NEW HABITS FOR TEXTURE GUESTS

In recent years, the conversation around textured hair has taken center stage in salons across the country, and Aveda North America Artistic Director for Texture, Naomi Dove has been a vital voice in driving the discussion.

Dove, who is also a stylist at Blue Daisy Salon in Buckeye, Arizona, offers virtual classes and travels around the country to teach stylists from California to Connecticut how to do a proper consultation with textured-hair guests, how to work with natural texture, the characteristics of the curly/coily hair and much more.

“Even though I’m teaching in different markets, stylists always need the same thing— to build their confidence in servicing Black clients’ hair needs,” she says.

Dove adds, “In the past, our product knowledge surrounding textured hair was all about getting it straightened.”

SETTING UP GUESTS FOR SUCCESS

Seville Mckinnon, owner of Textures Studio in Memphis, Tennessee has also seen the shift to natural hair in her clientele and created product workshops to help educate them on at-home care.

“We believe, as a predominantly Black salon, that maintenance is so important,” she says. “We don’t want to do in-depth consultations about how we’re doing the hair and have the client go home and do the opposite of what we just worked so hard to get right.”

To help educate guests and bring new clients into the salon, Mckinnon created Shop Talk, evenings of education for guests and their friends.

“We invite our guests and ask them to invite five friends/family who have never been in the salon,” she says. “We talk about maintenance, goals for their hair, and we bust some myths.”

At the end of the night, attendees are offered a discount on any product they purchase and have the option to schedule appointments. 

Mckinnon’s goal is for anyone with textured hair to understand their own hair and what works for them.

“Everyone needs products at home, even if they aren’t shampooing every day, they still have a daily hair care routine,” she says. “Just like there are certain products you won’t put on your skin, there are products you don’t want on your scalp. And it’s our job to educate what is the right choice for each guest.”

During the consultation, Mckinnon says she focuses on the guest’s ultimate goal for her hair and explains it’s a partnership between client and stylist. 

PROFIT POTENTIAL

Empowering guests to take care of their hair at home has the added benefit of providing retailing opportunities in the salon. 

“We’ve had a bump in retail on the nights we do product knowledge classes,” says Mckinnon. “And this year we did a Black Friday sale with a few days of pre-ordering.” 

In her six-chair salon with six stylists, $6k is normally what McKinnon profits in retail in one month, so the Black Friday was a massive boost. 

“We gave a 40 percent discount and told our guests they won’t get it again—it would only be that one day,” she says. “One client spent $500.”  

Dove also educates stylists on how to price services higher when guests are no longer coming in every two weeks.

“Now that textured-hair guests are embracing their natural curls, they don’t need to come in as often,” she says. “So the stylist needs to see more clients at higher values and sell retail.” 

While these guests may not be getting straightening services as often, they are getting color and need the right products to maintain it. 

“And their color services last longer since they don’t wash their hair as often,” Dove says. 

TEXTURED HAIR AND AVEDA

When Mckinnon first introduced Aveda to her clientele, they questioned whether it was right for their hair. 

“But we had tried it all ourselves, and we knew they would love it,” she says. “They can’t believe how great their hair feels and now understand how their hair is supposed to feel and thrive.” 

As Mckinnon and her team have educated their guests, some favorite products have emerged. 

“They love Nutriplenish for the balance of moisture without weighing down hair—it’s our best seller,” she says. “My personal favorite is Smooth Infusion for thermal styling, but we’ve also fallen in love with Damage Remedy, and Be Curly is good for our wash-and-go clients.” 

Dove’s guests have also found their favorites, and she says they go home with everything they need from start to finish.

“First you have to educate on the difference between a shampoo and co-wash and how often each should be used,” she says. “Then you move onto the prep and styling products and have a similar conversation.

Mckinnon says product education has helped her guests become more confident in purchasing recommended retail as well.

“Guests want to hear about our personal experience as stylists with the products,” she says. “We play with the products and use them all the time, which has built trust.” 

Dove adds, “Every guest should be celebrated in whatever way they wear their hair, regardless of texture. And stylists provide education on products so guests can feel empowered to style their hair where it lives naturally.”