“Aunty you no go relax your hair?” “Aunty, ah! Your hair too hard oh!” “Aunty you kno’ say you go pay double for this hair oh.” Yes, you have heard it all before and it just gets you maddddd! Because you are thinking, just do my hair and keep your opinions to your self.
Well here are a few tips to survive your visit to the hair salon in Nigeria especially when the salon is not natural hair friendly.
1.) Know what you want and how you want it. Do not count on the opinion of your hairdresser if she knows nothing about how to handle natural hair.
2.) Know about your hair and know what it needs (e.g. products). When I go to the salon, I am prepared to take control of the situation. I let the hairdressers know how to handle my hair. For example, I could ask them to spray my hair with water before combing it or not to use petroleum jelly on my hair. I tell them to comb from the tips and work their way to the roots. I also choose what comb they use on my hair.
3.) Make sure you are communicating your needs. Also ask them questions e.g. “What kind of spray is that?; Can you use this or that instead?”
4.) Be ASERTIVE. It’s your hair so don’t feel like you are offending them by asking for what you want. Just remember to be polite about it and smile as you speak. Make conversation and be friendly about it so they feel comfortable but make sure you do not let them talk you into doing what you do not want to do. Think about it, you have spent 2 years or three years or even months getting your hair to a healthy state do not let someone mess up your hard work.
5.) If it looks like it is not going to be all right, do not be embarrassed to tell them to STOP. Pack up your hair and go home. At least you will leave with your hair on your head instead of a mishap.
I was at the salon last month to get my hair plaited in single braids. I made sure I combed out my hair myself and I directed the lady on how to comb my hair as she was sectioning it. She wasn’t offended at all because I did it politely.
I sometimes go to the Hausa women in my area to weave/plait/ twist my hair. They are used to natural hair and do not complain. And they do not charge me as much money as the salons would charge me.
Two stylists that I think may be natural hair friendly in Lagos are:
Angela who has a column in the Sunday vanguard
Bobbyz just cause I heard he makes TY Bello’s hair
Meeee,
Oghomwen
6 comments:
Lol... I just avoid salons now and do my hair myself. It gets hard to remain polite sometimes when they are constantly putting down your hair texture. I really wanna smack some sense into them. How can you call yourself a qualified black hair dresser when you can't even deal with kinky hair? SMH
I totally feel you on that! They can really get irritating with all their negativity against kinky hair.
Sometimes I like to mess with them. For example if they mention a relaxer, I ask what a relaxer is and go into a rant about how I have never heard about such a thing in my entire life. LOL
I'm still coming to you one of these days to get one of the ladies in your area do twists for me.
I cant wait to go home and have my hair done by my granny gosh, to think i hated it now i miss it :)
Your granny does your hair? Now that's cool
yep she is old really old but she still combs out our hair and oils it with loads of adi agbon (coconut oil) my mum is semi natural (texturized mean afro that I still envy, it is what we call supersizefro lol).
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