It was just a another day in a scissor happy beautician's world when a hair stylist from 717 Hair Studio refused to straighten her client's natural hair. The client came into the salon with mid-back length afro textured hair. The beautician proceeded to give her client a long winded speech about her opinions on the state of her hair. In the midst of tooting her stylist horn and bragging about her years of experience, she stood over her client and spewed a great deal of negativity towards her hair. As she proceeded with her speech, she was quite hands on as she expressed that her hair was the worst she's ever seen. At one point, she began to exclaim that "As woman of color, we hold onto length and you don't realize that you're holding onto the length but it's not healthy. So you're holding onto dead length." The stylist's behavior became even more distasteful after she took a section of the client's hair, flipped it up so that it stuck up high while pronouncing: "This all dead, baby. I'm watching a movie." It was a slight to the client because she felt that her ends were so thin and transparent that she could watch a movie through it.
"Get Rid of the Hair or I'm Not Doing It"
The client was just quietly sitting in the chair and barely even moving. As she sat, the stylist continued on with her aggressive speech tirade. The 717 stylist said that she wouldn't be able to get her client's hair straight enough to trim or cut it. It would appear that this client must have suggested straightening it and then trimming it. What person would be open to chopping off more than half their length if they came in for a specific hairstyle? In the midst of their wholly one sided conversation, she blamed it on the box coloring which the client trustingly revealed she had used on a periodic basis.
The stylist's fiery temperament continued to rise with animation as the client expressed an alternate opinion. She decided on the amount that she would allow her to cut but the stylist would not let up and even went on to say, "you're lucky I didn't pull out my clippers. If you put oil and you put grease on a dead person, does it bring them back to life?... You gotta get rid of it."
"We Do Not Need to Detangle Our Hair" lol
As she berated, degraded and embarrassed the client, one could not help but look at the stylist's own hair which was a completely shaven iced platinum blonde hue. She continued with her tirade when stating, "Black women's hair should not be this difficult." She then likened the situation to a parent pacifying a child's bad behavior and suggested to cut it off and start all over. Once the stylist pronounced, "We do not need to detangle our hair," she lost all credibility. Everybody knows that detangling hair is an important step for women with natural and afro-textured hair. It's clear that this hair stylist must be used to doing heat trained or chemically processed hair. If a hair stylist makes a big deal about detangling or wants to cut it off so that they don't have to do this step, jump out the chair as quick as you can!
Now this client may have split ends but they weren't as severe as she was making it out to be. The client continued to bargain with her by suggesting she only cut a specific amount off but the hair stylist absolutely refused. She simply wanted to force the option of cutting it all off.
The outcome of the situation would end in the client getting up and finally walking out the door.
This hair stylist was a bit braggadocious. There really was no need to talk to the potential client in this manner. It's clear that she did not want to take the extra care that was necessary for her which includes treating, deep conditioning and detangling. There is no way she could truly be experienced with natural hair while making false statements as the one where she stated that people with afro textured hair do not need to detangle their hair. When choosing a stylist, it's important to examine their hair as it relates to the type of hair they'll be doing or the desired outcomes. If the goal is long term hair health or growth, examine if this is apparent in the stylist being chosen. Also be aware of the types of hair they usually do. The stylist at 717 hair studio is not a natural hair stylist and mostly does styles where straight hair is the final look.
Do Black Women Hold onto Length?
Textured hair may take a while for length to be achieved and it may take more time to style than someone with short or non-textured hair. Patience and endurance are necessary so if anyone has managed to grow their afro textured hair past mid back length, it deserves some praise. While it may seem like black women hold onto length more than others, achieving length is a struggle that many of these women face. This affects all races though as women are always looking for the next great hair growth product. Everyone's growth rate isn't quick or the same and some women wish to maintain the length they are used to seeing. If this young lady desired to hold onto her length for a bit longer, that's her prerogative to have.
Her Journey is Not Your Journey
The client made the right decision by walking out of the 717 Hair Studio. If one is in a salon and the stylist refuses to understand a person's level of comfort with any suggestions that they make, it's only right for them to remove themself from the situation. After all, it is the individual's own hair and they are the only one experiencing their unique hair journey. The stylist appeared to be inwardly envious of her client's hair length. It is the likely reason why she refused to do her hair without chopping it off first. This is laziness at its highest level, inexperience with diverse hair types or perhaps even with her own hair journey. Taking a look at the salon's page, this stylist is more than likely used to styling non-textured hair or providing results of straightened hair.
What Approach Should Hair Stylists Incorporate During Communication?
All her client needed was a few sessions of steam treatments, deep conditioning and trims. Hair damage can be rid of slowly rather than through drastic measures.
Hair stylists should have a soft and gentle approach while being professional in the speech exercised with their clients. Engage in person centered communication that's respectful and supportive rather than shameful or dismissive. It's important to know the difference between forcefulness and making suggestions. When the approach borders on domineering, you know it is time to change it. If the client is not okay or uncomfortable with the suggestions being made for their hair--know when to stop. This client more than likely left her chair feeling hurt and frustrated. That is not the kind of result a stylist should want to inflict on their potential client.
ENDS
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