hi this is the frist time my daughter is getting her hair straghtin by the dominican hair salon and i hear that they really
straghtin your hair and she is kind of scard of geting burend and is it good for her tomget her hair straght becaus eshe ha svery thick long hair so please reply back thanks

Hola amiga

Getting burned is a matter of how the stylist performs. There are some who never touch the scalp with the heat, then there are others who make you feel as if they are holding a blow torch. So, that question is relative; you know what I mean?

As for whether or not it’s good for your daughter to straighten her hair, you must keep in mind that all procedures that are unnatural to your hair come with some kind of risk. You didn’t say whether or not she was getting a relaxer, or just a blowout.

Naturally, a blowout would impose the least amount of risk. An occasional blowout, by someone qualified, would not be too bad. But again, this is based on using the right stylist. Relaxing the hair, while it alters your hair, does have a higher risk for damage, but can make thick hair manageable. I can tell you this from personal experience

Hope this helps,

LaNegra

Hi La Negra!
I came across your site and I love what I’m see. Ok the problem is that I’m trying to acheive the roller set look but it seems as though I can get my parts and roots correct. I’ve tried the mohawk roller set ( you know imagining a mohawk to rollerset and doing the other two sides) and it still comes out looking a hot mess. My dryer that I have isn’t really doing the job to help dry my hair. I’ve heard soooo many people talking about the Pibbs Dryer that I’m trying to find one myself but can’t. Also, I’m trying to find a dominican salon in Dayton, Ohio and Saint Louis, Missouri but can’t find one. Is there an easier way for me to part my hair while doing a rollerset and how can I get my roots straight? Where can I find a Pibbs dryer? Can you help locate any dominican salons in those two cities listed? PLEASE HELP THIS DESPERATE POOR GIRL WHO DON’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT HAIR (lol)

Hola amiga and Happy Mother’s Day, if it applies

When you are doing a rollerset, do NOT worry about your sections, other than not putting too much or too little hair on a rolo. Your sections can be crooked and just flat out “ugly”. It doesn’t matter. What is important is making sure that your ends are completely smoothed around the rolo and that your hair is dry. If you pull your rolos out and there is one damp clump of hair, it’s going to frizz and cause your hairstyle to look a little less than how you desired.

Now let me tell you, as far as hair dryers (not blow dryers) go, PIBBS Kwik Dri Dryer 514 is IT!!!! It’s HOT and has an incredible air flow. I don’t use mine on the hottest setting, as It’s way too hot, don’t want anymore heat than what I’ll be applying with my blower and it really only takes air to dry the hair, not necessarily heat. Most dryers don’t accommodate large rollers that well either, but the Pibbs does a pretty good job at it.

You can buy a PIBBS Kwik Dri Dryer 514 at Sally’s, but they usually have to special order them. I believe I ordered mine from amazon.com – there are a few sales going on, but let me tell you a Pibbs is not cheap. It’s an investment and you need to be sure that you want to spend $300+ on a dryer. Trust me, you will always be able to sell it online, as they are the best, but just want to make sure you know what you’re getting into

Hope this helps!
LaNegra

Thank you Harolito, for fixing my PC!!!

Now, I can finally post pics of my hair color experiment.

As a kid, my friends and I would use Kool-Aid to temporarily color out hair. So, I figured, why put all of the “extras” in? I decided to get a little crazy and go straight to the food coloring. After all, that’s what Kool-Aid does, right? Right!

I purchased a little, itty, bitty jar of red food coloring, as my options were few; it was a choice between yellow, red, or blue. Yeah, yeah…I know that I could have just about created any custom color I wanted using the primaries, but I’m not artistically inclined and figured the red would be an interesting option and a contrast to my natural ashy looking hair.

The results? Well, let’s just say that I had a lot more ‘tude with my hair after I rinsed it out. The red was RED and very vibrant. Thank GOD I didn’t do my entire head! It’s finally fading and doesn’t look all that shocking now, but I was really surprised at how well it took. Oh, have to mention that I added the red to my left over clear cellophane.

I am an African American woman with very short hair. It was breaking off terribly, but the breakage has stopped since I am now wearing another hair weave. I have not had a hair relaxer since June of 2009 which was when I was wearing my hair and not the weave.

Now, I am thinking about getting the weave out and going to a Dominican hair salon to get my hair done. However, I am quite
skeptical about this move because: (1) I’ve never had it done by a Dominican stylist; and (2) I have very short hair. My hair is probably between 1-2 inches long. I am not sure whether or not the Dominican system works on short hair. Thanks a lot. Also, what Dominican hair salons would you recommend in the Atlanta area, especially the ones that are in or near Decatur, GA.

Hola guapa,

Let’s first address your damaged hair. As I’m sure you have learned from experience, you cannot “correct” damaged hair. You can pamper it until you get a substantial amount of new growth, OR you can just cut off the damaged hair. Regardless, time and proper treatment are your best friends.

Also, you did not mention the cause for your damage. Is it the relaxer, the weave, or something else? You cannot treat an ear infection with medicine used for an eye infection. The point is, while some products may help with a variety of damage problems, there may be something specific that you need.

Ok, so your hair is short. The question is, do you have enough length to do a Dominican blowout? I’m not sure. I’ve seen some really small rolos and recall when I had my hair cut very, VERY short that my stylist used the smallest rollers for the crown of my head, but the back and sides, where I had it tapered, she just slicked it down.

With this question in mind, my thoughts are that even if your hair isn’t long enough for a true “Dominican blowout” you can do a wet-wrap following a deep conditioning treatment and sit under your dryer. Then, you can just comb your hair out and style.

My concern is that you currently have a weave, which may be contributing to your hair issued. The glue and weight of the track may be adding stress to your already damaged hair. Now, if your hair is natural and coarse, regardless to whether you get a Dominican blowout or go somewhere that uses a flat-iron, it’s probably going to require a significant amount of heat to get your hair straight. So, keep in mind that you may be adding insult to injury, until your hair is in optimal health.

Whether you go to a Dominican stylist, or African American, you want to concentrate on getting your hair on the healthy track. If I were you, I’d go to a few different salons and ask them what they recommend. I personally would want to avoid a much direct heat as possible, meaning flat irons and straightening combs and opt for getting rollers if possible. If my hair was too short for rollers, I’d just do a wet set and nurse my hair until I had enough length for rollers.

As for salons in GA, I cannot make any recommendations, but maybe fellow readers can help you out.

Suerte!

LaNegra

Hi LeNegra. I found your website yesterday-love it by the way. I have really soft curly kinky a.a. hair but its always so dry. I find that oil sheen drys it out really bad even the olive oil brand. I had locs for almost 2 yrs, took them out a few days ago and went and got my 1st blowout. I want to be able to maintain it without it looking suuuper dry. Anything else you can reccomend?

Hola Tierra,

I’m not sure what shape your hair was in when you had your locs, but it’s very important that you moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!

I’m out of my element, with regards to locs, so cannot give you before-after advice. However, I can say that if you hair is very dry, then you may find relief in constant conditioning. This means that your hair may take a few weeks to show signs of sheen and brilliance after putting some moisture in. Also, I have noticed with my own hair that if I get a trim, clip off the straggled ends, that helps a great deal.

You mentioned that none of the sheen sprays are working for you. Try jojoba oil. Put a little in your palm and spread evenly on your hair, starting at the ends.

Now, I will mention this…I knew a girl with very regular, but fine kinky hair. Her hair was very soft and delicate and she too often had a very difficult time keeping it from looking dry. It was a challenge to keep her hair from looking dull. In her case the heavier finishing cremes worked better. For instance, something like a jar of Razac Perfect for Perms Finishing Cream was a must for her. You may have to experiment to find the right amount that will work for your hair, but that’s what it’s all about…getting to know your hair and what works best for it.

Hope this helps,

LaNegra

Hola,
I have been getting a perm my whole life. I am mixed, Puerto Rican and black. I will be going to college soon and I wanted to know if there was any way that I could prevent having a relaxer so often. My mom usually pays for me to go every 6 weeks at this Dominican Salon (NYC girl lol). I don’t really trust anyone but my beautician, co I will be doing my hair on my own. I know that I will definitely have to get a blower and a dryer and rollos, but if I put in a conditioner every single time I wash it will it make it last longer. i usually use the Nexus Therappe shampoo and a conditioner by alter ego that has garlic in it which believe it or not smells really good. My beautician used to put in a leave-in conditioner before she would put the rollos in but she recently said that I didn’t need it because the conditioner made it really soft that she could easily put in the rollos. Do you think that by putting this in all the time it could allow my roots to be softer and I could manage my hair better without a perm? Or at least until I am able to get back to home.

I love you and your site btw. Me has ayudado mucho!
Gracias,
Amanda

Hola Amandita

Congrats on going off to college! Enjoy every moment and study hard.

To answer your question, you should use a good conditioner every, single time you shampoo and use a good conditioner even if you plan on wearing your hair natural. I like Alter Ego Garlic, but there are other products that work better for my hair. Notice, I said “my” hair. What I’m trying to tell you is go with what works for YOUR hair.

So, if you find products that leave your hair, particularly your new growth, soft and manageable, stick with them. I’m a hard-core product junkie. I tend to try stuff just because it’s on the shelf and dare I say, because it smells nice (no laughing).

Now, pay close attention to how your stylist combs your hair when she does your rolos and pay closer attention to how she handles the blower. You will benefit greatly if you learn to do your rollos and lag behind, with regard to learning how to blow out your hair. Keep in mind, although the blower is less damaging to the hair than the flatiron (this is just my opinion), it still has the potential to burn your hair. Once the hair has been damaged, there’s no return. You simply have to nurse your new growth.

Also, if you find that you are not getting your hair as straight as you like, which will probably be the case until you learn to wheel that blower, work with you have. Instead of doing a dubi, try finger curls. You’ll have volume to your hair, but it will still have sway. Me entiendes?

Please, stay in touch and I’m glad that I’ve been able to help.

Mil besos!

LaNegra

I’m and african american woman and I have not had a perm in about 2 years. I’ll be getting my first dominican blowout Thursday and I’m trying to use the best products that will protect my hair for heat damage and allow thickness. I’ve been researching several products and really thinking about buying nexxus vita tress biotin shampoo cystine treatment condition structure. After reading several answer and question I also need something to protect me against heat damage and
to add mositure. I was looking at a product called CHI silk infusion for heat protect and and nexxus humectress for mositure. please let me know what you think about these products. Also can you please tell me if its salon in Milwaukee Wisconsin that does dominican blow out. please helppppp!

Hola amiga,

Sorry that I took so long to reply. I have been fighting with some computer issues, trying to be patient with my “tech guy”

Anyway, let me start at the bottom. I don’t know of any Dominican salons in Milwaukee (yet), but will see if I can dig up something for ya.

Ok…moving right along…Mija! Have you not been reading my posts?! I LOOOOOOOVE CHI Silk Infusion LOL.
CHI Silk Infusion is a must-have for me, hands down! I use it on my freshly shampooed hair, or when my hair is dry, but needs a little shine or moisture. I love, love, LOVE CHI! This is THE product for heat protection and as an overall leave-in.

Humectress, I used to like a lot, but it tends to make my hair look flaky. It’s good at adding moisture, but who wants to have a swaying head of hair, that looks like it’s full of dandruff, right?

Now, if you can get your hands on Humecto, you have got yourself a serious, deep, moisturizing conditioner. I put it on my hair and leave it for 20 minutes, sometimes over night and I’m never disappointed.

My newest fave is Baba de Caracol. It leaves my hair soft; maintains moisture AND my hair is silky…love this stuff.

Right now, I’m still finishing up my gallon of Creme of Nature Shampoo, but I’m going to take the recommendation of a reader, by trying the KeraKare line of shampoo. I swear by Humecto; I’m sure they will have a shampoo that I love.

Since you’re getting your hair relaxed for the first time in a while, remember this…be gentle. If you handle your hair the same as you would an newborn, you will find that your hair is healthier and happier.

Hope this helps!

LaNegra

i have decided to grow out my relaxer and i went to a new stylist- he
cut off all my damaged ends, gave me a nice hair cut while doing so.
he basically shampooed conditioned and blew me out. then he flat
ironed me. he didnt use any type of oil or anything and it looke
fabulous. that night i wrapped it and in the morning it looked ok but
a lil dry. i dont want to put on a bunch of grease and oil to make it
look silky but i dont want to use the flat iron everyday either to
smooth it out. what do u suggest i do to keep my hair from looking on
the dry side. i have regular coarse textured hair like a normal black
woman. nothing too nappy, not thin, fine, or curly.

Hola amiga,

Good for you for staying away from the grease. I find that grease clogs your pores and doesn’t allow your scalp to breath. It is also notorious for attracting dirt.

Get yourself a can of sheen spray. There are a number of different ones, but they all tend to work well for me. I am working on the last bit of Olive Oil Sheen(green can). I find that the spray can sheen products are great, because they work on most hair types and do not add weight to your hair. You also don’t get the mess that you may get with oils.

The only downside is for those of us going “green.” I know aerosol cans are not the posh thing to use anymore, but I just don’t get the same results with the pump bottles and I get even distribution with the spray cans. I am a huge fan of recycling, but my spray on sheen is one vice I’m finding a hard time removing from my arsenal

Hope this helps,
LaNegra

First let me say that I love your website. Thank you for sharing your
journey with hair. I’m getting ready for my wedding in the Dominican
Republic on June 5th, so I’ve been working out pretty regularly. As a
result, I find the blowout I get at the Dominican Salon every other
week doesn’t last the same.

Any suggestions would be great!

First, congrats on your upcoming wedding! I love to hear about weddings and new babies

Now, on the hair…let me tell you that working out is a blessing/curse! Yes, it’s great for your heart and I feel great after an intense kick-boxing class, but my hair looks like crap! There are a couple of women who take classes with me and they don’t sweat. You hear me?! No. Sweat!

I start getting beads of sweat as soon as I walk into the class. Oh well.

Anyway, the rinsing after class keeps my scalp fresh, but I really don’t have time to dry my hair. The last few weeks, I have been putting my hair in a french roll and just let it out to go to work, then rinse in the evening. It looks decent, but it’s not the same as having sway from a freshly done blowout

So, to be honest…when it comes to maintaining gym-hair, I haven’t found a way to keep my blowouts AND workout. You can bet your wedding bouquet that I’ll be posting the answer when I find it

i bleached my hair in the summer time and then rinsed it with a color . everything was great my hair was long and healthy . then my new growth started growin so i bleached my roots but the following week after i bleached my hair for the second time i permed my hair . thats when things went down hill . it got so bad i was scared to wash my hair because my hair would jus fall out . i started using “baba de caracol ” and that stopped it frm falling out but I still had alot of dead hair and split ends . so i went to the salon and cut my ends my hair is still very dry and brittle . im trying not to perm my hair but my mom insist on me getting one . is there any product i can use to make my hair grow healthy again ??

Oh amigita! I don’t know if I have ever mentioned this, but bleach is not a girl’s friend. In fact, I’d venture to say that very few women with relaxed, kinky, coarse or super curly hair can handle bleach. I’m not even a fan of hair dyes. A temporary rinse, great, but permanent coloring? NO! You added insult to injury by relaxing your hair after bleaching it, yet again.

Giving advice regarding these situations is extremely difficult, because:

1. I am not a licensed beautician and
2. I have no idea just how severe your damage is.

Nonetheless, I can only use my imagination and give you my best recommendation. Before I venture…have to ask…why is your mother insisting that you get a relaxer? Was she aware that you were going to bleach your hair? What is your stylist doing to maintain your hair right now?

Moving right along, I doubt my advice is what you want to hear, but this is what I would do. I would let my hair grow out enough that I could get a hair cut, not a trim, not a chip, but a CUT. I would have all of the bleached hair cut off and let my new growth breath free-n-easy. Then, I’d decide whether or not I wanted to relax again, but I would steer clear of any and ALL bleach products. Relaxers tend to dry the hair out and bleach does the same thing, so you ended up with a double-dose of damage. Your hair is probably very limp, in addition to being brittle.

As much as I’d love to pull out a magical product for you to try, I cannot. I empathize with you, but this is an instance where it is imperative that you seek professional help.

Please, accept my apology

LaNegra