Start Strong (and short!) in 06

Making any wide generaliztions of people by race is not smart imo.

Some white stylists/salons are very good, while some are bad.  Just the same as black stylists/salons.

Dn't be afraid to find a stylist that may not be the same color as you.  My sister-in-law and my neices go to a white stylist that is very knowledgeable of black hair care.  Their hair ranges from 4b to 3c and their length ranges from armpit to waistlength.  Some people who don't have kinky hair can know about it and how to handle it and do a great job on it.

So... finding a good stylist has nothing to do with color.  It's hard enough to find a good one in the first place... don't limit yourself by rejecting someone that you don't know.

Maybe you could give the stylist that your friend goes to a chance.

hey guys, thanks for your comments, i appreciate them.

i didn't mean to come off as seeming prejudice or anything like that. one of the reasons why i put the salon terms in quotations was because i feel uncomfortable making these distinctions. but they do exist in this society -- even on this message board, look where we're posting all of our messages. 

i never said i wouldn't go to a white stylist. my fear is that i'll go there and not know what to do with my uneven, curly natural hair that is difficult to manage.  if you work with only one thing your entire life, i'm not so sure i want you in my hair. i don't want my hair to look like type 1 or 2, i want it to be my own but with salon care.

part of my fear is also probably based in my personal salon experiences. i know the places i've been don't have white people getting serviced, so i didn't really expect other places to cater to african-americans. i even remember an incident when a white person came in as a walk-in once. the stylists ignored her at first and then one rudely asked what she was doing here. she replied that she just wanted to get a trim. the stylist replied they were booked for a day but then said there was a salon right down the street that specialized in her hair type. i certainly don't want something like that to happen to me, i'd be embarassed like whoa.

it's also nice to know people who have gone to "white salons" and had positive experiences. i never knew an african-american woman who did this prior to joining these message boards. 'm going to go in to a few places, such as the Aveda Fredrics Hair Institute and maybe a Vidal Sasoon, for some consultations and see what they have to say. thanks!