Natural Hair Home Salon Set Up

I've been a natural hair stylist for 13 years now. When I first started to pursue my career full-time, I worked in several different salons in Md and GA. I loved working in a salon and being around other natural hair stylist, but once my family grew, I had a desire to create more of an intimate space for my clients. I also wanted to have more flexibility with my schedule. The only problem was that I didn't have a lot of money to get renovations done to my home. Luckily when I moved in , the former renters had a shampoo bowl already installed in their closed in garage. With a very minimal budget, we found a way to create an intimate environment with little to no budget. Here's how we did it:



I. We sat down and decided on a color scheme for the salon space. We decided to go with red, black and white. I wanted black floors and white walls just in case I decided to change the wall color later.

2. We didn't want the salon to have a garage feel, so we decided to paint the walls  pure white, and  searched for the perfect flooring for the salon.We found some laminate self adhesive tiles that didn't require any special glue from Lowes. Before Purchasing, we had to measure the square footage of the garage to ensure that we had enough tiles. The flooring for the garage cost us a total of  $188 dollars

Flooring Link

 

Garage Floors(before)

Garage Floors after

Once the floors were complete, we had to move in the big stuff. We knew that we needed a dryer, a shampoo chair , and a styling chair to get started. We purchased a previously owned set of chairs and a dryer for a total of $250. Before you buy brand new, you should try your luck with Craigslist or your local newspaper ads. I also purchased a used mat from Craigslist.



I couldn't afford to purchase the brand new shiny salon stations, and I also wanted to use the space as a craft space for HypnoEars. I decided to use a basic computer desk from Ikea. The great thing about Ikea is that they sell the parts separate, which gave me full creative control. I decided to do a black desk top with red legs. This particular desk combination cost $19.99

I wanted to add some decor so we search Ikea for some small red or black items. We found these mirrors 1.99 per mirror . Total Ikea Decor  Investment : $81.00

We also found a $20 mirror at family dollar and  $10 curtains at Family Dollar. You don't have to fully furnish your home salon in one trip. Work with what you have, and make improvements piece by piece.

I was able to create an intimate space with a limited budget. I hope that this post helps get you started on your journey with your home salon . Be Blessed and feel free to leave your comments and thoughts below.

Been a long time....but I am back :)

It's been a while, but having a baby will keep you more occupied than you would expect.
Anyway....Happy New Year! So to start off the new year, I want to fill you in on what I have in store for this year. I officially started my sister locs journey about a month ago, so I will be posting pictures, progress, and thoughts throughout my journey. I will also be posting more hair stories, more earring updates, as well as hair tips.....so stay tuned

can't win them all

I learned a valuable lesson today. I learned that you can't please everyone. It is very difficult being a natural hair stylist. I spend a lot of time making sure that people are happy and comfortable with their journeys, but one thing that I do know is that I realize now that being natural is a journey for all of us. I have been natural for 9 years, and I have my moments when I am uncertain about how I feel about my hair. So to all my clients, and natural women who are have uncertainties about their journey.....embrace the journey and enjoy the good and the bad of it.

Dropping in

Just wanted to drop in and check on things. Sometime this week I will be posting my first hair story. Hair story is going to be an opportunity to look into the lives of a few of my clients and follow their natural journeys. So stay tuned.....



Peace and Blessings

Newest Designs

Here are two of my newest designs...Enjoy:

One of my favorite natural styles....the coil set

One of my favorite natural styles to do and wear is a coil set. This style has been a lifesaver for my clients who are newly natural,but are unsure of what styles they can wear with the length of their hair. The only requirement for this style is about a half of an inch of hair or more. Here are a few pictures of different variations of the coil set.





The coil set can be worn from 2-3 weeks with the proper maintenance. the best part is that this style gets fuller as the days go on. if you would like to try to do a coil set at home, these are the products and tools the you would need:

• A rat tail comb


• Setting Lotion


• A clean head of hair

Step One: Find a willing and ready client with a clean head of hair. Meet Bridget.

She will be our model for today. Bridget has about 4-5 inches of hair when stretched out.





Step Two: Detangle wet hair with a wide tooth comb.

Step Three: Apply the Olive Oil Mousse/Setting Lotion throughout the clients hair. Be sure to keep a water bottle handy.

Step Four: using the rat tail comb create large comb coils clockwise working from the back of the head to the front. Your clients head should look similar to this:



Step Four: Place client under the dryer for 45 minutes to an hour. In order for the coils to set properly, the clients hair must be completely dry.

Step Five: Once the client is dry begin splitting each coil into smaller coils using your fingers and twist hair clockwise.Complete this step for each remaining coil.

Step Six: Spray a light oil to the clients hair.

Here is Bridget's finished look:








I hope that this tutorial is helpful to someone. Please feel free to post your comments and questions.

Peace and blessings

Naturals Love Big Earrings

I have been styling hair for a while now, and one thing that I noticed is that a lot of my clients love big earrings....and I love earrings in general. Anything that will bring attention to my beautiful natural hair. When the doctors told me I had to be on bedrest, I tapped into my inner creativity, and started making earrings for myself. I never expected to sell them , but my clients took notice and put in their orders. I have so much more respect and appreciation for crafty folks.

Here are some pics of a my earrings. Let me know what you guys think.If you are interested in purchasing a pair, please checkout my site HypnoEars. I also do custom colors so if there is a design you like, but you would like a different color, email me at hypnoears@gmail.com.