How many of you, upon calling around to find a new stylist, actually asked on the phone, “Does she work with kinky hair?” or even “Does she know about black hair?” when given the name of a stylist that the girl on the phone thinks will be a good match for you?
Choosing a new stylist can be an anxiety-producing experience, especially for coilies. Coily hair isn’t just curly. It’s coily and thick, and usually coarse and dry. It’s nothing at all like our type 2 wavy/swavy counterparts, and it takes a certain type of person who KNOWS coily hair to work with it.
So how can you find one of these specially trained people without breaking the bank?
Why You Love Her
Usually, a stylist who really, really knows coily hair has her own palette to work with on top of her head. So part of why she’s so skilled is that she’s been dealing with it all her life. She knows coily hair is dry and needs moisture, but she won’t try to experiment with the salon’s latest product labeled “for African-American hair” unless she truly believes you’ll benefit from it.
She’ll give you a wash if you’re due for one, but she won’t try to cut it and give you weird layers until it’s begun to dry and she can gauge your shrinkage.
My hair went from just above the shoulders with super cute bangs to barely extending from my head with a big poofball for bangs. I still shudder to think of that haircut 20 years later!
Probably the worst haircut I have ever had was when I was around 10-years-old and opted to get a really short boy-ish hairstyle (this was extremely popular in the 80s, I swear”>. Unfortunately, I knew nothing about my own curly hair (nor did my mom”>, and neither did my straight-haired stylist. I LOVED her hairstyle and wanted one very similar to hers. While my hair was wet, she gave me the cut, and while I knew it’d take some getting used to, I pretty much loved it. Until I got home and my hair had had time to dry, that is.
My hair went from just above the shoulders with super cute bangs to barely extending from my head with a big poofball for bangs. I still shudder to think of that haircut 20 years later!
She also totally “gets” your need to sleep on a satin pillowcase, deep condition weekly, faithfully use your Denman ONLY, and even your obsession with checking growth! In fact, she may even give you some tips and new ideas for caring for your hair.
Where She’s Located
It’s pretty safe to say that a good stylist for cooly, type 4 hair is probably somewhere near you – it’s just a matter of finding her. Ask your fellow co-workers and friends or check out our salon finder and reviews for some good recommendations.
When looking her up online, you may even be lucky enough to find someone who advertises that she works well with naturally curly hair. If she’s a natural herself who doesn’t relax or straighten her hair, you’re probably in good hands!
