Why TF is it so hard to find a decent salon?

Why TF is it so hard to find a decent salon?

As a black woman. As a middle-class black woman. As someone who doesn't want to go to the Auntie and sit on the floor between someone's knees, because the PTSD and other trauma I carry from doing exactly that as a child has meant I'll never put myself through that again, I'm tired.

Why, when I booked a simple braiding appointment, was it cancelled on the day, and the salon sent a text (not even a phone call!) that said "hey ma"?

I'm not your friend. It's 2026. Is it so much to expect (not hope, not pray, but expect) salon service that is professional, brilliant, where you go in and pay for the advertised service, and come out with said service?

Not with neck ache, or being surrounded by unclean floors. Or someone yanking at your scalp. Am I wrong?

It feels as though the premium services are only in London. I don't live in London. I don't want to always have to go out of my way (see: leave the city I live in, considering how multicultural this city is) to get the service I desire.

I make premium products. I'm an adult. I enjoy my work and I like to enjoy my rest too. And for me, as someone who experienced years and years of painful weekends where I was forcibly held in positions so someone could do my hair, in styles I never asked for and absolutely could never have said no to (I was a child; hello, 90s parenting and the expectation to never, ever question authority), I'll never put myself through that.

Is it honestly too much to ask that black women, curly-haired folk, and those of us who want a braid, who want someone else to do our hair, get to be cared for?

I wasn't planning on penning a racial piece, but my white and non-black friends simply go to a salon of their choice and they get their hair done. It is nowhere near as traumatic, as arduous a task, or as considered as the process we have to go through.

It's one of the reasons I do not get my hair done, and why I never have as an adult. I turned 36 a few weeks ago. And it makes me sad that even now, I have absolutely zero faith in black hairdressers.

And it bothers me, more than anything, that I would have to travel out of my home city to a salon I've never seen in the flesh, to hope and pray they would do my hair the way I like it; that I wouldn't be anxious the entire time. Because if I'm travelling to another, unfamiliar city, where I may have to stay over at a hotel, or drive home late, or risk getting the train (which has been unreliable at the best of times), then I want the experience to be flawless.

I've seen salons in London: the very, very few that seem to offer us a wonderful experience. But I honestly do not want to go to London. I want to stay in my city.

Is this a cry for help? Yes. Is this me saying that one day I'll go to a salon in my own city, or will I do what I see others do and get my hair done by a friend? I don't know. I'm not sure.

What I do know is that in 2026, and going forward, I want to see us treated better. Yes, I mean black women. Yes, I mean our hair.

I don't want synthetic hair anywhere near me or my family: the kind that has been found to contain chemicals like benzene, a known cause of leukaemia (links below).

I also have no desire to be within breathing distance of hair dye, relaxer, a keratin treatment or a Brazilian blow dry. Am I dreaming? I don't think so.

If there are natural and holistic salons for those with non-curly and non-Afro hair, then there has got to be a salon providing gentle care for the scalp and curls; one that isn't horribly overstimulating, and that makes my hair look fantastic. I really don't think that's too much to ask. Or is it?

Do you know of such a salon? I sincerely doubt it's in my home city of Birmingham, but if it's as good as people say, I might have my arm twisted and make the trip.

If you have suggestions, or simply want to chat about all of the above, email me: hello@jimandhenry.com. I'm all ears.

Speak in a few weeks, when I'm talking about the reality of an entirely natural approach to haircare (no preservatives, no water): does it make for brilliant haircare, and, most importantly, is it safe? Speak to you then.

P.S. Jim + Henry reopens in November. If you want in before anyone else, [join the list here].

A note on the chemicals mentioned

Benzene is a known cause of leukaemia. It is commonly found in cigarette smoke, and has been detected in hair dye, synthetic braiding hair, and historically in hairspray. Methylene chloride (also called dichloromethane), found in some hair dyes, sits at breathing level during home dyeing and is linked to dizziness, headaches, nausea, and longer-term respiratory and hormonal effects. Sources below.


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