Salon or Boxing Ring?
Tips on having a better appointment experience
In today’s post:
QTNA Beauty & Pop Culture Questions
The Full Beat Salon or Boxing Ring? Tips on having a better appointment experience
Do I suddenly want a sleeve? I saw Jess Clay’s 90s hairstyle flash tattoos, and yes, now I want a sleeve. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a tattoo that embodies these images so well, and now I want these flash tattoos real bad, à la Caresha.
Is Gen X the new face of beauty? According to Charlotte Tillbury, yes. And you know what? We love to see it. Kim Cattrall has been an it girl for decades, and it’s about time she’s recognized as such.
Do you feel like something about Ilana Glazer’s Garnier “faux special” is off? Maybe it’s because the jokes from the “De-Glaze” standup are so dry. Or maybe it’s because her entire performance is the promo? Incorporating Garnier into a fake standup set, with jokes that reference her relatable persona, feels like this scene from Josie & The Pussycats (minus the satire).
Salon or Boxing Ring? Tips on having a better hair experience
I’m fully aware that we feed our algorithms, so the increase in videos of women who’ve had bad hair salon experiences on my page is my doing. That said, the seemingly unceasing well of poor experiences available online is alarming. Having a bad hair salon/stylist experience is not exclusive to Black women, and it is not a contemporary one, either. I can recall going home to “fix” a hairstyle that did not reflect the picture I showed the stylist as both a teen and an adult. But things are getting spooky.
Videos like this are not only unceasing in volume, but the experiences verge on, and sometimes devolve into, physical violence. Recently, hairstylist Jayla Cunningham uploaded a video of her dragging a client across the floor of her shop and cutting the style out of her hair. According to Cunningham, “she acted in self-defense, preventing what she saw as an attempt to skip out on the bill.” The situation was only complicated when it was revealed that the client was only 15, and Cunningham herself is only 18. Between similar videos of stylists fighting clients who don’t pay and others cutting the hair out of their heads, something’s amiss.
The “Hey Boo” genre of digital Black hair culture is a non-violent, but still annoying and frequently shared experience. There are countless stories of women sharing that their appointments were canceled the day before, the night before, and even moments before they were set to begin. While the specifics of the experiences may vary, Hey Boo has come to represent a service provider who makes a choice that severely inconveniences the client.
On the flip side there are countless examples of clients who behave shockingly while sitting in people’s chairs. Some flagrantly ignore rules about bringing guests. Some do try to run out on stylists without paying for their services. Others tell their followers about how the stylist didn’t meet their expectations, but they told the stylist they loved it. My least favorite are the people who want a completely changed without considering any of the other customers who may come after them. In each instant these clients are the type I’d block from my booking site and socials until the end of time.
You might be interested in this essay about beauty tourism in Lagos and beyond.
Here are some tips for having a better salon experience:
Take a picture. I always have a reference photo, even if it’s for something as simple as a bob. This way we’re both on the same page about the style that I expect.
Manage expectations. Before I book with someone, I check out all of their socials to see if they have already done the style I’d like. If they haven’t, or their attempts don’t meet my expectations, I don’t book them for that service.
Avoid all caps. If there are all caps in their bios and throughout their booking site, I skip them. Because why are you yelling at me?
Detangle at home. My hair is natural, so I always detangle my hair in advance. Whether I’m getting a silk press, sew-in, or faux locs. I’m also tender-headed, so detangling helps prevent unnecessary pulling.
Speak up for myself. If I get a peek at my hair, and it’s not going the way I like, I let the stylist know respectfully. In some cases, she knows something I don’t know and is making that choice for a good reason. For example, I got a half-up and half-down style and requested that no hair be left out in the back. I noticed some hair was left out, and the stylist explained that it was just to make sure the color blended in the front and the back. And you know what? She was right.