Where to get extensions done in New York City

by Unknown 10:21:00 AM 0 comments

So I have been promising to write up on this post for a while and I planned to have it up a lot sooner than..well, now...but this post required me to get a little more creative than I normally would.
Being in college, like some of you know, I quickly discovered the necessity of doing one's own hair- even if one is clueless. I might admit I was one of those shameless college kids that was just hoping someone would take pity on me my freshman year and take over the role of my mom, but with the steep learning curve I had to figure 90% of it out myself ( the other 10% was me looking a mess- #youlaughedandthenyoucried). And one of the things I discovered while I've been on this out-of-state endeavor is that doing your hair as a black girl isn't just my fear, a lot of you share it with me. And sometimes we don't want to do our hair ourselves ( which is okay because curly hair takes a lot of work sometimes haha).
But this week I went on a search to find the best places to get protective hairstyles done cheaply- things that both college students and working adults can afford. Senegalese twists have been increasing in momentum along with boxed braids and synthetic dreads, and I went on a journey to Mordor through New York to find out where natives get their hair done in the city. Here's what I found:

A RESOUNDING CRY FOR THE BOROUGH OF HARLEM!!

I'm not kidding, everyone I have stopped and asked on the side of the road has known about Harlem to some degree, shape, or form, and has just pointed me in the direction with the instruction to just "go there". There are women lining the streets beckoning girls with unbraided hair to come inside and get their hair done and I DID IT (last month to be exact)! I recommend all who are not tender headed to go because real African women will be braiding your hair and they braid it to make it last. Now note that unless you tell them to leave out your edges or loosen up they will braid it as tight as possible and you might need to take an Advil to get to sleep ( i.e. ME). But one of the reasons I recommend Harlem is because you can barter the price down, it isn't set in stone, which is amazing for college students. My hair goes down to my butt and I paid $80 for hair included (two colors) and for them to braid my thick natural hair that is halfway down my back.
And also, as a side note, if you're weak at bartering or if you want a few tips and tricks I have included a few below (for your viewing pleasure):

1).ONLY BRING THE AMOUNT OF MONEY YOU ARE WILLING TO PAY THEM WITH YOU.
It will help keep you honest when you say "This is all I have", and it will prohibit them from raising the price afterwards when your hair is done if you let them know upfront.

2.) ASK THE PRICE BEFORE YOU SHOW THEM YOUR HAIR.
If you're like me, people get intimidated when they see how long and thick your hair is, so show up with it in a tight bun already washed and blow dried and see how much the length you desire is and then argue it down before you even show them all your hair.

3.) WEAR CASUAL CLOTHES
If they think you can afford a high price they will charge you one. First impressions make up a lot of how we judge people and if you don't dress to impress you will come out on top.

4.) BE NICE AND TRY TO MAKE CONVERSATION
You'll be sitting there for a long time and like all beauty salons they might be talking about you but hey it never hurts to make friends and they might even give you a discount in the end and ask you to come back! That's good if you like revolving hair styles .

I hope these basic tips help! Feel free to comment so we can help each other out,

Peace and Love, Ladies
Tendai, your local civil servant