Gabby of Strawberricurls writes:
I am a member of LHCF (longhaircareforum.com), and recently a stylist and fellow LHCFer posted some very disturbing news:
Hello all!
Here’s the deal. I’m a junior stylist in a natural salon that doesn’t straighten hair. So a few of our clients just opt to go elsewhere to get their hair straightened. Recently a few of our clients have been telling us stories of salons mixing relaxers with conditioners in order to get their hair straighter. I’ll give two examples.
First example. A client used to get Dominican blowouts. She was short on time and just stuck with a rollerset. She’s a solid 4b. When I saw her she had broken pieces at her scalp and her hair was straightish/curlyish and not quite 4 anymore. She said the minute they rinsed the deep treatment out, her hair was no longer it’s texture. After the rollerset she said her hair just went downhill.
Second example. A client’s hair was originally shoulder length. When I met her I assumed she had recently BC’d and still had relaxed ends. She informed me that she’s been natural for years and that she’s only been getting it pressed. But on the last press her hair was sleeker and shinier than usual. She said her stylist mixed something but she wasn’t paying attention and since she didn’t smell anything, she didn’t think anything was up. She did say that she got a 15 minute deep condition with whatever was mixed. After it was all said and done, her hair gradually broke off and she now has only 2 inches of hair. She still has some straight ends left, but I just felt bad cutting it all off.
I could go on but I think you guys get it. If you go to a salon where they complain about the thickness of your hair or things like that, don’t let them touch your hair. Both of these ladies had thick, type 4 hair. My guess is that they are just putting it in and not neutralizing afterward. I can’t think of any places that shampoo after a DC.
I don’t normally start threads but there was enough people to make me see that something is afoot. Why people would do such a nasty thing is beyond me.
She warns that stylists are relaxing our hair and passing it off as conditioner! Please ladies, please be careful of who you let in you hair because you could be waking up the next morning with your hair on your pillow.
Some stylists, not all, tend to get this attitude about themselves that they know everything and you can’t tell them anything and to do so would be offensive to them. It really is disheartening because it gives the stylists that actually give a damn about your hair, a bad name.
Am I saying that all stylists are the devil? No, not by a mile, but what I am saying is that if you plan to take a visit to a salon, find a reputable one that won’t do stuff like slip relaxer into a conditioner treatment. That is just evil…
The natural treatment is called the CHI ENVIRO BLOWOUT and that is the best one on the market. Most others have chemicals on them. the problem is most go to the corner place and stay away from the places like a Regis or a Jcpenney because we cost to much therefore you get what you pay for.
GO GET NEUTRALIZER IMMEDIATELY
GET SOME TYPE OF NEUTRALIZER IMMEDIATELY TO WASH THAT RELAXER OUT..
no stylist will defend what we know is bogus. and you should not lump us all in the same bunch. i guarantee those who would do that would never admit it on this forum. and you doing your own hair is not always a good deal depending on what you doing because we did go to school for a reason.
i have never heard of that but i am not surprised. i am a master stylist at jcp and most of us wouldn't dream of that. but i do know of many stylist that take shortcuts which does not always favor the client.
This is just terrible and these beauticians should be sued for doing something like this to someone who has worked so hard to maintain their natural hair it's a lot of work to grow this hair and if they don't want to work with natural hair they should simply just say so…… This is sickening!
I got a blowout 2weeks ago from my Dominican childhood stylist and I was so freaked out by this article, I had to wet my hair to see if it was still natural.
Sweettobegracie.blogspot.com
This happened to me last week in Brooklyn. I was visiting from out of town and went into a Dominican salon just to get a blowout. I sat down in the chair, she washed my hair 3 times, conditioned it and then rinsed it immediately. I didn't smell anything and she didn't use gloves. I then sat in the chair and my hair looked curly but a bit shinier that usual (I have 3c/3b cottony hair). Anywho, she blowdried my hair and then I was on my way.
My hair got a little wet in the shower that day and I remember smelling this nasty smell. My hair did not swell like it usually does in the NY heat but since I hadn't been to a salon in 6 years I thought it was normal. A week later, I shampooed my hair and it still smells weird. My curls are still there, although the front which is a 3b doesn't curl much on the ends. My curls look shinier and are silky-again unusual for me-but shrink up to where they are suppose to be. So far no damage though. I can't decide if I like it or if I should be mad. In anycase, I think I got lucky that I didn't lose my curls-I'll never go to these salons again!!
I just went to a Dominican salon a week ago. I have been natural for 6 years and I am very proud of my hair. I went so they can blow it out so I can get a trim. When they finished my hair was extremely straighter than usual. I finally washed my hair yesterday and my hair smells like chemicals like I had a jerry curl. Also my hair texture was as if I was texturized. My aunt sent me this link. After reading this I'm pissed and I will be going up there today to cuss somebodies ass out today. And I bet you they will all of a sudden speak no English.
HELP
I had a texture curl in my hair, i went to the beauty salon on 7/1/2011 for a touch up for this curl, after hair dresser rinse my hair, I was lead to her chair for my set, she ask me what size roller i wanted, and that when I realize she relaxed my hair over a texture curl, I flip out, I cried for 4 hours, 3 in the salon waiting for the owner, and 1 hour driving home. I was told the hair will break off because of the chemicals that was in my hair for my touch up, and the relaxer this person put in my hair. As I write I still feel like crying, it won't bring back my natural hair, which took me 2 1/2 years to get the relaxer out, now I have this chemical back in my hair because of what this person did. I was given 1 year of hot oil treatments and deep conditionings, but the hair will still break off. I'm so MAD, I did leave a message for my lawyer even if I'm getting these treatments for a year. I don't knowif this person is license. I am so MAD. This helps to write this. and thank you all for listening, and if there is any soluation that anyone can think about for my breakage please let me know. thank you
My NATURAL sista's beware!!!! Not only have I heard of this, we recently experienced it with a long time natural client that couldn't get an appointment so she went to one of these salons as a walk-in. Needless to say, she now has a texturizer and has to start allllll over. Urban Lily, you are right. They do have laws that must be upheld. But there are several natural hair products with sodium hydroxide (lye) in them. But sodiem heydroxide is also in Neet. Just be careful, when you find a stylist you like and trust, stick with her/him.
~in my tupac voice~ "i'm not a killer but don't push me!"
sheesh! this is soooo messed up.
Ladies there are laws on this. A Beautician can not put chemicals in your hair without you knowing. This is absolutely crazy; they need to be turned over to the State Board ASAP
This happened to a friend of mine in NYC. She had a beautiful head full of 4B hair that she normally styled into afro puffs or just an afro. She went to a "natural" salon in Brooklyn and turns out they put a silkener in her hair. She had to cut it off and start from scratch.
Ladies, help me out here. This just happened to me and I am livid! I have no idea of how damaged my hair has been yet. I've been natural for 3 years and now I'm back to square one. I don't even feel like myself and I'm so depressed! Plus I'm confused. They just leave a relaxer in your hair. They don't even have the decency to neutralize the chemical. What is going on here? Has anyone had any luck with any recourse?
Please list the name of the MD salon. I've gone to the Dominicans and they have moaned and complained about how thick my hair was. I NEED to know if this is happening at the salon I go to.
Either the Health Dept or the Dept that issues cosmetology licenses should be contacted immediately. There are way too many unlicensed,untrained, unsanitary, unprofessional salons that we allow to continue operating in our neighborhoods. At the very least write a review on Yelp or some other website to alert potential clients. Let's do more than vent on a blog.
I live in MD and would like to know also…is it in Silver Spring?!
My texture is alot less kinkier from the heat but I dont think its from a relaxer concoction. Plus I've never been to a dominican salon and a client had a relaxer put in, NEVER, which is weird. This is scary…
I am with Special K. I'm a MD'er and, although I am not planning to go to a stylist any time soon, I really would appreciate knowing which salons not to use.
Sheesh, what ever happened to the days when the stylist would simply decline to do your hair or charge more rather than ruining it just to put a little cash in their pocket.
As I read this, I am really wondering if this is what has happened to my niece. She had beautiful hair, but it was also thick and very long (waist length). She hadn't relaxed in about 8 years. I know cutting it was her own decision, but it seems to have lost most of the thickness as well. Hmmm.
exactly why i do my own hair. would love to hear from some of the "stylists" out there to try to come in here and defend this non-defensible mess.
i hope this is a hoax. if it's not a hoax, i hope folks report the stylists to the state licensing board.
I've read all the post and several women have commented on visiting salons in the Md. area. I too go to a Dominican salon in Md. and I understand that you don't want to 'put anyone out' but at the same time we're all a part of the Natural community and if it would help the next woman I'd definitely tell which shop NOT TO visit.
I planned on getting my hair straightened this weekend to get my ends clipped. However, after reading this post I'm either going to not go or just take ALL of my products with me.
I'd still like to know which salon in Md. mixed the creamy crack in your hair and ruined your hard work on the natural journey.
Akakristin… twitter/youtube
I hate to type this, but you truly get what you pay for. Everyone is looking for a cheap fix to straighten their hair. WHO decided that DOMINICANS were the stylist extraordinaires?!??!?!?!?!!! When I was relaxed, their "techniques" did absolutely nothing for my hair and scalp!!! Now that I'm natural, there's no way in hell that I'd step foot into their salon to "blow dry" my natural hair. How can anyone with an ounce of common sense go to a dominican salon for PROFESSIONAL hair care, whether they're relaxed or natural?!?!?!
Sorry that this is happening, but again I'm not surprised. Everyone's looking for a fast buck these days and, really, who wants to stand up for hours combing out naps?!?! How can anyone place trust in a self professed group of ladies who possess no sound knowledge of african hair care?!?!?!
Ladies, seek professional hair care from a professional!!!! Do the research before entrusting your follicles into the hands of someone who may in fact have no regard for your hair's needs.
Again, you get what you pay for!!!!
OMG!!! I think this happened to me when I had a relaxer. I had moved into the city away from the suburb (where my usual hair dresser is) People would say goto the Dominicans they know how to do hair and make your straight etc. I never let them relax my hair and would tell them to do a blowout anyway with all my new growth and I remember my hair would look like it was a little straighter than before and over the course of a few months my hair started THINNING so bad and my mom noticed and would say "what happened to your hair?" I stopped going to them ad started to get weaves and eventually cut my hair short like a Rhianna cut and now my hair is growing out natural from that haircut. Never again
This happened to me a few months ago. I went to get my first press and curl at a salon that I had never been to, but it was highly recommended. As soon as I sat at the sink to get my hair washed, the hairdresser said my hair was really dry and that I would need a deep conditioner. I wasn't surprised because I'd been neglecting my hair the prior week so it made sense that I needed a DC. Somewhere during that process she put a relaxer in with the conditioner. No gloves or smell indicated misconduct. She pressed my hair and I was satisfied. It wasn't until I washed my hair that I realized what happened. I had been growing out my hair for a year and was finally comfortable with the length that I had achieved. After that fiasco, I was left with random straight, wavy, and curly pieces all over. I ended up cutting off about 4 inches of my formerly 4B hair and getting braids to transition once again. It will probably be another year until I'm comfortable and I'm so disappointed.
This happened to me last month. I live in MD and went to a Dominican salon to get a roller set and my hair straightened for graduation. Once I left, my hair was smooth as if I had a relaxer. I didn't think anything of it b/c when I straighten my own hair, that's how it looks. But once I washed it, it had a strong chemical smell. At the time, I thought it was b/c she blow dried it so much and so straight. I also noticed that my curl pattern was looser and that my wavy front pieces of hair were straight. My edges were also smoother and laid down flatter. Now that I read this post, they HAD to have put a light relaxer in it!!! WTF!!! I definitely will be going to the salon w/ my own deep treatment in from now on. They can just wash it out and roller set it. This makes me SO angry!
Salutations,
In the past, I have had both positive and negative experiences with stylists. I have had three stylist that I absolutely loved (1st retired, 2nd lives in Torotla, BVI, and the 3rd awesome braider in SoCal (I use to schedule my hair appointments around visiting my Mom). The rests have braided my hair so tight that it pulled my hair out, put so much lye the scab grew over my hair, and / or just didn't care about healthy hair (only seemed to care that my hair looked great by any means necessary so I would return and refer customers). All of these reasons contributed to my decision to take care of my hair myself. It is sad to say, but you can't trust anyone (people making the products and / or the people trying to put the products in your hair). My husband made a good point about the fact that a significant amount of salons do not know how to cater to natural hair, and they are losing a lot of business (so they do what they can to make your hair presentable). I honestly feel for them, but as my great Grandmother (God rest her soul at a 102 years young) use to say, GIRL, DONT LET NO ONE PUT THEIR HANDS IN YOUR HAIR, YOU HEAR ME CHILD, NO ONE! Live, Love, Peace. ~ Sweetsop
Definitely Bring Your Own Stuff If You Don't Have A Stylist Who You Frequent( Remember To Listen For Them Adding Anything Else!!) Or Wash And Condition @ Home Put A Plastic Cap On And Go To The Salon,You End Up Getting A Deep Treatment Of Your Own Making!! Thank God I Don't Go To The Salon Often And Thank God For Me Being The Person That's Very Picky And Has To Have Her Hair Done Her Way Or Else I Might Be In Jail, If I Had To Go Thru That!
Excuse my language ladies but if that ever happened to me I would be putting FOOT TO @$$ and asking questions later!!!
I read about this on LHCF and I wish someone would name the salon and the stylist so that no one else has to go through this again.
Wow. Just wow.
Oh, there is a salon that claims it has a natural treatment that "softens" your hair. It is just perm, ladies. If someone tells you they are putting something in your hair to "soften" it, tell them no but ask for a sample. Then get a ph stick and test it. If it's alkaline (ph greater than 7), RUN!!! IT IS PERM!
Mary in Md
I am so glad you posted this. My hair has always flourished under my care rather than even my most cherished stylist. It is just a product of it not being economically feasible for them to prepoo and deep treat my hair in their salon the way I can do it at home, where I am the only client. My husband adamantly believes I should be going to a stylist because he used to be married to a stylist. So stylists rate pretty highly in his estimation. Nevertheless, this is one of the reasons I prefer to do my own hair. NO ONE cares more about the health of your hair than you do. Someone can ruin years of painstaking care and attention in just a matter of a few hours. It's just not worth it. This has reaffirm my resolve to keep my hair in my own hands, with very few exceptions.
WOW. I love my Dominican salon, but as my relaxer has grown out (it'll be 2 years in October, I have only minimal straight ends at this point), the price has gone up, which I don't totally mind. What I do mind is feeling as if they aren't being patient with my hair when they shampoo, condition, detangle.
My new solution has been to wash and detangle my hair myself and put it into two braids with condition still in. I then go and ask them only to rinse out the conditioner from the already detangled hair. I actually pay less and I feel so much better not sitting there wincing or feeling as if I need to speak up because I don't like the way the shampooist is handling my hair during the comb out.
That being said, there is no excuse for this type of behavior. But, if you like the occasional blow out, the above might be one solution.
this happens often, in AA and Dominican salons, which is why i am the only person who does my hair!!!! not even my momma can touch my hair!!
i don't think people realize how violated that would make someone feel.. to me its the equivalent of having a pregnancy terminated or being sterilized without your consent!!!
wow I live in Md and BC in Feb. I know this does happen because I am a stylist and have seen it done as well as have heard at area salons about "popping" which is just running chemical thru just to make curl pattern a little looser . If you dont trust your stylist do your hair at home this happens trust me it happens.
I'm glad this was posted on CN.com. I've never heard of this happening but will be forewarned. I've had a stylist for 15 years and trust him (he did my BC and is natural himself) but I don't intend to straighten. I only go for trims 1-2 times a year.
If there's no legal action possible these women should post info and names (if legal) of the salons to warn other women in their local areas. This may be more common than we realize.
WOW..Something like this actually happen to me a yr ago. I stopped getting perms in 05 and transitioned for 2 yrs, finally becoming all natural in 07. I had been going to my regular hair stylist every 2 wks to get my hair straightened. I missed an appt so I had my friend who worked in a salon do my hair. After she washed it I immediately knew something was wrong because my hair did not curl up into a fro it was straight as if I had gotten a perm. I didnt really think to much about it until I went to my regular hair stylist and she washed my hair and asked me what happen. I told her I never even sat with anything in my hair, all I got was washed with shampoo and conditioner..she said that my friend had to have put something in my hair because it smelled like chemicals and it pretty much had no curl to it…she did say that my hair wasn't damaged but she had no clue what happen..my friend swears it was her new flatiron..after being upset for awhile i just chalked it up as a lesson to NEVER let anyone besides my stylist or me do my hair. It's been 1 yr since that incident and my curls are growing back in nicely. Most of my hair is curly except for the ends, I plan on doing a trim at the end of this summer to cut them off. After stalking natural hair blogs for a while I decided two months ago that I would embrace my curly hair..I feel so good now doing my own hair and making myself look pretty 🙂
That's truly Wild…I can't belive people would do such a thing..if you don't want to do it then be honest and tell the client that you don't do natural hair I'll RESPECT you more for that then you putting something in my hair that I didn't authorize. Thanks for the heads up. Now I know to be on the look out when I do make the choice to seek a hair stylist.
Wow, just WOW; I'd be furious if my stylist did that to me. I didn't step foot in a salon until after I BC'ed because I was afraid she'd try to talk me into relaxing again. I have let her trim my hair, and was pleasantly surprised to see she too is going natural (she's caucasian but has naturally curly hair that she actually relaxes, too) so she was much more receptive to what I wanted. Where I live there are few black stylists and they're not very good so I like to take care of my hair myself like I've done for years…
This was very interesting I never even thought that people would do crap like this, but I am not surprised.I had not planned on going to a salon anytime soon I surely am not now. I was afraid that I might get heat damage, but hell a relaxer is worst. They should be ashamed that they would do that to people.
This happened to a friend of mine. The lady put her under a hooded dryer and within 5 min. she said she smelled something and when she washed her hair it all fell out because she is alergic. There were even a few burn marks. And when my friend called the police the salon workers pretended like they couldn't speak English. Sad thing is that she was natural her whole life.
You know what??
I need someone to open up a salon institute that will certify people in "traditional" hair care (for the purpose of licensure) but makes it a SPECIAL point to educate their students in NATURAL hair care for tightly coiled hair specifically. I mean, Paul Mitchell and Aveda started b/c they reached a high status. Deva has their technique for curly hair and some of their students know what to do with hair like mine. (4b if you're typing) I just need, for once in my life, to step into a salon and feel as though the person I'm speaking with will not look bewildered or try some awful stunt like this.
LOST FOR WORDS I ONLY HAVE A TWA BUT IT MAKES ME THINK TWICE ABOUT GETTING MY BLOWIN OUT WELL WITH THAT SAID THANK GOD FOR MAHOGNAY CURLS SHE HAS A VIDEO ON HOW TO A SILK WRAP
Ima professional stylist and I'd NEVER dream of doing such an un-trustworthy thing to my clients.
People LET you take care of their hair because they TRUST you.
**If feel you can't/don't trust your stylist and you feel the need to 'instruct' or 'threaten' them??? BOUNCE!! Seriously!
I would be in jail right now if someone did this to me. It was hard work getting to this point in my natural hair journey; a decision I made myself and had to reap the disdain and never ending negative comments of my peers… I would be right back to "HOOD" Meek if someone made this decision without my consent to relax my hair. Not only is this a major setback, the emotional damage cannot be undone. Not to mention the allergic reaction most natural women have to relaxers after not getting them anymore. LORD HAVE MERCY!
I am pass this to ALL that are: natural, considering becoming natural, or are advocates of healthy hair and real/honest/professional hair stylist. We need to do our part in calling these “professional” of deception out! They too will have to meet their judge; may God have mercy on their souls!
That is just crazy! It's like a bad dream.
And MISS TANGLE BUG, that might be a sign that it's time to move on from that stylist. A stylist said something similar to me about my daughter's hair (it's very thick, long and curly) and then her work started going down the more I took my daughter there. I stopped when my daughter (age 6 at the time) said, "She hurts me now, Mommy. She use to be nicer."
I am pretty sure this is one of my worst fears. It really makes me afraid to go to a salon…
Funny that you posted this, the last time i straightened my hair, it was bone straight and literally looked like i got it relaxed (even one of my GUY friends commented on how straight it was!).. my hair has not reverted back to its kinky-curly ways, and i figured it was just heat damage!! But its been about 6 months since this has happened and I STILLLL have straight ends!
It seems that every time i go to a stylist, my hair line disappears or some kind of damage is done..I AM DONE WITH STYLISTS! DONE!!
Thanks to this post, my hairline and money will be saved! THANKS NIKKI! 😀
WTF
I am sorry but that is the first thing that popped into my head. What the heck is wrong with some people????!! MY HAIR MY HEAD MY LIFE MY RULES.
To anyone who has suffered this outrage – my heart is out to you! For the rest of us….on your guard ladies! there my need be some booty kicking (legally or otherwise)
omg, i would be so pissed! can you sue for something like that???
You can control your salon experiences more by bringing your own styling products and telling your stylists to not add anything else in your hair. I did this with my longtime stylists. She was curious at first as to why (it was because I don't use chemicals that are in most products), but she was/is totally cool with it now. You can even ask for a hand mirror to watch and see what they are doing back there with your hair. I always get suspicious when someone is behind my back, but i have never gone that far lol..
tht seriously just freaked me out…that is so scary.i am a transitioner and i have worked HARD for the six months of new grow tht i do have so i would b completely livid if this happened to me.OMG! I just thought of something wenever i get a length check or my ends trimmed i go to the exact same stylist i had while relaxed she is excellent BUT everytime ive gone there since transitioning she has said comments like ok u ready to get tht relaxer again.she seriously doesnt believe i have the drive to stick to it.lols.i also blew the power out during my last appointment becuz of all the blow drying she had to do to get my hair lookin straight.she may b fed up and tho i would like to think tht i will never b tht unfortunate client..i cant help but suspect disaster down the road.
I wonder if these folks are using a no-mix relaxer on unsuspecting folk. (I didn't even know this existed until I did an internet search on this craziness.) I very rarely go to a salon, and even the ones specializing in natural hair behave as though hair like mine is the devil. It's not.
This entire scenario leaves me amazed.
OMG!!! This is awful! I went to the You Tube link and sure enough they call it a conditioning treatment, but later tell her they relaxed her hair. Hopefully she knew the plan was to relax her hair and it was not an ambush.
I have heard of this happening, and it's disturbing and disappointing. I still go to stylists, but only those who do natural hair *exclusively.*
This is an outrage like seriously…HOW DARE someone ..ANYONE make such a decision for someone else's hair to do such a thing!!!!! Thats why whenever i go an get my hair rolled which is NOT often ..i make sure i do everything AT HOME MYSELF an when i get there ALL their doing is rolling my hair & clipping my ends if i want it..THATS IT…i've learned your have to take care of your OWN hair…ppl are a trip..last time i went was months ago an i recently did my own freakin roller set at home lol..i'm not having anyone ruin my transition..screw that !!! Be Careful yall!!
That is so disturbing!!! This exactly why I'm a DIY (do-it-yourselfer)! I haven't been to the salon in over a year, because I just don't trust anyone to do my hair now that I'm natural. Heads would seriously roll if this happened to me! Wow!! Beware, ladies!!!
I would lose my ever loving mind. I didn't go through all this hard work for someone to just throw a relaxer back in my head. There definitely would be some legal consequences because this just is not right.
this happened to my 14yr old sister..she just wanted her hair blown out and she has been natural all her life… after coming from the salon she came home smelling like chemically processed hair and her hair looked as if it were texlaxed.. from then on her hair broke off a lot..she said they put something white and creamy in her hair and left it in for a few minutes and that they were fussing about her hair..she had no clue until we noticed the difference when she came home
wow! where are they doing this?
I wish somebody would!!! Head would be ROLLING!!! >:-( not cool at all!!!
Anonymous I'm sorry that happened to you…I live in Maryland and well. That's EXACTLY why I'm going to take all of my own stuff to the salon..you have to really be careful about what you let other people do to you and your hair
This actually happened to me in November 2008 – I went to a Dominican salon in Maryland to get a set/blowout on my natural hair (I'd been natural for 2 years at that point). My hair felt strange, but I thought it would be fine when I washed it a few days later.
When I got into the shower and the water hit, I immediately smelled an overwhelming chemical scent, and my hair was BONE STRAIGHT. My hair proceeded to fall out in clumps. I literally had to go back to "transitioning" and chop off the damage.
I was devastated and spoke to the owners of the salon who claimed they don't use chemicals in natural hair. I wish I could have sued, but unfortunately there wasn't enough evidence (I'm an attorney so you know I wanted to!).
I will say that I'd never had this experience at other Dominican salons. However, I no longer get blowouts and I patronize an Aveda concept salon because I know what quality products they use!
Sorry this post is so long. . .
It would be on and poppin' if this EVER happened to me. On the real.
I have heard of this before and in some of the Dominican shops it is common practice. Beware ladies! If you go to those places either bring your own stuff (conditioner, shampoo etc.) Better yet, arrive with a deep condish pack in your head and just let them rinse, bring your own combs etc. and just let them set you. That way you will be playing it safe.
I would go BALISTIC!
"I ain't a killa but don't push me" is the first thing that came to mind. That is such a low down thing to do to a client who is paying YOU money for a service. You should lose your license if you unknowingly place chemicals in someone's hair. What if that person has a condition where they aren't supposed to come into contact with certain chemicals and they get terribly sick or even worse die? That "cosmetologist" should be held responsible for her actions. SMH…a daggone shame!
This is one of the many reasons why I do my own hair. Once a stylist start complaining about how thick my hair is I am out. If your profession is doing hair & you start complaining about your client's hair, obviously doing hair as a profession is not for you.
This is why I have been avoiding the salon for the longest. If I am going to get my hair trim (which would be the only reason I go) it's going to be on dry hair! I haven't found a salon that caters to naturals in my hometown and I am not about have them ruin my progress because they can't handle thick hair. That's how I ended up with a damn texturizer when I did my big chop and I didn't know what it was and the lady said it would make my hair more manageable and I thought my hair would revert once washed but no it was a damn mild relaxer. This stylist are so lazy and money hungry. If you don't want to deal with that person's hair then send them to someone else.
Thank you so much for posting this! WOW..I would still be crying if this happened to me.
OMG…before my wedding I kept having a recurring nightmare where this happened to me (I BCed six months before my wedding and have been married three years). I had no idea that this sort of thing actually happened. Maybe I'd heard about it on NC.com and it crept into my subconscious? I think there should be grounds for battery charges in situations like that.
I immediately remembered someone in the CN forum post this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-oNsS4RqTc
From TLC's What Not to Wear, fast forward to 2:54 and the woman calls it a conditioning treatment then when Nick meets up with her he tells her they relaxed her hair.
wow, the level people will stoop down to just to get your money….wow…good thing i don't do salons anymore…
when/if i would to go a salon (years ago), it would just to give myself a break..i usually walk with my own products, had them blow dry my hair with the comb attachment afterwards, put it in a ponytail, and walk out…they would always look at me like i was crazy but didn't care…then i'd go home and style it myself…
it's sad that salons are gonna start having bad names because of ignorant, selfish, heartless people.
A salon/stylist could most definitely be sued for such a thing. That IS evil to do to someone! Scary thought, indeed. SMH
All I can say is, if you have a stylist who cares s/he won't mind telling u exactly what they're doing to your hair at each step of the styling process. I've been blessed with great stylists and now I'm happy I can just go to my sister now that she's licensed. Prior to that, I did go to a salon but they were all great and respectful of my wishes.
This is probably a lawsuit in the making and at the very least a small claims court issue, especially with these women's hair falling out.
This is incredible! I transitioned for 6 months then BCd in January and have not yet needed to visit a salon! I'm happy I read this before making the decision to visit a salon. I've been somewhat scared to visit a salon because I think that my research into NATURAL products is better than what most stylists and salons are aware of to no fault of their own. However to knowingly mix relaxer and conditioner is incredibly disgusting! I feel sorry for these ladies who went throug this, we just need to make sure all our ladies are aware of this!
OMG Thank you Nikki for posting this! This is my first time hearing about relaxers mixed in with conditioner but it is casuing me to start raising an eyebrow.
I started caring for my natural hair myself NEVER going to salons except when I occasionaly wanted a straight style. But I stopped going to black salons because all they would do is try and get me to relax my hair. So I only go to Dominican salons to get my hair straightened.
I never thought about the harm becuz in my mind I wasnt going very often like once every 3-4 months. To my knowledge they only wash and use regualr conditioner and proceed to roller set/blow dry. However there are parts of my hair that have a looser curl pattern than others. Hmmmm?? Could my Dominican salon be doing that to me?
This is a scary thought. Why would people do something like that? We stopped getting relaxers for a reason!
This happened to my mother. Even though she had a relaxer in the past she is generally hair ignorant and zones out when she goes to a salon. Her hair is 4b very coarse and thick, needless to say she went for a press but a month later her hair had not reverted. I found this strange because I had been to the same stylist for a press and had no problems and I have finer strands. My cousin who is a licensed hairdresser took one look at her hair and said it had been chemically treated. I really liked how my hair turned out but I refuse to give them my money after ruining my mother's hair. I won't put the salon on blast, but it happened in Manhattan and it was not a Dominican salon. I have been to Dominican salons and experienced this either they say they can't do my hair or they make an attempt.
somebody relax my head IM SUING…and if i relax it myself…IM SUING…myself too!
This is the first time I heard about this. I am suprised that any stylist would have the audacity to do that without consulting the client- Can we say lawsuit? My personal experience in the Dominican salon my stylist suggested I get a relaxer on my second visit and I have not been back since. Make sure you ask questions before and while you get your hair done. Simple questions can show the biggest deficiency in a stylist.
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Needless to say, if anyone tried that on me, I would open a can of whup you know what and see about getting their license revoked. I would rather you refuse to do a natural person's hair than permanently damage it. I know not all stylists are like that, but that is why I myself trust no one to do my hair. Conditioner cocktail with relaxer — that is just plain crazy.
i read about this in a piece on Essence website about A.American stylist complaining about Dominican Stylist taking their clients. The piece specifically pointed out this "conditioner cocktail" to be used amongst the Dominican stylist. This was probably a month ago so i'm sure it can still be found on the website.
I have never heard of this before, but this is quite shocking!! First off, I don't trust too many people in my hair. Secondly, that is a truly devious mind for someone to do something like that. At the end of the day, we have to careful about who we let touch our hair and what products we let in our hair.
I have heard of this. What i've heard is that there was "lye" in the shampoos that the "Dominicans" use.
People that i've spoken to that frequent the dominicans are people that have a relaxer and looking for a "cheap fix" rather than naturals. So, needless to say I haven't heard of the effects.
That's Why When I Do Occasionally Go To The Salon I Take My Own Products And Listen Very Closely At The Sink, And Watch Closely In The Chair. All That Work Watching Them Is Why I Haven't Been A Big Salon Goer In My Life…You Have To Watch Their Butts Even When You Train Them To Do Your Hair, I Use To Threaten Them A little,LOL (Seroiusly, Tho) I Would Say I Walked In Here With Healthy Thick Hair And I'm Leaving Here With The Exact Same Healthy Thick Hair Or We Will Have Problems!!!!
WoW! That's crazy! I've done this to myself, (I'm relaxed) but I think what these "stylist" did to the clients is outrageous. They should all consult a lawyer cause this is a mess!
& No I didn't wear gloves the mixture I used on myself was mostly conditioner and you don't even smell the relaxer.
We've been talking about this on Nappturality, and I find it hard to believe that they could sneak a relaxer in your head. Wouldn't they have to wear gloves? So if I see a stylist wearing gloves to do something that doesn't require gloves, I'm going to say something.
That is pretty sneaky but I am not surprised that someone who isn't specializing in natural hair would try to pull this over on ya trying to make their job quicker and easier. That is a mess and possibly a law suit.
~Daphne of ATL
I have not heard about this. I also have not visited a salon in years just because I did not want to be treated with disdain for having natural hair. I think if they are mixing relaxer and conditioner, it's dangerous, a health hazard and and example of self hatred. I guess some stylists can't seem to understand that some people love their natural hair and have no problem with it. That is sad.
Noire Tropical Beauty (noiretropicalbeauty.wordpress.com)
I've never heard of this–it's wrong for a stylist to apply a relaxer to a clients head (with out them knowing) simply because the stylist doesn't know how to manage the hair (or feels the person should have one). They didn't even think client may not relax because of health reasons (allergic reactions etc..), the result of them relaxing could have been harmful physically, on top of the emotional damage. If these ladies truly have a drastic change with their hair, I'd get before and after photos and take the stylists to court!