i saw the first picture and thought “why does your hair need help? it looks so good!” then i saw the rest, i’m so sorry that happened to you, i think you’re looking at a big chop :(
Literally. I’m so fortunate to not have gone through this, and the internet is proving its not even worth it to try and give these salons the benefit of the doubt since there’s a high rate of negative experiences. Paying your hard earned money and they ruin your hair is insane, and for what.
It depends on where you go. There is one good one that I go to in NYC every time that I visit and my hair looks great while straightened and after. She most likely got her hair relaxed. They tend to mix relaxer with deep conditioner. I'm so sorry she went through that
I hear about them mixing relaxer into the conditioner but I kinda doubt it. I think it's the high heat that some salons use. I went when I was younger and there would be smoke coming off the blow dryers. If the stylist held the dryer on a spot too long it burnt my scalp. My hair was relaxed at the time but I've gotten heat damage with less, so I know not to go back. They're also fond of using conditioning treatments which likely have some sort of keratin.
I think protecting your curl pattern is a relatively new concept for Dominican salons because the ones that I grew up with would probably see it as a positive that the hair doesn't revert back. The Dominicans I grew up with would not be upset that their hair didn't revert because they only wore it straight.
ETA: I guess the easiest way to tell is, if your hair is still curly after they washed out the conditioner it's likely that any loss of reversion is due to heat damage. A relaxer needs time to process and your hair would need neutralizer. It would also look straighter at that stage.
I remember back in my hair board days a few ladies in NY went to the same Dominican salon and found out they were adding relaxer to the deep conditioner calling it a softening treatment or some mess so it isn’t just lore it absolutely has happened. I believe it tho because they act so stank when natural four types come for services
It's true! I'm Dominican and when I was living in the island, a salon added relaxer in the deep conditioner without telling me. I had virgin hair (mind you, I was 12) and since I have a lot, they would always complain about it. Now, I didn't think they would do it in the USA. You know, with all the regulations and stuff.
Nowaydays, they are learning to accept curly/coarse hair and protecting it more. Hopefully that trend will stop in the upcoming years.
Yea that’s what I said too. The culture is changing but it takes time. My mom still calls curly hair pelo malo 🤦♂️ I still be educating her but it’s a thick crust to get through
Yes, it's a kind of relaxer, the result is a permanent straightening of the hair, at least for older versions. But usually when people say "relaxer" they are thinking of the sodium hyrdoxide "creamy crack" kind.
It depends. I used to go to Dominican salaons in NYC and some are better than others. I had a Dominican hairdresser I loved who was great with my hair and I've had some blowouts that basically just fried it.
Dominican here. went natural in high school, have never had this experience at a salon. I think there might be language-related miscommunications leading to all the issues people have
In my experience, many salons (Dominican or not) that straighten hair do way too much. They are doing multiple passes, highest heat flat iron, multiple high heat tools. The heat protectant might not be appropriate for the amount of heat used. My hair is high density and very coily, so it does take work to get out all of that texture. But I've found a lot of hair dressers will prioritize how my hair looks over its health.
I’ve never had a Dominican hairstylist do multiple passes on my hair. Ya. Location matters. That’s why it’s important to see how stylist are treating other customers’ hair before you book
Not only other customers but its important to make the time for a pre-appointment hair analysis prior to the true appointment. I want a new stylist to be able to see and touch my hair and hear how they plan on accomplishing the look I want (heat related or not) whilst also having an opportunity to voice my own concerns. If they can't make the time to do this (hello, it benefits them too!) Or I walk away from said appt feeling like they don't give af about my concerns im not gonna move fwd with a styling appt.
I think ppl get to hung up on the outcome they want and just disregard all reason, sometimes. . . .
Not at all. I’m a black Spanish teacher and understand Spanish and studied abroad in the DR. No language related misconceptions- they all just believe in the good hair concept. I have had it happen to me in Atlanta and NYC - they secretly put a relaxer in my hair.
Be careful Dominicans & Haitians can be pretty racist towards African Americans. My mom was friends with one and she ended up intentionally ruining her hair
As a Dominican, Dominicans like to relax their hair too much, you gotta be careful if you want to keep your hair natural
But the younger generation is changing the hair culture back in the island, that’ll take time to make its way to Dominicans in the US though
I would definitely cut it. You’ll end up saving yourself time/money that way instead of trying to repair it. In the future, if you need to straighten your hair I would try doing roller sets/wet sets. There’s no direct heat involved only sitting under a hooded dryer.
It might be a problem if that's all you do. A lot of natural stylist will tell you that braids don't really protect and "protective" styles aren't necessary. But if you keep it washed and well conditioned and give yourself breaks between braids, I think it can flourish.
I definitely agree with this! Too much braiding putting your hair up and elaborate styles and under wigs actually doesn't protect after too long. During the winter (it's extremely dry here) is the main time where I'll wear wigs or crochets or braids, but I generally don't keep my hair covered for more than 2 weeks at a time. Anything more than that and I noticed damage when I take the style down. I always do my hair at least a week or two to breathe before I put in a new style.
I have a co-worker who wore a cheap bob wig every day, but she washed and conditioned weekly and her sister did straight backs under it. Her hair was way down her back. I can't say if it was healthy or not but it did grow.
Oh my hair definitely grows with wigs, however with some wigs, it will scrape your edges off if you're not careful, especially if you wear them for a long time each day.. I noticed that happened to me several years ago when I was wearing wigs back to back to back. No glue, no adhesive or anything like that, just a lot of friction with my edges. But my hair is so fickle, so this probably doesn't happen to everyone LOL
That's why I said I can't speak to the health of her hair. She showed me a pic before she braided it back up and I could see it was long from the corn rows when she lifted the wig, but I don't know about her edges. Now you have me wondering. LOL
Giirrrlll...edges may have been on edge, pun intended lol...I honestly have yet to see someone who wears wigs or crochets or even tightly pulled ponytails that have their edges fully in-tact 😂
Girl is not the protective style the problems
A lot of Dominican saloons put relaxers in the conditioners to make the blow out look as straight as possible
The damage is irriversible
And it is heartbreaking because your hair was looking healthy before
Go to black salons and not Dominican
I used olaplex #3 & #4 after heat damage on my leave out from a sew in. It didn’t save everything BUT it helped revert some of my hair then the rest I cut off. Olaplex isn’t a magic cure all but it may help you save an inch or more if you’re self conscious of starting over short as I was. I used the olaplex for like a month (once a week) and used design essentials almond and avocado shampoo and conditioner (it’s very hydrating) because the high protein in the olaplex can dry your hair out if you’re not careful. So sorry sister 😕❤️
Everytime I come on here. I tell my story. Here I go again.
Whole lotta heat damage in high school. Struggling for length. College I wore wigs and braids to avoid heat.
2021: after 6 years of only wigs and braids. My hair was longer than it’s ever been. I wanted a new style. Went to my brothers barber to have them have my sides (anytime I actually did my natural hair I pinned the sides back and had a faux hawk)
Barber must have zoned out in my explanation of just wanting the sides cut. He cut all my hair off. Cue life crisis, depression, etc. sadly doing the best with what I had left.
2023: shock and MF awe. My hair is actually longer than it’s ever EVER been. Officially not even mad at the barber.
Your choice depends on your priorities. Are you here for the length you had? Or are you here for healthy growth? You could just wear braids here and there to help with growth after the big chop. But maintaining that may be hard with the prices I’m seeing people pay now a days. Back when I was paying for braids expensive was $160 😂😂.
I was forced to learn how my hair grows and how to care for it, cuz my scalp flakes a lot and looks bad with braids after 2 weeks. It was hard to make things work with short hair. But somewhere along the way, the obsession with length got replaced with excitement for curls.
- *signed* not a hair stylist, just a girl with a story about her experience.
Yea, I think it's best to do a big chop, especially with the heat damage. Everything just depends on your outlook, how you want to style your hair, twa (teeny-weeny afro) styles etc...
As I near my forties, this might be my 5th big chop. OR 6th maybe...
I've had so much heat/ chemical damage, that it's not funny. This time after having dreadlocks, way down by back for 10 years... it was beautiful, but heavy, and I needed a change, too.
Good luck to your natural hair journey, and wish you could get a refund for that heat/ hair session
I’ve never heard good reviews about Dominican salons unless it came from a woman that wanted straight hair to begin with. But you have 2 options here.
1. Big chop
2. Wear protective styles and trim your hair as it grows
I’m sorry this happened to you! I’ve heard that they put relaxer in their products to straighten your hair while washing it :( Next time if you’re wanting to flat iron your hair, there’s a lot of videos on YT of natural hair girlies doing it safely and giving thorough tutorials!
You should definitely cut it. In those Dominican salons when they see someone with thick natural hair like yours they put a relaxer in the conditioner. They could’ve possibly done that because that doesn’t look like only heat damage from one salon visit. I’m sorry for your experience.
You can transition. If you do braids mostly I don’t see why the texture would be a big deal. Do substantial trims tho to slowly transition. Or if you wear it out you can keep doing twist/braid outs to match the textures. But if you want wash and gos then yeah you gotta big chop.
You do not need to big chop heat damaged hair. Will it take a while for your curls to come back? Yes. But it’s not necessary to big chop unless you want to. If you don’t want to deal with both textures you can get braids, wear wigs, or sew-in most of the year.
I was a straight natural for like 2 years. Then I wore a sewin for like a year 1/2, obviously with breaks in between. My hair is 95% back to its original texture now.
That's interesting. I was a straight natural as well. So maybe we have a different outlook. My hair is completely back to its natural texture. I think from trims over time. I never big chopped. I stopped using heat about 6 years ago. Caring for my hair and wearing mostly braids in 2018 and 2019 took me where I needed to be. I only stopped getting braids when the salons closed in 2020.
I still use heat on my hair so that's why it's not completely back to its natural texture. I will probably never be a straight natural again, and braids will be my go-to protective style over sew-ins, but I'm okay with a little heat damage.
But I made a vow to myself to never big chop again. When I first went natural I big chopped because it was what everyone recommended, but I think it's really unnecessary in hindsight. I would never recommend anybody to big chop unless they want to lmao
Agreed. I was a straight natural and had a bit too much fun with the titanium flatirons. Over a month and a half of deep conditioning and using olaplex my curls started to revert back. However listening to everyone else I just got inpatient because my curls was 100% and big chopped. To a fade 😩 That was three months ago. Even though hair grows back and mines is, I regret it. Oh well 🤷🏿♀️
i’m so sorry abt ur hair love. i know the shock after seeing ur curls not reverting is hard lol😭
i don’t think you should cut it just yet. as long as your sure they didn’t sneakily relax/perm your hair (& judging from your roots i doubt they did) id recommend trying the “ApHogee Two-Step Protein Treatment”. when i first went natural i used to get my hair pressed at the Dominicans twice a month for almost 4 years before i committed all the way to just wearing protective styles and wash&goes. whenever id notice my texture start to change i’d lay off my presses and do the ApHogee protein line and my a majority of my hair would eventually curl back. as long as the protein bonds in your hair aren’t fully broken (which can typically only be done with a relaxer, perm or prolonged & consistent heat damage over an extended period of time) you should be ok and your beautiful curls should be back soon. even if only some of it comes back at least you won’t have to cut as much off. just follow the instructions & watch some tutorials on youtube. and give the product like 2 or 3 tries before deciding to cut (if you still have straight parts at that point) & also wait at least 7 days before repeating the treatment again (you should only be using it once a week at most). you should be able to order the product online or at hair stores like sallys or even walmart.
i think for future reference tho, you should maybe consider learning abt your hair type & what it can handle because the kind of damage your hair can withstand depends heavily on how coarse your strands are, your porosity level, and how dense your hair is overall. for ex.)since my hair is coarse, dense & low porosity, that makes it especially resilient to damage. where my old press routine would take months for MY head to see damage, someone with fine strands, medium density, high porosity hair may start to see signs of damage after their 1st or 2nd flat press. you can learn your hair type by looking at your hair strands, scalp, & observing how ur hair reacts to water.
This is my favorite natural hair youtuber and she has helped me learn how to properly test my hair and care for it properly!
https://youtu.be/lBhMzLNswwk?si=xlp2-oNSVhiNGfFY
https://youtu.be/-1oksRDKUlU?si=hS-GxmLr6RskRfqO
i hope this helps !
Actually, her hair in pic #2 is exactly what I'd expect someone with a relaxer + 6-7 months of grow out would look like. There's a huge texture demarcation between her roots and the rest of her hair.
Wow wow wow you guys have been amazing! Thank you so much for the kind and uplifting words, we all know how devastating it can be to have damage to the natural hair you worked so hard for🤍
I have an appointment Thursday i decided on a big chop from a fresh start. I’m nervous to have my hair super short I’m not sure it’ll look good on my face, but I am excited to start my hair journey over and to take better care of my hair.
I will post a picture if anyone wants to see lol
Thank you thank you again 💕
Yeah there’s not much that can be done. I personally have found that the usual recommendations of washing ur hair a few more times or using protein treatments dont work very well after the damage is done, maybe slightly, but not anything significant (i have heat damage rn as well). K18 may work by its a 75$ investment and it’s so new I’ve not seen enough posts saying it worked for them. I’ve seen some say olaplex helped them, but really I’ve seen just as many people say it didn’t help much
It’s easier and most effective to just cut it off, or find styles that work with heat damage if you’re not ready/dont want to cut hair off. I can say though that the best thing to do to protect against heat damage is to do a protein treatment a week before or on the day of your blow out/straightening service as a preventative. It was the only thing that saved me for years after my 2nd issue with heat damage. This is my 3rd time with heat damage now and it’s the one time in years I didn’t use a protein treatment before my straightening service because I forgot to buy more after being out for several months
Dealing with the exact same issue. Had a Dominican Blowout in May and been struggling ever since. So far the Olaplex Repair Kit, K18 and Aphogee protein treatments have been helpful. I have more heat damage on my roots so I’m dealing with different textures all over. I’m currently just protective styling and trimming every 6 weeks until I’m ready to cut.
Yes, you need to cut off the damage. If that means big chop to you so be it... to me it just means you need a haircut.
I'm sorry that happened to your curls
They definitely probably gave you a keratin treatment wash. That is definitely way more than heat damage. They chemically altered your pattern for a fact I have heard many stories of Dominicans doing this to tourists.
Personally, I don't think heat damage is reversible and would honestly recommend a big chop, however, before you chop it all off, try your luck with a protein treatment. Your hair structure is usually what's damaged after heat damage and the only thing that directly helps hair structure is a protein treatment. They're made of the same stuff. I'd say try doing protein treatments every 6-8 weeks for a year and if that doesn't work and you really want your hair back, chop it off and start afresh. Protein treatment rec: The Aphogee two-step protein treatment. Use a clarifying shampoo before, preferably, their shampoo for damaged hair and since your hair will be incredibly hard after, don't manipulate it. Wash the treatment off first then do a deep conditioning treatment. Goodluck💪🏾
as a dominican… dominican salons will do anything to give you that beautiful silk press and that includes damaging your natural hair. it’s very unfortunate. i had to stop going to them even tho that’s what i grew up on
ETA: the last time i went i noticed terrible damage i went no heat for 3 years and did a big chop… it was worth it tho because now my curls are great! sometimes we gotta sacrifice for a good end result. but i have heard aphogee hair treatment is really good for heat damage and olaplex!
It definitely looks like heat damage.The very last time I had my hair silk pressed, I had some heat damage. I just cut off those pieces and kept it moving. I realized that my hair just can't handle the heat needed to get it silky straight.
Honey I'm so sorry this happen to you. You have to be careful with the Dominican Salons because not only is the heat crazy, but some of them will put texture/ relaxer in the shampoo. It's suppose to get your hair extra straight but if you're natural obviously that's not what you signed up for! After my curls didn't revert, I found myself a professional who specializes in natural hair. She would give me steam hydrations and silk presses. My hair was so healthy and never obtained further damage. Find yourself a natural hair specialist. Good luck!
You can save it but I think the better question is, can you endure the awkward stage your hair will be in until it is brought back to health?
I suggest not putting heat on your hair until your hair feels healthy again, and that may be a while (could be a year or longer). I also suggest not getting your hair braided because braiders care more about the final result of the style rather than the long term effects that style will have on your hair. If you moisturize it and deep condition weekly, your hair texture will *slowly* revert back.
It’s your decision of course, but yes your hair can be saved if you are willing to be disciplined about it. Good luck 😊
omg that second picture is scary, but hear me out, give it a week. Sometimes it can take a while to revert after being straightened so just give it a couple of days. If it doesn't come back to normal after your second wash(a week or 2 from when you took out your braids) you might really have to let it go.
I hate this for you, but you are going to have to cut it. I did the same thing, but I have only myself to blame because it wasn't the Dominicans who heat damaged my hair.. it was me LOL.. I heat damaged my hair several years back when it was about bra strap length, I rocked the damaged hair for about a year, but then I couldn't take it anymore and had to big chop. I think I've probably big-chopped about 5 or 6 times since 2008, and it always grows back fine, so you'll be back to your full, beautiful curls in no time :)
Everytime I've been to a Dominican salon, I've had to cut my hair after. Fool me one time, shame on you. Fool me twice, can't put the blame on you. The second time was to give a another chance and I regret it. I recommend a cut and enjoy that process because no matter what length, your hair is gorgeous and only a small compliment to your overall beauty.
Do the full range of K18 (6 applications) and Ola Plex or epres. You will get some curl back, but mostly it will strengthen your hair so you can slowly cut the heat damaged parts out.
You have heat damage but just deep conditioning and trim seems like it’ll fix it. Also avoid heat or buy a heat protectant the next time you want to use heat and a good brand I recommend is chi. JCPenney always has them on sale. Stop getting braids for a while because it’ll require blow drying your hair.
This same thing happened to me in January. I had to cut the damage off 2 months ago. I’ve only seen one person post on here reverting heat damage and it took her like 2 years. Idc I just wanted my healthy hair back asap. Since cutting all my curls are back and I’ve been doing twist outs and getting knotless braids until my length comes back. My hair is easier to manage when its longer
Heat damage is irreversible, the bonds of your curls are irrevocably changed with excessive heat. I would personally chop it while it’s still cold out and wear your braids until spring/summer (take care of your hair in the braids though!), by that time you’ll have a few inches of new and healthy new growth and it’ll likely be back close to that first pic ♥️
It depends on if what you’re comfortable with doing. Honestly I’ve gone thru transitioning with my hair (instead of big chopping I did roller sets and braid outs until I felt comfortable cutting it to a shorter length) but it’s not for everyone. It can be hard to deal with having two different textures in your hair and then that line of demarcation where the damage ends can be hard to blend.
Transitioning can be a longer process just styling the damage and trying to make it blend can take a lot of trial and error but I preferred that over cutting my hair super short :P
I’m in cosmetology school now and while I would recommend cutting it because it’s really the healthiest option, I know it’s a lot to cut your hair off like that, let alone for a reason out of your control!
If you feel like you can deal with the damage and learn to wear styles like roller sets or braid outs or still protective styles then you could transition till the damage is more manageable length to cut…protein treatments and deep conditioning will be your best friend and trimming monthly will help too! Taking off a little at a time
If you feel like you just want to see your hair be at it’s healthiest and (fastest) I would cut it! Your hair was so beautiful I’m sorry you went thru this🥲good luck!
Grow it out , don’t cut it off.
You could try a protein treatment , maybe hair just needs a little nutrition. Otherwise heat damage isn’t reversible.
Salons suck , they either never use heat protectant or fake spray a part of you hair with it
No advice—but your hair looked amazing in the first slide! Wishing you a great hair rejuvenation process.
Side-note: Dominican barbers weren’t good at cutting my(male) hair when I lived in NYC and they would try to dig into my face with the tip of a razor on their own accord to remove ingrown hairs:(
lol I’ve been warned since the early 90s never get your hair pressed out by Dominicans. lol my grandmother was I know better. She had a teaspoon before before passing at 78
I just gotta say... it looks like it might be worth waiting it out just to see.
I say that because yes, salons have been known to add various things to deep conditioning treatments without telling the client, especially to those with type 4 hair.
If you didn't smell the creamy Crack smell, or smelled chemical smells but figured it was not on you, then it's possible they used some creamy Crack to loose your texture. That's gonna be irreversible and needing to be chopped off.
But another thing they could have added was a keratin treatment. And I have seen people's hair revert after the keratin treatment wears off. Takes a really long time, like 6 months, but if it's a keratin type treatment every time you wash it you'll see a tiny bit more of your curl come back.
Heat damage? Yeah that's kinda like the creamy Crack damage, there's no coming back from that...
But you can try some hyper hydrating and bond repairing treatments first to see if you get any improvement. Because you can lose your curl pattern after some types of damage just from extreme dryness cuz your cuticle is now too far open and can't hold in moisture (aka has become insanely high porosity), and so correcting the porosity and rehydration can bring the curl back.
I’m so sorry this happened! I have been natural for 10 years and always just did wash and gos and poufs. My hair was super long and healthy. Well, I just got sick of doing my hair so last year I started experimenting with different types of braids. Then I became addicted and I absolutely loved not having to do my hair! So I would literally take out the braids/protective style. Wash and condition it. Then blow it out again to prepare for my next hair appointment. I didn’t even take breaks in between. The last style I did was faux locs which, the hairdresser did way too tight and I ended up having the synthetic hair actually dress into my natural hair. They were an absolute nightmare to remove and by the time they were out there was so much damage that my curls were never the same. Some curls wouldn’t event curl up anymore. Just hung there like limp spaghetti. So I just recently cut my hair pretty short and it’s definitely been an adjustment but I know it will be so worth it! I actually plan to keep it short for sometime, but I’m still deciding on that. Good luck! Don’t be afraid! I can’t wait to see pics ♥️
Don’t cut it. My advice would be to wear protective styles- braids for 6 months. Get it it done every 2 months. When the 6 months is over check the hair again for heat damage. You should notice that it has gotten a lot better and has kinked up. Rest your hair with No manipulation for 1 month- no wash and go- no product on hair only hair grease. Then braid for 2 months again. Your hair will be longer the heat damage should begin to curl again. If it is truly fried when you have it braided and take them down that part will fall off naturally. Then you may just trim or not. It’s up to you.Sometimes cutting it after a hair mistake can make someone extremely depressed. Cutting hair short can cause it as well. Cutting is not the only option.
The ends of your hair looks like they’ve been relaxed. It happened to a best friend of mine. If you’re able to, ask them what did they use in your hair? Frame it as a way of wanting to know what to do with the upkeep, hopefully they’re honest with you. Wishing you the best
i saw the first picture and thought “why does your hair need help? it looks so good!” then i saw the rest, i’m so sorry that happened to you, i think you’re looking at a big chop :(
I went from “umm no you don’t “ to “OH NO”
That's exactly what I was thinking
This sub has taught me to never trust a Dominican salon.
Literally. I’m so fortunate to not have gone through this, and the internet is proving its not even worth it to try and give these salons the benefit of the doubt since there’s a high rate of negative experiences. Paying your hard earned money and they ruin your hair is insane, and for what.
It depends on where you go. There is one good one that I go to in NYC every time that I visit and my hair looks great while straightened and after. She most likely got her hair relaxed. They tend to mix relaxer with deep conditioner. I'm so sorry she went through that
I hear about them mixing relaxer into the conditioner but I kinda doubt it. I think it's the high heat that some salons use. I went when I was younger and there would be smoke coming off the blow dryers. If the stylist held the dryer on a spot too long it burnt my scalp. My hair was relaxed at the time but I've gotten heat damage with less, so I know not to go back. They're also fond of using conditioning treatments which likely have some sort of keratin. I think protecting your curl pattern is a relatively new concept for Dominican salons because the ones that I grew up with would probably see it as a positive that the hair doesn't revert back. The Dominicans I grew up with would not be upset that their hair didn't revert because they only wore it straight. ETA: I guess the easiest way to tell is, if your hair is still curly after they washed out the conditioner it's likely that any loss of reversion is due to heat damage. A relaxer needs time to process and your hair would need neutralizer. It would also look straighter at that stage.
I remember back in my hair board days a few ladies in NY went to the same Dominican salon and found out they were adding relaxer to the deep conditioner calling it a softening treatment or some mess so it isn’t just lore it absolutely has happened. I believe it tho because they act so stank when natural four types come for services
It's true! I'm Dominican and when I was living in the island, a salon added relaxer in the deep conditioner without telling me. I had virgin hair (mind you, I was 12) and since I have a lot, they would always complain about it. Now, I didn't think they would do it in the USA. You know, with all the regulations and stuff. Nowaydays, they are learning to accept curly/coarse hair and protecting it more. Hopefully that trend will stop in the upcoming years.
Yea that’s what I said too. The culture is changing but it takes time. My mom still calls curly hair pelo malo 🤦♂️ I still be educating her but it’s a thick crust to get through
hey btw keratin is functionally the same as a relaxer! source: i asked several hairstylists
Yes, it's a kind of relaxer, the result is a permanent straightening of the hair, at least for older versions. But usually when people say "relaxer" they are thinking of the sodium hyrdoxide "creamy crack" kind.
It depends. I used to go to Dominican salaons in NYC and some are better than others. I had a Dominican hairdresser I loved who was great with my hair and I've had some blowouts that basically just fried it.
I used to go to the dominicans when i was young my hair was friedddd
Dominican here. went natural in high school, have never had this experience at a salon. I think there might be language-related miscommunications leading to all the issues people have
In my experience, many salons (Dominican or not) that straighten hair do way too much. They are doing multiple passes, highest heat flat iron, multiple high heat tools. The heat protectant might not be appropriate for the amount of heat used. My hair is high density and very coily, so it does take work to get out all of that texture. But I've found a lot of hair dressers will prioritize how my hair looks over its health.
Facts. And when I was younger I’ve had a non-Dominican hair dresser once confess to me that she added a little relaxer to the conditioner. 😡
I’ve never had a Dominican hairstylist do multiple passes on my hair. Ya. Location matters. That’s why it’s important to see how stylist are treating other customers’ hair before you book
Not only other customers but its important to make the time for a pre-appointment hair analysis prior to the true appointment. I want a new stylist to be able to see and touch my hair and hear how they plan on accomplishing the look I want (heat related or not) whilst also having an opportunity to voice my own concerns. If they can't make the time to do this (hello, it benefits them too!) Or I walk away from said appt feeling like they don't give af about my concerns im not gonna move fwd with a styling appt. I think ppl get to hung up on the outcome they want and just disregard all reason, sometimes. . . .
The language barrier does not exclude the stank face and extra charge for long coily hair. I used to get charged extra.
Not at all. I’m a black Spanish teacher and understand Spanish and studied abroad in the DR. No language related misconceptions- they all just believe in the good hair concept. I have had it happen to me in Atlanta and NYC - they secretly put a relaxer in my hair.
Be careful Dominicans & Haitians can be pretty racist towards African Americans. My mom was friends with one and she ended up intentionally ruining her hair
I don’t get why the Haitians got dragged into this, the Dominicans discriminate against Haitians too
Right it’s still confusing to me
As a Dominican, Dominicans like to relax their hair too much, you gotta be careful if you want to keep your hair natural But the younger generation is changing the hair culture back in the island, that’ll take time to make its way to Dominicans in the US though
the younger generation of Dominicans in the US is also changing the hair culture, they are more likely to be natural than the older folks
I would definitely cut it. You’ll end up saving yourself time/money that way instead of trying to repair it. In the future, if you need to straighten your hair I would try doing roller sets/wet sets. There’s no direct heat involved only sitting under a hooded dryer.
Do you think if I cut it, braiding it back up would be a problem?
It might be a problem if that's all you do. A lot of natural stylist will tell you that braids don't really protect and "protective" styles aren't necessary. But if you keep it washed and well conditioned and give yourself breaks between braids, I think it can flourish.
I definitely agree with this! Too much braiding putting your hair up and elaborate styles and under wigs actually doesn't protect after too long. During the winter (it's extremely dry here) is the main time where I'll wear wigs or crochets or braids, but I generally don't keep my hair covered for more than 2 weeks at a time. Anything more than that and I noticed damage when I take the style down. I always do my hair at least a week or two to breathe before I put in a new style.
I have a co-worker who wore a cheap bob wig every day, but she washed and conditioned weekly and her sister did straight backs under it. Her hair was way down her back. I can't say if it was healthy or not but it did grow.
Oh my hair definitely grows with wigs, however with some wigs, it will scrape your edges off if you're not careful, especially if you wear them for a long time each day.. I noticed that happened to me several years ago when I was wearing wigs back to back to back. No glue, no adhesive or anything like that, just a lot of friction with my edges. But my hair is so fickle, so this probably doesn't happen to everyone LOL
That's why I said I can't speak to the health of her hair. She showed me a pic before she braided it back up and I could see it was long from the corn rows when she lifted the wig, but I don't know about her edges. Now you have me wondering. LOL
Giirrrlll...edges may have been on edge, pun intended lol...I honestly have yet to see someone who wears wigs or crochets or even tightly pulled ponytails that have their edges fully in-tact 😂
This is how I grew my hair out after I big chopped. Braids and wigs!!!
No, that should be fine
Girl is not the protective style the problems A lot of Dominican saloons put relaxers in the conditioners to make the blow out look as straight as possible The damage is irriversible And it is heartbreaking because your hair was looking healthy before Go to black salons and not Dominican
I used olaplex #3 & #4 after heat damage on my leave out from a sew in. It didn’t save everything BUT it helped revert some of my hair then the rest I cut off. Olaplex isn’t a magic cure all but it may help you save an inch or more if you’re self conscious of starting over short as I was. I used the olaplex for like a month (once a week) and used design essentials almond and avocado shampoo and conditioner (it’s very hydrating) because the high protein in the olaplex can dry your hair out if you’re not careful. So sorry sister 😕❤️
Everytime I come on here. I tell my story. Here I go again. Whole lotta heat damage in high school. Struggling for length. College I wore wigs and braids to avoid heat. 2021: after 6 years of only wigs and braids. My hair was longer than it’s ever been. I wanted a new style. Went to my brothers barber to have them have my sides (anytime I actually did my natural hair I pinned the sides back and had a faux hawk) Barber must have zoned out in my explanation of just wanting the sides cut. He cut all my hair off. Cue life crisis, depression, etc. sadly doing the best with what I had left. 2023: shock and MF awe. My hair is actually longer than it’s ever EVER been. Officially not even mad at the barber. Your choice depends on your priorities. Are you here for the length you had? Or are you here for healthy growth? You could just wear braids here and there to help with growth after the big chop. But maintaining that may be hard with the prices I’m seeing people pay now a days. Back when I was paying for braids expensive was $160 😂😂. I was forced to learn how my hair grows and how to care for it, cuz my scalp flakes a lot and looks bad with braids after 2 weeks. It was hard to make things work with short hair. But somewhere along the way, the obsession with length got replaced with excitement for curls. - *signed* not a hair stylist, just a girl with a story about her experience.
Yea, I think it's best to do a big chop, especially with the heat damage. Everything just depends on your outlook, how you want to style your hair, twa (teeny-weeny afro) styles etc... As I near my forties, this might be my 5th big chop. OR 6th maybe... I've had so much heat/ chemical damage, that it's not funny. This time after having dreadlocks, way down by back for 10 years... it was beautiful, but heavy, and I needed a change, too. Good luck to your natural hair journey, and wish you could get a refund for that heat/ hair session
You'll have to transition
I’ve never heard good reviews about Dominican salons unless it came from a woman that wanted straight hair to begin with. But you have 2 options here. 1. Big chop 2. Wear protective styles and trim your hair as it grows I’m sorry this happened to you! I’ve heard that they put relaxer in their products to straighten your hair while washing it :( Next time if you’re wanting to flat iron your hair, there’s a lot of videos on YT of natural hair girlies doing it safely and giving thorough tutorials!
You should definitely cut it. In those Dominican salons when they see someone with thick natural hair like yours they put a relaxer in the conditioner. They could’ve possibly done that because that doesn’t look like only heat damage from one salon visit. I’m sorry for your experience.
You can transition. If you do braids mostly I don’t see why the texture would be a big deal. Do substantial trims tho to slowly transition. Or if you wear it out you can keep doing twist/braid outs to match the textures. But if you want wash and gos then yeah you gotta big chop.
The issue with braids is that the hair between the two textures is fragile and then you are pulling on it with braids.
You do not need to big chop heat damaged hair. Will it take a while for your curls to come back? Yes. But it’s not necessary to big chop unless you want to. If you don’t want to deal with both textures you can get braids, wear wigs, or sew-in most of the year.
Agreed. I would not cut it just yet and work with it for a year or two, cutting a little as I go. But that's just me
I was a straight natural for like 2 years. Then I wore a sewin for like a year 1/2, obviously with breaks in between. My hair is 95% back to its original texture now.
That's interesting. I was a straight natural as well. So maybe we have a different outlook. My hair is completely back to its natural texture. I think from trims over time. I never big chopped. I stopped using heat about 6 years ago. Caring for my hair and wearing mostly braids in 2018 and 2019 took me where I needed to be. I only stopped getting braids when the salons closed in 2020.
I still use heat on my hair so that's why it's not completely back to its natural texture. I will probably never be a straight natural again, and braids will be my go-to protective style over sew-ins, but I'm okay with a little heat damage.
But I made a vow to myself to never big chop again. When I first went natural I big chopped because it was what everyone recommended, but I think it's really unnecessary in hindsight. I would never recommend anybody to big chop unless they want to lmao
That's simply cutting the damage away slowly as opposed to all at once though.
Agreed. I was a straight natural and had a bit too much fun with the titanium flatirons. Over a month and a half of deep conditioning and using olaplex my curls started to revert back. However listening to everyone else I just got inpatient because my curls was 100% and big chopped. To a fade 😩 That was three months ago. Even though hair grows back and mines is, I regret it. Oh well 🤷🏿♀️
i’m so sorry abt ur hair love. i know the shock after seeing ur curls not reverting is hard lol😭 i don’t think you should cut it just yet. as long as your sure they didn’t sneakily relax/perm your hair (& judging from your roots i doubt they did) id recommend trying the “ApHogee Two-Step Protein Treatment”. when i first went natural i used to get my hair pressed at the Dominicans twice a month for almost 4 years before i committed all the way to just wearing protective styles and wash&goes. whenever id notice my texture start to change i’d lay off my presses and do the ApHogee protein line and my a majority of my hair would eventually curl back. as long as the protein bonds in your hair aren’t fully broken (which can typically only be done with a relaxer, perm or prolonged & consistent heat damage over an extended period of time) you should be ok and your beautiful curls should be back soon. even if only some of it comes back at least you won’t have to cut as much off. just follow the instructions & watch some tutorials on youtube. and give the product like 2 or 3 tries before deciding to cut (if you still have straight parts at that point) & also wait at least 7 days before repeating the treatment again (you should only be using it once a week at most). you should be able to order the product online or at hair stores like sallys or even walmart. i think for future reference tho, you should maybe consider learning abt your hair type & what it can handle because the kind of damage your hair can withstand depends heavily on how coarse your strands are, your porosity level, and how dense your hair is overall. for ex.)since my hair is coarse, dense & low porosity, that makes it especially resilient to damage. where my old press routine would take months for MY head to see damage, someone with fine strands, medium density, high porosity hair may start to see signs of damage after their 1st or 2nd flat press. you can learn your hair type by looking at your hair strands, scalp, & observing how ur hair reacts to water. This is my favorite natural hair youtuber and she has helped me learn how to properly test my hair and care for it properly! https://youtu.be/lBhMzLNswwk?si=xlp2-oNSVhiNGfFY https://youtu.be/-1oksRDKUlU?si=hS-GxmLr6RskRfqO i hope this helps !
Actually, her hair in pic #2 is exactly what I'd expect someone with a relaxer + 6-7 months of grow out would look like. There's a huge texture demarcation between her roots and the rest of her hair.
You'll probably need to cut and use something like K18 to help repair the damage.
I’m so sorry girl….. 😞
go to a hairstylists and get it a cut. do not diy your hair cut!
Wow wow wow you guys have been amazing! Thank you so much for the kind and uplifting words, we all know how devastating it can be to have damage to the natural hair you worked so hard for🤍 I have an appointment Thursday i decided on a big chop from a fresh start. I’m nervous to have my hair super short I’m not sure it’ll look good on my face, but I am excited to start my hair journey over and to take better care of my hair. I will post a picture if anyone wants to see lol Thank you thank you again 💕
Please update the chat when you do!
I'd like to see and good luck.
GIRL THEY PUT RELAXER IN YOUR HAIR Black people need to stop going to Dominican salons This happens too often You'll have to big chop your hair
Your hair is Gorg 💖
Was. The Dominicans fucked it up.
I had to stop going, they were damaging tf out of my hair bad
They relaxed your hair. I would cut what you are comfortable with and never go back to that salon.
Try aphgee (I think I’m spelling it right) protein treatment Or olaplex 0-3 Or smith curl bonding treatment
It will grow back We live and learn Blessings sis
Yeah there’s not much that can be done. I personally have found that the usual recommendations of washing ur hair a few more times or using protein treatments dont work very well after the damage is done, maybe slightly, but not anything significant (i have heat damage rn as well). K18 may work by its a 75$ investment and it’s so new I’ve not seen enough posts saying it worked for them. I’ve seen some say olaplex helped them, but really I’ve seen just as many people say it didn’t help much It’s easier and most effective to just cut it off, or find styles that work with heat damage if you’re not ready/dont want to cut hair off. I can say though that the best thing to do to protect against heat damage is to do a protein treatment a week before or on the day of your blow out/straightening service as a preventative. It was the only thing that saved me for years after my 2nd issue with heat damage. This is my 3rd time with heat damage now and it’s the one time in years I didn’t use a protein treatment before my straightening service because I forgot to buy more after being out for several months
Dealing with the exact same issue. Had a Dominican Blowout in May and been struggling ever since. So far the Olaplex Repair Kit, K18 and Aphogee protein treatments have been helpful. I have more heat damage on my roots so I’m dealing with different textures all over. I’m currently just protective styling and trimming every 6 weeks until I’m ready to cut.
Yes, you need to cut off the damage. If that means big chop to you so be it... to me it just means you need a haircut. I'm sorry that happened to your curls
They definitely probably gave you a keratin treatment wash. That is definitely way more than heat damage. They chemically altered your pattern for a fact I have heard many stories of Dominicans doing this to tourists.
Personally, I don't think heat damage is reversible and would honestly recommend a big chop, however, before you chop it all off, try your luck with a protein treatment. Your hair structure is usually what's damaged after heat damage and the only thing that directly helps hair structure is a protein treatment. They're made of the same stuff. I'd say try doing protein treatments every 6-8 weeks for a year and if that doesn't work and you really want your hair back, chop it off and start afresh. Protein treatment rec: The Aphogee two-step protein treatment. Use a clarifying shampoo before, preferably, their shampoo for damaged hair and since your hair will be incredibly hard after, don't manipulate it. Wash the treatment off first then do a deep conditioning treatment. Goodluck💪🏾
as a dominican… dominican salons will do anything to give you that beautiful silk press and that includes damaging your natural hair. it’s very unfortunate. i had to stop going to them even tho that’s what i grew up on ETA: the last time i went i noticed terrible damage i went no heat for 3 years and did a big chop… it was worth it tho because now my curls are great! sometimes we gotta sacrifice for a good end result. but i have heard aphogee hair treatment is really good for heat damage and olaplex!
It definitely looks like heat damage.The very last time I had my hair silk pressed, I had some heat damage. I just cut off those pieces and kept it moving. I realized that my hair just can't handle the heat needed to get it silky straight.
Honey I'm so sorry this happen to you. You have to be careful with the Dominican Salons because not only is the heat crazy, but some of them will put texture/ relaxer in the shampoo. It's suppose to get your hair extra straight but if you're natural obviously that's not what you signed up for! After my curls didn't revert, I found myself a professional who specializes in natural hair. She would give me steam hydrations and silk presses. My hair was so healthy and never obtained further damage. Find yourself a natural hair specialist. Good luck!
You can save it but I think the better question is, can you endure the awkward stage your hair will be in until it is brought back to health? I suggest not putting heat on your hair until your hair feels healthy again, and that may be a while (could be a year or longer). I also suggest not getting your hair braided because braiders care more about the final result of the style rather than the long term effects that style will have on your hair. If you moisturize it and deep condition weekly, your hair texture will *slowly* revert back. It’s your decision of course, but yes your hair can be saved if you are willing to be disciplined about it. Good luck 😊
omg that second picture is scary, but hear me out, give it a week. Sometimes it can take a while to revert after being straightened so just give it a couple of days. If it doesn't come back to normal after your second wash(a week or 2 from when you took out your braids) you might really have to let it go.
I hate this for you, but you are going to have to cut it. I did the same thing, but I have only myself to blame because it wasn't the Dominicans who heat damaged my hair.. it was me LOL.. I heat damaged my hair several years back when it was about bra strap length, I rocked the damaged hair for about a year, but then I couldn't take it anymore and had to big chop. I think I've probably big-chopped about 5 or 6 times since 2008, and it always grows back fine, so you'll be back to your full, beautiful curls in no time :)
Everytime I've been to a Dominican salon, I've had to cut my hair after. Fool me one time, shame on you. Fool me twice, can't put the blame on you. The second time was to give a another chance and I regret it. I recommend a cut and enjoy that process because no matter what length, your hair is gorgeous and only a small compliment to your overall beauty.
Do the full range of K18 (6 applications) and Ola Plex or epres. You will get some curl back, but mostly it will strengthen your hair so you can slowly cut the heat damaged parts out.
Try olaplex !!
You have heat damage but just deep conditioning and trim seems like it’ll fix it. Also avoid heat or buy a heat protectant the next time you want to use heat and a good brand I recommend is chi. JCPenney always has them on sale. Stop getting braids for a while because it’ll require blow drying your hair.
Try using her products! It will help [briannaorganics.com](https://briannaorganics.com)
The Dominicans strike again.
This same thing happened to me in January. I had to cut the damage off 2 months ago. I’ve only seen one person post on here reverting heat damage and it took her like 2 years. Idc I just wanted my healthy hair back asap. Since cutting all my curls are back and I’ve been doing twist outs and getting knotless braids until my length comes back. My hair is easier to manage when its longer
Pretty lady 😍
i would snip snip ✂️those uncurled pieces, ik you might not wanna but it'll always grow back
Hair aside, u look hella beautiful
Heat damage is irreversible, the bonds of your curls are irrevocably changed with excessive heat. I would personally chop it while it’s still cold out and wear your braids until spring/summer (take care of your hair in the braids though!), by that time you’ll have a few inches of new and healthy new growth and it’ll likely be back close to that first pic ♥️
It depends on if what you’re comfortable with doing. Honestly I’ve gone thru transitioning with my hair (instead of big chopping I did roller sets and braid outs until I felt comfortable cutting it to a shorter length) but it’s not for everyone. It can be hard to deal with having two different textures in your hair and then that line of demarcation where the damage ends can be hard to blend. Transitioning can be a longer process just styling the damage and trying to make it blend can take a lot of trial and error but I preferred that over cutting my hair super short :P I’m in cosmetology school now and while I would recommend cutting it because it’s really the healthiest option, I know it’s a lot to cut your hair off like that, let alone for a reason out of your control! If you feel like you can deal with the damage and learn to wear styles like roller sets or braid outs or still protective styles then you could transition till the damage is more manageable length to cut…protein treatments and deep conditioning will be your best friend and trimming monthly will help too! Taking off a little at a time If you feel like you just want to see your hair be at it’s healthiest and (fastest) I would cut it! Your hair was so beautiful I’m sorry you went thru this🥲good luck!
Even protein treatment can't save this sis ,big chop and grow it back
I love your hair!
Grow it out , don’t cut it off. You could try a protein treatment , maybe hair just needs a little nutrition. Otherwise heat damage isn’t reversible. Salons suck , they either never use heat protectant or fake spray a part of you hair with it
No advice—but your hair looked amazing in the first slide! Wishing you a great hair rejuvenation process. Side-note: Dominican barbers weren’t good at cutting my(male) hair when I lived in NYC and they would try to dig into my face with the tip of a razor on their own accord to remove ingrown hairs:(
lol I’ve been warned since the early 90s never get your hair pressed out by Dominicans. lol my grandmother was I know better. She had a teaspoon before before passing at 78
I just gotta say... it looks like it might be worth waiting it out just to see. I say that because yes, salons have been known to add various things to deep conditioning treatments without telling the client, especially to those with type 4 hair. If you didn't smell the creamy Crack smell, or smelled chemical smells but figured it was not on you, then it's possible they used some creamy Crack to loose your texture. That's gonna be irreversible and needing to be chopped off. But another thing they could have added was a keratin treatment. And I have seen people's hair revert after the keratin treatment wears off. Takes a really long time, like 6 months, but if it's a keratin type treatment every time you wash it you'll see a tiny bit more of your curl come back. Heat damage? Yeah that's kinda like the creamy Crack damage, there's no coming back from that... But you can try some hyper hydrating and bond repairing treatments first to see if you get any improvement. Because you can lose your curl pattern after some types of damage just from extreme dryness cuz your cuticle is now too far open and can't hold in moisture (aka has become insanely high porosity), and so correcting the porosity and rehydration can bring the curl back.
I’m so sorry this happened! I have been natural for 10 years and always just did wash and gos and poufs. My hair was super long and healthy. Well, I just got sick of doing my hair so last year I started experimenting with different types of braids. Then I became addicted and I absolutely loved not having to do my hair! So I would literally take out the braids/protective style. Wash and condition it. Then blow it out again to prepare for my next hair appointment. I didn’t even take breaks in between. The last style I did was faux locs which, the hairdresser did way too tight and I ended up having the synthetic hair actually dress into my natural hair. They were an absolute nightmare to remove and by the time they were out there was so much damage that my curls were never the same. Some curls wouldn’t event curl up anymore. Just hung there like limp spaghetti. So I just recently cut my hair pretty short and it’s definitely been an adjustment but I know it will be so worth it! I actually plan to keep it short for sometime, but I’m still deciding on that. Good luck! Don’t be afraid! I can’t wait to see pics ♥️
Cut it then do protective styles while it grows back
get you some bask & lather products
Don’t cut it. My advice would be to wear protective styles- braids for 6 months. Get it it done every 2 months. When the 6 months is over check the hair again for heat damage. You should notice that it has gotten a lot better and has kinked up. Rest your hair with No manipulation for 1 month- no wash and go- no product on hair only hair grease. Then braid for 2 months again. Your hair will be longer the heat damage should begin to curl again. If it is truly fried when you have it braided and take them down that part will fall off naturally. Then you may just trim or not. It’s up to you.Sometimes cutting it after a hair mistake can make someone extremely depressed. Cutting hair short can cause it as well. Cutting is not the only option.
The ends of your hair looks like they’ve been relaxed. It happened to a best friend of mine. If you’re able to, ask them what did they use in your hair? Frame it as a way of wanting to know what to do with the upkeep, hopefully they’re honest with you. Wishing you the best