Dominican Salons Putting "Traditional" Black salons out of business?

Lovelylocs

Well-Known Member
Hair Wars: Black Salons Are Feeling The Heat Of The Dominican Blowout

Armed with a blow dryer and brush, deft wrist action and shrewd promotional tactics, immigrants from the Dominican Republic are snipping away market share from African-American stylists whose mastery of black women’s hair ensured for generations that their customers wouldn’t, or couldn’t, leave them. Promises of seemingly healthier hair, swifter service and far lower prices are wooing away a growing number of black women.

The defections have infuriated African-American stylists who insist that their methods are safe and that they are more highly trained than the Dominicans are. “It’s hard enough in these times, but they are undercutting our prices, even passing out fliers to our own clients,” complains Atlanta hairdresser Jannifer Jackson, whose cancellations and no-shows began piling up once a Dominican salon opened about a mile away last summer.

Many traditional black stylists accuse Dominicans of misrepresenting their services as “natural” because nearly all Dominican salons perform relaxer touch-ups. Traditionalists say the “Dominican blowout” technique can cause severe hair breakage. Both sorts of stylists wash, set hair in rollers and seat customers under big dryers.

African-American stylists typically use a curling iron to unfurl the hair, while Dominicans use a two-handed method of unraveling the strands with a round brush, followed by a blow dryer in the other hand to smooth the curl to a straight finish. Dominicans do so by pulling from the hair root, often forcefully. That, along with applying the second round of intense heat, leads to breakage, say black stylists and some customers.

Dominican stylists deny the accusations. The majority of Dominicans are themselves black, and like African-Americans, they developed their skills by styling their own hair. “We have stylists—black stylists—all the time calling and asking to come and train with us,” boasts Alfredo Rhoden, co-owner of Dominican Hair Salon by Massiel in suburban Atlanta.

The financial impact of the Dominican incursion on black American salons is hard to gauge. Sales volume isn’t tracked by the race or ethnicity of salon owners. But industry experts, salon owners and stylists say the impact is indisputable. A fixture in New York City since the 1980s, Dominicans now are rapidly expanding to other U.S. cities.

New Jersey stylist and barber Gina Brydie formed the National Black Cosmetology Association last year to help salon owners strengthen their businesses against the recession and the increasing Dominican competition.

“We have Asians coming in with the beauty supplies and Dominicans coming in and taking over our industry,” says Ms. Brydie, 39 years old and 20 years in the business. Salons and barber shops are a proud touchstone for blacks in part because they were among the earliest black-owned businesses, providing one of few paths to economic advancement after slavery. By the early 1900s, black entrepreneur Madame C.J. Walker had become a self-made millionaire by making hair and beauty products for blacks.

Now, rather than trying to beat the Dominicans, some African-American business owners are joining them. Jennifer Drew started RoundBrushHair.com in 2007 to help Dominican salons market to blacks after she switched to the blowout and saw curiosity budding among black women.

The RoundBrushHair.com database has grown to include several hundred Dominican salons, from Sun Valley, Calif., to Chicago to Boston. Almost all opened in the past five years, Ms. Drew says. It includes 80 salons in metropolitan Washington, 95 in Georgia, 15 in Charlotte, N.C., and seven in Houston.
 
They are, I believe they are anyway. I do my own hair, but if I didnt I would go get a cheap wash and set rather than spend 50-150.00 at a salon to get the same results. Either way you have to be strict about what it is you want.
 
i believe it...they're sooo cheap! you cant beat $20 for a wash n set...and you might have to wait to get seen (atleast at the one i used to go too...esp on the weekend) but once they get to you youre in and out so fast, and i never got the type of swang i got from the dominicans anywhere else
 
It's true. We Dominicans are plotting to take over your salons. Next we are taking over the world!


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Shoot I`d rather dominicans then asians at least some look like black peopleand like the previous poster said the quality of service needs to improve instead of complaining they need to look within themselves and see what they are missing that the dominicans seem to have. Dominicans are still black people (some that is), so this to me is a non-issue.
 
That's business. If you want greater competition, create better service.

Someone had to say it!

I'd LIKE to be 'faithful' to a black stylist, but when:
I ask you not to weave my hair to tightly, not to add too many tracks (the chia pet effect), and not to cut it to frame my very round face, and you braid it so tightly I remove it 24 hours later, and make me look like a lollipop faced chia pet,

when:
you have me waiting for an hour in front your shop, like a cheap ho, at 8am, in a neighborhood I dont know, and call me after I've left to let me know 'you've arrived and you're ready'.

when:
you tell me you aare a natural stylist and I see you rockin the locks, and we talk for half an hour and I tell you I don't like alot of heat in my hair, and you wash me, sit me under the bonnet, on high heat, in an afro, blow dry me, and THEN flat iron me till my hair will no longer revert, uh...

I COULDN'T CARE LESS IF YOU ARE BLACK!!!
HAVE SOME PRIDE IN YOUR CRAFT!!!!!!!!​


It is very annoying when people start throwing race around like that, but they give sub par service. I'm a little tired of it.
You wanna touch my hair? I need reliable references!
 
I agree. I remember the days when I used to spend like 8 or more hours in a "traditional" shop just to pay twice as much to have my hair look bad. I didn't even want to wear my hair down when I was done. And the stylists used to gossip all day long. It was ridiculous. I was so happy when I found Dominican shops!
 
It's true. We Dominicans are plotting to take over your salons. Next we are taking over the world!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

:lol: Dominican salons didn't even have to market. Customers came running over! We actually can have our Saturdays back.

Seriously, Dominican beauty schools train so much better than American ones.
 
I like the Dominican Salon I go to. I never wait over 5 minutes before they start on me. My other stylist had me waiting 2 hours while she was on lunch. The Dominican stylists have actually been encouraging me to continue going natural and giving advice on what to do to my hair at home. I like it and it's affordable. i pay $30 for a Blowout and deep condition and no one complains about my 5 months worth of new growth at all.

I don't care about the ethnicity of my stylist, I care that my hair is done right with respect to my time and me.
 
Well the Black American Stylists need to up their game and become more professional.

When I used to go to these places you wait like 3 days while the stylist is on the phone doing your hair smoking and eating at the same time.

No thank This is not all the salons but I have been to a few of them and it was like

No ma'am
 
I fell in love with the local DS near me. They take great care of my natural hair however they are pricey. Glad to see JenMD is getting a shoutout in the article.
 
That's business. If you want greater competition, create better service.

My hairstylists and I were having this discussion only yesterday. Although we have just opened up, one of my stylists said she walked by the Dominican Salon and it was packed. Part of it is the price, and part is the swang they give the hair. I really want to give the swang without the damage. And that is what we are trying to do. Really diagnose the hair and give information and support and of course treatment and follow-up treatment. I don't believe they focus on this at D Salons.

My hair is a little weak from me doing one too many flat-ironings and blowdrys to myself in the last couple of months. Imagine if I went to the D salon regularly? I could kiss my thickness goodbye...and my length.
 
Someone had to say it!

I'd LIKE to be 'faithful' to a black stylist, but when:
I ask you not to weave my hair to tightly, not to add too many tracks (the chia pet effect), and not to cut it to frame my very round face, and you braid it so tightly I remove it 24 hours later, and make me look like a lollipop faced chia pet,

when:
you have me waiting for an hour in front your shop, like a cheap ho, at 8am, in a neighborhood I dont know, and call me after I've left to let me know 'you've arrived and you're ready'.

when:
you tell me you aare a natural stylist and I see you rockin the locks, and we talk for half an hour and I tell you I don't like alot of heat in my hair, and you wash me, sit me under the bonnet, on high heat, in an afro, blow dry me, and THEN flat iron me till my hair will no longer revert, uh...

I COULDN'T CARE LESS IF YOU ARE BLACK!!!
HAVE SOME PRIDE IN YOUR CRAFT!!!!!!!!​


It is very annoying when people start throwing race around like that, but they give sub par service. I'm a little tired of it.
You wanna touch my hair? I need reliable references!


So, So true....
 
loved the Dominican salons when I lived in the DMV, but in most parts of the country they aren't taking over anything because they are either non-existent, or just not as great as they are in NY and DC.

I got my hair blown out here in Houston. Waited forever, service was shoddy b/c not a single stylist spoke English, it was a little pricey, the stylist was rough while detangling, and my doobie didn't last due to the Houston humidity (and my hair is relaxed). So...yeah...I don't see them "taking over." Hopefully, DIYing will take over.

ETA: Although I was a fan of Dominican salons, the next time I visit a salon it will be a traditional African-American one, a high-end "majority" salon, or SuperCuts.
 
For awhile I frequented a DS in my area because I didn't have all day to wait in a salon. At first they were great. I was able to have the same person blow dry and style my hair. She was good about only blowdrying my roots if needed and may times would pass on the flat iron so I didn't have too much heat. Well, seems like there is a lot of turn over there. The last time I went, the shampoo girl washed me so many times she washed my hair like 5 times! Then, she gave me a rinse which ended up all over my forhead ears and scalp! I told the stylist I didn't want blow drying to the ends and she kept trying to do it anyway. I asked if any of them had a license to do hair. I was told that the owner has a license which is good enough for all of the stylists! I have just given up and am toying with the idea of going natural and figuring out how to do my hair myself :(
 
Yea they taking over! It seems like it's on every block. $25 for a wash and blowout, why not? I used to love em, I would walk out the shop a new woman. Cons: too much heat, too rough, language barrier
 
:lol: Dominican salons didn't even have to market. Customers came running over! We actually can have our Saturdays back.

Seriously, Dominican beauty schools train so much better than American ones.

And if people are so concerned all they have to do is go to an AA salon. Heck I'm Dominican and I don't frequent Dominican salons. I do my own hair and I hate being a slave to salons.

Lynn, Mass has like 20 Dominican salons and not all are full of customers. I think more people are doing their own hair at home because of the economy.


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I'd rather go to a Dominican salon because I feel that they can deal with my hair texture better than an African American salon how ironic?! Also at the AA salon I don't get a sense of professionalism anymore the stylists will curse around you and talk about whatever or at least the one I go to.
 
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