Joseph Tyler Salon – Blow Out

Posted by admin on Jan 7, 2013 in Products, Tools | 0 comments

I have been on the hunt for a salon to do a good blow out on natural hair for a long time.  I have tried a few salons and thus far I have not gone back to any.   Joseph Tyler Salon, may be different.

I have walked past this salon many times over the last five or so years but I never went inside since I didn’t see any naturals going in and out.  I finally decided to check out on-line reviews and saw a recent review (3 months ago) noting that Cynthia does a great job with coarse, natural hair.  I have fine, natural hair so I decided to give them a try.

When I walked in, a couple was purchasing some Jane Carter products (sold on site).  When they were done, I was helped right away.  I mentioned that I saw a review about Cynthia doing a great job with blowing out natural hair and I wanted to make an appointment.  I also mentioned that my hair style was not in its natural state, it was a twist out.  Lo and behold, I was speaking with Cynthia (the owner) at the time.  She was available to take me within a few minutes since her next appointment was about 2 hours out.

What I first noticed is that the salon is well appointed with exposed brick and hardwood flooring.  It was also very clean, mirrors gleaming and floors clear of all hair despite knowing that they do hair cuts.  I also noticed the music, a nice mix of jazz and blues type music which was very relaxing.

When she was ready for me, Cynthia asked me to sit in her chair and she assessment my hair in it’s curly state (2 week old twist out) and then we went to the wash basin.  I am not sure what products were used and I did not ask.  Cynthia asked me about my hair care routine, what products I use and when I last had a trim.  We discussed products that I own and products that I’ve considered trying.  I am not sure if a conditioner was used but if it was, it was a quick rinse out instead of using a plastic cap and sitting under a hood dryer.  Cynthia added Morrocan oil (sold on site) to my hair and combed it out.  I never used Morrocan oil but was told it would make the comb out easier.  She combed from root to tip which most natural knows cannot be done without a significant loss of hair and some pain.  I explained that I do not comb my hair out that way and she asked how I comb out my hair.  Although I explained my comb out process, she combed from the ends upward for only a little bit and went back to her style.   It was not really rough like some salons that are not familiar with natural hair so I did let her finish.

The blow out was next, with no heat protection which would have normally freaked me out.  Nonetheless, I waited to see how hot the blow dryer would be prior to getting too worried.  It was not hot enough to scare me.  She started at the front, not the back, such that my hair was blowing a bit too much into my face and mouth.  It was kind of funny at the time although different from other salons.  After the blow out, she flat ironed in tiny sections with a small iron (edges) and a full size iron for the rest of my hair.  Each section was sprayed with a heat protectant prior to flat ironing.  Cyntnia also gave me a trim, although I was reluctant to let her put scissors in my hair.  My hair grows in a V shape and stylists always want to give me a blunt cut.  I gave in and had the trim done, which was no additional charge.  It was just a blunt trim at the bottom of the V shape, it was not a full trim where all sections of my hair were cut.

I will probably only have straight hair for a couple of days since Cynthia did not deep condition my hair prior to heat styling.  I don’t moisturize while my hair its straight and would normally I depend on the deep conditioning prior to heat styling to give my hair enough moisture to last until the next wash.

All in all it was a good experience and I would go back again.  However, I’d probably detangle my own hair since I do think some of the hair in the comb was from the root to tip combing rather than normal tangled hair after wearing a twist out for two weeks.  I would also ask for a deep conditioning treatment.

Total cost was $54.44 + tip.  Yes, I know most people don’t tip the owner but I did anyway since I felt she did a good job and listened to me despite the few things I would do differently when doing my own hair.