Students Explore Dominican Salons

Dominican hair salons have become popular in Washington, D.C. and in surrounding areas. Their signature “blow-out” way of styling has caused many young women with various hair lengths and textures too seek the services of these salons.

The “blow out,” a technique made popular in the northeast region on the United States is gaining popularity all over the country. The technique uses little–to-no products to attain a bouncy, wispy look. As Howard women from various cities and states experience the technique, they are changing their regular hair-care routine and preaching the gospel to their friends.

Kristen Bridges, a senior management major has been going to Giovanni’s Hair, a popular Dominican salon in Adams Morgan, for almost a year.

“I heard about them my freshman year and after a couple of years I decided I wanted to get my hair done here so I tried it,” Bridges said.

Bridges, like other Howard women, loves the blow out style for its weightless, airy appearance.

“At home I used to get more up-dos or flips…things like that. I didn’t think my hair could look as full and bouncy as it does now as opposed to the one dimensional looks I was doing before,” she said.

The blow out technique involves setting wet hair on rollers where the size of rollers depends on the length of the hair or how curly or straight the client wants it. From there, the client sits under the dryer for up to an hour or until her hair is completely dry.

In the stylist’s chair, the blow out is completed. With a round brush for a straighter effect, or a narrow-toothed comb for a curly effect, the hair is blown out from the root with a hand dryer. A nozzle is attached to the dryer and used to direct heat, which can be the most painful part of the procedure for some.

“I thought I was going to die from the heat of the blow dryer, but it was worth it,” said junior health management major, Tia Chase, of her first blow out experience. Tiara Wilcox, a junior advertising major and fully licensed hairstylist and cosmetologist prefers the blow out technique for her clients.

“It maintains healthy hair as it uses overall less heat than curling irons and flat irons and because grease and oils are not used, it doesn’t clog your pores and hair shaft,” Wilcox said.
Wilcox also recommends it for those interested in the healthy upkeep of their hair.

Depending on the salon, the cost ranges from $25 to $45 to get a blow out in Washington, D.C. and surrounding areas like Silver Spring, Md. Amirh McFarlane, a junior marketing major from New Jersey, has been getting her hair blown out regularly since the seventh grade said she notices the hike in prices in the DC area.

“The prices are high here only because there aren’t as many places…there are a lot of places in New York [City] where you can get it done for like $10 on a Tuesday, but regularly it costs like 15 or  20 dollars,” she said.

Howard students appreciate Dominican salons not only for the health results on their hair but also for the swift service provided.

“It was like a factory,” McFarlane said of a Dominican salon she went to previously. “There were 30 hair dryers, eight girls and they would be like ‘next, next’, no conversation…you’re in and you’re out.”

Tia Chase also appreciates the faster service of Dominican salons.

“They are so much faster. I’ve spent up to six hours in a black salon and the most I’ve ever spent in a Dominican salon was two and a half hours,” Chase said.

Some students however have not embraced the trend. Many cite the language barrier for discouraging them from making the transition from traditional African-American salons, which have served as pillars in the black community for black women to relax, gossip and be among friends, to Dominican salons.

Howard fashionistas stalking the yard in stylish stilettos and the season’s hottest fashions can also be seen sporting another enviable accessory; healthy, bouncy hair.