Hair Salons

SuzanneCouchman

New member
Jan 24, 2011
5
2
0
I would like to know if anyone has any idea how hair salons are in the DR? In comparison to North America.

I am a stylist (27) years, looking to possible work a day or two a week when I move to the Caberet area later this year.

I"m fluent in English, unfortunately not Spanish, but I am more than qualified to style hair and all that is required in a salon.

any feedback would be appreciated.

thanks.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mike l

Chip

Platinum
Jul 25, 2007
16,772
429
0
Santiago
Dominican women pay between RD150-400 a visit at the local salon. Of course at the exclusive salons they pay a whole lot more. You would be expected to be an expert working with really curly African type hair. However, as many Dominicans are mixed often the hair is finer than one might expect and can be easily damaged. My wife found this out by going to a AA salon in the States and a lot of her hair fell out. She eventually shaved her head because of the damage.
 

SuzanneCouchman

New member
Jan 24, 2011
5
2
0
Hair Salon,

that's unfortunate about your wife's hair. I was hoping to gear towards Caucasian women if I do hair in the DR. Ethnic hair is indeed a challenge, but not impossible to work with.
 

rottweiler

New member
Jul 17, 2010
17
2
0
there is a German hair salon sosua she has international clients maybe she needs help
sosua mulata hotel las canas i think
 
  • Like
Reactions: mike l

RacerX

Banned
Nov 22, 2009
3,390
376
0
Dominican women pay between RD150-400 a visit at the local salon. Of course at the exclusive salons they pay a whole lot more. You would be expected to be an expert working with really curly African type hair. However, as many Dominicans are mixed often the hair is finer than one might expect and can be easily damaged. My wife found this out by going to a AA salon in the States and a lot of her hair fell out. She eventually shaved her head because of the damage.

Nonsense. What happened was that your wife had relaxing chemicals in her hair from previous treatments that didnt mesh with the relaxing chemicals she had put in her hair at the Black salon and her hair fell out. All the hair is the same but you start combining toxins and there will be no other result except for hair loss.

Susie, if you cant do Black hair then you're dead in the water for usefulness as a hair stylist in the DR. The most popular service is the shampoo and hair relaxing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SantiagoDR

Africaida

Gold
Jun 19, 2009
7,775
1,341
113
Nonsense. What happened was that your wife had relaxing chemicals in her hair from previous treatments that didnt mesh with the relaxing chemicals she had put in her hair at the Black salon and her hair fell out. All the hair is the same but you start combining toxins and there will be no other result except for hair loss.

Or simply, she ran into a bad stylist:paranoid: It is not that AA stylists have less skills or less experienced with finer hair (there are some AA that are mixed with finer hair Chip), it is also that they don't make your hair as straight as Dominican stylists. Dominicans are much cheaper for shampoo and hair relaxing than AA.
However, I think AA cut much better than Dominican IMO (if you want something more complicated than layers).

Susie, if you cant do Black hair then you're dead in the water for usefulness as a hair stylist in the DR. The most popular service is the shampoo and hair relaxing.

Unless she targets the expat community.
 
Jan 17, 2009
1,622
59
48
There are lots of expats in Cabarete. We need to get our hair done too!

After many years here, I only found one salon capable of doing my hair (I'm Hispanic so it's not particularly thin hair). That's Anna's Salon in Cabarete. She's from Serbia. She works alone but who knows she could be interested in help a couple of times a week. As far as I know, she works only with Expats.

I don't know if the salon at Ocean Dream is still there. Very nice salon, only that when I visited (a couple of years back once and for sure my last visit), the Dominican stylists there had no clue how to cut my hair. I took over a year to recover of a very, very bad hair cut. Ocean Dreams and that area of Cabarete have many tourists. You may want to pay them a visit when you arrive.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mike l

RacerX

Banned
Nov 22, 2009
3,390
376
0
Or simply, she ran into a bad stylist:paranoid: It is not that AA stylists have less skills or less experienced with finer hair (there are some AA that are mixed with finer hair Chip), it is also that they don't make your hair as straight as Dominican stylists. Dominicans are much cheaper for shampoo and hair relaxing than AA.
However, I think AA cut much better than Dominican IMO (if you want something more complicated than layers).



Unless she targets the expat community.

I don't know....can she support herself working a day or 2 doing foreigner hair? I mean, I m a dude all I need is either a good set of clippers or as usual a quality BIC blade(I only use BIC) and some shaving cream and I can manage myself.
And can she compete on price.

I think I ll stick with my first interpretation of Chip's wife dilemma. I think she put that Snail slime in her hair and then when she was in the US they put the Jheri Curl juice in there too and them 2 ingredients mixified and her head became a Bio-hazard.

I personally think Dominican women spend too much time in the salon and are too concerned with physical appearance.
 

bob saunders

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
32,504
5,932
113
dr1.com
I don't know....can she support herself working a day or 2 doing foreigner hair? I mean, I m a dude all I need is either a good set of clippers or as usual a quality BIC blade(I only use BIC) and some shaving cream and I can manage myself.
And can she compete on price.

I think I ll stick with my first interpretation of Chip's wife dilemma. I think she put that Snail slime in her hair and then when she was in the US they put the Jheri Curl juice in there too and them 2 ingredients mixified and her head became a Bio-hazard.

I personally think Dominican women spend too much time in the salon and are too concerned with physical appearance.

Hahaha. It does seem like many Dominicanas live at the salon, even the little girls. My wife, however only goes to the salon if she's been too busy to do her own hair, and doesn't have the time. She is fortunate that her hair is reasonably easy to work. Nothing wrong with wanting to look your best.
 
Jan 17, 2009
1,622
59
48
The OP never said she wanted to support herself doing hair twice a week! That's not possible even in North America. I would hope she's got other means of support.
 

Chip

Platinum
Jul 25, 2007
16,772
429
0
Santiago
The problem was not a mixing chemicals but the fact that the salon where she went used a very strong relaxer and also a heat straightener.

BTW, the only chemicals my wife used on her hair was a 4 time a tear hair relaxing and shampoo and conditioner and the occasional styling gel.
 

bachata

Aprendiz de todo profesional de nada
Aug 18, 2007
5,341
1,246
113
Nonsense. What happened was that your wife had relaxing chemicals in her hair from previous treatments that didnt mesh with the relaxing chemicals she had put in her hair at the Black salon and her hair fell out. All the hair is the same but you start combining toxins and there will be no other result except for hair loss.

Susie, if you cant do Black hair then you're dead in the water for usefulness as a hair stylist in the DR. The most popular service is the shampoo and hair relaxing.
Well she can go and take some classes to learn hair relaxing, I bet in two or three weeks she will be doing well as this is not so complicated.

Desrizados = relaxing are very important in the the DR beauty as most Dominican woman have "pelo crespo"

I would recommend if she will stay in SD era to contact Star Products Laboratories as they offer free training for hair stylists on how to use their relaxing product Permatrate...
The mean office is located at Juan Jose Duarte 58 60 Ens La Fe Santo Domingo Dom Rep.


JJ
 

SuzanneCouchman

New member
Jan 24, 2011
5
2
0
thanks for your posts, I was only thinking of working a few days a week, for something to do,not to support myself, because I enjoy my trade. Once a stylist always a stylist. The six months I"m in the DR, I don't need to work.

I"m sure Dominican women or any women for that matter, spend time in the salon because having their hair done makes them feel good.

RacerX
In my experience, when women get their hair done, it's the only time they ever have for them self, without being, mom, wife, sister, friend, answering a phone, or taking care of everyone else......I' m sure you get my point.
If you feel women care too much about their appearance, you can thank the media and society for that. I don't mean to be rude, but it's reality.
 

Africaida

Gold
Jun 19, 2009
7,775
1,341
113
RacerX
In my experience, when women get their hair done, it's the only time they ever have for them self, without being, mom, wife, sister, friend, answering a phone, or taking care of everyone else......I' m sure you get my point.
If you feel women care too much about their appearance, you can thank the media and society for that. I don't mean to be rude, but it's reality
.

Couldn't have said it better !!!!!!!

From another thread, I read that you are good with hair extensions . That is something you should explore in my opinion (especially if you have access to good quality hair). However, I believe you would need to know how to weave for hair that are kinkier.
 

RacerX

Banned
Nov 22, 2009
3,390
376
0
RacerX
In my experience, when women get their hair done, it's the only time they ever have for them self, without being, mom, wife, sister, friend, answering a phone, or taking care of everyone else......I' m sure you get my point.
If you feel women care too much about their appearance, you can thank the media and society for that. I don't mean to be rude, but it's reality.

So if one doesnt have the money for the salon nor "the new shoes" do they cease to exist? Are they not "real" people because they live in a different reallity? I heard a poem by Sojourner Truth one time "Aint I a woman?" I missed the line about "lying up in the salon, getting my hair did, curling iron in hand and gossiping with the broads."

If a woman needs to be in a salon to be "herself", she deserves what she has, an empty life with great and awesome hair full of bounce.
 

Africaida

Gold
Jun 19, 2009
7,775
1,341
113
In my experience, when women get their hair done, it's the only time they ever have for them self, without being, mom, wife, sister, friend, answering a phone, or taking care of everyone else.

If a woman needs to be in a salon to be "herself", she deserves what she has, an empty life with great and awesome hair full of bounce.

You missed the point. Women are generally caregiver and yeah, it feels good to be taken care of, to be pampered for once, to have some time to ourselves.
If it's in excess, of course, it is bad, you have to have priorities. But what's wrong with trying to look your best if it makes you feel good ? Again, excess is bad if your self esteem derived from the way you look (or from what others think of you), then, yes something IS wrong.
 

RacerX

Banned
Nov 22, 2009
3,390
376
0
If it's in excess, of course, it is bad, you have to have priorities. But what's wrong with trying to look your best if it makes you feel good ? Again, excess is bad if your self esteem derived from the way you look (or from what others think of you), then, yes something IS wrong.

I got the point. But you do know this is the Dominican Republic right? Keeping up with the Jones' is a religion here. People clamor to buy(scratch that, get) fancy shoes and handbags and don't have a damn place in the world to wear them to. How many knock off Coco Chanel handbags have you seen that have nothing in them but napkins and make-up? I went out with a woman who wore her sisters shoes and I only knew it because her feet were so big they overran the end of the shoe at both ends. It looked like she was baking bread in a cup cake tray.
 

Africaida

Gold
Jun 19, 2009
7,775
1,341
113
I got the point. But you do know this is the Dominican Republic right? Keeping up with the Jones' is a religion here. People clamor to buy(scratch that, get) fancy shoes and handbags and don't have a damn place in the world to wear them to. How many knock off Coco Chanel handbags have you seen that have nothing in them but napkins and make-up? I went out with a woman who wore her sisters shoes and I only knew it because her feet were so big they overran the end of the shoe at both ends. It looked like she was baking bread in a cup cake tray.

Racer, you could say the same thing about NY, LA....where I have seen women with handbags more expensive than their subsidized rent :)

Do you now ask your date to wear their own shoes ? Where do you find these women, lol ? jaajajajaja :p
 

las2137

New member
Sep 1, 2008
290
60
0
Couldn't have said it better !!!!!!!

From another thread, I read that you are good with hair extensions . That is something you should explore in my opinion (especially if you have access to good quality hair). .

Ditto! When my mother-in-law returns to Santo Domingo from Canada, she buys a ton of human hair and makes a killing selling it to her stylist friends. You've mentioned you're not really concerned about the money, but if you wanted to expand into the Dominican market, it would be a great way to do it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Africaida