Curly Haircuts and Salon Visits

Arguably, the worst part about starting your curly hair journey is curly haircuts and salon visits. Finding someone that actually knows how to deal with your hair type and won’t just cut it in one fell swoop but will actually cut it according to the shape you want, etc. can be quite the daunting task and I’m the first to tell you. Keep reading to hear some of my horror stories and how I finally found my all-time favourite hairstylist.

Before really knowing what to do with my hair, I used to go to random salons and essentially give them free rein. Of course, because I would pick salons at random, the stylists they provided were confused by my texture or curl pattern and would treat it as if it was straight. And let me be the first to tell you, there is NOTHING worse than stepping into a salon thinking they will know how to treat your hair and their first comment to you is: “we don’t deal with hair like yours,” (true story by the way). Do your due diligence and save yourself the embarrassment.

That wasn’t even my worst experience. For example, one time I went to a chain salon (first and last time) and I told the stylist I wanted it short – I was cutting approximately 7 inches at the time which was a lot for me. They of course did what I asked but not before they thinned out all my hair (without me asking and without my knowledge), I didn’t even notice until it was too late to stop them.

For these reasons and many more I won’t mention, I recommend not doing what I did then, and instead doing what I do now. Research salons in your area – and by this, I mean really stalk their socials and start calling their numbers. Look at their clientele, do they only cut straight, blonde hair, or do they have clients with different textures and curl patterns? When you call, ask if they have curly hair specializing stylists too! More information never hurt anybody.

Now that I am about two years into my hair journey, I can confidently tell you I have found my favourite hairstylist. As you’ve read above, this was not an easy process but a necessary one. I now love visiting my hair salon and look forward to going rather than dreading the visits like I used to because my stylist actually listens to me. I say I want short bangs and a rounded shape, and that’s precisely what I leave with. Just like with any beauty service, you must be willing to ask for what you want and not stop communicating with your service providers until you are happy with the result.

To find my stylist, I did exactly what I mentioned. I called many salons (too many to count) until I found someone who was educated on cutting curly hair – even if they did not necessarily have curly hair themselves. Not only this, but they also never assumed what I wanted and always asked and confirmed with me before cutting and that was something I appreciated more than anything else.

The good ones are out there, you just must be willing to look for them – trust me!

Ps. I just have to give a shoutout to my favourite salon and of course stylist. If you're in the Calgary area, check her out on Instagram @cheveuxchatrond.