Let’s face it, good hair just makes you feel good, and with ever-versatile afro hair, its condition is paramount to that good-hair-feeling.
So, we sat down (ahem, virtually) with none other than Brenda Charlemagne of Charlemagne’s to discuss all things afro hair; embracing going natural, colour and chemical straightening (relaxers), and how all of these are possible with the right products and treatment (and a very good stylist).
Brenda, thank you for taking the time out to speak with us. How has business been since reopening? Good to be back?
It’s been good going back to work. Business was busy for the first three weeks in July but then slowed down. But that’s okay, because dealing with the new procedures was hard going and implementing the social distancing.
The biggest difference, besides the masks obvs?
The fact that we have to do less clients at a time and less people allowed in the salon at a time; there’s no waiting, a lot of sanitizing - social distancing is hard work.
And there’s so much that goes into the salon experience; the reading of the magazines; the chats; not feeling rushed – it’s all part of the experience…
As the Salon Manager as well as Stylist, I try to give the clients a good experience coming back to having their hair done in a salon environment, despite the new guidelines.
Let’s talk hair…what’s your hair crush at the moment?
My biggest crush is colour…and treatments…and restyling. Sure, everyone needs a cut. Giving the clients transformations to their image can be so rewarding. Changing their hair changes how they feel.
Talking of change, are you seeing a lot more clients changing (back) to being natural?
Definitely a lot more naturals, which is actually harder to look after. I usually recommend KeraStraight Moisture Mask to keep the hair conditioned.
And let’s flip that then, what do you recommend for those opting for a relaxer?
KeraStraight Ultimate Treatment is a good option for leaving the hair easy to manage and giving clients the best of both worlds. Straight or curly – either way, manageable hair. The KeraStraight aftercare products help to maintain the look.
Are you starting to see a trend in the service people are asking for the most?
After lockdown, people are more conscious about hair care and happy to buy any product I recommend to aid in this.
So, healthy hair is the must-have? We’re here for that! What about styles, we guess that’s a harder question considering many of us were trying to hide our DIY disasters…?
Well, talking of disasters, I did have to cut a client’s hair off because it was so matted!
That happened in a few months?! Wow.
Yes. And we pride ourselves to be experts in extremely curly hair and treatments for damaged hair, and with this case it was more about our skills in cutting and styling.
We also keep up-to-date with current trends.
What are you most excited about for the rest of 2020?
I am so excited for the future. We have introduced a nail bar and will (hopefully) be opening an eyelash and eyebrow bar. We are also looking forward to renting the chairs to other stylists to have more services in the salon, like hair extensions.
Talk about a busy end to 2020, and excitingly so, especially with the not so busy start to the year.
We look forward to catching-up again soon to find out how things have progressed. Thanks Brenda!
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