Stay Away From Those Dominican Salons!

(Bad hair day...)

Bad hair day. You have a hot date tonight and cannot get an appointment with your regular stylist. Darn. You pass this Domican salon all the time and so today after work you decide to try it out. See what all the hubub is about. 

You go in there and they can take you right away, just hang up your coat. "Wow." you think, "I don't even get seen by my own stylist this fast." You get shampooed and roller set. After your hair is dry you sit in the stylist's chair and she round brushes you. "OMG, my scalp is on fire." You think to yourself. "Does she have to be so rough? Does the blow dryer have to be so hot? I do have some roots though, so." You endure it silently, with a couple of occasional flinches. She may flat iron your hair afterwards to add some finishing touches...

(Why so much heat??)

Before you know it, it's all over. She spins you around and VOILA! Your hair is shiny and bouncy and light. "Wow." Then you get to the receptionist desk and she tell you that you owe $25. "Excuse me?" You ask in disbelief? Then you pay her and leave quickly just in case the receptionist realizes she has made a mistake. But she didn't! You are just too impressed at this point. You run out and tell all your friends. You cancel your appointment with your stylist and tell her you'll reschedule later.

That Dominican Salon becomes your new go to place. Your lifestyle is so hectic anyways. This is so convenient, cheap and they do a GREAT job! Now I can go every week! Maybe I'll only go to my stylist for relaxers... Then one day you let them do your relaxer too; and it also is fabulous!

Fast forward 60 days. You look in the mirror and notice that your hair is all broken in random spots. Every time you brush your hair your bathroom sink is covered in hair. It won't really hold a curl anymore either. It's shedding like crazy and there is a strange greenish/grayish cast. Frantic you make an appointment with your faithful stylist. "ASAP! Anytime you have available!" You say.


You sit down in her chair and explain what's going on. She looks and your hair and says, "You have been DOMINICANIZED."

"What?"

Let me explain. You may have been ok, up until the point when you sat in the chair and the stylist picked up her weapons of mass destruction... The Round Brush, Blow dryer and the Flat Iron. See, the Blow dryer is set on HELL. That metal brush scraping your scalp intensifies the heat. They are going over the same small sections of hair multiple times to get it straight, especially if you have new growth. Then they are flat ironing it! MORE HEAT.

One thing about heat damage. It's irreversible. No matter what heat source whether it be pressing combs, flat irons, or HELL blow dryers once your hair has been damaged by heat it will NEVER be the same.

(A strand of heat damaged hair. Only a matter of time before it snaps.)

Many pressing comb clients used this term that I LOATHE, "trained". They say that after getting pressed for a while their hair has become "trained"; but in actuality their hair has become damaged. Elasticity is the ability of your hair to stretch and return to its original form, like a rubber band. If you stretch a strand of hair and it breaks off instead, there is no elasticity and your hair is severely damaged. 

If your hair is curly/kinky when wet, you can get it blow dryed, pressed or curled; but EVERY TIME you shampoo it, your hair should go back to its natural curl pattern. If after a while you notice that your hair has become straight, as if you got a relaxer; you are a victim of heat damage. Because of the high heat, the hair has been "burned" into a permanent straight form and the elasticity has been compromised.

(Extremely heat damaged natural hair)

If your hair has no elasticity when it is pulled by anything even a comb it WILL break. Now imagine all the pulling and tugging from a styling process. Now not only is your hair damaged, but now it is breaking off too. 

A strand of hair is supposed to have 3 layers. The cuticle (outside layer), the cortex (middle layer) and the medulla (innermost layer). Most African Americans do not have a medulla. (Why? Cuz we just don't.) However, a lot of Domicans, Asians and other races who have very strong thick hair have medullas. Their hair can withstand more than African American hair can. Then think, many of us have relaxers and or color. Just pair that with a little heat damage and we have a perfect cocktail for "baldheadedness". 



The only remedy for "Dominicanization" is a haircut. I understand that you had hair past your shoulders, I do; but now 1/2 of it is just split ends. Don't cry. Would you like the truth or a lie? Now we can cut it off all now or by gradual trims; it just depends on how severe the damage. Now a Keratin Reconstructor may help stop some shedding; but until all that dead hair is cut out, your hair will never be the same. 

Don't expect to see any growth for about a year, AT LEAST. Because every time your hair grows an inch we are gonna cut at least an inch off so we can get rid of the damage. The goal at this point is HEALTH not LENGTH. It's better to have shorter healthy looking hair than limp, lifeless, broken-looking long (ish) hair.

Ok, so what have we learned? Stay away from the Domicans! Make an appointment with your REGULAR stylist (or your new stylist, me). XOXOX

(Don't monkey around.. okay?)

Your New Stylist, 
Nia