NYC Beauty Parlor Update

Below is an old post about my NYC Beauty "Parlor" Experience. I thought it deserved an update since my last post. I've given the Dominican hair experience another chance and it's great. I went to a new place (just up the street from the last one) and it was wonderful. For a mere $15 you can get a wash/condition and blow out or curls. What a deal? I've realized that the blow out wasn't for me, too much heat and a little too much "curler bump" on the ends. However, once they take the rollers out they can put pins in it like pin curls. It's just wonderful. So when you need a quick cute "do" consider your local Dominican beauty parlor. P.S. I’m not so comfortable with additional services so if anyone knows a great beautician in the city, let me know!

Thursday, December 10, 2009
My NYC Beauty "Parlor" Experience
Most women struggle with their hair as has been highlighted by the recent Chris Rock phenomenon Good Hair. In Ohio, my typical trip the salon as we call it in Ohio ran me about $60 or $70 for a wash, condition, blow dry and press (not to simplify the process at all). If I wanted color , cut, trim, or any sort of hot oil or vitamin treatment the price easily starts creeping into the low hundreds.

Since in moved to the city I’ve been hearing about the $10 Dominican blow up. I’ve been hearing different takes on this process so finally decided to check it out for myself.

My first question was “How do I know that someone is Dominican?” Certainly it’s not appropriate to ask. Second, “do only Dominicans offer this service and if so why?” The most important question perhaps is “Is a wash and blow out for $10 possible?” And maybe one additional question is what is a “blow out”. When I blow dry my hair it’s like a limp afro and no disrespect to the afro or those you are still rocking it but I don’t want an afro, I have a lot of hair on my head. I wondered is it possible to blow dry ones hair to straight, silky perfection (this is what I’m looking for).

So after work this week I decided to go to the first “Dominican” beauty salon that I found. If decided that there are two within 2 blocks of me. How do I know they are Dominican do you ask? Well on has Dominican in the name and the other looks like the first so there you go there’s my logic.

I decided to the one that’s on the way to my house from work. I went in and of course experience a severe language barrier. Note to self: I REALLY need to learn Spanish especially in my neighborhood. Once we were able to communicate what I wanted I learned that a wash and “blow out” was $18 and a wash, condition and blow out was $23. Not bad at all and much cheaper than home. We got started and boy did this wonderful woman give me a wash. They put in a leave in condition and put me under the dryer. They took me from under the dryer, rinsed out the condition and then to my surprise put huge rollers in my hair. I can’t remember the last time I had rollers. After the rollers I went under the dryer again for about nearly an hour. I have to admit I was feeling a little nervous at this point. After the dryer another woman started taking out the rollers and I was actually pretty impressed and satisfied with what my hair looked like and actually could have paid my $25 and been out. However, I knew because of the language barrier it’d be a lost cause to deviate from the process. Next they take crazy hot blow dryer and blow out each section and your hair gets unbelievably straight. Once again I was satisfied with what I saw and could have paid but apparently there as another step. She reached for the hot curlers and started to hard core bump my ends. For those of you sistahs reading, you remember back in the day before you were introduced to the flat iron and your hair dresser used to give you the page boy with the hard bump at your ends LMAO. Well what really blew my mind was this grandma like sweet woman then swept one side of my hair behind my ear, wow!

Overall the experience was wonderful and the women in the shop were very friendly. The price was right and I had to do minimal fixing when I got home. Is this is a possible option when one is sick like I was but needs their wig split? Definitely. Will this become my new hair care option? Probably not. Either way, I think I can say that I experienced the Dominican blow out though it wasn’t $10 and I’m not sure these wonderful ladies were Dominican.