After 20 summin years (HA! yous thought I was gonna reveal my age…jokes on you) I’ve finally gotten comfortable with the with mane on top my head. Quick sidenote: to all my naturalistas out there, I salut you! Taking care of and maintaining natural hair is no easy feat and doing it on a daily basis? Oh chile, claps all around!
Shall we get into this review? Now I don’t know about you guys, but I am not one to have any ol’ person in my hair. Don’t touch it, don’t look at it, don’t breathe near it, nothing, nada. If and only if I decide to go to salon to get my hair did, please believe it will be a well reviewed and trusted hair salon that SPECIALIZES in the health and maintenance of natural BLACK hair. For those of you who aren’t privy to the lifestyle in Columbus, there really isn’t much diversity in the natural hair sector; so whenever I feel the urge to go for a fresh blowout, I carry myself to Chicago (fortunately I have family in the Chi so it’s not too much of a burden for me) when I want my hair fluffed, slicked, and slayed. Huetiful Salon was my go to beauty stop for the longest while, but after one to many late appointment starts, catty altercations between stylists, and overall petty drama, I decided it was time to find another salon. Getting my hair done should be a therapeutic experience and it becoming short of that.
During on of my venting sessions, my sister put me on to the Collective Curl Collective. Her stylist is the owner of the salon and the way she went on and on about this place, I was convinced. I managed to snag an appointment for a Silk Press and Trim with the beautiful Tasha.
First impressions: The shop is extremely cute. I was a little early for my appointment so I didn’t necessarily expect to be noticed until it was time for me to sit in the chair. However, I was greeted as soon as I walked in and offered something to drink. The décor is super chic and modern. Not overly cluttered with equipment or hair products stylists like to forcefully selling you.
When I finally sat in the chair, Tasha confirmed what she would be doing, looked at my hair, and asked me questions about my lifestyle and thoughts on what I wanted. That much I surely appreciated. To be completely honest, sometimes I forget what services I booked, so it’s nice to have a reminder before getting started; ‘cause next thing you know, I’m walking out the shop bald AF because I had a mini mid-life crisis during the booking process and scheduled BIG CHOP vs. a silky blowout.
Out of respect for any stylist, I like to detangle as much of my hair as possible before an appointment (trust me, it’s for their good), making that process all the more seamless for them. When it came to shampooing, bayyybyyyy!, I wish I knew the names of the products she used because when I tell you my hair was so soft during the whole process, I couldn’t believe it. After conditioning my hair, we made our way over to the steamer. Any natural hair salon should include this step after washing and conditioning. Steaming helps to add and seal in the moisture from the products so your hair isn’t stripped of all the goodness that was just put on it. I sat under the steamer for about 45 minutes and then rinsed out any remaining product.
Reasons why Tasha gets a gold star is because she kept me informed of everything that was happening, while it was happening. During the blow drying process, she used the lowest heat setting to minimize the chance of heat damage and then on to flat ironing. Again, she started on the lowest temperature and increased the heat ONLY if my hair was not responding to the current temperature. YASSSS!!! This ensured that my hair only took the heat that it needed to get the job done. AKA, healthy straight hair in the long run.
We looked at my ends and had a discussion about how much needed to be trimmed off. Trimmed, curled, and boom! Sis, I was looking like *Lil Wayne voice* mulaaaaa babyyyyy! My hair felt so soft and bouncy and the blowout lasted for over A MONTH (after the COINT I spent on this visit, I couldn’t ask for anything more). When I finally washed it out, my hair reverted back to its original curly self. Can the church say AMEN for no heat damage? AMEN! AMEN!
Final Thoughts: 5-stars for Tasha. She was an excellent stylist who made me feel so much better about leaving Huetiful and trying CCC for the first time. The atmosphere was relaxing. The products she used smelled great. And the mini photo shoot at the end of the visit had me feeling like Queen Beyoncé herself. If you guys are in the Chicago are and are looking for a GOOD natural hair salon, definitely check out The Chicago Curl Collective. Tell them I sent you. Details will be below. Muah ღ
Salon: Chicago Curl Collective
Address: 923 W. 35th St., 1st Floor, Chicago, IL 60609
Stylist Instagram: @chicago_tasha
Salon Instagram: @chicagocurlcollective
Website: www.chicagocurl.com
Leave a Reply