Black hair salons

Am I the only one that dreads walking into an all black hair salon? I just find some so unprofessional, I've had chicks eating while doing my hair, talking on the phone, stop in the middle of doing my hair to go and talk to someone outside, talk to me about what they did at the club, etc. One example, I went to get the top of my hair lightened, I told the lady I wanted it a shade lighter on top......after she blow dryed my hair it was big bird yellow, not only did she EFF up my hair , her kids were talking to me the whole time I was there. Now I love kids, but I wasn't expecting to entertain her children while I was getting my hair done (butchered). I told her I didn't like the color and it wasn't what I asked for, she said she'd fix it in 2 weeks, I came back in 2 weeks and she put a rinse in it and told me to have a nice day, didn't style it or anything! Needless to say I never went back. But it seems like an endless cycle of dissapointments with black salons. EXCEPT for one salon I went to for years in California (love you Gina)!! Now when I go to white salons, I NEVER experience anything like the above mentioned, they are professional and the like. I just want to know has anyone else had experiences like this?

These are the reasons, why I STYLE my own hair!! I hated the whole salon experience!

Of course I have. Every black salon I have went to has been COMPLETELY unprofessional, and the environments often make me question the authenticity of the stylists' cosmetology degrees. I only go to white salons now. I never even think of going to black salons anymore. I mean, if I'm paying you all of this money, then I want my hair to look like how I asked you to make it and I want you to act professionally. I am a customer. You are a businessperson. Recognize that relationship, and treat it as such. Honestly, I see no reason to support black salons (or even other black businesses) simply because the owner(s) and I are both black. If you're a business, then you will get my money only if I'm satisfied with your good and/or service, no ifs, ands, or buts.

Are you looking for natural hair salon in the DMV?

@J.S.M I'm starting to get this way, which I'm really ashamed to say, because I want to support our people. Then on the other hand, I want a professional enviornment when I spend my hard earned money and I just haven't found that yet. Hopefully Miss Ebonediva can prove me wrong.

Yes ma'am I am, I need a trim and some direction with my hair!

@Nylacoils, I have been, but I'm scared to cut my own hair and it needs a trim baaaaaaaaad. I haven't had a trim in almost 2 years (tisk tisk). When straight it's a little past my bra strap (measured in Oct last time I flat ironed) but when curly it brushes my shoulders. lol I just want someone to do my hair and give me a break lol for a little bit.

I understand it's hard to pad unappreciative stylist pockets with your hard earned money. Believe me I've been there. I live in Upper Marlboro, MD. I go to LaTia at Urban Nature in Silver Spring. LaTia's hours at the salon work for me. UN use alot of great products plus they have their own products as well. Urban Nature has a salon in DC near Howard too. LaTia doesn't like to clip ends. www.urbannaturestyles.com

Nimat at Fabulocs in Capitol Heights off of Central Ave. is a great stylist. She's very creative and knowledgeable and she's quick!!!! www.fabulocs.com
Nimat is the only natural hair stylist that have ever clipped my ends.

Jocelyn @ Strictly Natural in Salon Plaza in District Heights is very good.

I understand completely Isis. I was just starting to wonder about this as I started thinking about doing back to the salon to get my hair colored again. I dread it. The salon I was going to recently though was very professional and has a great atmosphere (Salon Revive) but I'm just not sure if it is the best place for me and my curls.

I also had good experiences at Cole Stevens salon in Greenbelt, MD. The colorist there does a great job and they are professional. However the challenge I started to have was with my appointments and waiting times. I send my mom there too for a spa appointment and it was a total disaster. The manicurist is the BEST though, Kathy. She's awesome but manages her own schedule so never an issue with her. But they do cater to curls althoug they do relax as well.

Good luck finding the right salon. I've gone to places where an inspector showed up to check people's licensing and one place did not have hot water and they stylists were beefing in front of clients.

Anyway, I feel your pain. I've decided to branch out and check out multi racial or even white salons. I'm looking for one that does the Deva Cut and/or color process. That way I don't have to worry about the products being used and my hair will be cut better/right according to my curls versus just cut like straight hair.

Whenever I've gone to Black hair salons, I get mouth about how much hair I have. I'd have stylist argue in front of me about who was going to do my hair because it would take sooo much time, according to them. I've been going to a Mexican salon for the past few years and it takes them an hour to wash, flat iron, and trim my hair when it would take a Black salon 4 hours to do it. I'll never go back to a Black salon.

ebonediva wrote:Nimat at Fabulocs in Capitol Heights off of Central Ave. is a great stylist. She's very creative and knowledgeable and she's quick!!!! www.fabulocs.com
Nimat is the only natural hair stylist that have ever clipped my ends.

Jocelyn @ Strictly Natural in Salon Plaza in District Heights is very good.

Thanks ebonediva. I'm in Upper Marlboro too and will share the information about Fabulocs with my sister. She is locking and I've been doing her hair but know that a trained loctician would make it look much better.

I haven't been to a salon since my hair's been natural. However, I do remember the horrible experiences I used to have back in the day. They typically overbook clients and it ends up taking 4 hours to do something that should have been done in 1-2 hours. That always irritated me.

DvaAuNaturel wrote:

ebonediva wrote:Nimat at Fabulocs in Capitol Heights off of Central Ave. is a great stylist. She's very creative and knowledgeable and she's quick!!!! www.fabulocs.com
Nimat is the only natural hair stylist that have ever clipped my ends.

Jocelyn @ Strictly Natural in Salon Plaza in District Heights is very good.

Thanks ebonediva. I'm in Upper Marlboro too and will share the information about Fabulocs with my sister. She is locking and I've been doing her hair but know that a trained loctician would make it look much better.

Great! Nimat is awesome.

That's why I don't typically go to "black hair salons". Most of them would not know how to work with natural hair anyway. I look for people who can cut, style, comb nappy hair - not the color of the salon itself. The lady that cuts my hair once a year is a white woman with straight hair. She does a kick a$$ job and its hard to trust my hair to anyone else.

While I can easily imagine those experiences, and have had experiences verging on unprofessional/unpleasant ( or the experiences were definately so, but they didn't personally bother me), they weren't typical enough for me to swear off black salons.

The only reason I avoid salons now is because of not having money and not really having a need for salon services- plus I don't want to have to tell them exactly how to treat my natural hair....

I would never go to a white salon though. One time I went to a Portuguese hair salon out of desperation(cousin's wedding in an hour in an unfamiliar city) and they didn't even know how to roller set my hair. They straight jacked it. Jacked it with aqua net hair spray, and back-coming it!

As far as Dominican salon's, their way of doing hair is similar to the Ethiopian minimal product, roller-setting/ and flat-ironing method whcih is what I'm familiar with, but who needs the snide attitudes about hair type/colorism/superiority (and the unrelaxed/"kinky" fee)

I've found that I don't have the patience for going to Black salons. I love my folks but damn if I want to wait forever to get in the chair when I had an appointment! Anyway, 2002 I started going to Aveda salons. The first stylist was a sister with locs @ N'seya in Atlanta who gave me highlights and maintained it for me. It was the ONLY positive experience I had at a Black salon, they were extremely professional and timely (I don't know if they still exist). Then I moved to a smaller town in Georgia and a Puerto Rican chick styled my hair at Aveda, then she left. I loved, loved, loved her precision cuts. Then I went to a Vietnamese stylist still at Aveda for about 3 years who ONLY did natural Black hair (twist sets, roller sets... all that). Go figure. I miss Jennifer.

The whole black salon experience is a big part of the reason I finally went natural. Black salons are expensive as heck and unprofessional. Who wants to spend the entire Saturday sitting up in there?! Not I!

kels99 wrote:The whole black salon experience is a big part of the reason I finally went natural. Black salons are expensive as heck and unprofessional. Who wants to spend the entire Saturday sitting up in there?! Not I!

Tell me about it! I was spending every Friday evening after work in the salon until about 8:00PM. Gossip, smoking, eating, not a calm & soothing environment, the same riff-raffs every week, month and year - since I was in my pre-teens. It was entertaining for a minute, but it got old after a while. I went to the same shop for 14 years.

It was a pretty old-school salon where most of the people were over 40 and my hair dresser was in her mid 50s so that was a plus, but the same crap went on. I was soooo glad to finally have my Fridays!

CarlaAR wrote:

kels99 wrote:The whole black salon experience is a big part of the reason I finally went natural. Black salons are expensive as heck and unprofessional. Who wants to spend the entire Saturday sitting up in there?! Not I!

Tell me about it! I was spending every Friday evening after work in the salon until about 8:00PM. Gossip, smoking, eating, not a calm & soothing environment, the same riff-raffs every week, month and year - since I was in my pre-teens. It was entertaining for a minute, but it got old after a while. I went to the same shop for 14 years.

It was a pretty old-school salon where most of the people were over 40 and my hair dresser was in her mid 50s so that was a plus, but the same crap went on. I was soooo glad to finally have my Fridays!

When I think about all the money I've spent in black salons, from the money for the perms to the $10 dinners some old lady used to sell up in there, it makes me sooo upset!

I mean, when you add it all up, it's a couple of really nice vacations! I've never been to Paris. I could have gone 3 times over by now had I not spend my teens and young adulthood in salons every other week.

I know! I don't even want to THINK about the numbers!

lol Thank you @Ebonediva I'm going to have to call up Nimat, and schedule an appt, thanks for the info!!! I just find now that I'm older I don't have patience for the non sense that goes on in the black salons I've gone too and I'm SO glad its not just me lol!!

Isis wrote:lol Thank you @Ebonediva I'm going to have to call up Nimat, and schedule an appt, thanks for the info!!! I just find now that I'm older I don't have patience for the non sense that goes on in the black salons I've gone too and I'm SO glad its not just me lol!!

I went this morning. Let me know how everything works out for you.

J.S.M. wrote:Of course I have. Every black salon I have went to has been COMPLETELY unprofessional, and the environments often make me question the authenticity of the stylists' cosmetology degrees. I only go to white salons now. I never even think of going to black salons anymore. I mean, if I'm paying you all of this money, then I want my hair to look like how I asked you to make it and I want you to act professionally. I am a customer. You are a businessperson. Recognize that relationship, and treat it as such. Honestly, I see no reason to support black salons (or even other black businesses) simply because the owner(s) and I are both black. If you're a business, then you will get my money only if I'm satisfied with your good and/or service, no ifs, ands, or buts.

This. I just can't support businesses based on skin color anymore. My money is too tight for me to not get good service.