There are several reasons why many curlies choose to trim their own hair. However, some actually love their stylist who knows she can’t cut curls the same way she can cut straight hair.
On top of this, she’ll even give you an estimate of how short your hair will be after shrinkage and she refuses to give you the cut you just know you want because she says it’ll give your curls weird layers. She really is a curly girl’s dream come true! So what exactly makes a great curly stylist, and how can you find one that you love?
What’s Great About Her
You can tell a good curly stylist within the first few seconds of meeting her. Does she immediately motion you toward the sink for a shampoo and conditioning? If so, consider that red flag #1. A stylist should not cut your curly hair while it’s wet, and even if they do, she should be inspecting your curls to understand their specific pattern and angle before she washes it down.
If you choose to do your own trim at home or if this is a stylist who knows you, then that’s different. For an initial meeting, though, consider this a warning.
If she knows exactly what you mean when you tell her your current regimen for your 3b/3c combo hair is to low-poo with HCC and follow it up with Ouidad’s CQ, interjecting with Devacurl’s HIH once a week for a DC, she might be worth keeping!
Another sign of a good stylist is that she doesn’t just let you come into the salon insisting on having something done, regardless of how unhealthy or unflattering it may be for your hair type. I’m thankful for my stylist who will absolutely refuse to do something and have her name branded to it if she knows better than me — and trust me, she does! The fact is, you may not have the type of hair in that picture you’re thinking of bringing to her. Also, remember that the girl in that picture probably had loads done to her hair, and without your own styling team to do your hair every morning, yours just won’t look like that. A good stylist will tell you so.
You’ll also know you’ve got a good stylist if she’s familiar with the Curly Girl lingo. If she doesn’t look at you strangely when you mention co-washing or no-pooing, that’s a good sign! If she knows exactly what you mean when you tell her your current regimen for your 3b/3c combo hair (she knows what that means as well”> is to low-poo with HCC and follow it up with Ouidad’s CQ, interjecting with Devacurl’s HIH once a week for a DC, she might be worth keeping!
How To Find Her
Word of mouth is probably the fastest way to find a stylist you love. Outside of that, try looking up Deva trained stylists and Ouidad trained stylists at one of their salons.
You could also check out our Salon Finder or CurlTalk thread for users to share experiences and help each other find good stylists.
