Hairdresser Woes (Time and Price)
 

Ladies,
Is it just me and my hairdresser or do all hairdressers take forever to see a client and then all day to finish them up.

I wish that I could find a hairdresser for which I do not have to sit 30 minutes to an hour (yes, an hour) before she can even *start* on me. Come on, really. I feel like, they should be able to give a better appointment time...something closer to the time that they will actually begin on you. I also try not to go on weekends but even on say, Tuesday night, it will be 3 hours plus before I'm able to leave (although she can start earlier).

I know that getting my hair blow dryed will shorten the process but my hair is much healthier (and the style lasts longer) when I go under the dryer. Still, even with going under the dryer, I don't see a single head taking 3 hours plus.


Has anyone had any success finding a hairdresser that does not overbook and that can get a client in and out in 2 hours or so? I just don't see sitting in a hair salon all night (or all day) long. What did you do if you've been successful?

Also, I'm sure that this is just me (and my cheap self) but I just don't see paying $35 plus just for a wrap! I mean, as far as I'm concerned, I can wrap my hair and sit under a hairdryer at home (and I do sometimes). What is up with the high, high prices? Spirals are $45. I just don't understand paying almost $50 for someone to put rollers in my head, sit me under a dryer and take them back out.

Is anyone else out there experiencing this or am I just extra cheap? :D

My stylist recently went up $5 on all of her services. She used some excuse about high gas prices and etc. She used to charge $35 for shampoo and style. Now it is $40. Before the price hike I paid $80 for a deep conditioner and spiral set. For future spiral sets I will just use the products she use on my hair and set it myself. Those products contain little to no alchohol really make a difference on how your hair comes out if you do it yourself. I mainly go to her because she can color hair and make it look like your natural hair color. She uses the tubes and not a box. $85 for highlights and $70 for a single all over color application. This should have went in the other thread, but she leases from a non - AA owned salon. I heard her tell a non - AA client that she charges $150 and up just to glue in bonded tracks. I was thinking to myself I don't think so. I got hair sewn in for a few dollars more.

Yeah. It comes with the territory.

Have we EVER been able to accomplish this? Unless you are the FIRST one in the book. LOL

I like my stylist. She's personable, which does slow her down at times.
She is reasonable (perm$45; wash(regardless of the style) $35)

After this week, I'll be able to stay a few minutes with her. I won't have anything to do. :D

Soror, try not to go on Saturdays. LOL I don't get my hair done on a Sat. I am able to leave work early and get there when most folks are still at work (most times on Thurs/if not, Friday). So, my time at the salon is not all afternoon/evening.

Good luck!

I've been in and out of a Salon in 1 hour 15 before and only had to wait about 10 mins plus I did NOT have an appointment. But I didnt go under the dryer. When I go to the Dominicans it can be an all day process because for one they dont take appointments, 2 I do sit under the dryer and 3 they only have a few. I try to go early and during the week, Sundays are the absolute worst.

When I do my own hair it never takes longer than 1 1/2 hours and I;m no pro so it really shouldn't take a pro longer than that.

I have a hard time going to get my hair professionally done b/c I abhor the long wait times and the high prices. My soror took me to the Dominicans and I LOVED the outcome, but the time was a bit long for me. I'm just impatient, in general, though. I do want my hair to be healthier, so I may have to suck it up and drive to the Dominicans waaay out in Silver Spring. We'll see. :)

Glad to know its not just me.

I have had nothing but the best experiences with the Dominican salon in my old neighborhood! Originally, I was going to a place where I could go in at 11:00 on Tuesday morning and not get out of there until 3:30. To boot, I was paying entirely too much there ($145 for a touchup/condition/trim every 7 weeks). Now, I'm in and out in 1 hour for a shampoo and set ($12) and 2 hours for a perm ($40).

The prices don't bother me--it's just the apparent lack of respect for my time, as well as the time of every other client.

Do Dominicans relax their hair? I've only known a Dominican man and he wore his hair super short so I couldn't tell what a woman's hair would look like. Just b/c, I have a close friend from Brooklyn and although she raves about the pricing, she also indicated that they don't relax their hair and she wouldn't let them do that for her hair. She also indicated that they blow dry instead of putting one under the dryer. Are these general practices or do your hairdressers place clients under the dryer? Asking b/c we have a chain of hair salons in Chicago owned and operated by Ethiopians and they blow dry but, usually with a little protest by them, place you under the hairdryer if you basically demand it.

What are the practices? I've also only known Dominicans to be in NY. Does anyone know of any of these shops in Chicago or Southern Cali?

SC

I haven't been to a "traditional" hair salon in over three years. But from what I remember I used to pay a grip over $65 for a relaxer and stlye in Southern Cali. And the wait, forgettaboutit!!! I used to always have an appointment and I would still end up waiting at least 30 minutes to get in the chair and wouldn't leave the salon until about 2 hours later. I stopped going on Saturdays all together.

Now, I wear my hair natural and I don't have these problems. I go to a natural hair stylist every 5 weeks to get my locks retightened ( I have sisterlocks), and it's just me in the chair from beginning to end. I come at my appointed time and I always know what I'm going to be paying in the end. Simple as that.

My stylist is also personable which also slows her down. She can do some hair but sometimes I am in there all day long. I hate being in hair salons all day. I want to get in and get out. I try not to go on Saturdays because I will waste the entire day. I usually try going after work on a Friday.

BTW, I have heard alot about the Dominicans. Nikki there is one in Silver Spring? Whats the name?

I had the best hair stylist. He had me in and out in 2 hours. I have long hair so I had to be under the dryer for an hour. I never had to wait, he was always ready for me. He was excellent! Of course he moved to New York City. (I live in PA). So my Ethiopian friends in college introduced me to their hair salons. Now I only get my hair done by Ethiopians in the DC area. They roller set my hair and sit me under the dryer and then press it straight with a flat iron. No one has ever gotten my hair as straight as they do. My hair is natural and curly and long so a lot of salons I would go to would not do a good job and charge me an arm and a leg. The Ethiopian hair styists charge me $35 for what is essentially a press. They can take a while when it's busy b/c they don't take appointments. So I try to get there early in the morning. I have a friend in Brooklyn who goes to Dominicans and I hear good things about them too.

I have few hairdresser woes...my sister is my primary stylist and I get the "family discount" (read: free). I have had to wait, but I understand because the other clients are how she makes her living.

Now I've never seen a Dominican salon in San Diego or the O.C. Then again, now that I'm wearing half-wigs, my hair has become much less of an issue.

I agree that prices can be ridiculous for the services rendered. My stylist is very fast, but she recently went up on her prices. I used to go at least once a week when she charged $20 for a wash and style. But at $35-$55, she won't be seeing me that often for something that I can do at home.

We don't have any Dominican or Ethiopian salons around here. I'd love to try it out when I'm on vacation though. Where are these salons predominantly?

Summerchild, the prices you quoted in your first post seem about right to me. I was paying those prices in high school (5 years ago). I was going to my hair lady in Chicago Heights, but last summer she just "disappeared" on me and I haven't been able to find her :rolleyes: She would charge me about $35 for a wash and blowdry or to sit under the dryer. I don't like sitting under the dryer for a wrap b/c it takes entirely too long for me, my hair is too thick and it usually takes well over an hour for it to dry. I do agree with you though that the prices are high nowadays.

I recently started going to my grandmother's hairdresser over on 71st or 73rd, I can never remember the exact addess, and she did my hair very well. However, she had the nerve to charge me $65 for my perm!! saying my hair was too "long". Then she charged me another $15 for my haircut which I thought would just be a trim. To make a long story short, I had to go to the nearest GAS STATION to pull out extra money to pay her. No tip :mad: I haven't gone back since and still do not have a hairdresser. If you find one please let a sista friend know. Also, has anyone ever been charged extra for the length of their hair?? I know mine is a little past my shoulders and as soon as it hits that length hair dressers always jack up the prices. I don't think it's long enough to up the prices though.:eek:

The two hairdressers I go to now are a give and a take. They both do a great job, but one is a "traditional" salon-- she has better prices but takes a while (3-4 hrs). The other only does natural hair and is too expensive for me to go every 2 weeks, but she gets me in and out in an hour and a half. So I have a "regular" and a "special occasion" stylist.

Back when I had a perm, I had one lady who hooked me up with the PERM OF AGES-- Lawdamercy it was so straight and shiny and bouncy... but I was always in her shop for 4 hours minimum, and I had to go on weekday afternoons because it was an all-day affair on the weekends. But between my grades suffering and my hair suffering, you know I had to make that good choice. After I stopped going to her, my hair just went south, so I grew the perm out a little and cut it all off!

The first stylist I went to after going natural was always late for my appointments, but she did the prettiest twists and kept my eyebrows arched and everything. I knew it was close to the end when she was late for my appt. the day of my cotillion and it was over when she straight FORGOT about both my mom and me the day before my graduation and we had to wait on her for two hours. :rolleyes:

I have been going to my hair dress for 9 years. Her prices are very reasonable which keeps me going weekly. $30 for a wash & set, $50 for a perm( (though I usually do my own perms), Trims are ALWAYS FREE, Wash/Set/Cut $45, Wash/Set/Rinse $40, Wash/Set/Streaks $45. Her prices have been steady over the years....she went up $5 dolllars like 4 years ago to the prices above. She is comtemplating going up an additional $5 this year....I told her well then there goes your tip. :o

My stylist is great on time. My appt is every Sat at 9:00AM and I am out at 11:30 -11:45 NO matter what I get. I think that our wait time has been minimized because we have a Hair Wash Assistant who continually washes hair so the Stylist can set you for the dryer and style you. When I had a shorter style I could go to the stylist on my lunch break and be in and out and back at work in 1 hour 20 minutes.

http://www.allfromtv.com/graphics/fl...ing-system.jpg

-Rudey

Ditto here Summer Child if you find a decent stylist. My cousin does it for free, but with the weather getting warmer, I know she will be hard to track down. I was going to a salon on 71st & Exchange but they moved and where they are now, someone keeps busting out the windows so I know I'm not heading that way. I had a girl who did real good hair but I would get there at ten she'd wet my hair to keep me there, and I wouldn't leave there until 6 in the evening. By then, I'm tired hungry, and pissed that my whole Saturday is gone. It's good to know I'm not alone in this.

For those of you in Chicago...DO NOT GO TO AJES SALON. The owner is the WORST, very unprofessional and he did a horrible job on my hair. Mind you I just cut off all my hair so why did it take him 3 HOURS to trim my hair? And he didn't trim it he actually chopped it all off. And had the nerve to charge $95. NEVER again.

Why do hairdressers think that they are going to wet your hair just to keep you there? I had to track down my hairdresser who was in the back having lunch while I was waiting on what was going on one hour. You know that it's pitiful when your hair has been wet for so long that the hairdresser has to re-wet it before putting you under the dryer. It seems to me like a total lack of respect for one's time!

SC

Ajes salon? That *sounds* expensive. Sorry about your hair. Not going there....
SC

It's a Black owned salon that is supposed to specialize in natural hair care. So I thought I was doing a good thing. And he's been in several Black Hair Care magazines so I thought I'd be cool. NO! :mad:

Out in the Pac Northwest it is rather difficult to find folks who can do our hair the way we want it and they do it well and have the time...

Ironically, I found a good stylist at JC Penney's who is on a strict time schedule and doesn't charge me a ton of money. It costs $25 for a wash and blow dry and ~$90 for a touch-up and trim. She's okey and works for the time being. But I wouldn't get any fancy-smancy kinna stuff with her.

My aunt is a hairstylist in Vega$, out in Summerlin. She does alot of weaves and bondings and colorings. Rarely does the touch-up unless it's for the weaves or bonds. But she is the only person I trust to do my color when I desire to have it... Usually when I am so pissed off with life I change my hair color--use to be related to breaking up with my men... But now, all that's changed. Anyhow, once the gray starts showing, I will probably ask for some kinna color and go up to Vega$ roughly every 2 months or so...

Where in the Pac Northwest are you? Seattle? If so, do you go to the Penney's at Southcenter or another one?

I "walked in" this evening (my appt. was for tomorrow AM). She saw me 15 minutes after I walked in the shop. I was out 2 hours later. It takes 1hr and 15 minutes for my hair to dry.

I did better walking in than having an appointment. :D

I am so hating on you right now!:D

Epitome, where is Ajes located? The name sounds familiar.

Its on Randolph near Canal.

I swear I get angry just thinking about it. :mad:

After some scarring hair nightmares (that I will not retell here, even though it has been 15 years the damage is still there) I found a salon that I love and trust with my hair. They are black owned, only a husband and wife in the shop. He specializes in chemicals (perms, color) and she in styles and they both work on you in a visit. I can be in and out in 35-45 on a non chemical visit but I blow dry instead of set because my hair takes so long to dry. I amost never wait and have never waited more than 5 minutes in 10 years. They are more expensive ($35-45 for a wash and blow dry depending on length, max of $135 if I get a touch up, rince and cut on the same day) but to me they have been worth it. I always get compliments about how good and how healthy my hiar looks. There is no better compliment than boy your hair is healthy.

On this topic, Black Enterprise has an article this month re saving money (or something like that) and one thing that the article mentions is cutting back on the hair and nail expenses. Apparently, people are saving 100 - 1200 per year cutting back on hair/nail expenses (going less or going to a less expensive place I suppose) and doing dry cleaning one's self. The hair/nail cutback saves 100 and the dry cleaning saves 1200 (I think that I got that right).

One lady uses her savings to re-invest in her business.

I've seen Dominicans have their hair relaxed there. I wouldn't have done it if I hadn't seen what a good job they did.

I've also always sat under the dryer.

Thanks for the info Munchkin03,
SC

every salon is not the same......
 

i have had 1 experience where i dealt with a stylist who had me in a chair for hours. my suggestion is to decide what you want and not tolerate the ghetto business practices. continue to do the research to find the best. you may have to sacrifice a few more dollars for quality but at least you wont be in a chair forever and a day.


essence magazine usually has a listing from time to time on the best salons overall.

if you have medium to long hair, dominicans are the best. the do what is called a doobie which, if i remember is a roller set. they are very cheap!

I love my hairdresser. I've been with her for 4 years. I am always in and out in about 2 hours if I don't get a fancy style. Last time I was there, I was out in 90 minutes. She charges 65 for my relaxer and 35 for wash and dry.

My hair is falling and it won't get up....lol
 

Not so funny story,
My hair dresser went out for surgery and assigned all her clients (over 80) to the other 2 hair dressers in the shop. Well one month in new territory and my sisters is missing hair on the sides and back (she cried like a baby) and I was over processed and burnt in the top and another client was burnt on the neck from processing.....dang it! Don't they have licenses for doing hair....I mean did the rules change when my hair dresser went out for surgery or what?

All said, next time I'm getting braids. :mad:

Not just mad.... I AM PISSED !!!

I thought this could be counted as a hairdresser woe. Someone sent me the email: :eek:

Lifestyles Report...Hair scare
by Debbie Norrell

At least two months ago WPXI contacted me to do an interview about ingredients in hair care products used by African-Americans possibly leading to breast cancer. I was selected because I am a 15-year breast cancer survivor. I agreed to do the interview. However at the end of the taping I didn't know anything more about the study than before the cameras started rolling.

Recently WAMO news anchor and New Pittsburgh Courier freelance writer Allegra Battle did a story on this same subject and it was a feature on the May 9, 5 p.m. KDKA news. But at the end of these stories we still did not have a list of the products. Battle gave me the list that didn't make her feature during a recent visit I made to the WAMO studio's promoting the Pittsburgh Race for the Cure. So many of my friends have seen the stories on television or read about this issue in the paper and they want to know which products to be concerned about.

However I wanted to give you more so I went to the Internet and looked for articles from the Center for Environmental Oncology and found one entitled: Why Healthy People Get Cancer: Center Examines Environmental Suspects (update spring 2005).

The article stated, one of immediate research priorities of the new center is the puzzling phenomenon of breast cancer in African-Americans under the age of 40, who have nearly twice as much breast cancer as do white women.

The center will work with Silent Spring Institute, a Massachusetts based cancer institute, to identify suspect contaminants and ingredients in hair care products and other personal products regularly used by African-American young women and their mothers.

More recently, attention has turned to estrogenic compounds in hair care products used by Black women as a possible explanation for higher cancer rates in this population. I've started to carry copies of the list in my purse but we're going to share it with you right here. The list simply says: The following is a list of products that have previously been found to contain hormones:

Placenta Shampoo
Queen Helene Placenta cream hair conditioner
Placenta revitalizing shampoo
Perm Repair with placenta
Proline Perm Repair with placenta
Hormone hair food Jojoba oil
Triple action super grow
Supreme Vita-Gro
Luster's Sur Glo Hormone
B & B Super Gro
Lekair natural Super Glo
Lekair Hormone hair treatment with Vitamin E
Isoplus Hormone hair treatment wit Quinine
Fermodyl with Placenta hair conditioner
Supreme Vita-Gro with allantoin and estrogen plus TEA-COCO
Hask Placenta Hair conditioner
Nu Skin body smoother and
Nu Skin Enhancer.

The majority of these products contain placental extract, placenta, hormones or estrogen. As early as 1983 Dr. Devra Davis (epidemiologist and director of the Center for Environmental oncology, part of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute) and co-researcher Leon Bradlow advanced the theory that xenoestrogens, synthetic estrogen imitators, were a possible cause of breast cancer.

Davis also says, "most cases of breast cancer are not born, but made and the more hormones a woman is exposed to in her lifetime, the greater her risk of breast cancer."

We need to be more cautious of the products that we use on our hair and our bodies and demand that more information about our health is shared.

Ladies and gentlemen beware.

(Email the columnist at debbienorrell.com.)

Since being diagnosised with fibroids, I have ran across this reasearch as well when searching for causes of fibroids too (synthetic hormones used in many of our hair care products). Cream of Nature also falls into the category as those listed above.

This is one of the reason why I have stopped using black hair care products all together. I know in the past I've used B&B Super Gro FAITHFULLY as well as other products listed.

This is just one of many reasons why I'm into making my own hair care products because you never know.

I've heard not-so-good things about B&B. There have been articles out about the fact that AA girls appear to start puberty much earlier than Whites and Latinas, and one possible cause is the high estrogen content in some hair products. Several studies mentioned B&B Super Gro specifically.

Speaking of hair woes, my favorite hair product (John Frieda Relax) has been discontinued. It was great, and hormone-free to boot. Now I'm buying it in bulk off of eBay. Damn. :(

HC products and Fibroids? :confused: Say what??!?!? :eek:


My stylist uses Paul Mitchell and Dudley's.

I walked in again yesterday evening for my perm. Went straight to the chair. I wasn't there that long. The style I have is very convenient. I don't think my hair is dry, I'll "take it down" Saturday or Sunday. My appointment was for this morning. I'm glad I followed my first mind yesterday. Shucks, I got the heck out of dodge for the third time this week. :rolleyes: Yet, my hair is straight and clean. :D

Munchkin, my dad thinks that the kids are developing so early nowadays (boys are taller and girls are starting puberty earlier) b/c of the hormones *in the food*. There are so many hormones in food (the chicken legs are huge, the eggs are huge, etc.) .

SC

We have a thread on that. LOL

Re: Hairdresser Woes (Time and Price)
 

Soror, the earlier the better. I went to the shop last week (my appt was at 8:30 am) and I was outta there before 10. I sat under the dryer for 30 min after getting my hair treatment, got my wrap afterwards and was done. I can honestly say that I've never had any issues with hair dressers seeing me at my scheduled time though. Now pricing, that I can complain about :eek: I paid $55 to get a power pack( hair treatment that stops shedding) and a wrap. For the wrap alone I usually pay $45, which I think is still ridiculous (I am used to paying $30 down south) In two weeks I have to go for a touch up/trim. This is gonna cost me $75 :eek: Black hair care maintenance is so expensive but in my case, well worth it. Good products yield good results. Plus my stylist specializes in hair CARE not just getting your $ and giving you what you want. I can appreciate that ;)

Horror story: A salon in Columbia, SC that shall remain nameless is responsible for the damage my hair has incurred over the last couple months. I went in for a wet set but decided to add in a rinse for something different. Last week I go to my hair dresser home in Cali and she attributes the breakage of my hair to PERMANENT COLOR. That's right, this negro put a permanent color in my hair rather than a rinse as I requested. I never would've guessed, I thought it was the transition from fairly clean southern water to extra filthy California water, but she is sure that that negro put a permanent rather than a rinse because the original color (cranberry) has faded to a sandy brown and I have a line of demartation-only found in permanent color. What do you all think I should do about this? I am upset because I was finally getting my hair to grow out the way I wanted it and now this :mad: I am all for a smear campaign but this place is somewhat prestigious in that area :(