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The new 'blow-dry bar' craze? Dominican salons were there first

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Baltimore Sun, more

So-called "blow-dry bars" have been popping up around the country. For about $50, clients can walk in and get a quick wash and styling. Although they're being marketed as a new concept, observers note that Dominican hair salons catering to black women have been offering the same services for more than a decade. "It wasn't like [Dominican salons] weren't available to white people," said Temple's Lori L. Tharps, co-author of Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America. "Just because you didn't know it existed doesn't make it new."