Black salons closing due to changing trends

[Maracujá]

Black Salons Closing Due to Changing Trends - Essence.com

What y'all think?

 

[Pompous Blue]

Haven't read the article......why are they using Afroveda's pic?

 

[Bun Mistress]

I would hope that it woul[d encourage stylist to learn to take care of naturla hair to keep their clients. However I know that not to be the case. I stopped going to one stylist (I had been seeing her since I started my transition) after she told me I was too tenderedheaded and needed to go ahead and get a perm.

I have been to a white salon to have my BKT done and they didn't really know what they were doing with my 4B hair. If I choose to go to another stylist again there is sa nice lady from the islands that does natural hair from her kitchen. I'll go to her.

 

[Maracujá]

My opinion is that they should just learn how to take care of our natural hair, all the hair types.

 

[Myjourney2009]

Haven't read the article......why are they using Afroveda's pic?

That made be a stock photo, which is available for anyone to use once they pay for it (or something like that)

 

[hannan]

They wouldn't have anything to worry about if they just learned to take care of natural hair properly instead of just trying to jack it up like they usually do.

 

[brownstallion]

I can definitely see this happening. From my own experience many of the stylist that I went to, did not really talk of or do natural hair. When I informed my old stylist that I was going natural she wasn't so happy and stated " your going to cut off all of my hard work"? She was one the best stylist I had but I always kept my hair long. It's been 14 months and I went from reaching waist length to a blunt cut just past my collar bone. I loved my relaxed hair but realized I do not need a relaxer to wear my hair straight. In fact my hair looks thicker and still gets pin straight without a relaxer. It really is a shame that many natural women may opt for a white stylist but as of right now my stylist is white, more so b/c I live in Germany and there are not any salons that do black hair. I love the way she cuts my hair and I plan to let her do my final big chop soon! Hopefully more black salons will cater to women who are natural and prefer relaxers.

 

[Carisa]

My opinion is that they should just learn how to take care of our natural hair, all the hair types.

They should already know how to take care of all different textures by the time they get outta school. Many are reluctant to care for natural hair because it may not be as easy for them to manage and they think they will have to do more work. Im not natural but ive always had beauticians comment on how thick my hair is and when commenting they made it sound like they were going to have to do alot of work to tame it. Also I dont think salons will be closing anytime soon in my area- most of my friends still go to the salon regularly and when I go its always packed.

 

[chrisanddonniesmommy]

Maybe if they geared themselves up with some professionalism and expertise, they'd thrive. But, that's just me.

 

[WAVES4DAYS]

They better roll with the flow!!!

 

[cia_garces]

Maybe if they geared themselves up with some professionalism and expertise, they'd thrive. But, that's just me.

Amen, amen

 

[MsBoinglicious]

I haven't been to a Black Salon since '05 or '06. I will never go to one again unless they change!

-They need to stop being slow! You come in at 7am and leave at 7pm. I don't spend that much time at my job!
-They need to stop eating all over the clients head! Who eats around hair anyways...Nasty much!
-The clients have to stop having drama with other clients wanting to fight!
-The stylist have to stop bringing their baby daddy drama to work!
-They need to stop with the "somebody stole my clients from me" drama! Upgrade your skills ma!
-They need to stop talking on the phone while curling, flat-ironing or relaxing people's hair!
-They need to stop asking their clients to do ish for them like, "Yeah I know you are MY client and you are PAYING ME to provide a service for YOU, but while you waiting for your turn to get under the dryer... can you run next door to the lickka store and get me a pop".
-They just need to be professional!

Maybe this will be a wakeup call for them!

 

[Solitude]

Haven't read the article......why are they using Afroveda's pic?

probably a stock photo.

lmao at this quote from the article....

"You are erasing culture... history... and a way African-Americans have socialized with each other for decades," said Charles Gallagher, a white Sociology Professor at La Salle University. "[At White salons] you don't learn about culture, gender, or politics of the community."

Read more: Black Salons Closing Due to Changing Trends - Essence.com

Who the heck is learning about gender, culture, or politics at the salon?

On a serious note, I do know some AA stylists who focus on healthy hair, but they also think healthy hair equals short hair, so they were constantly cutting me back to shoulder-length or shorter. I haven't been back to a "regular" AA salon since I stepped foot in a Dominican salon and I've only been to one of those once in the last 2 years. I don't feel one bit guilty about it. My pockets are happy and so is my hair.

I think the problem is the recession more than changing hair trends, but who knows? Most of my friends who are natural still get their hair done at a salon, just a natural hair one. My friends who were DIYers as relaxed heads are still DIYers.

 

[hairedity]

I believe the natural lifestyle is part of it, but for me the biggest reason for not going to black salons on a regular (anymore) is due to their lack of time management skills, lack of customer service and then the high prices they expect you to pay after wasting half your day there with no type of apology or concern for your time!!!

If black salons would respect time, I most certainly would look forward to salon visits once again.

 

[Solitude]

I haven't been to a Black Salon since '05 or '06. I will never go to one again unless they change!

-They need to stop being slow! You come in at 7am and leave at 7pm. I don't spend that much time at my job!
-They need to stop eating all over the clients head! Who eats around hair anyways...Nasty much!
-The clients have to stop having drama with other clients wanting to fight!
-The stylist have to stop bringing their baby daddy drama to work!
-They need to stop with the "somebody stole my clients from me" drama! Upgrade your skills ma!
-They need to stop talking on the phone while curling, flat-ironing or relaxing people's hair!
-They need to stop asking their clients to do ish for them like, "Yeah I know you are MY client and you are PAYING ME to provide a service for YOU, but while you waiting for your turn to get under the dryer... can you run next door to the lickka store and get me a pop".
-They just need to be professional!

Maybe this will be a wakeup call for them!

The bolded annoys the heck out of me!!!! My son's barber used to do this...among other reasons, I switched to a new barber after four years. Today my son needs a haircut, and the new barber hasn't returned my call all day....

.....but then I'm supposed to feel bad for going to one of the Asian salons here in Houston who cut my son's hair for $4 in 5 minutes.

 

[petiteNunique]

I think one of the reasons why black salons are losing business is because more and more people are choosing to do their own hair. For two years, i had been searching for a stylist who would take care of my natural 4B hair. I found that many people either a) did not want to deep condition my hair and b) were rough with it when blowdrying. Many of them would often towel dry my hair roughly. I said enough was enough. I bought my cortex flat iron from TJ Max and use my redken products and my hair turn out just as good, if not better than when i was going to the salon. Also, I take better care of my hair than anyone else will. You will not find me in the salon for a while.

 

[CarefreeinChicago]

How about they not charge extra for natural hair!! And the yt girl that does my bkt bless her heart she had no idea that curly short hair was going to blow out so long lol.

 

[nikolite]

I think one of the reasons why black salons are losing business is because more and more people are choosing to do their own hair. For two years, i had been searching for a stylist who would take care of my natural 4B hair. I found that many people either a) did not want to deep condition my hair and b) were rough with it when blowdrying. Many of them would often towel dry my hair roughly. I said enough was enough. I bought my cortex flat iron from TJ Max and use my redken products and my hair turn out just as good, if not better than when i was going to the salon. Also, I take better care of my hair than anyone else will. You will not find me in the salon for a while.

Right. That article makes me smile.

I haven't been to a salon since 2004, and have no intentions of going back because there aren't any that can take care of my natural hair better than me. I learned how to do my own styles and maintenance, as have most naturals, and its on them if they'd rather go out of business than learn to adjust with the market. Many of us don't care about silky, long fake hair anymore, we care about hair HEALTH and we now understand that black women can get there with good hair practices. Even for relaxed women, salons could do a better job of advocating stretching, being more delicate with processed hair, etc.

But this article also tells us that there are clearly big opportunities lying right there in the natural hair market. Let a natural hair entrepreneur open a new natural salon that actually uses the principles of LHCF and Nappturality and they would make an instant killing! I might start thinking about a business plan myself...

 

[frida1980]

Well, newspapers and magazines are going out of business, so it was only a matter of time that salons got hit.

Trends are widespread and people are learning to take care of their hair without all the lies and half-truths from their salons, friends, and relatives. A lot of us here have learned to take care of our own hair using this site and youtube videos. So what happens when you don't need a salon to do a rod set? What happens when you know the shampoo and conditioners contain products you don't want on your hair? What happens when the only thing you really need is for someone to trim your ends or relax your new growth. Oh, well...

As for culture. That's in the barber shop. The black salon is for gossip only. I can't think of a substancial conversation I had in one.

If they want to start making more business, they need to change their own things. Just like salons had to learn to do relaxers instead of press n' curls, they now should start learning about natural hair and the many beautiful styles they can create. I know I don't have the dexterity to do many of these styles, so I would gladly pay someone else to do it for me for a while. However, the idiots that did my hair have no idea how to manage long natural hair either.

Further more they can make a business out of GROWING long hair instead of contributing to the damaging products and services that keep our hair short and ugly. Imagine it: "Long Hair Salons" comitted to getting get your black hair as long, strong, and healthy.

 

[Keen]

They should already know how to take care of all different textures by the time they get outta school. Many are reluctant to care for natural hair because it may not be as easy for them to manage and they think they will have to do more work. Im not natural but ive always had beauticians comment on how thick my hair is and when commenting they made it sound like they were going to have to do alot of work to tame it. Also I dont think salons will be closing anytime soon in my area- most of my friends still go to the salon regularly and when I go its always packed.

Nope. They don't teach you that in beauty school. You have to learn that through your own interest.

 

[Tiye]

I think this story is based on internet buzz and designed to get a lot of internet traffic but not necessarily based on stats that would back it up in real time. It's kind of like "are relaxed heads" the new minority thread. You might think so if all you look at is internet hair care boards and blogs but that's not exactly what's going on in most areas of the US. Most people I know still go to salons - black salons. Outside of a few major metro areas, most non-black salons aren't so diverse minded that black people can walk into them looking for service.

 

[prettybyrd]

I'm not a salon goer much anymore, but I also don't really see African American salons going the way of the dinosaur anytime soon. I know plenty of women who don't know how to manage their hair and still, despite the downturn in the economy, and all their complaints about their stylists, drop $60+ every other week to get it done.

 

[Kurlee]

Well, maybe this will motivate them to do something besides be scissor happy and relax. They should know how to care for natural hair. Period.

 

[NaturalJai]

All of the prior posts have point out why I choose to stop going to AA salons, it was NOT just about going natural. However, I did find that most stylists did not desire or even attempt to learn how to CARE for natural hair. They either wanted you to relax it or get a texturizer, they never had any options on how to care for the hair, especially in my area. I had to learn to care for my hair the BEST I could b/c there were no stylists that were willing. Unfortunately, AA stylists have a long way to go, they want to charge you an arm and a leg for their services and they are using products out of the BSS that I could pick up on my own, they never want to invest in good products. So I do not visit AA salons!!! Thankfully, I have a good friend who is a licensed stylist but she does not work in a shop. She braids/weaves/twists my hair for me at her home with my products for little of nothing!! And I LOVE her b/c she listens to what I say is going on with my hair and we make adjustements accordingly. I would NEVER have gotten that response in a AA Salon!!

 

[TwistNMx]

I haven't been to a Black Salon since '05 or '06. I will never go to one again unless they change!

-They need to stop being slow! You come in at 7am and leave at 7pm. I don't spend that much time at my job!
-They need to stop eating all over the clients head! Who eats around hair anyways...Nasty much!
-The clients have to stop having drama with other clients wanting to fight!
-The stylist have to stop bringing their baby daddy drama to work!
-They need to stop with the "somebody stole my clients from me" drama! Upgrade your skills ma!
-They need to stop talking on the phone while curling, flat-ironing or relaxing people's hair!
-They need to stop asking their clients to do ish for them like, "Yeah I know you are MY client and you are PAYING ME to provide a service for YOU, but while you waiting for your turn to get under the dryer... can you run next door to the lickka store and get me a pop".
-They just need to be professional!

Maybe this will be a wakeup call for them!

I can't tell you how many times I've been burned literally and physically. I haven't been...nor will I ever again go to a salon black or white!!!
I'm glad I take responsibility for my own hair.
They just need to STOP!

 

[TwistNMx]

Oh, and I agree with everything you said boingboing...along with eating food while doing clients hair. Oh yes!

 

[lovelexi]

It's sad to see a decline in black business but what some black salons need to do is find better ways to manage their business. Stay ahead of the game. If they notice natural hair is a trend then start catering to natural hair more. I mean the recession hit a lot of places hard but I just feel that black salons are very limiting and over priced.

 

[frida1980]

I remember when I finally took out my micros some years back. My edges were trash, so I went to a guy my mom knew to keep them braided so they could catch up. He kept telling me to get a relaxer. I told him from the first time I saw him, I was NOT getting a relaxer because I was going back to Mexico for six months and I couldn't take care relaxed hair there. He kept right on moaning about it. Once when someone in his shop noted how pretty my hair was, he went on to say " and just think if it had a relaxer...."

That was the last time I saw him. His single-mindedness and insensitivity was annoying.

But that's how all my stylist really were. "Should should get a relaxer..." Nearly all of them said this. It was a mind set that all black women should relax their hair. My hair was always healthier than theirs. That was until I caved and did what they suggested. Thanks to sites like this one, I no longer have to put out their peer pressure and harassment. They really don't know how to deal with black hair or make it long or healthy. Instead they specialize in making these big ornate styles that involve a lot of weave, gel, and heat that black women get every few weeks to feel pretty. God knows how many suggest that women relax every two weeks to get their edges under control.

I'm just hoping it's these stylist that are losing their jobs. Hair care isn't a hobby were you abuse someone's care like your childhood barbie doll. It's about keeping it healthy and long.

 

[My Friend]

I've seen white stylist do most of the unprofessional things listed in this thread too it's not BLACK STYLISTS it's unprofessional stylist

Hair schools that are in all black neighborhoods have 0 to none white clients, therefore, that student never gets to practice on other textures of hair. Students that attend a more diverse school still often only get to do black hair because black clients tend to request only black students

The article only mentioned white stylists doing blow dry/ round brush styles...that still requires that the client have a relaxer or type 3 hair. I know of white and Asian stylist that shampoo and blow dry with the round brush for 40 to 50 dollars. Your normally in and out in 30 minutes.

The white or Asian stylists is not practicing healthy hair care.....its a round brush and 80 to 100 per hour

 

[Lucia]

They have no consideration for what the client wants or what the client needs or asks for, they always want to do it their way. And the unprofessionalism is way passed unacceptable it's down right abusive.

If you call yourself a black salon, you should be able to style black hair in every from relaxed AND esp natural. I mean shouldn't they be ashamed that one of the best known salons for curly, kinky natural hair-care including natural cutting is Devachon owned by Lorraine Massey and she's not black.