more then the Domi salons for the SAME EXACT SERVICE! I bring my own products to both places, so why should I pay more for the same damn thing? Your water aint special nor is your dryer.

For those who say the Domi blow out is terrible for relaxed hair, I agree! And guess what? I DON"T GET IT! The blow out is OPTIONAL! You have a choice!!! Just b/c you go to a Domi salon doesn't mean YOU HAVE to get a blow. Ever heard of the word NO? I still go to Domi salon because with or without the blow it is CHEAPER! This is a recession people !

I don't miss Black salon's at all and I don't feel one ounce of guilt for not supporting them. Change your rep and you wouldn't have these problems. Word of mouth and your client's hair goes a long way toward acquiring business. If you aint coming with either one, why would someone check you out? erplexed

Just my $.02!

BD21

P.S. I tried the Black owned BSS and they were price gauging - Why you Black people so GOT DAMN GREEDY YO ?!?!?!? So I went back to my Korean's HOLLA!