Attn Brooklyn Salon Goers

[Pumpkin]

Hello Ladies:

I hope you are enjoying the Thanksgiving festivities.

I am doing an article for class, that I hope to publish, regarding the emergence of Dominican salons in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Are they hurting black salons? Will black salons become extinct? Does all of this really matter? Is one better than the other? These are some of the questions I hope to answer in this paper. If anyone feels somewhat strongly about this please PM me.

Thank you so much

 

[katie]

I'm a bit confused about the dominican salons.Are these salons only run by white Dominicans? Is that why ppl distinguish them from regular black salons?

 

[Britt]

I have 2 answers to your questions YES and NO.
Yes!- I love Dominican salons. They know how to work with hair instead of trying to chop it off and ruin it. Since most of them have a head of hair they dont hate on your hair. Most importantly, they are CHEAP, EFFECTIVE, and FAST. I have been to numerous black hairdressers that have straight f***** up my hair. I will NEVER EVER go to one again unless the salon is owned by Dominicans or they do hair like Dominicans. Dominicans know whats good for hair and how to keep it healthy, shiny and full of body.

NO- there are always those black women that like the geled up weave hair dos that look like if u touch thier hair u will cut your finger. Instead of having a hairstyle they have a creation of some sort on top of thier head. These women can continue to go to the black hairdressers that will charge them an arm and a leg to jack up their hair.

* I dont feel sorry for black salons at all, they need to lower their prices and understand that not everyone wants a hairstyle but hair HEALTH. Not everyone wants a CUT but a TRIM, not everyone wants to use to curling iron, some of us like rollersets,

. They also need to check thier attitudes ! My biggest worry is that if I leave NYC I wont find cheap Dominican salons. I am always satisfied with the results of my hair when I walk out. That is why I am somewhat dependent on them. I like to get a weekly wash and set that ranges from $10 (in some places)- $18, I dont think I can get this out of state



Wow, now I could do a paper on this topic.

 

[jainygirl]

if alot(not all, but most) black salons didn't act like they wanted your 1st and 2nd born, they way they charge for services, i think alot more people would frequent them in the areas where dominican salons are also located in high numbers. But in addition to that, it's about time and consideration. i don't think ppl would even mind paying the sky high prices most salons charge, if the salon and beauticians were anything even RESEMBLING professional. i mean, why should ppl have to pay some obscene amount of money to listen to their beautician talk to "Tay-tay" on the phone, argue with the girl doing hair in the chair next to her, have to sit with a chemical burning in their hair while she finishes up a call or lunch or making a purchase from the guy that comes thru selling things every saturday, then when she finally gives you her attention it's to aruge with you (the paying customer)to tell you that she doesnt' think your hair is gonna look good how you want it styled, then get an attititude when you say you don't want a trim. I think Dominican salons Aint going NOWHERE. people, sisters especially are getting sick and tired of all the b.s. and from what i have heard, overall Dominican salons seem to be all about getting you in, getting your hair done right(so you don't stay any longer than you need to while they "attempt" to fix it) and getting people the hell out. Their goal seems to be to make money by being good and efficient---someone that can do something when they want it, how they want it and in the time frame given(just what most people want). Not by overcharging and giving sh*tty work. . Dominican shops will win EVERY time. Maybe this will make all the half-*ss beauticians at other shops finally pull their heads out of their *sses and start doing what they should have been doing from the beginning. I know you said to pm but i didnt' think i was gonna say this much when i started typing

--jainygirl

 

[jainygirl]

i just realized you wanted ppl from brooklyn--sorry

 

[Britt]

Preach Jainy preach u pretty much said everything else I didnt !

 

[Pumpkin]

No I said Brooklyn because I live there and can only check out different salons there. BUt I am always willing to hear other people out and you made some interesting points.

 

[firecracker]

My experience with a Dominician Salon in the Bronx on the Grand Concourse between Kingsbridge & Fordham Rd (just had to rat them out)LOL!!! was not a pleasant one. I needed a touch up but Esther didn't rinse the perm out completely, which resulted in my hair being stuck to the side of my head the next morning. They don't condition your hair unless you request it.

 

[firecracker]

My hair started to shed after the bad touch up. I did try this salon for 4 months until they didn't rinse out another perm. I felt like I gave them the benefit of the doubt. I don't believe they know how to properly care for black hair. I believe that they get lots of traffic because of the cheap prices which usually means cheap products. Thats just my opinion.

 

[ChasingBliss]

Yes this is all very interesting. I have never been to a Dominican salon but I hear nothing but good things about them. Black salons, Ive been to quite a few of them Brooklyn and Queens, and personally, I havent found one I could give props to. I know they may be out there, but I havent found any.

 

[nebula24]

I wouldn't make a broad generalization, positive or negative, about either salons. There are good Dominician salons as there are good Black ones.

 

[firecracker]

I understand what your saying and I wasn't making a generalization. The last line does state that's just my opinion. I did give it a go for 4 months. I am back with my talented black hairdresser who corrected their mistake.

 

[firecracker]

Beware of Marianna's hair salon. Esther doesn't know what she's doing but, the owner Marianna's really good. Actually I wanted to try a Dominician salon out here in Cali for in between appointments. I will just bring my own products if I need to.

 

[asummertyme]

my my my , i never realized how some felt about the " black" salons.i live in Brooklyn and yes i do frequent dominican salon b/c i like the affect a roller set has on my hair, i have also had lots of expierence with AA salons, and most positive, AA salons do cahrge much more, for a simple wash and wrap, but i would not let the domincan salon give me a percise hair cut....a trim yes but a hair style or cutt, no....if i look in a balck hair style mag..and i see a nice cutt, ima go to a black salon, cause i know that is where i can go to get a fly cut....dominicans.i go to them for my roller sets and my relaxers, not to day that i have not gotten a good relaxer for AA , b/c i have, but this is where i currently go for all my hair needs..i do think dominican salons are taking alot of buisness from AA salons , it seems alot of sisters r taking much better care of thier and they realize, gel and blowdrying, isnt gonna cut it for growth, but basically the dominicans provide a simple service for our hair as supposed to alot of manipulation wich we dont want ...so in a nut shell, yes i think AA salons r losing buisness, but they will always be a need for AA salons, b/c they are more detailed as far as hair styles go.....

 

[cutebajangirl]

So I have had 17 years plus experience with Dominicans. I started going when I was 7 after getting my hair relaxed. My relaxers NEVER lasted and my curls always drooped my hair until I was 12 was NEVER past mid neck. I always thought that it was because of my hair texture. I was always relaxed from root to end by these stylists and everyone was relaxed with the super revlon lye inthe white jar with black writing. (My mom used to come home and yell at me for my hair looking like s&&t.)So when I was 12 (1992)I went to my first black stylist who gave me a perm that wasn't dry and brittle the next morning for the first time and a wrap on my pitifully short hair. She remained my main stylist until the end of college(2000).

When I came home for breaks in high school and winter I'd attempt to get a wash and set from the old dominican place (my aunt goes there)and ALWAYS would leave with dry hair that looks like dark wheat but hey it was airy (I guess). These Dominicans never doobied me, they flat out refused to and I later realized that most of them didn't know how to.I would have to go home and oil my hair and wrap it to get a nice healthy, shiny doobied look. Now in college I went to a black stylist once who overprocessed my hair and gave me the standard complaints that most of you ladies have with black hairdressers. But to be honest I attribute these things to ghetto hairstylists and not the race. After her I started going to the black stylist in the white salons in my college town and never had a problem I even got a wash and set from a white stylist one time and it was all good.

So now that I am back in NYC and I'm in school in the bronx (since 2000) I see that alot of poeple have caught on to the dominican thing and there is one by my school so I go and this is the first time that I have had a dominican not use a fine tooth comb on my hair and actually use quality products and not the pink shampoo and the green condiioner in bottles that seem to be chosen for scent only. So now my negative sterotype about Dominicans are shattered. So I go to her for wash n sets and go back to my main blackstylist for relaxers and trims. Now my only problem with my main stylist and what seems to be a valid complaint with black stylists is that she trimmed to much. But to agree withaasummertime I will always go to a black stylist for precision cuts and relaxers.So anyway I'm tired of typing and will sum up my conclusions:

1. Stylists of any race can be good or bad
2. I was the stupid on to keep going back to sylists that made my hair look like s&&t.
3. Alot of people sterotype black stylists when it is really because they are going to ghetto stylists and apply these stereotypes to black stylists as a whole.
4. These sterotypes are leading people to steer their business towards Dominican stylists who are not necesarily that great, and in essence they seem to be closing their eyes to their faults.
5. This is leading the shitty expensive balck salons to go out of business. Hey I still don't feel sorry for them they whould lower their prices so thay can stay in business like the shitty dominican salons.

As a final side not their is now a Domnican salon in my neighborhood and although for the most part people get relaxers and wash and sets the teenagers and younger are getting all the flat twists and gelled up hairstyles. and guess what ? Their hair is getting progressively mroe damaged. So lesson of the story is that it is not what race the stylist is but what they are doing to the hair that truly matters. I personally have come to the conclusion that form my hair my best bet will be a West Indian olderish women (40-55) that will do my hair the best. They tend not to beleive in the "young people" styles with gel etc and will give me a nice healthy wash and set with a gentle comb and will put oils on the hair.

 

[beana3]

the "domincan" salons around my neighborhood are usually serviced by darker dominicans, with a closer hair texture.

While i like DS for rollersets, their relaxing techniques leave much to be desired. I dont like the practice of using a super strength on everyone and then leaving it in for 40 mins

...In that respect black salons have the upper hand. they leave it in for the exact prescribed time. Black salons absolutely kill me with their heat techniques. Why the hell would i wnat my hair flat ironed after a rollerset????

In NYC i know there is a great pricing disparity that leads many people to DS. I'm not sure how this will affect other states though, as many DS prices are the same (if not more) than black salons.

in the end, due to population demograpihics, NYC is becoming increasingly hispanic. I know that the Bronx is pretty much uniformly hispanic with black and irish neighborhoods here and there. Their services will expand as their population increases.

 

[asummertyme]

irish in the bronx?????? whoa i did nit know that.....interesting

 

[AJamericanDiva]

Here's my two cent contribution...

Like some have said, all "black" salons can't be lumped into the same category as all "dominican" salons can't be lumped into the same category. Most of my earlier years, I went to black salons. What I hated most about salon day was usually it was salon "day". I couldn't make any appointments on that day if I knew I was going there as there was no telling what time I'd be done. It was very time consuming and I knew that I should be prepared to spend at least 3 hours there for even the simplest of styles. After a wash n set wrap, I'd cringe in the seat as the stylist would apply yet more heat... blowdryer, flat iron, curling irons... and my hair would smoke and "crackle". Everytime I saw them, it was "time for a touch-up". A few weeks later they'd complain that my hair was overprocessed yet they were the only ones relaxing it. I'd move on to another black stylist and only go through the same cycle. Let's not even talk about trims... it consisted of cutting 1-3 inches each time! Chile, when I'd tell 'em I ain't want no spritz or gel, I'd get that "Oh! You want the 'white girl' hairstyle." That's what they knew me as. I wasn't into the pineapple waves, finger waves or anything that made my hair feel hard as a rock! I finally swore off hairdressers and decided to let my hair take it's own natural course. Eventually I started putting in my own mild relaxer just to loosen up my natural hair (I'm a 4a) and then figured I might as well go back straight.

I started reading haircare books and thank God, discovered haircare boards. I decided to go to a Dominican salon for a relaxer and when she started relaxing my hair, my back was turned. Low and behold, it was Hawaiin silky No-lye!!! I was like, "No..."

as I prefer lye relaxers. I let that go as I didn't specify and that probably was my fault. When I'd go for wash and sets, after that they'd blow and curl my hair with hot irons. I'd say, "no blow" and they'd still blow. I always say that I judge a salon by the condition of the patron's hair, especially if they've been going there a while... I do take into account that patrons can inflict their own damage at home. I noticed that if the other customer's hair had length, it looked stringy as if the hair had been fried to death. After two more visits, I abandoned that salon. The quest was on to find a new salon.

I had a friend with healthy relaxed hair that was past her brastrap and asked her was she satisfied with her hairdresser. She said she was and had been going to her for almost nine years. I decided to give her a shot and she's a keeper. This too is a Dominican salon. With the reasonable pricing and the great service, I had no complaints. Everyone's hair looked healthy and lenghty and my hair is the healthiest it's ever been during my salon going years. This all boils down to the fact that all salons aren't created equal, even when comparing Dominican salons with others in their category. I can also attribute my healthy hair to the haircare boards, getting knowledge in the proper care of my hair. I mainly see the hairdresser for retouches, so I know my own home care has a lot to do with the equation as well. A big plus is that I am in and out in no time flat. This alone has been like, "Whooo-Eeeeeee!"

Hope this helps!

 

[Pepperanne3662]

I'd add that one of the notable perks of the DS salons are the convenience of hours. There is Rosalina's on 149th which opens at dang near 6 or 7 am! Which leaves enough time for any morning activities you like to make. As well as their hours for most salons being 7 days per week.

The salon I go to for color (only) on Canal (Luxe Studios) is a very shee shee salon...nice but they don't usually open until Wednesdays! and most simple appointments (depending on your beautician) must be made weeks in advance. I must say though my beautician can color hair nicely, I do cringe when its time for the comb out and the blow out in the chair...before the hot flat iron. She only sees me every 6 months. I prefer my kitchen sink or the DS salons most of the time.

 

[ladybug]

CBG-YOU SAID IT BEST AND IT A GREAT MANNER...HITIING ALL THE POINTS NEC.( I WILL JUST PUT MY OWN PERSONAL TOUCH TO THIS POST)

NOW #1 IF YOU GO TO A SALON AND HAVE YET TO SEE THE END RESULT OF THEIR SERVICES OR DONT KNOW ANYONE WHO HAS GONE THERE FOR A SERVICE YOU ARE PUTTING YOUR HAIR IN A 50% DANGER ZONE...NO MATTER WHAT RACE OR PPL DO HAIR THERE

I HAVE NEVER HAD MY HAIR DONE BY A DOMINICAN SALON AND PROBABLY WILL NEVER..ANYONE WHO I FEEL LIKE DOESNT UNDERSTAND THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ENOUGH TO UNDERSTAND "NOT TO USE THAT PRODUCT/COMB IN MY HAIR IS NOT GOING TO WORK 4 ME"

I WANT TO BE ABLE TO GO TO A SALON FOR EVERYTHING NOT JUMP AROUND FROM PLACE TO PLACE GETTING EVERYTHING DONE ALL OF THE DAMN WORLD-THAT WILL ALSO NOT WORK FOR ME

SEE WOMEN GO TO DOMINICAN SALONS BECUZ THEY ARE CHEAP( I MYSELF AM NOT WILLING TO BE CHEAP WHEN IT COMES TO MY HAIR)IF I HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO BE A DAMN PJ THEN I HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO SPEND ON A GOOD HAIRDRESSER SERVICES)PLUS FROM ALL THE GREAT ADVICE HERE AT LHCF I CAN DAMN NEAR WASH AND SET MY DAMN HAIR AT HOME..LOLOL(ELIMINATING MY NON-ENGLISH SPEAKING DOMINICAN HAIR VISIT)PLEASEEEEEE...

THEY DO THAT SIMPLE WASH/SET AND ROLLERSET AND THATS IT..NOW IF THEY ARE SO GREAT WHY DONT THE SAME WOMEN GO TO THEM FOR A CUT..PERM...COLOR...TRIM...ECETERRA..THEN THOSE SAME WOMEN GO TO THE BLACK SALON TO DO THE "REAL" SO CALLED MORE SERIOUS STUFF...TO ME IF YOU DONT HAVE CONFIDENCE IN SOMEONE DOING VARIOUS THINGS TO YOUR HAIR SUCH AS A WASH/SET+TRIM+COLOR+PERM THEN THAT IS NOT THE RIGHT HAIRDRESSER FOR YOU...
I AM NOT GOING TO SOMEONE WHO DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO DO EVERYTHING WHATS THE POINT(GO FIG!)..SO I CAN GO FROM ONE PART OF TOWN TO THE NEXT TO GET MY HAIR DONE COMPLETELY...NO F--ING WAY

SEE BLK SALONS DO CHARGE MORE...BUT I WILL PAY FOR A GREAT SERVICE...MY AUNT OWNS A SALON IN THE BRONX...AND SHE HAS BEEN IN THE BUSINESS FOR YEARS...HER CLIENTELE IS VERY SERIOUS EVEN ON A BAD DAY ITS A GOOD DAY FOR HER..THEY ARE FROM A VARIETY OF BACKGROUNDS LOWER-MIDDLE-UPPPER..AND WHAT I LIEKE TO CALL DIVA STATUS...MY MAIN POINT IS HER PRICES ARE MORE...BUT HER WORK IS GREAT SHE HAS TURNED BALD PPL INTO DIVAS WITH LUSCIOUS LOCKS OF THEIR OWN HAIR..SHE CAN ALSO DO A WEAVE LIKE NO DAMN OTHER MAKING PPL STOP AND STARE..SHE IS NOT A MONEY -DRIVEN STYLIST IF YOU DONT HAVE IT THAT WEEK SHE WILL PROB WORK WITH YOUR BUDGET...HER CUSTOMERS COME FROM AS FAR AS ATL..JERSEY...UPSTATE...PHILLY...YEAH HER SHOP MAY BE A BIT NOISY BUT ITS BEARABLE..YEAH YOU MAY HAVE TO WAIT A SEC BUT U WILL BE OUT B4 U KNOW IT...SHE IS PROFESSIONAL- A TAD BIT GHETTO AT TIMES LIKE ALL OF US...BUT WHEN ITS ALL SAID AND DONE..YOUR HAIR WILL BE MARVELOUS...AND IF U DONT LIKE SOMETHIGN SHE HAS DONE SHE WILL FIX IT RIGHT THEN AND THERE...MY POINT IS YES SHE IS ONE OF THOSE BLK STYLIST MANY LOVE TO STEREOTYPE BUT ONE CAN NOT PUT ALL BLK STYLIST IN THE SAME CATEGORY

ITS FUNNY BECUZ FOR YRS I USE TO HERE PPL TALK ABOUT SCALP BURNS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE AND I AM THINKING TO MYSELF DAMN WHERE THE HELL ARE PPL GETTING THER HAIR DONE( TO THIS DAY I HAVE NEEVR HAD A SCAB MUCH LESS HAD A BAD PERM..NEVER IN MY LIFE HAS MY AUNT OR ANYONE OF HER STYLIST REMOTELY DID MY HAIR IN A LESS THAN STELLAR WAY)...LETS BE 4 REAL IF U GO TO A GOOD STYLIST YOU SHOULD HAVE NO PROBLEMS....

SINCE THE AGE OF FIVE I HAVE WENT TO HER SALON..AND MY HAIR HAS ALWAYS BEEN IN EXTRAORDINARE CONDITON UNTIL I STARTED EXPERIMENTING( WHICH SHE LET ME KNOW THAT MY EXPERIMENTING WILL MESS UP ALL OF HER YRS OF CREATING THE HEALTHY...BEAUTIFUL HAIR THAT SHE MAINTAINED ON MY 4A HEAD)...MY POINT IS THAT WHETHER THE SALON IS DOMINICAN OR BLK YOU GET WHAT U PAY FOR AND IF THAT BLK SALON F-UPED YOUR HAIR THEN YOU SHOULD DO YOUR RESEARCH AND FIND A GOOD..NOT ONE THAT LATISHA DOWN THE BLOCK REC AND SHE HAS NO HAIR..NOT ON THAT JUST SPECIALIZES IN ONE OR 2 THINGS..NOT ONE THAT IS BEYOND YOUR MEANS..NOT JUST ANY ONE BUT A GOOD SALON THAT PROVIDES GOOD SERVICES) NOT ALL BLK SALONS ARE BAD NOT ALL DOMINICAN SALONS ARE GOOD..A GOOD HAIR DRESSER IS A GOOD HAIRDRESSER AND THATS NO MATTER WHAT RACE OF SALON IT IS...

TO ANSWER THE QUESTION POSED...BLK SALON WILL FOREVER BE AROUND...BLK WOMEN/MEN MADE THIS WHOLE INDUSTRY A MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY AND NO MATTER HOW MANY DOMINICAN WASH AND SET SALONS ( BECUZ THATS ALL THEY ARE WASH AND SET SALONS) POP UP..ONE CAN NOT DENY SOMEONE WHO CAN REALLY STYLE-PERM-TRIM-ECT YOUR HAIR TO A MARVELOUS DO!!! TOOTLES

DOMINICAN SALOS SEEM TO KNOW HOW TO DO WASH/SETS OK GREAT... BUT IF THATS ALL YOU KNOW HOW TO DO FOR $10-20 THEN YOU NEED TO GO BACK TO HAIR SCHOOL THERE ARE PROS AND CONS OF BOTH

 

[nitavcc]

I don't think I have ever left a salon in Brooklyn and felt like Whoa! My hair is fabulous..

If you know of a salon that can do that for 4a hair, please let me know...
I have gone to domincans, and it was ok., but I feel like, I can do Ok by myself..

I don't need to pay money for okay, okay can be done by myself.

So If anyone can recommend a fly, snap your finga's , "girl where did you go to get your hairdone", salon in Brooklyn PLEASE... Let a sista know...

Until them, crown me miss "do it yourself!"

Dominican, AA, or "Black"... I just need a fierce salon.. ( Not too expensive please)

 

[HappyHairDreams]

I don't think I have ever left a salon in Brooklyn and felt like Whoa! My hair is fabulous..

If you know of a salon that can do that for 4a hair, please let me know...
I have gone to domincans, and it was ok., but I feel like, I can do Ok by myself..

I don't need to pay money for okay, okay can be done by myself.

So If anyone can recommend a fly, snap your finga's , "girl where did you go to get your hairdone", salon in Brooklyn PLEASE... Let a sista know...

Until them, crown me miss "do it yourself!"

Dominican, AA, or "Black"... I just need a fierce salon.. ( Not too expensive please)

Are you natural or relaxed?

 

[locabouthair]

I had both the dominicand and black stylists jack up my hair. So the race doesnt matter. I do think that some black salons might be hurting because the dominicans are much cheaper.

 

[Lexib]

I wonder where the OP is and How her paper came out...

 

[Casarela]

IMHO , I use to go to dominican salons and they are very good on doing rollers. The reason why I enjoyed the dominican salon is the light product and feeling your hair has afterwards.

However when it comes to comparing black salon to dominican salons I would say black salon are not in extinct ..As long as a hair dresser has skills and kowledge and good customer service skills she will always be in business. I think bad salons regardless that theyre dominicans AA ethiopian will eventually be in extinct.

Because people are more aware and willing to learn about their hair . I had bad experiences with dominicans back in the day burns,edges messed up by the blow fryer where as the things that I hated about the black salon I use to go to is that their products SUCKED and was very heavy at least it did not damage my hair to a point that I would have to chop it.

What makes dominican very popular is their rollersets, products and a lot of women dont touch their hair in between visits which ends up to be a low mani regimen w/o even knowing it and the results are usually good lenght retention which yields the big hype.

 

[nitavcc]

Are you natural or relaxed?

relaxed....

Help a sistah out.. ( Please)

 

[HappyHairDreams]

relaxed....

Help a sistah out.. ( Please)

Sorry. I had a good recommendation for a natural salon (I'm relaxed too, i gave up on NY salons, I just do it my d*mn self)

 

[crazydaze911]

My experience with a Dominician Salon in the Bronx on the Grand Concourse between Kingsbridge & Fordham Rd (just had to rat them out)LOL!!! was not a pleasant one. I needed a touch up but Esther didn't rinse the perm out completely, which resulted in my hair being stuck to the side of my head the next morning. They don't condition your hair unless you request it.

Try Teresas by 152 and and cortlandt (south bronx) or Swirl and Curl in parkchester on starlite (higher in the bronx). Those are my favs (Teresas is the cheapest). Theres Le Chateau on gun hill road by white plains but i only went to the lady for my BKT. Theres a bunch more that are good. And you can bring your own products - i always do. and they condition cuz they could not do my hair without that step - heck no.

 

[Bronxcutie]

I go to Miss Universo (Dominican Salon) on White Plains Road between 236th and 237th Street in the Bronx. It's only been open for about two months. I LOVE it! My hair has never looked better.