It wasn’t until recently that Mercedes Vazquez felt the struggle with curly hair that traps her face in a dark cloud of toned curly hair. She was her teen in her 2000s. Her beauty standard at the time was straight, shiny hair.
“I definitely felt the pressure that my hair wasn’t good. My hair wasn’t normal,” says Vasquez.
She straightened her hair regularly until college. That’s when she started to feel like it wasn’t worth skipping the extra sleep to smooth out her curls in the morning.
“What’s wrong with this?” Vasqeuz says as he waits for a cut outside Thairapy, a South Pasadena salon that specializes in curly hair. “I had an epiphany and now my hair can do whatever I want. And I’ve loved it ever since.”
Women like Vasquez are ditching flat irons for curly hair, and LA’s salon scene is taking center stage. There are more businesses than ever dedicated to textured hair. Fifteen years ago there were no curly hair salons in LA. Google Maps search now shows 21 results.
Because about ten years ago, many black women started embracing their natural textures. Since then, the movement has influenced women of other races to embrace curls as well. , is part of a larger rejection of straightening, Eurocentric beauty standards.
Aimee Simeon, senior beauty editor at wellness site Byrdie, who writes about dark hair, says the trend will continue.
“I think anyone who doubted whether it was a passing fad has been proven very wrong, because we are in 2022,” says Simeon. “Curly specialists and salons are everywhere, [and] It’s a testament to the evolution of how we care and treat our hair. ”
Simeon also points to the Crown Act, a congressional bill that prohibits discrimination against hairstyles and hair textures based on race in places such as schools and workplaces.California has passed a similar version of the bill. It was the first 13 states to do so.
“Women should have autonomy over their heads and we should be able to choose to work for ourselves,” says Simeon. You can see this in the conversations surrounding the CROWN Act and how much natural hair is scrutinized and put under the microscope. I think you’re watching the shift. ”
Mercedes Vazquez waits for her haircut appointment outside Tyrapee in South Pasadena. Photo by Megan Jamerson/KCRW.
Those who don’t have curly hair may not realize that getting a good haircut is really difficult for those with curly hair. You can level up.
Vasquez says her worst cut was in middle school when a stylist shaved off her thick layers of hair to make it “manageable,” resulting in a very messy growing up period that lasted through high school.
A stylist who specializes in curly hair cuts understands that they are dealing not only with hair, but also with people who have some kind of feelings for that hair.
Tamara Tinson, who works at Tyrapie and has shoulder-length dark brown coils, also says she experienced salon anxiety. can be stressful.
Tamara Tinson consults a client with wavy hair before beginning a dry cut. Photo by Megan Jamerson/KCRW.
The stylist’s lack of expertise may be because cutting textured hair is not included in state licensing exams, so cosmetology schools have no incentive to teach it. Instead, they teach chemical emollients and hot tools like curlers.
“Isn’t that crazy? They haven’t set the standard for it,” says Jordan “Jojo” Thomas, a West Adams-based natural hairstylist.
Jordan “Jojo” Thomas sits at a workstation inside West Adams-based salon Isis. Photo by Megan Jamerson/KCRW.
This may be changing too. In Spring 2022, Louisiana will become the first state to require textured hair training for licensing. Also, her Aveda at the National School of Beauty has revamped her curriculum in 2020, adding textured hair training, including a location in Los Angeles.
There are currently a limited number of textured hair training programs, so graduates who complete their training can charge a lot more for their services. It costs $100, but prices in the $300s are not uncommon in LA.
Return to Thairapy in South Pasadena, Tamara Tinson’s mission is to see an ethnically diverse group of clients fall in love with their hair. While there’s still a cultural bias against the tightest curls, she’s starting to notice a growing media representation of afro-textured hair. “It’s so cool just to see you rocking your hair. I’m down for both,” says Tinson.
Jojo Thomas also encourages women to think about their hair a little differently during this special moment.
“It’s actually a relationship,” says Thomas. “So if you can embrace your natural hair a little more, you can learn how to fall in love with yourself.”
