Natural hair experience at Blo Blow Dry Bar

Blo Blow Dry Bar at Shops at Colony in
Charlotte, North Carolina.

I was recently invited to attend a media event at a unique salon opening up in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Blo Blow Dry Bar offers quick chic service but no cuts, no color. It is simply a Blow Dry Bar. That means you come in, get your hair washed, blow dried and flat ironed/curled.

There is a menu of styles to choose from including the Sleek Executive and Hollywood.

Pink is definitely the color of choice at Blo.

blo also has its own language...

blo glossary with blocabulary

So let me tell you about my experience. First of all, I am not a person who revels in too many new experiences. It's the Capricorn in me. We like routine things. So my go to stylist (when I have time to go) is still 33 Fingers Salon, where Tamika specializes in natural hair. However, Blo reached out to me to attend their media day and try their services. They cater to all hair types according to their adverts.


So here's what happened...

I arrived and was met by the very friendly blo wig girl (BWG). She was really nice and welcomed me in.

The blo wig girl (BWG)

I checked out the menu book (pictured above) and decided on the Sleek Executive. 

Texture of my natural hair after washing...

The thing with natural hair is, you have to treat it differently than relaxed hair. My texture of hair specifically requires a lot of moisture and tlc. If I do not get moisture and tlc, my hair shrivels up like a cotton ball. My fellow blogger at NikkiPanache.com has relaxed hair, and she joined me for this experience.

When I walked in, I was nervous because I am used to having my hair cared for by someone who also has natural hair. I was leery about trusting it to someone who does not, especially for the purpose of a blow out. On top of that, I have not been giving my hair the best care lately and had some breakage in the back (I'm working on that...) 

I looked around and was relieved to see someone with natural hair doing blow outs. I relaxed a little and continued talking to NP as we waited. A member of the staff at Blo offered us an opportunity to look around  and have drinks and sweets while we waited for a stylist. So I snapped a few pics:

That dress I'm wearing is a new fav! It's from K-mart
and I got it for 9 bucks! My mommy picked it out.

When a staff member told me my stylist was ready, I expected to see the natural hair stylist, but I did not. Yes, I was alarmed when I turned to see a guy with blonde hair. This is where things went a little left. Granted, I know some of that was my preconceived notions...what could this White guy know about my coils and kinks....So I asked the guy (he asked that I call him "Big Daddy" in this blog... lmbo) if he had done my texture of hair before. He said yes.

I probably asked him three or four times from shampoo bowl to chair. Let me say, he was a sweet heart, but "Big Daddy" did not know what to do with my hair and I could tell. First, my hair after shampoo and conditioner shriveled up like a cotton ball... That told me that there was not enough moisture in the conditioner or that it was not left on long enough. I was concerned, but grinned and bore it. (Big mistake!!! If something is going wrong, express your concerns immediately)

My concerns grew because the process was taking a while for me (Typically it takes no more than 45 minutes, if that, for Tamika to do my hair). So as the paddle brush went through my hair slowly, I watched "Big Daddy" struggle to detangle my hair...even after applying this 7 minute detangling conditioner. So as he worked carefully on one side, the other side was drying up...and quickly! With natural hair the texture of mine, you have to move quickly because it dries fast. 

Tools of the trade

I seriously do not have this issue at 33 Fingers, because that salon specializes in natural hair. Before I went to Blo, I looked for reviews from other naturals online. I only found two who both loved the experience. However, one lady called her natural hair "problem hair". I do not see my hair as a problem. A challenge? Sure, for people who have little experience with it. But not a problem. I love my hair! LOL. 

There were several different stylists at Blo, and I love that. I saw one with pink hair (not the wig), one with blonde, another with natural hair, and several others. I realized the stylist I had just did not know how to handle my hair. That's understandable because although you learn a lot in school, more of what you learn, no matter the discipline, is through on the job training. If you are not used to doing curly, coily, or kinky hair, it will make you nervous. I was nervous when I first BC'ed myself. 

I could tell he was scared to death slightly alarmed. Despite the picture above, I have a lot of hair. You just cannot tell from that picture. My own stylist and I laugh about how densely packed my hair is in the front. It is as though five strands come through one follicle. "Big Daddy" was clearly more well versed in doing looser, straighter textured hair. I could tell by his technique. 

As the process moved forward, I honestly was upset, but I'm not the type to blow up (anymore...I used to have a trigger temper, but I am so much more calm now LOL). I just asked questions and tried to guide him through the sections as much as possible. (Lord knows I wanted to cry.) After a while, another stylist joined "Big Daddy" in the pursuit of doing my blow out. I could tell she had combed through a fro or two before. Her name was Barb. She carefully addressed each section of hair on the side she worked on. She detangled quickly and trailed a rat tail comb with the flat iron. She tried to hit the roots and I was happy to have her there, but still on the verge of blo-ing up! (pun intended ;) ). 

For the most part I was very upset on the inside. But it is what I signed up for. The salon is new here in Charlotte (the franchise started in 2007 and they have over 32 locations) and I was there for a preview. Nikki P had a great hair experience with her stylist. She loved it. 

So what did my hair look like afterwards?? I'm sure you want to know. 

Cute right? LOL

This is how it really looked. See my
nappy roots? 

I can laugh about all of this, I really can. (Now, I was not laughing yesterday or the day before...I was a bit angry and upset, but then realized, I did this to myself.) I'm not usually one to try new things, but I'm happy that I did something I normally would not do. I will not tell you to give Blo the blow off. The reason why I will not dissuade people from going to Blo is because this was just my experience with one stylist. I saw another natural hair chica leave before me and she was smiling brightly. So I'm assuming she had a great experience.

I know my hair was burned through the process because I could smell it. After I left Blo and snapped some pictures for friends and for the blog, I washed and deep conditioned my hair. I used Shea Moisture shampoo, and DC'ed with Eden Body Works deep conditioner (I love that stuff) and slathered on grape seed oil on top of it and let it soak in my hair overnight (the result is the curly picture up top after I washed it out). I will continue  this process until the burn smell is gone. (Yes, it is still there....) 

What went wrong:

1. I should have had a more extended conversation with the stylist before going to the shampoo bowl.
2. Since I have experience with my own hair, I should have been more vocal about what I saw was going wrong with the process. 
3. "Big Daddy" should have been honest when I asked him about his experience with natural hair. However, knowing men, my questions were not keen enough. If you ask a man if he's done something, you need to be specific down to the minute details with your questions. 
4. With my amount of hair, I should have been given a more seasoned stylist.
5. Big Daddy should have been assigned to heads that allowed him to grow, not learn... (at least not my head! Shoooooot LOL)
6. The technique used on my hair was the one I've seen used on Caucasian straight hair. Ummm...sir... I am not Caucasian and my hair isn't straight! LOL
7. Quick is great, but quality is better. I should have had a little more time dedicated to assessing my hair before the start.
8. My hair could have been a teaching tool. I was near the end of the appointments, so if a seasoned stylist was available, he/she could have taken the reigns and shown others how to work with my kind of hair.
9. The product use should have been addressed and followed for different textures of hair. (He sprayed hairspray (holding spray) in my hair and then followed with the flat iron...thus the burn! I thought it was heat protectant and was alarmed when he answered my question as to what it was.)
10. I should have run out screaming after the cotton ball popped up on my head! (LOL...jokes...just jokes.)

Customer service

Customer service is big to me. I reached out to the branding department at Blo who initially contacted me about the media day. She forwarded my experience to the local owner of Blo, who apologized profusely about my experience. Jo explained to me what had occurred with the grueling challenges of media day and opening up this new location. 

She also assured me that many of her stylists had experience with African American hair and that they dedicated training to African American hair, even using some local daycare employees as hair models. Jo invited me back for a go with one of her more seasoned stylists, and offered some products to help repair any damage that was done. 

Ummm... I'm going to have to pray about that invite! LOL But...everyone deserves a second chance...Right???... Stay tuned...

MY FRO IS BACK...

Bowtie by TFHApparel.com...
Sweater dress by Calvin Klein

We will talk about those razor thin eyebrows in another blog... (humming I won't Complain in my head...)

What we should all learn:

Be honest.

Express yourself.

Even trained professionals need guidance.

Businesses get better when clients talk to them directly versus spreading their discontent.

As a business, always consider your client's unique needs.

Word of mouth can be great for you or horrible for you.

Follow up after a customer complaint is vital.

Follow @YBBG_Blog on Twitter and use hashtag #YBBGTopic for more interesting discussions. 

Check out YBBG on Facebook.