Salon San Carlos

Salon San Salon San Salon San Carlos Carlos Carlos by Gina Castro

anyone with naturally curly hair has probably experienced explicit bias toward their hair. Whether it’s comments like “You look better with straight hair” or “Curly hair is unprofessional,” natural curls are burdened with stereotypes. Black people, especially, have received backlash for just wearing their natural hair in the workplace. Recently, California became the first state to outlaw racial discrimination based on hairstyle. Perception Institute's “Good

Hair” Study, which is the first study that examines implicit and explicit attitudes toward black women’s hair, found that on average white women rate black women’s hair as less attractive and professional than straight hair.

Unfortunately, this negative perception follows curly hair to the salon, too. The majority of hair stylists do not know how to cut and style curly hair. Salon San Carlos is one of the few salons that is certified to cut and style curly hair. Co-owner Pam Garcia attributes stylists’ lack of knowledge about curly hair to the hair industry.

“In our industry, everybody's taught to cut all hair the same way, and you cannot cut curly hair the same way you cut

straight hair,” Pam explained. “So, stylists have to educate themselves and think outside the box.”

Pam’s husband and co-owner Carlos Garcia suggested fear of the unknown as the culprit. “I think some people are just intimidated by curly hair -- not knowing how to control it,” Carlos said. “So, they steer away from the curly hair. That's why they have to be educated.”

Pam has been styling curly hair professionally for more than 40 years, and Carlos has been in the customer service industry for just as long. Pam discovered her passion for curly hair at 16 years old after cutting Carlos’ hair. The two have been together since they were 14.

“I picked up a pair of scissors in the house, and he was my very first haircut. From then, working with textured hair became my norm,” Pam said. “I love it because I think of myself as an artist. When I cut curly hair, it's like I'm sculpting with the curls. Every head of hair is different, so I customize a cut for that client.”

Pam spent the majority of her career working at other salons and acquiring

curly clients all while remaining hopeful of the day she and Carlos would open their own salon. In 2009, they opened their salon, which was formerly known as Self Salon. In the salon’s infancy, Pam followed a client’s suggestion to study a popular curl technique in New York City, which, at the time, fewer than 100 people were certified in. That experience helped Pam discover the focus of the salon: curls.

“Somebody asked us what makes us different or unique from other salons. That question really bothered me because I knew that I had a passion for what I do, but I wanted something that was going to make us different from all the other salons. That was when it hit me,” Pam explained. “Our focus became being a curly hair destination and loving multicultural hair and all different textures of hair.”

Pam is a certified curl expert for Ouidad and Rëzo, both programs train stylists on curl-specific cuts and color courses. Pam is also one of the six people in the country who is certified to teach the Ouidad cut.

You can see more curly hair transformations on Instagram @SalonSanCarlos.

Our focus became being a curly hair destination and loving multicultural hair and all different “ textures of hair.”

For many curly hair clients, Salon San Carlos is the first positive experience they’ve had at a salon. “Maybe 90 percent of our clients of color with curly hair have had a not so great experience somewhere else,” Carlos said. “It's always great to have them be happy with their natural hair at our salon.”

One reviewer said “There are not many hair stylists here who seem to have mastered the curls which sadly ends up with a lot of neglected women in the area who aren’t taken care of. We curly heads don’t have a place to go, so we either cut our curls ourselves or just go somewhere and sadly walk away disappointed. This doesn’t have to be the case anymore.”

At Salon San Carlos, all curl types are welcome and all of the stylists on staff have experience with curls, and the majority of staff, including Carlos and Pam’s sons Alec and Austin, even have naturally curly hair themselves. To see how Salon San Carlos styles a multitude of diverse hair types, follow them on social media @SalonSanCarlos.

BLACK OWNED BUSINESS

PRIME LASH AND BROW BOUTIQUE As the name states, each haircut is tailor made for each client. Michael “Mike” Fountain opened Tailor Made Barbershop, located on East Nine Mile Road. All hair textures and hairstyles are welcome. Quarantine has made almost all of us desperate for a line up and a clean fade, and this barbershop will clean you up in minutes. Tailor Made can also tame your eyebrows and beards. You can stop by for a cut Monday through Saturday 9 am to 7 pm and Sunday 12 pm to 7 pm.

Prime Lash and Brow Boutique is your one-stop shop for services you need to make you feel beautiful. Ashton, the owner, has certifications in Ellebana Lash Lifts and Nouveau Contour Brow Technique. She is also a facial specialist. Prime Lash and Brow Boutique a chic beauty salon boutique that specializes in lash extensions, lash lifts and permanent makeup. They also have a facial spa room equipped to provide you with all of your skin care needs along with facial and full body waxing hair removal. The boutique is open Tuesday through Friday 10 am to 6 pm and Saturday 8 am

TAILOR MADE BARBERSHOP

BLACK OWNED BUSINESS

to 12 pm. Like them on Facebook @PrimeLashandBrow.

BLACK OWNED

BUSINESS QUEENSHEEMEE BOUTQIUE

Queen Esther, a Florida native, created QueenSheeMee in 2014 to document her own natural hair journey. Over those four years, Esther learned to love her gorgeous, natural curls as well as herself— inside and out. This boutique’s mission is to serve the African-American community safe, natural skin products. Although these products are created with melanated skin in mind, all skin colors can benefit from QueenSheeMee products. Esther’s goal is to help you “Discover the inner Queen, Who is Shee, Within Mee.” All products are made from natural ingredients. You can check out this boutique’s products and package deals on Facebook @QueenSheeMeeBoutique.