Black / African Hair Tips

[laboheme]

I was in Paris on vacation in April and my hair was a wreck and long overdue for a relaxer when I left so I decided to get it done while I was there. I set up an appointment with a black-owned shop (former Golden Scissors award winner) on the Champs-Elysses but I cancelled it because I think it was 70 euros for a wash and blowdry aka $120 USD! and I needed a relaxer also. I'm told it is a very nice upscale salon.

I had a Black Paris guidebook that had directed me to a Metro stop where all the black beauty supply shops are and hair salons (can't remember name while I am typing but can look at my travel journal notes). I was immediately bombarded with African men standing in front of the shops yelling something at me in French that I did not understand (being that I only speak English and a teeny bit of Spanish)...all I could make out was 'coiffure' or something like that. It was very intimidating. Then one guy finally figured out I didn't know the language and spoke to me in English and directed me into a shop. It was a beauty supply and a salon....pretty low end looking. The floor was covered in hair. I had to buy the relaxer kit (the same ones we buy at the grocery stores here in the US for about $7) first. I went to the back of the shop to the salon and tried my best with the guys assistance to explain what I wanted done. None of the stylists spoke English. They were all African ladies doing mainly weaves but also relaxers, styling etc. Well I probably should have just gone back to my hotel and dealt with my hair myself but I went ahead with it. I had like 4 different people doing my hair...basically whoever had a spare moment would stop by and pick up where the other person left off. It was a very different experience! And a scary one especially using a relaxer. Well one lady put it in my hair and was asking me to buy another kit. I often do my own relaxer at home and never need more than one kit so I refused. I later noticed that random girls would come in the shop and the stylists would use whatever leftover relaxer that was on the counters in their hair. Once it was in my hair she went to get something to eat and it was in my hair for quite a while longer than I am used to. I had no clue how to communicate so I was doing a lot of pointing (lol) and one finally asked if I wanted it washed out and I was like uh YES...they all kept telling me that I needed to leave it in longer. At this point I am wondering if I should make a beeline to the sink and wash it out myself before my hair falls out! I get excited because another woman comes and takes me to the sink so I am thinking yes finally. But she leaves also. Then random people come and start washing their dishes from lunch in the sink which has my head & hair laying back into it! Finally someone else comes and starts washing the relaxer out of my hair...I have no idea how long it was in now but it was well over 30 minutes. It wasnt really burning though. The someone else comes and blowdries me out...and I have to say she did a hell of a job...I've never had my hair blown out so straight before. Between the lengthy relaxer and the the blow dry technique my hair was the straightest it has ever been in my life. Not that that is what I wanted because I do not like my hair super straight...just relaxed enough to work with easily. I think some of it was that the texture of my hair was not as coarse as the Africans I saw in the shop and maybe the length of time they left it in was what they were used to for their hair texture. I think it was like 40 Euros for the relaxer and blowdry.

Anyhoo that was my experience getting my hair done in Paris. Lets just say next time I go..I will make the time to get my hair done beforehand or try the Champs-Elysses salon which was opened by a black American.

OMG!

 

[Aby]

I was in Paris on vacation in April and my hair was a wreck and long overdue for a relaxer when I left so I decided to get it done while I was there. I set up an appointment with a black-owned shop (former Golden Scissors award winner) on the Champs-Elysses but I cancelled it because I think it was 70 euros for a wash and blowdry aka $120 USD! and I needed a relaxer also. I'm told it is a very nice upscale salon.

I had a Black Paris guidebook that had directed me to a Metro stop where all the black beauty supply shops are and hair salons (can't remember name while I am typing but can look at my travel journal notes). I was immediately bombarded with African men standing in front of the shops yelling something at me in French that I did not understand (being that I only speak English and a teeny bit of Spanish)...all I could make out was 'coiffure' or something like that. It was very intimidating. Then one guy finally figured out I didn't know the language and spoke to me in English and directed me into a shop. It was a beauty supply and a salon....pretty low end looking. The floor was covered in hair. I had to buy the relaxer kit (the same ones we buy at the grocery stores here in the US for about $7) first. I went to the back of the shop to the salon and tried my best with the guys assistance to explain what I wanted done. None of the stylists spoke English. They were all African ladies doing mainly weaves but also relaxers, styling etc. Well I probably should have just gone back to my hotel and dealt with my hair myself but I went ahead with it. I had like 4 different people doing my hair...basically whoever had a spare moment would stop by and pick up where the other person left off. It was a very different experience! And a scary one especially using a relaxer. Well one lady put it in my hair and was asking me to buy another kit. I often do my own relaxer at home and never need more than one kit so I refused. I later noticed that random girls would come in the shop and the stylists would use whatever leftover relaxer that was on the counters in their hair. Once it was in my hair she went to get something to eat and it was in my hair for quite a while longer than I am used to. I had no clue how to communicate so I was doing a lot of pointing (lol) and one finally asked if I wanted it washed out and I was like uh YES...they all kept telling me that I needed to leave it in longer. At this point I am wondering if I should make a beeline to the sink and wash it out myself before my hair falls out! I get excited because another woman comes and takes me to the sink so I am thinking yes finally. But she leaves also. Then random people come and start washing their dishes from lunch in the sink which has my head & hair laying back into it! Finally someone else comes and starts washing the relaxer out of my hair...I have no idea how long it was in now but it was well over 30 minutes. It wasnt really burning though. The someone else comes and blowdries me out...and I have to say she did a hell of a job...I've never had my hair blown out so straight before. Between the lengthy relaxer and the the blow dry technique my hair was the straightest it has ever been in my life. Not that that is what I wanted because I do not like my hair super straight...just relaxed enough to work with easily. I think some of it was that the texture of my hair was not as coarse as the Africans I saw in the shop and maybe the length of time they left it in was what they were used to for their hair texture. I think it was like 40 Euros for the relaxer and blowdry.

Anyhoo that was my experience getting my hair done in Paris. Lets just say next time I go..I will make the time to get my hair done beforehand or try the Champs-Elysses salon which was opened by a black American.

The place where you got your hair done is Strasbourg-Saint denis / Chateau d'eau and yes, it can be frightening when you get out to be surrounded by all these men, hollering at you about coiffure, tresses, and so on but it's their job and they get paid by the number of client they bring back at the salon.

Like I was saying, it's the cheap side of Black hair care in Paris and in the end you were "lucky" because lots of salons, which often aren't legit, employ people who are supposedly hairdressers but who don't really have qualifications to deal with hair.

On the other side, the "luxury" salons aren't always better. They put their award and fame in your face, and because the location is so upscale you have to pay a steep price.

And yet paying that price, you can feel/meet a hostile reception, rude service, the hairdresser won't tell you what she/he's putting in your hair and so on.

 

[cyberfruit]

but I cancelled it because I think it was 70 euros for a wash and blowdry aka $120 USD! and I needed a relaxer also.

I pay about that much for a wash and blowdry/straightening but my hair isn't relaxed or anything.

 

[lesypersound]

:/ i pay about 40-45$ w/ natural hair when it was half way down my back. i wouldn't pay more tbh. i'd only go over 55$ for a layering/complicated haircut or twists atm.

 

[cyberfruit]

But, that's the quote I'm always given. Anytime I want a wash + blowdry/straightening I get a quote of about $100. I have extremely thick 3B/C hair and it goes mid ways down my back. I don't even go to a high end salon, just a salon in my area that's run by an AA lady (she's the only person I've been able to find on my side of town that will touch my hair with confidence). Am I really paying too much?

 

[Sugarmama]

Hmm...I only pay $30, but my hair is to my shoulders.

 

[gia0202]

that is soo weird. in nyc, yu can go toa regular salon--you don;t have to go to a "black" saoln. IN fact, i abhor almost every black salon I have ever been to. Most are subpar, cheapy establishments.

all the good stylists who are black or any color work in multicutlrual settings.

 

[Aby]

^I wish it was more like that in France.

Here when you enter a "normal" salon, the hairdressers get all nervous even if your hair is relaxed...

I think most would have a panic attack if they had to deal with natural hair, unfortunately Black hairdressers aren't helpful either.

 

[gia0202]

that is soo ridiculous! especially considering the large african population.

the rule in the states is this. if it can be styled with a flat iron/blowdryer, then any slaon can do. on saturday, a japanese woman fixedmy hair jsut fine. great hair cut.

 

[lesypersound]

that is soo weird. in nyc, yu can go toa regular salon--you don;t have to go to a "black" saoln. IN fact, i abhor almost every black salon I have ever been to. Most are subpar, cheapy establishments.

all the good stylists who are black or any color work in multicutlrual settings.

environment is overrated. tbh if i trusted the person i wouldn't mind sitting in someone's kitchen to get my hair done for < 30$.

in the US i prefer going to black women owned establishments because who else will? money for dealing with black hair should stay in the black community when it can...imo.


"the rule in the states is this. if it can be styled with a flat iron/blowdryer, then any slaon can do."

no, this is not acceptable to me. i go to black salons whether or not the stylists are black or not doesn't ultimately matter. but i've gone to white salons or "multicultural" salons and more times than not...some areas where they lack from experience:
-- ceramic flat irons v. traditional metal irons: metal irons work best to silken black hair in my experience. i don't want to pay to do something i can do w/ my ceramic iron at home.
-- blowing out black hair by ppl not used to black hair: they're too gentle and are overly-concerned about hurting me...these things make for a slooooow, annoying, and subpar blowout.

...and i hate leaving a salon with my roots looking all puffy and messed up. really i can get the same result on my own given the same amount of time! i go to the salon for an excellent blow out with a silkening iron finish.

 

[gia0202]

metal irons are pretty damaging for the hair. also--- a good stylist can blowout/cut/style all kinds of hair well.
the one thing i like about my japanese stylist is that my hair is never crispy when i leave, always go back to its natural hair texture.

latin (brazilian/puertorican/domincan) stylists are beloved for doing what most nice salons will do all over nyc. except the nice salons use good products and topnotch tools as well.

I just think you get what you pay for.

 

[Aby]

I tried once or twice going to a "regular" salon in Paris and I could have achieved a better result by doing it myself so I stopped trying...

The salon I go to has multicultural hairdressers and they do a good job taking care of my hair.

I don't share Lesypersound's point when saying that "environment is overrated".
When I go to a salon, of course the main goal is to get out with hair looking good but I also treat myself to it.
I want to be able to relax and enjoy that pampering moment. I don't want to be "attacked" by loud music, noisy chitchat, cell phones, food flavors and so on...

And frankly, if the salon is not clean and welcoming, I wouldn't trust at first hand the people working in it to touch my hair.

 

[lesypersound]

gia,
metal irons damage hair if used by incompetent stylists. i honestly wouldn't let a salon use silkening metal irons on my hair if the majority of their clients aren't black...

i'm also a bit skeptical about the caliber of product at a predominantly white/non-ethnic salon on my black/ethnic hair.

in chicago, i've only been to one trendy+pricey place that did my hair alright and weren't black specialized--i'd go back for a trendy haircut, but not much else. finding these good stylists who do well w/ black hair is hit-or-miss and expensive if you miss...at least for me.

plus, black-owned for what i see as a "black service" means something to me if all other things are equal (e.g. service, cleanliness, quality).

and to clarify i'm not saying black hair salons are only run by black people. when i talk about "white" salons it's salons that only do white/non-black hair the majority of the time... i've never been to a "multicultural salon" before. only a salon where the hairstylist knows how to deal w/ curly hair and can do mine because my curl pattern is between 3a/3b.

but i suppose in new york and france there are actual mainstream "multicultural" salons that have excellent products, equipment, and experience for white and black hair...and everything in between.




aby,
things seem very different in france v. the US from what was posted above--it seems that those low-budget shops are for and operated by low-income african immigrants. even the seriously low budget US salons i've been to black or not don't wash their dishes or cook around where hair is being done! i wouldn't go to a salon like that either.

 

[gia0202]

yeah--in nyc, there are soo many kinds of people, that blacks are nto the only ones with this /that sort of hair. there are many jewish, middleeastern, north africans as well.tonsof latinos---so the big slaons need to be able to do everyone or they look unprofessional and absurd.

 

[Sidewalk_Snob]

^I wish it was more like that in France.

Here when you enter a "normal" salon, the hairdressers get all nervous even if your hair is relaxed...

I think most would have a panic attack if they had to deal with natural hair, unfortunately Black hairdressers aren't helpful either.

It's pretty much the same in the U.K. and there are tons of black salons in London, but a lot of them are unlicensed.. or the person who owns the salon is licensed but all her staff are regular people that just happen to know how to do hair. that's why I'm glad i've learnt how to do hair now. I mean I still make mistakes (i burnt off my edges in december-they've just started growing back ) and if I want a weave I'll go to the salon but everything else I do at home.

 

[cyberfruit]

Well, many of you guys are lucky. Some of us don't have the luxury of walking into a white or mutlicultural salon because
A. The hairstylists have never dealt with our hair before which induces panic
B. Multicultural Salons may not be where we live (I live on the Black side of Missouri City. None here).
c. My mother (my sole mode of transportation) doesn't trust other races with my hair. I see my hair as a challenge that a hairstylst from another race could overcome! She sees it as a potential disaster.

I would kill to have a Dominican salon near me because, hell, I'm Dominican and my Dominican mom did my hair before I could do it by my Dominican self XD. The nearest multicultural salon is on the other side of Houston (and the Dominican salon I wanted to go to is damned near the Gulf Freeway!), and I don't exactly have the transportation to go that far.

So, $100 every 11 months (I don't straighten my hair often at all) to the only woman who'll do my hair. It's all I've got.

 

[MizBlue]

But, that's the quote I'm always given. Anytime I want a wash + blowdry/straightening I get a quote of about $100. I have extremely thick 3B/C hair and it goes mid ways down my back. I don't even go to a high end salon, just a salon in my area that's run by an AA lady (she's the only person I've been able to find on my side of town that will touch my hair with confidence). Am I really paying too much?

No you are not paying much, I pay that amount to get a relaxer/style her in the DC metropolitan area.

I just took my extensions out today, and my hair is so natural and healthy right now, I'm not all for relaxing right now, So I'm planning on texturizing enough to soften my hair for a blowout. My friend is wearing her hair natural and gets blowouts She also has a really good flat iron to straighten it when she needs to. She suggested this technique. Can anyone offer any more advice?

I work out up to 3 days a week and sweating my hair out makes it really tough, but it still won't stop me. i have to exercise, it's a lifestyle for me

 

[baRose]

^I wish it was more like that in France.

Here when you enter a "normal" salon, the hairdressers get all nervous even if your hair is relaxed...

I think most would have a panic attack if they had to deal with natural hair, unfortunately Black hairdressers aren't helpful either.

That is why I haven’t been to a salon in eight years (the last time I straightened my hair). I trim my hair myself, but its bra strap length and would love a shorter cut or at least an occasional color, but people run from my 3b/c hair.

 

[PinkHalo]

this thread is so funny...I was in the Strasbourg-Saint denis / Chateau d'eau area last week it was so awful being hassled by all these people, they litterally grab you! I just booked the 120euro salon I usually go to...only to luckily find a woman at the last mintue who charged charged half that, came to my place and did a decent job.

 

[gia0202]

barose--- couldn't you get your hair done at a regular salon. I have met white people with that hair texture. also middle-easterners, north Africans have hair within that range--often curlier.

i met an italian woman the other day with tight tight curls.