If I had a dollar for every time I broke into a sweat at the idea of letting someone I don’t know cut or style my hair, I’d have enough money to fund a personal hairdresser. Being curly comes with the tough realization that many hair studios and salons don’t specialize in curly hair, and so it can be really scary to trust a stranger to treat your hair with the intention and care that it needs. Here at Jessicurl, we made this process a little bit easier by creating the Salon and Store Locator, where you can find a local curly-cut studio that knows how to take care of your hair type, or if you’re looking for an in-store location to purchase Jessicurl products! In the meantime, here are some green and red flags to look for when searching for a curly hair stylist.
Red Flags:
- Haven’t Heard That in a While: A hairdresser using outdated terms for curly and coily hair, such as kinky, is usually a good first indicator that they may not be totally up to par with cutting curly hair. Considering they haven’t updated their terminology for it, it’s safe to assume the methods aren’t either.
- Erm… Sure…: Hesitancy is often a sign of lacking confidence in their ability to do the given task, so if you ask for a certain cut and you get a hesitant answer, it may be best to do some more research and find someone who can confidently agree to what you’re asking for.
- Late for a very important date: Being late to an appointment — especially without any communication — is such a red flag. Everyone in this situation should be on time, if not early. If you find yourself waiting for your stylist without any word from them, you should start looking elsewhere for someone who cares a little more about doing your hair.
Green Flags:
- The Answer Seeker: A hair stylist who asks questions at each step of your experience, whether it be a consultation or the cut itself, is someone who is trying to give you exactly what you’re looking for. You can trust them with your life — aka, your hair.
- Poppin’ Portfolio: Social media is a business owner’s best friend, and most hair stylists have an Instagram or TikTok account featuring their work. Check out their pages to see if they have curly hair experience, especially curls specific to your pattern!
- The Caretaker: The best part of getting a haircut — besides the results, of course — is the experience! From the moment you get in that chair, you should feel comfortable. Anxiety and nerves are totally normal when it comes to any change, and trusting a new person with your hair is not something that a good stylist takes lightly.
At the end of the day though, even the worst haircut grows out. And when you’re lucky enough to be curly, most of the time people can’t even tell that it got messed up, they just see the lovely curls! So, be not afraid of the scissors, trust that you will find the right curly hair stylist, and we at Jessicurl hope the Salon and Store Locator can help ease at least some of your woes.