How was your valentine? I really do hope that you had a great time! Today, I would be talking about Natural Hair Salons and the big question. "Are Natural Hair Salons Pricey?"
When I had my relaxed hair, I never used to overthink going to the salon. I knew I could wash my hair under N500 and Steam my hair with an additional N500. You knew exactly how much it is to fix your hair and to braid your hair. While alot of things have changed since then, the new prices aint far fetched.
The emergence of the "Natural Hair" movement in the country and a very few people seeing the opportunity and the need for salons to cater for the nappy haired woman. Natural hair salons were born.
Natural Hair salons are a breath of fresh air after the era of DIYs and just generally experimenting with your hair. A place where you can keep your mind at rest while they work their magic on your hair without your instructing that they should not pull too hard on your edges.
As much as I know that might need to go to a natural hair salon, the prices and accessibility constrain me. It's usually not sustainable. While I understand the uniqueness of these salons, I don't understand the margin with the prices with the regular salons.
I want us to have a healthy conversation around this. How often do you go to a natural hair salon? Do you even see the need for a salon? Do you think they are pricey? What do you think is responsible for the margin?
Let's Talk!
Natural Hair salons are a breath of fresh air after the era of DIYs and just generally experimenting with your hair. A place where you can keep your mind at rest while they work their magic on your hair without your instructing that they should not pull too hard on your edges.
As much as I know that might need to go to a natural hair salon, the prices and accessibility constrain me. It's usually not sustainable. While I understand the uniqueness of these salons, I don't understand the margin with the prices with the regular salons.
I want us to have a healthy conversation around this. How often do you go to a natural hair salon? Do you even see the need for a salon? Do you think they are pricey? What do you think is responsible for the margin?
Let's Talk!
Well for the only natural hair salon i have been to, i dont think its pricey in some areas. when it comes to weaving the hair that's where the margin crops up. i go to natural hair salon when i am super lazy to handle my hair. i am waiting to see other people thoughts on this topic.
ReplyDeleteI had never been to a natural hair salon until this weekend. I previously lived in a part of the UK where that service simply wasn't available. Having moved to East Africa, I am a little tired of looking after my hair myself and have decided to outsource that task. I find that natural hair salons are a lot more expensive than others but for me is about value for money and that is reflected in the price. Value for money to me means:
ReplyDelete1. Attitude of the beauticians. They're more willing to listen, they're happy for me to bring my own products and they're much gentler with my hair.
2. Time. I recognise that natural hair can take longer to do than relaxed hair and I think the price reflects that.
3. Simple economics. There is an element of charging a premium because natural hair is something of a trend at the moment.
Overall, I think I'm getting value for money because I'm saving time and it's a pretty relaxing (pardon the pun) experience.
I totally Understand you and once all these are not there, that is when there is problem. Some people don't mind the price if all these things are present. I feel you on this.
DeleteNatural Hair salons are pricy abeg!!.
ReplyDeleteI've been to a Semi-Natural Hair Salon once. (they market themselves as a healthy hair salon)and although my hair was nice, I didn't feel like I got value for my money.
I honestly cant get over paying 2K Naira or a simple wash and condition.
A lot of my colleagues at work go to natural hair salons and pay 4k Plus Naira for the same twists that I pay 500 Naira for my Baby cousins to do a the local salons.
Abi!
DeleteI so agree with you.
And no difference between your hair and theirs.
Maybe just location, service and ambiance of the place.
This is the margin i was talking about..
Deleteroadside salon , under the tree salon VERSUS Dedicated natural hair salon on the island vary in rent price and i guess that comes in play with the pricing of their services as well.
Lolll.... My sister!!! I understand too. The margin is much, which is why I want to understand the reason. I know there is a difference in the service and care of hair but that margin is plenty.
DeleteI was never one for frequent or regular salon visits in the first place, so I'm not necessarily going less now.
ReplyDeleteBerry Dakara Blog
Natural hair salons are pricey abeg! 4k for 2 strand twist is ridiculous abeg..... I wonder how much they wld charge for bridal hair...
ReplyDeleteI often wonder at that myself.
DeleteBut then if you get the look you are going for it is worth it for your big day.
LOl. There is only one way to find out o.
DeleteI find that once natural hair is tag to a salon it automatically becomes pricey.
ReplyDeleteI visited one and did a deep conditioning and steaming and was charge N2000 I didn't mind that cos she used her products but I did mind the price I had to pay for styling N3500. A simple updo and twist in front. At the end of the week my hair had fizzled all out.
I prefer the regular salons where I get what I want with a bit of instructions from me to the stylist.
She is ready to listen and learn.
I also find that washing at home reduces the time and money spend at the salons.
exactly i have friends that have complained that what they wanted in tagged natural hairsalon isnt what they got. i have 2 different stylists that own regular salons and i teach them how to handle natural hair via when they are handling mine and they listen. and ohh i have become frugal and kicked out a bit of my natural hair laziness and started doing my washing and co at home during weekends.
Deletehahahahahahaha...
ReplyDeletePricey? Nah! Some of them are on a mission to collect all of your salary in one sitting!
ReplyDeleteGbam!
DeleteLwkmd
Deletehahahahahahahah you've got jokes
DeleteLOoool
DeletePricey? Nah! Some of them are just on a mission to collect all of your money in one sitting!
ReplyDeleteLooool
DeleteNever went to a salon for a wash and condition when I had relaxed hair. I've always preferred doing that myself. As for styling (which to me, means long term braids), I have a stylist who does that for me and she's willing (happy even) to take instructions. So I've never really had to compare prices of roadside salons to natural hair ones. But from what I've been told by other people, I believe it's a bit too pricey.
ReplyDeleteThey are pricey o! I used to go to one, then I didn't have my own products so I assumed the price was because of that. When I eventually got mine I was still being charged like that. Nowadays I go to my usual salon with my own style and they are good.
ReplyDeleteI intentionally kept mum on this topic because I wanted to hear what people would have to say, and I wanted to be as neutral as possible, seeing that we partner with a lot of these salons.
ReplyDeleteI have been on both sides of the divide. For the first 5 years of being natural, I never stepped into a natural hair salon to make my hair even though we were partners, but after taking 8 hours to twist my hair every 2 weeks, nobody begged me before I changed my mind.
Now coming to price, there's no way we can compare our roadside onidiri to a natural hair salon who pay rents and other expenses running into millions. Anyone who runs businesses knows that your prices need to be able to cover expenses and salaries.
Regular salons will use cheap chemical laden products on natural hair, which a natural hair salon will never ever use. (We even heard one who mixes relaxer with conditioners). As for me, I will rather sit in my house than go to a regular salon.
Are they expensive? It depends on the individual, and what value they attach to making their hair. After all, we are the same ones who go to restaurants to blow 5k-7k on our food in 30 minutes, because we attach value to eating food in a fancy restaurant.
Are they out to swindle us? Seriously, I doubt. No business can afford to run at a loss just becuase they don't want to be perceived as too pricey.
I believe anyone who is into business will understand what I just said.
You got me at "onidiri" lol...
Deletei have seriously been waiting for your comment and i totally agree with you that we cant compare " our roadside onidiri to a natural hair salon who pay rents and other expenses running into millions"
Well for me i carry my hair products to the roadside hairsalon and tell them how to handle my hair when i am to lazy to do it myself or travel all the way to my regular natural hairsalon.
yes i also heard of salons that mix relaxer with conditioner..and was told to be careful.
well truth be told " No business can afford to run at a loss just becuase they don't want to be perceived as too pricey. "
i disagree with you Atilola (this is a topic close to my heart so sorry in advance for the long comment :))
ReplyDeletei think because we keep comparing them with road side hairdressers, it makes it seem like there is a case for these salons. let us compare them with regular hair salons instead. those ones housed inside buildings, with staff, products (whether cheap or not), they also have bills to pay, don't they? i do not expect them to charge same as roadside hair dressers do but i don't think the price difference is as out of this world like that of natural hair salons.
also, regular salons have 'different grades' so you will have only yourself to blame if you walk into a regular salon that charges above your budget limit with your eyes open. do we have this diversity with NHS? it's like the minute 'natural' is part of the name of a salon, THE END.
The natural hair community is growing. i visited a particular natural salon this past weekend for the first time in months and saw they had expanded; larger space, more stylists..even more clients waiting their turn to be serviced so I do not think it is a factor of the number of clients versus the amount of bills to be paid.
i really do not think it is fair to the natural hair community that quite a number of people view salon visits for 'washing and conditioning' as a special treat, or that the writing on the wall is 'if u cannot pay, do it yourself'. personally, i am too attached to my wash days to outsource it but sometimes, i simply do not have time to deal with my hair and would like to stroll casually into a salon and have it dealt with.
see ehn, it's not even the price itself that puts one off. it is thinking along this line. 'i will wash and deep condition, followed by styling- e.g 2 strand twists (going by the afore mentioned prices on this thread) for 2k+4k at least every 2weeks. in all, 12k per month for my hair ONLY. i hvnt bought products. i havnt bought extensions. i haven't bought hair accessory, pls how much is my salary?
pls note that i am focusing on washing and condition for 2 reasons; 1) they are like the base of the entire healthy hair business. Not everyone of us will pay 5k gbam for a meal. not everyone of us who will pay such will make it a weekly occurrence, unlike how we ALL have to wash and condition regularly regardless of one's wealth status.
No, this is not me putting down these salons as i do understand that alot goes into making businesses succesful, yet ahn han. Itz almost like we'r slowly going to start this pattern in the US/Uk where people prefer to DIY cos salon costs are obnoxious. ((better option though, visit regular salon armed with your products (aint nobody putting a mixture whose contents i do not know in my hair) and lotsa patience to explain what you want to your stylist))
2) i do all my styling myself so i do not know if the cost is different between twisting natural hair alone/twists with extensions? do crotchet braids cost different from the old fixing patterns? do natural hair salons and regular salons charge different for styles like crotchet braids, twists, braids, Ghana weaving? what is the least charge for service in natural hair salons?