Hi Ladies,
I will be starting school again soon...I know I'm going to have a lot on my plate. Some times I get a little lazy or overwhelmed with my hair. It takes me so long to do my hair (a full day). I'm contemplating maybe going to Dominican salons the most once a month to get my hair done. I use to go there a few times in the past for wash and sets. I know their process fairly well. However, I found this article about Dominican salons for ladies that don't know too much about them. I live in Brooklyn, NY so they are everywhere. I usually pay about $20-$25 for everything. I don't know I'm thinking about it......
Smooth operators
Patrons flock to Dominican salons to straighten tight curls
By Samantha Thompson Smith - Staff Writer (The News & Observer)
Patrons flock to Dominican salons to straighten tight curls
By Samantha Thompson Smith - Staff Writer (The News & Observer)
Miguelina Soriano, a hair stylist at Pro-Hair Dominican Salon in Raleigh. Many people like the blowout because it doesn't use harsh chemicals. Hammond has the blowout done every month."
When you think of the best in the hair business, you think Frederic Fekkai or Sally Hershberger.
But when it comes to straight-as-a-board, silky-soft hair, more women with unruly hair -- from African-Americans to Caucasians -- are finding that few tame it better than a Dominican stylist.
"We know hair," says Haydee Suarez, who works at her mother Ana Suarez's salon, Sunny's, in Raleigh's Mini City. "We know all different types of hair."
But when it comes to straight-as-a-board, silky-soft hair, more women with unruly hair -- from African-Americans to Caucasians -- are finding that few tame it better than a Dominican stylist.
"We know hair," says Haydee Suarez, who works at her mother Ana Suarez's salon, Sunny's, in Raleigh's Mini City. "We know all different types of hair."
Curly hair, frizzy hair, coarse or kinky hair. Dominicans say they can straighten it all. Just give them a good conditioner, a set of rollers, a blow dryer and a round brush. The end result is what's called a Dominican blowout, a process that can sometimes take up to two hours but turns the unmanageable into smooth Michelle Obama-like results.
In Manhattan, north of 96th Street, you'll find a salon specializing in the service on every corner, says Nina Ramirez, who started the Web site http://www.dominicanblowout.com/ in late summer to teach others how to do a blowout at home.
And it's not just Dominicans in the salons, either, she says. "It's blacks, it's Asians. It's everybody."
In Manhattan, north of 96th Street, you'll find a salon specializing in the service on every corner, says Nina Ramirez, who started the Web site http://www.dominicanblowout.com/ in late summer to teach others how to do a blowout at home.
And it's not just Dominicans in the salons, either, she says. "It's blacks, it's Asians. It's everybody."
In the Triangle, Dominican stylists are harder to come by. But thanks to the influx of people from New York and Miami who are regulars of the Dominican blowout, there are more stylists than there used to be, especially as word gets out about the service.
That's how Sunny's came to be known as one of the go-to Dominican salons in the area. In 2005, Ana Suarez got a call from a friend living in Raleigh who told her that black women in the area might like a little of the Dominican touch.
Suarez, who had been doing blowouts in New Jersey, decided to take a chance on the area. She moved down with her family and bought Sunny's Salon, a salon which, at that point, catered mostly to white customers.
That's how Sunny's came to be known as one of the go-to Dominican salons in the area. In 2005, Ana Suarez got a call from a friend living in Raleigh who told her that black women in the area might like a little of the Dominican touch.
Suarez, who had been doing blowouts in New Jersey, decided to take a chance on the area. She moved down with her family and bought Sunny's Salon, a salon which, at that point, catered mostly to white customers.
Word of mouth got out about their Dominican magic, taming the curliest of locks with the help of Italian conditioners.
Today, the blowout is the salon's most asked-for service, Haydee Suarez says. Most of the customers are African-Americans.
At most salons, including Sunny's, blowouts start at around $35 and go up depending on the hair type. Customers often have to pay more if they have thicker, coarser hair or the hair has been chemically processed.
Today, the blowout is the salon's most asked-for service, Haydee Suarez says. Most of the customers are African-Americans.
At most salons, including Sunny's, blowouts start at around $35 and go up depending on the hair type. Customers often have to pay more if they have thicker, coarser hair or the hair has been chemically processed.
A big part of the blowout's appeal is that no harsh chemicals are used to straighten the hair. It's an all-natural process that many consider to be healthier than other straightening methods.
"You are not getting as much damage to the hair," Ramirez says.
Today, business is so good at Sunny's that the Suarezes recently bought another North Raleigh salon near Old Wake Forest and Spring Forest roads. "More people are hearing about it," Haydee Suarez says. "We don't use grease. We don't use oil. We use silk."
What's the difference?
"You are not getting as much damage to the hair," Ramirez says.
Today, business is so good at Sunny's that the Suarezes recently bought another North Raleigh salon near Old Wake Forest and Spring Forest roads. "More people are hearing about it," Haydee Suarez says. "We don't use grease. We don't use oil. We use silk."
What's the difference?
What makes the Dominican stylist so good?
Part of the reason is culture in the Dominican Republic. Women there are known to pay special attention to their hair, especially since one sign of beauty in the culture is straight hair.
But that's often no easy task. With their blended island heritage, which often includes African blood, they sometimes have difficult hair to straighten. Also, the island's humid, tropical climatecan often make hair fuller, curlier and harder to flatten.
Miguelina Soriano, a Dominican who owns Pro-Hair Salon off New Bern Avenue in Raleigh, has been at it for 31 years.
Part of the reason is culture in the Dominican Republic. Women there are known to pay special attention to their hair, especially since one sign of beauty in the culture is straight hair.
But that's often no easy task. With their blended island heritage, which often includes African blood, they sometimes have difficult hair to straighten. Also, the island's humid, tropical climatecan often make hair fuller, curlier and harder to flatten.
Miguelina Soriano, a Dominican who owns Pro-Hair Salon off New Bern Avenue in Raleigh, has been at it for 31 years.
One afternoon last week, it took her less than an hour to wash and straighten Christin Hammond's long, naturally curly hair.
"That's why I love it," says Hammond, 26, who typically comes in once a month for a blowout. "I'm in and out in an hour."Ana Encarnacion, the owner of Dominican Hair Salon in Durham, has been working in a salon since she was 11 years old. She started by helping her mother in her salon in the Dominican Republic. Five years later, she realized she had a knack for hair styling, so she used her skills to pay her way through law school.
When she moved to the United States seven years ago, she wasn't able to use her law degree, but her styling skills were in high demand.
Her business has grown mostly through word of mouth, she says.
"We're an international boutique," she says. "We get all types, African hair, white hair. I don't mind who comes to my salon. I just prepare hair."
How to do it
Her business has grown mostly through word of mouth, she says.
"We're an international boutique," she says. "We get all types, African hair, white hair. I don't mind who comes to my salon. I just prepare hair."
How to do it
The key to a successful blowout is heat, a round brush, and strong wrists and hands to pull the hair tight. Sounds a lot like what happens during a blowout in a traditionally white salon, right?
The process is similar: Pull the hair with a brush, apply heat. Repeat. But Dominicans sometimes take a few extra steps.
The process is similar: Pull the hair with a brush, apply heat. Repeat. But Dominicans sometimes take a few extra steps.
First, the hair is washed. Sometimes, depending on the hair type, customers are put under a hood dryer to let a conditioner soften the hair, and then the conditioner is rinsed out. Again, depending on the hair texture and if the hair has been chemically straightened, the hair is often set in rollers, dried completely under a drier and then straightened with round brush and hair dryer.
Others, however, go right from the rinse to the dryer and brush. The rollers are a good option for hair that has been chemically treated because it reduces the amount of heat the hair is exposed to, helping to keep the hair healthy and shiny, Suarez says. Most people can get at least a week out of their blowout. If it's wrapped at night with a scarf, some get up to two weeks, assuming, of course, the hair doesn't get wet. Others say they can get even longer if they sleep with a satin pillow case.
"You get bouncy, silky hair with a lot of body," Encarnacion says.
You also get no-fuss hair for at least week, part of what keeps Hammond coming back. "It's silky and smooth," Hammond says. "And I have to do nothing to it."
You also get no-fuss hair for at least week, part of what keeps Hammond coming back. "It's silky and smooth," Hammond says. "And I have to do nothing to it."
Article from www.newsobserver.com
