Welcome to LHCF, Fierce Diva (I like ure name, btw)
Ive been going to the same Dominican Salon almost 7 years now............. and my hair is
way healthier. But this has very little to do with the salon. It has everything to do with LHCF though.
The first few years going to the Dominicans (before i discovered LHCF) my hair was thinner, dryer, brittle, and i had frequent split ends. This is because i let them blow my hair out every week that i went in to get it washed. I didnt know any better. And I'd say that 85% of the clients who frequent my salon opt for a blowout.
After i discovered LHCF, i learned to stretch my relaxers, minimize combing, DC weekly, wear protective styles, take supplements, moisturize, and most importantly eliminate direct heat (I now only get the roots blown out, rather than the full length). In other words: I learned how to "retain" my length..... this is something that i was totally clueless about in the past.
So to answer your question............. yes, over the course of going to a Dominican Salon, my hair has gotten progressively more healthy. But i attribute this to the fact that my OWN personal hair practices changed after i discovered this forum, rather than anything the Dominican stylists are doing.
My Pro's And Con's Of Dominican Salons:
PROS:
-many of the products used are natural based and organic (ie, garlic, avocado, coconut, olive oil, etc.)
-you're in and out within two hours (because whoever is available first will wash you, set, or blow you out... no waiting all day long like at a black salon)
-they dont really hassle you about trimming if you dont want to (many of them speak such limited English, so conversation is pretty minimal while you're in the chair)
-you control what happens to your hair (and, unlike many black stylists, they rarely argue with you about your requests and/or special instructions)
-lots of conditioner used when wet combing/detangling (most of them are pretty good at detangling long, wet hair, and do so relatively gently and efficiently)
-relatively inexpensive, depending on where you live (most rollersets will cost you between $15-$20.... in the Tri-State area anyway)
CONS:
-frequent use of direct heat via blow outs (they seem to encourage this, and when you see all of the customers before you walking out with their lovely, silky hair bouncing from a blowout, it's easy to get seduced into it)
-impatient styling natural hair (they try to encourage you to relax it if you're natural or stretching. They sometimes charge ridiculously high prices to roller set/blow out naturals)
-because they try to get folks in and out so quickly, they sometimes rush through your deep conditioning time (so you have to speak up, and insist on the full 20-25 minutes if that is what you want)
-unlike a (good) black salon, the stylists dont usually ask you questions or talk to you about hair care/overall good hair practices. The idea here it to pretty much get you in and out of their chair. While you leave the salon looking wonderful, there is no "relationship" built between client/stylist, and they arent as concerned about the health of your hair like a stylist would who you've been seeing regularly at another salon.
*I'll come back with more Pros/Cons if i think of any*
HTH!!!!!