What Is The Future Of The Black Hair Salon? 

It’s safe to say that the Black salon experience has evolved. The hair salon has long served as a space for Black women to express themselves, be catered to, and learn how to properly maintain their hair. Today, many Black women describe their hair salon experience as a nightmare — fueled by deposit fees, late clients, and unprofessionalism. 

These days, most stylists require clients to send a deposit and come washed and blow dried ahead of the appointment. Simultaneously, stylists deal with clients that don’t respect boundaries by coming late to appointments and clients who refuse to pay the price listed. Both parties are frustrated with the current state of hair salon culture, causing many Black women to feel as if the community element of the hair salon is disintegrating and transactional. 

This leaves us with one question. Is the magic of the old school hair salon gone forever? To help us reflect, salon goers and hair professionals share their thoughts below.

This social media Black hair community has introduced a new term to the Black beauty ecosystem — “Grass Wall Stylists.” This popular social media term is used to describe hair stylists who prioritize the aesthetics and quality of their hair content and studio over professionalism and quality service. These hairstylists often decorate their spaces with grass wall paneling and expensive LEDs– which they often use to justify an inflated price. Sports professional Nia Gibson for example, at times found herself preparing for a mental battle zone before booking with Grass Wall Stylists.

“Once upon a time, getting your hair done wasn’t the equivalent to the hunger games,” Gibson tells ESSENCE. “I used to be so excited to get my hair done, not just because of the result, but because of the experience. You don’t have that anymore.”

The distrust in stylists has increased because of clients not trusting stylists to maintain the integrity of their hair. Instead, clients feel that stylists would rather promote viral >Videos on TikTok are surfacing of clients running off on their stylists after spending  8+ hours on a braided hair>TikTok video went viral for bringing a Jersey City hair stylist to small claims court for taking her deposit after not showing up to the appointment. George’s experience with the Jersey City Instagram stylist taught her a valuable lesson in life — do your research!

When making appointments with a new stylist, it is important to take proper precautions, explained Georges. “Unfortunately, you can’t blindly trust or go to a stylist without vetting them.”

“Number one, if you are not going to a salon, I would DM the person and ask if they are licensed and if they say no don’t go to them,” said George. “A licensed stylist can be held accountable if your hair gets damaged. Next step is to DM the clients that follow the page or are featured on the page and ask them about their experience with the stylist. It doesn’t hurt to get real life customer reviews.”

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