Hi,
After reading your site, I made the leap to a DR salon this weekend. Everything was great except I have three concerns:

1. I noticed smoke (?) and a burning smell coming from the hair as the stylists were blowing the hair. What is this? How can it possibly be safe?
Hola guapa. I don’t know if you’ve read any of my older posts, but I take exception to stylists who blow the hair so much that smoke is produced.

The smoke is produced from two sources:
1. Your hair. This can be due to the fact that your hair is damp, but it can also be due to burning.
2. The paper that they have stuffed over the filter (which causes the dryer to blow more air).

I have caught a lot of flack from people (and you all know who you are), who think that I have no right to say anything negative (translation = call people out) about their harmful styling methods and techniques.

This is the very reason why I don’t put anything on my hair until AFTER I’ve blown it out. If you put oil in a skillet and add heat, what do you see? Smoke, right?

2. It was really painful! Is there I way I can request her not to torture my scalp, or that just a part of the experience.

Some stylists are rough; they may be rough at the shampoo bowl, digging their nails into your scalp, rough when it comes to combing or rough when it comes to how they control the airflow of the blower.

When there is a language barrier, resort to using body language:

1. Pull your head away a little, or
2. Say, “Ouch!!”

And if you want to outright tell the stylist that she’s burning, then say, “Está muy caliente.” Which means, “It’s too hot.”

3. It was too, thin! I like my hair nice and full afterwards, how would I go about explaining to my stylist that I don’t want to look like it’s been stripped out straight?

Yet another reason why I don’t blowout my entire head of hair. Although, I have a lot of hair, I prefer body. Next time you have your hair done say, “Solo el interior.” or “Solo el tronco.” This means, “Only the interior or the roots.”

Is your hair natural? I find that many stylists are extremely enthusiastic when it comes to getting that hair STRAIGHT. They are also accustomed to clients complaining, “You know my hair isn’t straight! I’m not paying you for this Sh!t!!”

With that in mind, the next time you go to the same, or any other salon, just watch the stylists. See how they handle other customers and determine whether or not you want to return. You may also want to try another stylist in the same salon…yeah I know that feelings get hurt, but it’s YOUR hair and YOUR money and it’s up to you to keep it healthy.

Thanks!

You’re very welcome!

Please, let me know how things work out on your next salon visit.

La Negra