Finding the perfect natural hair salon or hair stylist can be a very daunting task. It can take months or even over a year to find the perfect match. And if you recently moved to a new city you may have no idea of the first steps to looking for a new stylist.
After talking about why natural hair salons should teach texture education, the first step for many women is actually finding a credible salon to attend.
Or maybe you are a new natural and your current stylist does not specialize in natural hair. Whatever the case, here are a few tips to finding the perfect natural hair salon.
How to Find the Perfect Natural Hair Salon
1. The Power of Hashtags
If you are one of those people easily annoyed by overly used hashtags, don’t be because it is truly a great resource. The power of hashtags is incredible. I have found several makeup artists and hair stylists simply by hashtag search via Instagram using #dallasstylist #dallassalon and so forth.
However…you must also go the extra mile. Once you find a stylist and come across their page do not stop at the first beautiful picture you see. Keep investigating to get a trend of the type of hair service that stylist shares the most.
Also, check to see the other hashtags used by the stylist, which usually gives a little more detail behind the actual hairstyle in the photo. Do you only see blowouts and silk presses? Does the person only specialize in weaves and sew-ins?
Like it or not, social media is a walking marketing campaign for certain professionals. If there are limited pictures of the stylist offering natural hair services either walk away or go to step two…
ALSO READ: 5 Amazing Natural Hair Stylists In Dallas You Should Know
2. Ask If the Salon or Stylist Offer Consultations
Let’s face it, going to a new stylist is just flat-out scary. You are trusting your crown and glory into the hands of a professional you barely know. To ease your fears, ask if the salon or stylist offer consultations, either in person or over the phone.
Having the opportunity to clearly talk through the services you want, your past hair issues and your end expectations can save a lot of time and money.
Also, by going into the salon you can get a sneak peak of current clients, the vibe of the salon and how the salon operates. This is always a plus!
3. Ask About Their Tools & Styling Process
Call me crazy but before trying a new stylist I have tons of questions about everything from the product line used to the brand of the styling tool. Those are all very important things to me and any natural hair salon that does not offer steam/hydration treatments for natural hair clients, I sort of give the side eye.
You should be well equipped with information before sitting in the chair so there are no surprises. Additionally, knowing if a stylist uses a ceramic or titanium flat iron can be the difference in your curls experiencing heat damage depending on your texture.
With ceramic flat irons, heat is not evenly distributed as with a titanium flat iron, causing the stylist to possibly pass the same section of hair over and over with the iron.
4. Traditional Reviews
Although we live in a social media driven world where pictures sell the story, traditional reviews still hold a ton of value. Exhaust all of your review resources from Yelp, Google Plus reviews, Style Seat and Facebook when looking for a natural hair salon.
More importantly, this may be able to give you a more robust and in-depth review from a wide range of people. For example, there are thousands of women who do not post Instagram pictures, have a blog or create youtube videos for their reviews. Writing a traditional review is quick and to the point.
Also, I often find people on Yelp do not hold back so you are pretty sure to get a very honest opinion.
Any other suggestions I may have missed? Share how you found your stylist and comment below!
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Charlene Walton McCraney is a Dallas beauty and lifestyle blogger. After years of styling her and several friends’ hair as a hobby, offering advice and tips, she decided to combine two of her favorite things…writing and talking about natural hair!
TexturedTalk.com was created to promote healthy hair care for women of all textures and has since evolved into other beauty and lifestyle topics. Charlene loves teaching other aspiring bloggers on how to take their passion and turn it into amazing content to provide value.
Charlene is a previous beauty contributor to NaturallyCurly.com, CurlyNikki.com, and 21ninety.com.
When she’s not blogging she is probably crunching numbers as a Senior Financial Analyst, dancing or figuring a way to meet Beyonce in person. :)
I appreciate your tip on asking if a salon offers consultation. I would imagine that a consultation would be a good way to find a salon that matches your needs. My wife has been looking for a salon, maybe we should look for one that offers a consultation beforehand.
Author
Hi Jeff, thanks for reading! And yes, consultations can usually tell you a lot about the salon before you actually sit in the chair. Saves time and money. Good luck with you and your wife. Let me know if you have any questions in terms of searching for salons or natural hair care!
It’s good to know that Instagram and other social media can be a good source for finding a good hair salon near you. I just recently moved to a new city, so I need to find a good stylist who can take good care of my hair. When I have a chance, I’ll definitely browse through hashtags on Instagram. While I’m searching, I’ll probably also get some good ideas for hairstyles!
Author
Yes I love searching hashtags! Thanks for reading. 🙂
I really like your tip about asking if the salon offers consultations. I have never thought about doing that but it seems like a really great way to know where you want to go to get your hair done. My husband and I recently moved to a new town so we are in need of a new place to go for our hair. We will keep these tips in mind for our search.
Author
Yeah it really can’t hurt! Thank so much for reading. 🙂
I like your idea of finding a salon that offers consultations. I would imagine that this would help you to get to know the stylist before she takes care of your hair. This would probably allow you to find someone who is just right for you.
Author
Thanks!
I appreciate the information on how to find the perfect hair salon. I agree that a super important part of finding the right hair salon is to talk to them and find out if they offer consultations. I would imagine that a consultation can help you learn a lot about the salon and whether or not they are right for you.
I am looking at getting some weaves in my hair. It’s important that I find a stylist that is able to make it look natural and professional. Asking for a consultation, as you suggested, is a great way to see how you feel about a certain stylist. Thanks for sharing!
Author
Thanks for reading!
I agree that it is a good idea to look at reviews when looking for the best hair salon. It makes sense that doing this can help you make sure you find a location you can trust to help you get the look you want. I can see how anyone looking into this would want to take their time to plan ahead and consult with several companies so they find the one to trust when the time comes.
Questions really are important when it comes to choosing a new salon to go to. You want to make sure that they are not only skilled, but that you are comfortable with any techniques that they use. For example, if your skin is irritated by any certain kinds of dyes or soaps then you want to make sure that they won’t be using them on you.
I appreciate that you mentioned to see if a salon has consultations, and that talking to them can help you learn more about the services you need and other hair issues. Not only that, but it seems like it could be a great opportunity to learn more about the salon or stylist as well, and maybe even learn about some things they offer that you didn’t know before. Perhaps doing some research on the place can also be beneficial, especially to talk to them or ask them any questions.
I found your talk of taking advantage of a consultation really interesting when choosing a hair salon. Talking with the stylist would give you a good idea of how they work. My sister needs a new hair salon, so she’ll have to get a free consultation first.
Thanks for your comment about how you should get to know your stylist before going. I also like how you said that they should be able to tell you what kind of products and equipment they will be using n your hair. My sister and I are considering getting your hair done for a wedding at a hair salon that has qualified stylists.
My wife is looking for a new salon to start visiting by our house, but she is having a hard time finding somewhere she likes. I like that you recommend asking about the salon’s tools and styling process to ensure they have the equipment you need for your hair. I’ll be sure to tell her to ask about these things so she can find somewhere where they’ll give her the look she likes.
Thank you so much for this extremely important information for finding natural hair care salon. As we are busy person always try to find the easiest way to do our work and most of the time we choose our wrong destination. Hair care is the most delicate thing and we have to take care of. Here I got some important facts that how I can choose my natural hair salon. Thank you so much for sharing. These are extremely powerful tips fo for hair care.
I agree that once you find a hair-stylist and come to their page do not stop at the first beautiful picture you see. My sister wants to have a haircut. My mom suggested going to a hair salon and shared this article with her. It says to ease your fears, ask if the salon or stylist offer consultations, either in person or over the phone.
You make a good point that if you can have the opportunity to talk about what you want from the salon and any past issues then you’ll have a good idea if that’s the place for you. I have recently moved to a new city, and I want to ensure that my hair will continue to be taken care of. Your tips should help me find the right salon with all of the services I need.
My favorite part of this article is when you emphasized that we should look for a salon that offers consultations first. I agree with what you’ve said that it is really a bit scary to have an abrupt change of hairstyle or haircut. It’s because it might or might not look good. An experiment, I think, is not that applicable in this case.
Thanks for the tip about checking a stylist’s reviews before choosing them. It would be smart to find someone who is qualified as well. My husband and I are looking for a hair stylist, so we’ll have to check their reviews first.
I like how you mentioned that you should ask the salon what tools they use, as that can determine how much damage your hair receives. I’ve been wanting to grow my hair out, so I’ve been looking for a great salon to help me. These tips will help me find that salon, so thanks for sharing this.
Thanks for the tip about getting a consultation before choosing a hair stylist. Meeting with them and finding out if you like them or not would be really helpful. My husband and I are looking for a hair salon, so we’ll have to meet with the stylist first.
It was really nice when you said that I can ask the salon if they offer consultations so that I can discuss with the stylist my past issues and concerns. I will be sure to do this since, for my wedding, I intend to get my makeup and hair done by a professional. I have a few troubles with my makeup in the past, so I will discuss this with the pro as I do not want any issues on my wedding day.
Finding someone who is qualified and experienced would also be good. After a recent move, I’ve been looking for a hairstylist, so I’ll have to consider sampling their work first.
Thank you for pointing out that you should see if the hair stylist you are considering can offer a consultation. I just moved to a new area and need to find the right hair stylist to touch up my roots. I’ll have to do some research and find the best one in our area.
Thank you for these tips on finding a hair salon. I just moved to a new area and need to find the right hair salon. I’ll have to do some research and find the best salon.
Author
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that!
I agree with you when you said that going to a new stylist is just scary because you don’t know as to how he/she will handle your crowning glory. I like it when you said that it’s best they have a service of free consultation because it’s a way for you to express your self about the style that you wanna achieve. Thanks for the tips though, they are useful.
Author
Thanks!!!