Felicidades guapa!!!

Let me preface this by saying, not to you, but in general, being mixed with black, Puerto Rican, Dominican or all of the above is totally irrelevant, with regards to your hair. Historically speaking, hispanics from the carribean islands: puerto rico, honduras, santo dominigo, have a great deal in common with most black americans. Keep in mind that Africans who were brought to the US as slaves intermingled, not by choice, with the white slave masters and later of free will with Native Americans. I say all of that to point out that the hair texture is often the same; it comes in a host of varieties from very straight, to very kinky.

When a person shares with me their nationality, or mixture, it doesn’t give me a real idea what type of hair they have. It only tells me that it could be anywhere from…very straight, to…very kinky. Me entiendes?

Ok, history lesson over

So, you’re hair is dry. What products are you using? Are you moisturizing frequently? The economy STINKS, but a good product goes a long way in the health of your hair. Do you drink water, sufficient amounts of water, to be exact. It’s a good idea to drink at least 2 liters of water daily. If your innards are dry, your extremities will never benefit. Imagine…your organs need enough water to stay hydrated, so if you don’t drink enough, your hair, nails and skin will be the last to get water.

Is your hair natural, or relaxed? I always proceed with caution when trying a new stylist. I have very, VERY fine hair and in the hands of the wrong stylist, I could easily end up…BALD or pretty darn close. The amount of heat varies from stylist to stylist. The coarser the hair, the more heat stylists tend to use. However, this also depends on the client. Some clients know their hair and are not afraid to tell the stylist, “Slow your roll with that blower! I only want it blown out a LITTLE!”

I don’t know the current condition that your is in, nor do I know the stylist you are going to. The fact that your hair is dry means that you may need someone to handle your hair gently. One test would be to see if the stylist recommends a treatment. If so, ask her what type; ask her what she thinks your hair needs. If she says you need something for dry hair, then she may be worth giving a try. I went to a new stylist once and she insisted that I needed a haircut and that my hair was DAMAGED to the bone. Um…well, I had just had a haircut, not a trim, a few days earlier, so I knew she was off. I had also had my regular NYC stylist relax my hair and even she commented that my hair was in great condition. Needless to say, I got my brown butt up and LEFT!

I also recommend that you go early to your appointment, unless it’s a walk in. Regardless, watch how the stylist handles her other clients’ heads. If she is haphazard, sloppy, over using the heat, or you just don’t feel right about something, follow your gut, leave. If you are one of those people who always wants to be polite, just say, “I’m sorry…feel like I’m going to throw up. I’d better reschedule when I feel better.” Mija, they will be GLAD to have you go.

It takes commitment and patience to care for your hair, but it only takes ONE screw up and then you are started from peg one.

If you decide to get your hair done, please let us know where and how your experience turned out.

Merry Christmas!!!

LaNegra

Hola BELLA!

Mamita, I am SOOO sorry I didn’t reply sooner! Between work and spam, I can’t get a break.

Anyway, I can totally relate to sweating like a pig. Gurl, it ain’t pretty. As for leaving your wrap…I have never left mine in for that long, just doesn’t work for me. I gave up on curlformers…too much stress on my hair AND takes too much time to put in. Also recently tried the twistable rolos …results are so-so.

My feeling is that if your hair isn’t breaking, do what works. Not combing it means less tension on the hair, which means you probably will retain some length. Don’t be surprised if you see a lot of hair coming out when you comb it; that’s because the hairs that you naturally shed have not been removed during the week.  Other than that…if it’s working for you, keep it up. You shampoo regularly and condition regularly; that’s the key!

Again…sorry for not getting back to you sooner.
Mil besos!

PROUDLY INTRODUCING: Sally’s Hair Stylers Black Mesh Chignon!

Love the ease of a bun but hate that you don’t have the length or fullest to achieve the look being rocked on the Fall 2K11 Runways? Well, this little contraption was a great buy for pennies over $3 @ Sally’s. It’s quick, it’s easy, and it’s perfect for those annoying hair days. My favorite part is that your hair doesnt have to be perfect for it to look awesome. I rather adore the combination of a classic bun updo thats slightly messy modern. Of course I wouldn’t leave you without a pic and a link to this little gem: http://www.sallybeauty.com/mesh-chignon/SBS-463605,default,pd.html.

And for those who are looking for ways to retain length, this miracle device is perfect for protective styling. Protective styling = hiding your ends and keeping them moisturized so that they dont break off. After all, the ends of our strands are the oldest and therefore have the most damage to them. Tuck your ends away and call it a day!

Directions:

1. Gently detangle and moisturize your hair.

2. Create a high ponytail and secure with an elastic holder. Be as neat or messy as you want..

3. Pull ponytail through the mesh holder and fan hair evenly around.

4. Pin (or tuck) hair around the holder. Ensure that the holder is completely covered.

Happy Bunning!

When you come to my salon, you will feel comfortable! I have all new top quality stations, dryers, and backwash stations in an elegant and classy atmosphere. You are always treated with respect and courtesy. Featuring Dominican Blowouts, Roller Sets, Relaxers, Deep Conditioning Treatments, Keratin Hair Treatments, Fusion Extensions, Highlights and Lowlights, Color, Haircuts, Perms, and more. Familiar with all hair types and textures. Featuring authentic Dominican products. Now certified to perform the Brazilian Blowout, Professional Smoothing Treatment, that improves the health of the hair and leaves it with a smooth texture. Call (919) 352-4045 or text to my Blackberry Mobile PIN 321BAC8D. Email me at dominicanstylist@hotmail.com or call the salon at (919) 777-0708. Experience your hair soft and silky with more bounce. You’ll love the Dominican difference! Hair is important.

I’m sitting here typing this with my rolos in (using velcro instead of magnetic), waiting for my 10 tons of fine, curly, Caucasian hair to dry… I use a great, cheap hood style dryer that attaches to my hairdryer, and then I hold down the “cool shot” button with a hair elastic and let the dryer do its magic!

Love the passive blow out technique… I HATE blowing out my hair in the normal way, and this gives me pretty curls in a super easy way (20 minutes to roll my hair and I’m done!)  Plus I can do all those vintage Marilyn Monroe/Jayne Mansfield styles by brushing out (instead of a dubi) and teasing/spraying, which with my (fake) blonde hair looks really cool.

I’ll check back in… Gracias por tu entusiasmo y tu positividad!

-Janna

Bienvenidos Janna!!

Wow, the South Bronx has changed huh? The last time I went through there were very few Dominicanas and probably even fewer whites. Ya have to love NYC for being an ever changing melting pot, no?

Well, I want to thank YOU for taking the time to email me. I always tell people that they do not have to have coarse or kinky hair to benefit from a Dominican blowout, providing it’s done properly. However, most refuse to believe me.

I hate to put you on the spot, but since you represent a small population of non-ethnics who do a Dominican blowout, would you mind sharing what you use, in the way of conditioners? For instance, many conditioners that we kinky, curly heads might use would probably be too heavy and weigh down fine hair. So, I’d love to hear about your product raves and if there are some Dominican products that you use that you find useful, as well.

Also ladies, would you all PLEASE send some pics?! I respect everyone’s privacy; you can blur out your face, or send a shot of the back of your head, but I know some of you are doing your own hair and doing a great job. I’d LOVE to see and share pics with others as inspiration.

Anyway, mil gracias Janna and please keep us posted!

LaNegra

Now, do NOT ask me why I tried this in the first place, but just let me tell you that Baba de Caracol is not only my favorite conditioner, but now it’s my favorite protein mixer too. Yep, you read right!

You all know that I always say that protein treatments tend to leave the hair a little tough, brittle and sometimes even leads to breakage, if overdone. Well…here’s what I tried:

1 part Baba de Caracol + 1 part your favorite protein treatment.

The first time I tried it I used Baba mixed with Alter Ego Impac. I love Alter Ego, but it seems that no matter how well I deep condition after use, my hair is a little stiff. So, I decided to multitask by mixing my favorite protein with my favorite deep conditioner. I left it in for an hour, rinsed and was so surprised at how soft my hair was! It was strong AND suave!

Ok, so the next time I mixed with Apoghee. Aphogee is excellent when followed up with the recommended conditioner, but my hair is STILL a bit difficult to comb and feels like twice the volume when it’s dried. I’ve noticed that protein treatments leave an extra coating around the strands, which makes the hair fuller (great if you have fine, thin hair). However, for the those of us with a lot of hair, we don’t need and may not want the extra volume.

Anyway, I left the Baba + Aphogee mixture on for a few hours. I was a little nervous that I would overdo the protein, but once again, my hair turned out super, SUPER soft. It was easy to comb, but I combed out less hair than I usually do and my hair was very, very shiny.

So, for the last test I went a step further. Again, I used Baba + Aphogee, but this time I left it on overnight. I rinsed it out the next morning, not knowing what to expect, but let me tell you all…my hair was the softest it has EVER been with a protein treatment. In fact, I almost prefer Baba in conjunction with a protein.

Needless to say, this mixture will only be used every other month or so. As much as I love how my hair feels and combs I am still using protein and do not want to abuse the use of the protein, but I will definitely continue mixing it.
Let me know if try it. I’d love to hear your comments…even if you don’t like it.

Mil besos!

LaNegra

Hours:
Monday- Saturday 10am-7pm
Sunday 10am-5pm

Stylist:
n/a

Décor/Ambience:
The salon is located on in the Oriana Shopping Center off of Denbigh in Newport News between Warwick Blvd and Jefferson Ave. It’s about 15 minutes away from I-64 and within minutes of Ft. Eustis Transportation Army Base.

The salon is rather small and dimly lit. The walls were orange and green. I expected the space to be spacious and clean, but what I saw was a salon that really needed some TLC.

There were six stylist chairs, six hooded dryers and two wash bowls.

Products:
Monica’s flyers advertised Sebastian, Salerm, Nexxus, and Affirm, yet I didn’t see any of these products at the stylist chairs or wash bowl. I brought in my Baba de Carcol, in hopes for a good deep conditioning treatment.

Pricing:
When I asked the receptionist/shampoo girl/rolo stylist what the price for a rolo set would be, she said it’s usually $35. Then she asked me if my hair was natural or relaxed. I told her relaxed, then she said my hair didn’t look relaxed and it would be an additional $10 for my natural hair. I was slightly perturbed at her demeanor, but it was first thing in the morning so I gave her the benefit of a doubt. I also asked for a deep condition using my own product. The deep condition was $5 and BOYP was $5. The total price for my head was $55.

Experience/Customer Service:
I arrived at the salon around 10am on Friday morning. I walked in and told the receptionist what I wanted. She gave me a receipt then sent me to the waiting area for the wash station. There was only one older lady in the salon already under the dryer with a set of neat rolos in her hair. I waited for about 15 minutes until the receptionist, who then became the shampoo girl came back to seat me at the wash bowl. I told her that I was tender headed so to please be gentle with my hair. Her response was “Hmph, you’ve got a lot going on here huh?” I gave her a blank stare. Once she started washing my hair, I literally wanted to jump up out of the chair with shampoo in my hair and run out. I felt like she was scrubbing my head raw.

Then she told me that she should have charged me extra because my hair was long. At this point, again, I should have left. After 3 lathers, she rinsed the shampoo out then added my conditioner and sat me under the hooded dryer. As an hour passed by, the client that was there before I came in had her rolos removed, the entire length of short bob blown out, and then flat ironed.

Honestly, I wasn’t impressed with the stylist’s work, but the client didn’t complain either. A client that came in after me had her natural curls blown out. A few times, the client had to tell the stylist that the blower was directly on her scalp. This client didn’t complain either as she left, she also didn’t tip, as I heard the ladies say in Spanish. I was next up to get my conditioner washed out and then sat in the chair for 15 minutes before the same girl who shampooed me, installed the rolos. She seemed to do a good job with the rolos. I just wanted her to be a little more gentle combing my hair. Another hour and a half under the dryer, then I was sat in the other stylist chair. She took her time, by having lunch in the waiting area before she started my on head.

Again, I literally wanted to jump out of the chair and run out because of the stylist’s technique. I asked her to only blow my roots so that I could maintain a little volume and just smooth out my roots. Apparently, she didn’t like my request and decided to burn my scalp instead. After 15 minutes, I told her that it was done and it was fine. I paid my $55 and ran out of the salon. So, all of this sounds bad right? Nope, I walked out and it was drizzling.

Overall:
Worst salon experience ever. Enough said.

Denise shared this with us, thought it should be easily accessed.

Gracias

Hola Victoria!

Mamita, let me tell you that humidity is not a girl’s friend, unless she’s natural, or has made peace with the fact that her blowout might frizz out after a short period. Truth be told, I have tried a few different anti-frizz serums; it’s been very, VERY humid this year, and I’m not finding any miracle workers on the market. I tried Garnier Fructis…it was ok. I also tried Redken Outshine 01 Anti-Frizz Polishing Milk. The Redken was a little better, but for me the frizz eventually found its way back to my head. You may have to try a few different products to find what works for you, but I cannot recommend anything that worked for me, which is SAD, because I’m a hot mess this summer

As for the dry scalp, try mixing a few drops of tree tea oil and a few drops of peppermint oil in about an ounce of jojoba oil and apply to scalp using q-tip (so you don’t get hair too oily.) Curlformers might work for you. I used them last summer and was impressed by how well they worked on my natural curls. BUT, they are too time consuming for me to apply.

Another thing I almost forgot to mention…believe it or not, you may want to try shampooing your scalp more often to prevent clogged pores. Sometimes, when your scalp gets clogged by product, or dry skin, it blocks your natural oils from flowing down the shaft of the hair. Even if you don’t want to shampoo, use an inexpensive conditioner to comb through your hair in the shower and massage your scalp. Perhaps, you are not getting adequate circulation to the scalp. Don’t forget to drink sufficient water. If your organs aren’t hydrated, your hair will suffer.

Hope this helps,

LaNegra

My question for you is about the Keratin treatment that everyone seems to be fascinated with! I have been relaxing my hair for a very long time, and besides all the burning sensation, the not so pleasant smell of it, and just the overall tedious-ness of it, it WORKS! But, I have been debating whether or not I should get the Keratin and is it worth it. I am hesitant for a two reasons: 1. The keratin treatment cost a pretty penny! 2. Will it be harmful to my hair since I have been getting relaxers for as long as I can remember?

Hola guapa!

I am SOOO sorry that it took so long for this reply. I told you I was busy, but didn’t plan on taking this long.

Anyway, here’s my opinion (remember, it’s just an opinion). The keratin treatment originally had formaldehyde as the key ingredient. For those of you who do not know, formaldehyde is used for embalming. The fumes were so caustic that stylists used to wear facial masks, use high powered fans while the client and any other patron in the salon, was exposed to the fumes. Not cool.

Ok, so then they came up with a “formaldehyde free” version, because the public caught on to the dangers, but that’s BS! Yes, your hair will look great, but you may be exposing yourself to carcinogens. I posted about this topic a year or so ago and figured I’d look at current data before replying to your inquiry and I’ll tell you, not much has changed. Look at this report from ABC News that goes into some detail about Kertain Blowouts.

Some argue that relaxers are dangerous, yet we still get them, so what’s the big deal with getting a keratin treatment? For me, the big deal might be CANCER! Now, they do say that the customer isn’t repeatedly exposed to the carcinogens, but keep in mind that the treatment is not a one time deal; the treatment will have to be repeated, just like a relaxer, so you are going to be putting yourself at risk over time.

Personally, I’ll stick with the time consuming, scalp burning relaxer. I can deal with frizz and kink, but cancer is NOT on the agenda.

Mil besos!!

LaNegra