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