MY DRY BAR EXPERIENCE WITH NATURAL HAIR

I've seen Drybar all around New York City but never thought it was an option for me. My hair has been natural for over ten years and I've always had my hair done at a Dominican or African American beauty salon. 

The concept of DryBar was always intriguing. It's a very simple idea: No cuts. No color. Just blowouts!.What they believe is that almost everyone (even the pros) prefer having someone else blow out their hair. As someone with natural hair, I cannot blow out my own hair. Not only could it take me hours (my hair is super thick), a necessary skill is needed to turn my hair from curly to straight.

Also, instead of paying $60+ at a traditional salon, or going to a less-than-desirable discount chain, DryBar offers a flat fee of $45 dollars (it recently increased from 40 dollars.) For a few extra bucks, you can add on a deep conditioning treatment, head massage, etc.

After getting my hair done there twice, I can finally share my overall opinion. The price is great (about the same I'd pay at a Dominican salon), and the blow outs are amazing (more on that in a second) but it's the customer service that I love! Customer service that I haven't received from some of my other salons in the past. Setting up an appointment was easy, they have an app for that! How cool? Once I arrived at my appointment, I was seen within 10 minutes. A stylist came out to greet me "Hey, Shannon" and I'm asked if I'd like coffee, tea, water, or .... a mimosa! My favorite! I'm taken to a bar area where I can put down my things and then off to get my hair washed. The decor in the salon is absolutely fabulous ( I love the pop of yellow in the color scheme.) The products smell yummy! Your stylist does your hair start to finish.  If I had to complain about two things in my prior salon it would be: the wait time and dealing with multiple stylists in one appointment.

I'm sure you may have experienced this before. You get to the salon, one person washes your hair, another person sets your hair, and so on. Sometimes I'd like one dedicated person to do it through and through. Secondly, waiting sucks! I've spent 5 hours at a salon before (on a weekend) when I could of been out within 2 hours instead. The long wait usually stems from having to wait for your stylist to finish another customer before they could tend back to you. At DryBar, you have one stylist that focuses on you and only you, the entire time! How amazing is that?

Once my stylist washed my hair she took me to the bar area and the blow out began! First, she handed me a menu book. The menu contained several of their signature styles, click here to check it out. So far I've experienced the Mai Tai and Straight Up, both styles came out great! 

When I informed several of my friends and Instagram followers about my experience, a lot of them were surprised because I have natural hair. Here's the thing! Can every DryBar handle natural hair? I don't know. I specifically did research prior to going. First, I went on yelp and I searched "Natural Hair" within a few different DryBar locations. Quickly I learned the names of a few stylists in various locations that have done natural hair before and were good at it! Another way to research is by using instagram hashtags. I searched #drybarnyc #drybarnewyork #drybarny #drybarmeatpacking and searched for brown beauties like myself. When I stumbled across a stylist, bingo! I knew I had the one. When I booked my appointment they gave the option of leaving a comment. My comment was very specific "Hi, I have natural hair. I would like a natural hair stylist to do my hair the day of my appointment. I would like to request Cynthia if she's available that day please." Easy? That's exactly who I got when I arrived and she did a great job! Now ... did my hair last? If you have natural hair, you know that not all products for all hair types work with our hair. It's important to use a product that can beat that humidity! My first experience at DryBar was great but I did notice my hair frizzed up a bit more quickly than it does at my usual hair salon. The solution for me was easy! I found a product I could apply on my hair after my blow out that would help to reduce the frizz. 

Although I'll still need to go to my salon once every now and then for a cut and color, I'll definitely be returning to Drybar for another blow out (and mimosa) soon. Would you try Drybar? Comment below.

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