Is our hair that different. (Hair salon discrimination spin off)

[CatSuga]

Ok, when I mean our I'm talking about natural and relaxed hair.

We were discussing the situation of the black ladies that are suing hair salons based on being charged more because they are black.

I work with a black hair stylist and she says that the salon is justifed because it takes more time and products to do relaxed and natural hair. She says that people (white and all others) that have naturally straight hair don't require as much conditioning, styling, and drying time (being that all you have to do is hit it with the handheld blow drier for 10min). Where as with relaxed hair you have do use more expensive conditioners & other treatments and it takes longer to dry.


I know that JCPenny's salon charges more for people with relaxed hair and longer hair. Last I checked they didn't even bother with natural hair. If you have naturally straight hair a wash and set is only $12 where as if you are relaxed they charge $25.
Now, for all those that thinks this ain't fair....I have a white friend with very thick curly waist length hair and she has to pay extra for services also. Also they have a steady flow of Hispanic women and some of them have to pay extra because they have longer thicker hair.

From the explantion I recieved it does appear fair: the more time and products you have to use the more you have to charge.

 

[California]

Everything CatSuga said!

 

[Shatani]

if we paid for time (like hourly wages) rather than a treatment, we would be paying more....it just makes sense....and this is why i do my own hair.

 

[brittanynic16]

I work in a salon, and I commented on the last thread. I think it is fair. I know some woman (White, Black...whatever) come in and require more time for their hair and are charge more. I also know Black women both natural and relaxed who come in and don't need extra time and they are charged regular price. I think it should depend on the time spent or required to achieve a service or style but not necessarily on the hair type or texture.

 

[miracle]

*Copying my "Off Topic" post.....*

I can remember my mother having to pay more to get my hair washed and blow-dried because of the length. (I had waist length hair at the time). This, to me, makes sense because of the extra time that it takes to thoroughly shampoo, detangle, condition and style long, curly and/or super thick hair. I would rather pay more money due to length/thickness of my hair to have it done correctly than to pay the "standard" fee and have someone rush through my hair, ripping strands out along the way. If that means taking more time and using more product which will cost me more money, so be it. And I would rather have a stylist be upfront with me about their experience, or lack thereof, with African American hair than to try and "fake the funk" and leave my head all tore up. It won't offend me to make an appointment in another salon. What will offend me is having to make a "corrective" appointment in another salon to fix a mistake that could have been avoided. Or having to wear a wig for six or more months because "Becky" left my butt bald-headed.

Also, my stylist used to work at Hair Cuttery and in getting my hair done there, I noticed that a lot of Caucasians (male & female), get their hair washed & cut and walk out with wet hair. Some could be in and out in all of 20 minutes or less. Never did I see an African American customer do that whether they had a relaxer or not. So, it definitely takes more time for AA's (or any customer with long, thick/and or curly hair) to get their hair styled properly. And I agree, time is money.

 

[Sweet_Ambrosia]

From the explantion I recieved it does appear fair: the more time and products you have to use the more you have to charge.

It makes sense, salons have been doing this for years.

 

[CatSuga]

I noticed that a lot of Caucasians (male & female), get their hair washed & cut and walk out with wet hair. Some could be in and out in all of 20 minutes or less. Never did I see an African American customer do that whether they had a relaxer or not.

Right on point.

 

[Tanelions]

*Copying my "Off Topic" post.....*

I can remember my mother having to pay more to get my hair washed and blow-dried because of the length. (I had waist length hair at the time). This, to me, makes sense because of the extra time that it takes to thoroughly shampoo, detangle, condition and style long, curly and/or super thick hair. I would rather pay more money due to length/thickness of my hair to have it done correctly than to pay the "standard" fee and have someone rush through my hair, ripping strands out along the way. If that means taking more time and using more product which will cost me more money, so be it. And I would rather have a stylist be upfront with me about their experience, or lack thereof, with African American hair than to try and "fake the funk" and leave my head all tore up. It won't offend me to make an appointment in another salon. What will offend me is having to make a "corrective" appointment in another salon to fix a mistake that could have been avoided. Or having to wear a wig for six or more months because "Becky" left my butt bald-headed.

Also, my stylist used to work at Hair Cuttery and in getting my hair done there, I noticed that a lot of Caucasians (male & female), get their hair washed & cut and walk out with wet hair. Some could be in and out in all of 20 minutes or less. Never did I see an African American customer do that whether they had a relaxer or not. So, it definitely takes more time for AA's (or any customer with long, thick/and or curly hair) to get their hair styled properly. And I agree, time is money.

You are on point with your comment Miracle.
-My hair does require more time. (No your not gonna rush and rip through my hair, hell I dont even do that.
-And sometimes my hair does require more product. ( I hate it when a beautician skims on certain products, like conditioner. Dime or Quarter size, yeh right.)
-And no I'm not going to walk out with a wet head. (what was the reason for coming to the salon )

 

[jasmin]

I use to get my hair relaxed, washed and then I was out. I got tired of the styles and hot curling so I would pay less. Then I stopped going altogether.

 

[qtgirl]

Then they need to make a distinction based on time explicitly and not have the standard price chart up. I mean if I go into an AA or Dom. salon and they have a price chart up, that is what I expect to pay, a lot of times at the bottom they'll say long hair extra well that's what they need to say. On the Hair Cuttery Website under blowdry/style this is what they have listed:
Shampoo, Cut, Blowdry or Basic Roller Set
Styling for Children 8 and Under
Shampoo, Blowdry or Basic Roller Set
Shampoo, Cut, Blowdry Straightening
Curling Iron

So all those things should have the same price whether you're white, black, or purple.

 

[Queenie]

I work in a salon, and I commented on the last thread. I think it is fair. I know some woman (White, Black...whatever) come in and require more time for their hair and are charge more. I also know Black women both natural and relaxed who come in and don't need extra time and they are charged regular price. I think it should depend on the time spent or required to achieve a service or style but not necessarily on the hair type or texture.

I agree.

 

[kizzylonghair]

I dont agree, but I think thats just how it is ladies :shrug: Its always been more expensive since I can remember.

I dont know about the US but in mine and some UK Salons. You even get charged for how you dry your hair.

Wrap & Rollerset & Blowdry had different prices.

Can you believe its MORE expensive to have the healthier option, of a wrap or rollerset. But its cheaper for them to fry and dry your hair to death with Blowdry.

No wonder we having Hair problems

 

[jainygirl]

The expensive product excuse they threw out there is just straight bullsh%t. I use the cheapest products known to man in my hair. 69 and 99 cent bottles of conditioner and my hair has never been better. To me they just want to make that easy money. That and they never take the time to learn anything about black people unless it has to do with slang, clothes or music-- so why should our hair be any different. But i'ma throw them a bone on this one because honestly most black people dont know how to properly take care of their own natural or relaxed hair so why should we really put higher expectations on other people??

Charging too much is charging too much. And THAT is wrong. The barber charges what like 12 bucks?? And he's doing 'black' hair all day. Also I understand what they are saying about having to do additional stuff to relaxed hair after cutting it to get it back to looking like it did when the person came into the shop but they arent even being reasonable with the prices. They seem to be straight up price gauging. -- jainygirl

 

[Miz_Complexity]

The hair shop that I go to charge by the length of your hair. I bring my own products to the salon, I don't like to many different products to be used. I stick with the product lines that I have.

 

[lsubabiedee]

I think it should depend on the time spent or required to achieve a service or style but not necessarily on the hair type or texture.

exactly...and what's the norm length or time spent? I don't have thick or long hair and if i ever go to a salon, i expect to pay something close to the price listed b/c i never get any styling done at a salon...and the few times i've been to a nonBlack salon, i have never paid more than the price listed

 

[kinkypride4b]

I know that JCPenny's salon charges more for people with relaxed hair and longer hair. Last I checked they didn't even bother with natural hair. If you have naturally straight hair a wash and set is only $12 where as if you are relaxed they charge $25.
Now, for all those that thinks this ain't fair.....

I don't agree with the above quoted point. Many ladies have no problem paying extra when receiving conditioning treatments. For regular wash and sets, there is no need to as its just a wash and set.

Obviously, if I'm going to a salon for a wash and set, the salon will use professional salon products just because. My standard shampoo would work equally as well for me. They have calculated the price based on using that teenie weenie shampoo for me. I could have taken my own bottle and just paid for a set. How long does it take them to roller set the hair? No time! after all they are the experts. I don't appreciate being charged more because I have RELAXED hair. Its not like I'm having them apply a relaxer to my hair again. I paid $65 for that necessity before!

As many of us know, washing our relaxed hair takes no more than using our standard products (for me CON or Keracare) and pooing once. I guess we pay for the luxury of being in a salon atmosphere, the electricity and water used to provide us with the service. There is no excuse for the so-called justifiable RELAXED hair price difference.

 

[mscounselor]

I answered yes because its been listed at all the salons I've been too. At JC Penney I had to pay more because I like to use a conditioner after I wash. (imagine that )
But when I go to Jamaica, I am paying for the product alone. I got a wash and set for 10 US dollars. My mom brought her own relaxer and she paid 14 US dollars for that and she got deep conditioned and the whole shebang. We are not only paying for product; we are paying for electricity, booth rental, stylist time, etc. I guess thats why I am not upset that I do my own hair. I've saved $210 so far and my shampoos only cost me about $20 due to some PJism.

 

[hOnii]

I work in a salon, and I commented on the last thread. I think it is fair. I know some woman (White, Black...whatever) come in and require more time for their hair and are charge more. I also know Black women both natural and relaxed who come in and don't need extra time and they are charged regular price. I think it should depend on the time spent or required to achieve a service or style but not necessarily on the hair type or texture.

i agree! i used to work in a salon and thats how it went. those with long hair were charged like $10 more. It takes longer to highlight, longer to section, longer to dry, longer to manage. And it was mostle white people that they did that to. A lot of white stylists dont know how to handle black hair, so you will find that sometimes they will just say that they dont do it, because they are being honest! Stylists can get scared too... they dont want to mess somebody up. i think if it wasnt for my mannequinn i'd be a little uneasy about doing another hair texture from my own, because i wouldnt know what to expect.

 

[Lucia]

I agree, even @ a black/dominican salon I get charged more when my hair is super thick and it really takes some effort on their part to make it look professional, I just do my hair at home now saves time/money and my having to hear that next time you need to relax speech.

 

[hairmaster]

I Do a client consultation and tell the client what I would do and how much it would cost, Long hair and damaged hair need more time. The client has to trust the stylist.

 

[Amarech]

This first part of my comment will probably go way left field to some but I just had to take it there. When I saw the title it made my blood almost boil.

Personally, I feel that when it comes to the whole racism/black discrimination deal, we as black folks need to get off it. For years we have been so conditioned to expect racism that our radar picks it up when it aint even there. We cry racism or discrimination without really thinking about it first. Today's form of racism is rarely blatant like it was back in the day. It's gone underground and is not clearly seen if you don't take the time to look.


Having said that, this whole hair salon thing is totally understandable. I remember when I heard the whole deal about women getting charged more than men for a simple hair cut and style. There was this whole uproar about womens rights and fairness for women. The same with women getting paid more than men. Its all relative.

After all the back lash, salons themselves spoke up and gave a reason which is very obvious. Longer hair requires more effort to clean and style. More effort = more time = more money. It kills me when people refuse to make this simple connection.

I would be surprised if a salon did not make a distinction or recognize its limitations. On one hand we black women with relaxed or natural hair should be able to go anywhere and get our hair done. On the other hand, lets be realistic. How many Supercuts, BoRics,whatever are interested or even able to cater to us?

we will never be satisfied. I bet we would cry racism if they had a sign saying

"Black hair done here".....

 

[imstush]

some dominican shops charge me extra, because of length and when i was natural they charged more because of the blow drying

 

[junipertree]

I don't really think that you are paying extra for the products (unless it's a deep conditioner). I once was charged extra for a deep conditioner that I brought in myself because the stylist said "you had to sit under the dryer" so I guess they do count the cost for electricity, too. I do think it is fair to charge more for longer hair because of the extra time it takes but I thought ten minutes under the dryer was not justified in charging me for a deep conditioner when I brought in my own product. Needless to say I don't go to that salon anymore!

I bring my own shampoo and conditioner to the salon and they charge me the same as if I used theirs. I don't really mind it since it's still so cheap at the Dominican hair salons but I do feel like it is a bit unfair.

 

[atlantatiffany]

i think everyone should be charged according to time. there are plenty of white women who need just as much time as black women. but i know there are salons that charge more for black women just because of the texture and to me that isn't fair.

 

[lovechic]

i think everyone should be charged according to time. there are plenty of white women who need just as much time as black women. but i know there are salons that charge more for black women just because of the texture and to me that isn't fair.

I totally agree!

 

[imstush]

on another note....is this the same reason why natural hair salons charge an arm and leg and torso?

 

[JustKiya]

on another note....is this the same reason why natural hair salons charge an arm and leg and torso?

Yup. And the fact that they are a rare resource - they can charge more than the market would normally bear because they are a monopoly, most times....

 

[cmw45]

if we paid for time (like hourly wages) rather than a treatment, we would be paying more....it just makes sense....and this is why i do my own hair.

OKAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[KweenBeeDiva]

If there is a set price posted in the salon, then no, unless it is mentioned somewhere at the bottom of the price list. If yuo go to a salon that doesn't have a set price, I feel it's fair game for them to charge what they want for products/time/labor/ difficulty of style and the like.

I had an experience in the 6th grade when I got my hair permed for the 1st time. The chart on the wall said $45. This lady took a jar of Dudly perm and just went to work, and by the end, there was at the most one application of perm left( I later learned from another stylist that the jar had 6-10 uses in it, depending on if it was used for touch ups and/or virgin perming). She charged Mom $70.00, claiming that my hair needed the whole jar. My mother argued that there was a set price and no stipulations saying that extra charges would be applied. I wouldn't have paid it, but being that they've been friends since wayback, she paid it.

Now, if I go to someplace like Regis or Mastercuts, yeah, I now I'll pay more, cuz they charge by process (washing, flat iron, ect..) and the length of hair.

So is it fair: yes, BUT not always.

 

[anon123]

I work in a salon, and I commented on the last thread. I think it is fair. I know some woman (White, Black...whatever) come in and require more time for their hair and are charge more. I also know Black women both natural and relaxed who come in and don't need extra time and they are charged regular price. I think it should depend on the time spent or required to achieve a service or style but not necessarily on the hair type or texture.

Of course! Do we need yet another "black tax"?