The rise of curly hair visibility has prompted a wave of salons rebranding themselves as “curl specialists.” But for many, this shift is superficial—rooted in trend awareness and product partnerships rather than lived experience or structural understanding.
What’s emerged is a marketplace flooded with stylists claiming authority while delivering a rigid, product-dependent, and often performative experience. And it’s not just the self-declared “curly hair only” salons pushing this façade. Increasingly, generic commercial salons—ones still built on blowouts, foils, and vague consultations—are also attempting to retrofit themselves into the curl movement.
The result is two distinct, yet equally hollow, models of misrepresentation.
You’re being sold a routine, not supported with structure
When shaping takes a back seat to product layering, the cut becomes secondary to a styling ritual that collapses the moment you leave the salon. The goal should be a cut that holds when air-dried, slept on, or left alone—not one that only performs under mousse, diffusers, and Instagram lighting.
The service menu is fragmented and vague
Whether it’s a so-called specialist charging extra for detoxes and hydration rituals, or a regular salon selling a “curl session” that mirrors their standard haircut with a product upsell, the result is the same: price without clarity. These add-ons are rarely technique-driven. They’re product-led distractions masquerading as care.
Social media shapes the philosophy
If a salon’s feed is filled with hyper-styled, editorial curl definition, ask what that hair looks like the next day. The performance is often the point—especially in rebranded salons where a ring light in the corner does more work than the consultation ever did.
Requests are dismissed under the guise of expertise
Clients are routinely told that layering is “bad,” or that their current products are “wrong”—especially if not bought in-salon. The tone is often patronising, with stylists posing as gatekeepers of curl gospel rather than collaborators in your reality.
Your lived experience is secondary
It’s not about whether a stylist has curly hair—it’s about whether they’ve lived with it, structurally understood it, and adapted their service to honour it. Too often, even stylists who cut curly hair frequently still operate from a blowout-era mindset: rushed consultations, fragmented attention, and styling over structure. If the cut doesn't have a flattering shape independent of products and effort, it's not a curl system. It’s a salon system wearing a curly wig.
A better approach
A true specialist doesn’t try to convert you into a product disciple. They focus on shape—not styling. They cut to liberate, not perform. They listen first, prescribe later. And they create outcomes that work without a ring light.
This isn’t about gatekeeping credentials. It’s about identifying when a business is leveraging the language of curl culture without having earned its authority. Some stylists are curl experts in name only. Others are standard salons cashing in on a trend.
If something feels off, it probably is.
Real support respects your autonomy. Real shape doesn’t need a sales pitch.