Do you have questions for your new curly hair stylist?
Written by: Melissa Megan
Please note this information is written by and applies to services with Melissa Megan. Other curly hair stylists at Chroma may have a different approach to your first appointment, and you should get in touch with your stylist for any particular concerns.
Every time I see a new curly client for the first time, my first step is to give a few minutes to that client to let go of all their past experiences. Talk them out, tell me about some of their worst or most frustrating salon visits. Hopefully, we can then move forward in to a new, more positive place together, ready to collaborate on their new life as a confident, happy, proud curly lover.
There are many questions that I feel like I hear over and over again, so I thought it would be helpful to go over a few here, for those of you who are reading my site before your first visit, probably full of cautious intrigue and nervousness about whether this experience will be different from the rest. Just read these with the understanding that while many of the questions and concerns are the same, no two heads of hair or personalities are, so the solutions we come to are often very different. Let this be a "prologue" to your visit; something to get you started with a little extra knowledge about me and what I do.
1. How will you cut my hair? Do you do the "Deva cut"? I may cut your hair wet or dry, or both, depending on the type of curl pattern and texture you have. This decision is one that I will make according to what I think will best help me achieve the intended results. While I do use many Deva techniques in both my cutting and styling approach, I am not a Deva certified stylist. I am Rezo Cut certified, which is a technique-based discipline, not brand based. This means Rezo stylists often use a variety of products and artistic approaches, which is what I love most about being a Rezo Cut stylist.
I respect and appreciate the various disciplines of cutting and managing textured hair that I've learned through the years, and don't believe that any one is perfect for all heads, therefore I make the best judgement of which techniques to use, on an individual basis.
2. What is a "curly hair specialist"? This could mean something different to another stylist, but to me it means focusing much of my education, training and attention to the craft of managing curly hair. It means that I have a passion for guiding curly clients to feel more confident and satisfied with their natural texture. To me, it doesn't simply mean that I "can do curly hair", it means that I love to be a part of the journey to acceptance and self love that every curly person must go through. Your hair should not be a thing that occupies too much of your life or energy, and once a curly specialist helps you conquer the management of your hair, it won't be.
3. Will my curly hair cut look good if I straighten it? Well, possibly, but it's not meant to. I can give you a "straight" hair cut, meant to look great when it's straight, but this is not going to help it look it's best when curly or help you to get closer to a goal of wearing your natural texture. Most curly cuts are crafted to accommodate the ever-changing, somewhat random arrangement of your natural texture, in an organic pattern. Straight hair falls on the head in generally the same way from day to day, so it's cut with a much more structured approach, using geometry and precise measurements. That said, most curly cuts will look perfectly fine when blown out with a round brush or loosened with a curling iron; styles that are perfectly flat and straight are not recommended with a curly cut. We will discuss your styling plans in detail during our consultation.
4. Does using product really matter? Can you make my hair look great without any product? Using product does matter, and the quality of your product matters, never more so than with curly hair. I can make your hair look better with the right cut, but I can not guarantee it will be smoother, calmer, more defined, less frizzy, etc, unless you're willing to use some styling product. Styling product is basically a tool to help your hair do more or less of a thing that it doesn't do on it's own. Ex: get more volume, less frizz, stay in place all day, be shiny. Finding the right product can be difficult with curly hair, and requires a good amount of trial and error, but when you find a combo (usually 2-3 products) that works just right, it's a life changer for you and your gorgeous texture!
5. Will you blow my hair out after the cut? I will style your curls back in their natural pattern with the help of a diffusser and/or hood dryer. While this won’t be exactly the same look you’ll get when you air dry, it’s the best way to show you the potential of your texture, and it allows me to refine your cut with the texture ‘reset’.
We've all had those experiences where you get a new haircut, then your hair is blown out smooth and it looks great, but the next day you step out of the shower and suddenly have a completely different style that you have no idea what to do with. My goal as a curly hair specialist is to help YOU style and manage your hair, in it's natural texture, which is best achieved by letting you see your cut natural.
After I get to know your texture and you feel more confident with styling and caring for it, I am willing to let clients leave wet to air dry, if they request it. But I always require resetting the curls at your first appointment.
Are you ready to love your texture and be a rock star at styling it? Are you done with blow drying, ironing and fighting with your hair? Would you like to go to the salon feeling excited for a new style, and leave feeling confident about yourself? All of these things are realistic goals, you just need some guidance and a stylist who will love your texture as much as (or more!) than you do by your side.