in_the_media
The new 'blow-dry bar' craze? Dominican salons were there first
Posted Jan 1, 2014 -- hjh
Media Outlet:
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."