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6 things non-Chinese ladies want to tell our hairstylists

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Finding a trustworthy salon to manage your crowning glory is a scary and difficult process for anyone, even more so, for someone with hair texture that isn’t akin to that of Chinese ladies in Singapore.

Yes, the rest of us ladies will admit that the majority of Chinese people have straight hair that’s easy to manage and maintain.

Secretly (and not-so-secretly), we wish our tresses were a little like yours, but all hair types are beautiful and sometimes even hairstylists need reminding of this truth.

Here are 6 things we wish hairstylists knew when handling hair that is not straight.


1. Stop hardselling keratin treatments or rebonding services

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Perm by Kenaris Salon

If I had a penny for every time a hairstylist suggested I should go for keratin treatment or rebonding within 5 minutes of walking into a salon, I would have enough money to afford keratin treatments on a regular basis!

Though keratin treatments and rebonding are effective in taming frizz and curls, they are not viable options for those who actually like their curly hair.

I’m pretty sure all naturally curly-haired ladies would agree when I say, we don’t mind a hairstylist recommending these services to us, after all it’s part of the consultation to input your professional opinion.

But once we’ve expressed our disinterest, please stop forcing us and telling us how much better our hair would look if it were straight.


2. Understand our hair texture before cutting it

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Haircut by Pro Trim Korean Salon @ JEM

A major concern among ladies who have thick and curly hair is that the hairstylist will not be able to custom our desired hairstyle to that of our hair texture.

Many hairstylists are accustomed to cutting the hair texture of Chinese people that they apply the same skill even when cutting the hair of someone whose hair texture is completely different.

Thus, avoid handling our hair like you would if you were cutting hair that is naturally straight, such as layering too much of our hair. We certainly don’t need the help of that many layers to achieve a voluminous look.


3. Don’t over-thin hair just because it’s thick

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Balayage Hair Colour by 99 Percent Hair Studio @ Katong

As a non-Chinese, our mane is naturally thicker than those who are Chinese, and the solution to this is not to just to thin it.

A short cut and too much layering can sometimes make our hair look thicker than it actually is.

This is why it’s essential to understand each and every customer’s hair texture before delving into the process.


4. Be honest about your skills

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Blue and Grey Balayage Ombre by Hair by Xavier Leong

We’ll be more likely to trust you if you are honest about what you can and cannot do. At the end of the day, we are on the losing end when we have to go home with an unflattering hairstyle after having to pay for it.

Hence, if you are not sure how to handle our hair texture, be up-front about it rather than acting like you know what you are doing.


5. Don’t assume we neglect hair care

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Cut + Highlight + Treatment by RuleR Japanese Hair Salon

One of the downside of having curly hair is that curly-haired ladies battle with frizz on a daily basis, and the humid weather in Singapore doesn’t help either.

However, just because our hair is frizzy doesn’t mean we don’t invest in hair care or simply can’t be bothered to tame the frizz. Trust us when we say the struggle is real but our frizz or kinky curls is not an opportunity for you to start hardselling products or services.

Seek to understand our haircare routine and hair needs first, then we’ll be more inclined to listen to advice that is genuine and honest.


6. Communication is key

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Hair Treatment at Koinonia Hair Salon

We can’t stress our much communicating in English is important to us.

It’s the first step to us trusting that you’ll be able to handle our hair. If you can’t fully understand what we are communicating and only act like you do, then as customers, we are at a loss.

We understand that in some cases, though the hairstylist is not well-versed in English, they still have the skill to handle our hair texture. During such instances, it helps to have a translator at hand.


What other things would you like to tell your hairstylist? Let us know in the comments below!


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