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Wednesday, 11 May 2011 00:00

Tricia N. Henry

Hair Chronicles

Trinidad client finds fab look in French hair salon

By Tricia N. Henry, guest writer

After accepting a position that would relocate me from my homeland of Trinidad in the Caribbean all the way to Normandy, France for seven months, my first concern was: What am I going to do about my hair?

As an Afro-Caribbean woman, my hair has always been very important to me. I'll admit I'm somewhat of a hair diva. I'm the girl who goes to the salon every weekend for everything from a simple wash to deep-conditioning treatments. A hairstyle to me is a way of making a personal statement. I've never been afraid to experiment with my tresses. I've had a dry curl (very early 1990s), bangs, relaxed hair, long hair, short cuts, in-between lengths, etc. I've even experimented with extensions and highlighted clip-ins. I like my style to match the different facets of my personality, and my stylist in Trinidad understood that. She was a true artist, and I trusted her with my hair.

I spent several months agonizing over what I should do. Eventually, I decided that the easiest way to maintain my hair in France was to cut it super short-no fuss-and flat iron it daily. However because my great hairdresser had spoiled me at home, I needed to quickly find another stylist abroad who would give me similar service.

First, I learned all the hairdressing jargon in French. Then, I pounded the pavement in Normandy for weeks looking for a place. There were many salons-just not one that did my kind of hair. Meanwhile, my hair grew out. My time for finding a stylist was just about up. I could no longer just brush my hair into place.

Eventually, I received a referral to a salon called Ethnik-R. At first, I was apprehensive. I didn't think the place would be as good as the salon back home, and I believed I'd be unable to effectively communicate my hair desires in my hesitant French. But I figured with a salon name like that, someone must know what do with my hair. And as it turns out, they did!

During my first visit, the stylist and I discussed what I wanted. I used a lot of hand gestures and magazine photos. She understood that I didn't want my hair super short anymore. So, she suggested a Halle Berry-esque faux-hawk. The style was definitely me. Admittedly, it wasn't the most practical style during the winter-the up-sweep dictated that I couldn't wear hats. But, I didn't mind. For the past seven months, I've been a regular visitor at that salon. I've maintained my style with regular trims and added my own routine of daily scalp moisturizer to avoid dryness especially during the cold winter months.

Now, I am returning to Trinidad with a new hairdressing vocabulary, and thanks to my great salon experience in France, a chic coif that truly makes a statement!

Tricia N. Henry is a communications professional who loves to be pampered at the salon and change her look. Even now, she's thinking about her next hairstyle!

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