Ouidad: The Curl Experts

Start spreading the news! Ouidad is a hot commodity in New York, from the stock exchange to Times Square, to beautiful Upstate – great curls are all the rage.

In fact, if you’ve got an Empire State of Mind with your curls, you can catch a cab & head to our Ouidad  flagship salon in New York City. After tremendous customer demand for Ouidad and her team of curl gurus, the salon found its home on New York’s swanky 57th Street. The 5,000 square foot, bright, state of the art salon also has a training studio – and there are even opportunities for you and you gorgeous waves to be hair models!

What better place than to learn the best ways to tame your curls? And since you’re in the city, after your expert cut you can head over to Curly’s Lunch, a famous vegetarian diner for a bite to eat, and show Curly those beautiful waves!

(One of our favorite New Yorkers: Both “Carrie Bradshaw” & Sarah Jessica Parker call NYC home)

Image via fabsugar.com

Of course, curls aren’t just for the city. Upstate (generally considered anything outside of NYC & New Jersey) is just as enticing, covered with wonderful mountains and lakes. The Catskills, the Adirondacks, the Finger Lakes and Niagara Falls call out to nature lovers everywhere. Humidity is a factor though, so if you’re feeling frizzy upstate try some Climate Control Heat and Humidity Gel from Ouidad.  It will have you out the door, ready to hike in no time!

Chelsea Clinton (famous for taming her frizzy hair)
Married in upstate in the summer of 2010

Image via nypost.com

Whether lacing up your hiking boots or hailing a cab –your hair can look awesome in New York. Thanks to Ouidad, if your curls can make it there, they can make it anywhere!

Working in a curly hair salon, I go through a variety of experiences with my clients due to the fact that they all have different textures.  I once had a client that had naturally curly hair but chemically straightened it with Keratin.  I consulted with her and she told me about a horrible experience that she had with the Keratin treatment.  Her frustration was that they told her that Keratin is a treatment, not a chemical.  Her hair looked uncontrollable and frizzy, as if someone had brushed out all of the curls that she had.

For me, this was not new. I see hair like this all the time, so I know exactly what to do.  My advice to her was to do an intense deep conditioning treatment in the salon called the Damage Control Treatment.  This would help rebuild and re-hydrate her damaged, brittle hair.  This would be followed up at home with Ouidad’s 12 Minute Deep Treatment two times a month.  The treatment and products will bring proteins and amino acids back into the hair for a healthier and shinier curl.  After the treatment, I styled her hair and walked her through the techniques, so she was not lost when she does her style on her own.  Now, she can enjoy the curls when she’s at home too.

Mirsada, Stylist,  57th Street Salon, NYC

All too often clients feel victimized in a salon visit.  I remember my experience before becoming a Ouidad curly haired expert.  For curly haired people, we hairdressers are often viewed as the adversary. At the very least, lots of clients leave the salon with exactly what they hate – hair cut too short. The problem is basically avoidable.

To all of those who have had their curls abused and to my trusting clients, may I offer some valuable hair saving advice. First, your salon visit is not “do or die.” As you consult, or as I put it, interview your stylist, find out if she or he is the stylist for you. Are they listening to you?  Answering your questions?  Willing to work with you, your experience and your vision?  Do you sense they are getting what you want, understanding what your hair history tells them?  Do they say “trust me” and you don’t?  How many times have you left unsatisfied or angry, not only with your stylist, but actually with yourself because you sensed something wasn’t right to begin with.

The reality is you have a choice, and you can leave after a consultation and have time to “think about it.”  Usually, free of pressure, you will be relieved to have made the right choice until you find the appropriate stylist. Stylist training is usually based on straight hair techniques. So have patience, and shop for your stylist….invest the time and be treated with curly respect.

Vincent, Stylist, 57th Street Salon, NYC