We're not sure which is more of a challenge, the courage to go for the big chop or the task of finding a stylist who is acquainted with afro, kinky and multitextured hair. 3c to 4c hair requires a specific type of hair dressing and technicality and that's not always easy to find.
Of the 35, 000 registered hair salons in the UK, only 302 cater to Afro-Caribbean hair. This means that 1% of all salons are serving the 10% of the population with kinky-curly and multitextured hair.
So, to laud the places that do afro hair and do it well, we’ve curated some of the best salons across the UK that specialise in cutting, styling, braiding and weaving. From Scotland to Manchester and all corners of London, we’ve checked the reviews, prices, locations and services so you can get back to deep-conditioning in peace.
Click through to read our selection...
Mimi et Mina
Best for Treatments, Curly Cuts, Silk Press & Colour
This luxury multicultural salon located in Notting Hill was founded by afro hair specialist Mimi Koné. Most of Mimi et Mina 's clientele are high profile black women, including model Imaan Hammam, PR guru Phoebe Hitchcox and TV presenters Sarah-Jane Crawford and Alexandra Maurer. With such an impressive roster of influential clients, Mimi decided to launch Mimi Empowered Friends – a nonprofit community for female empowerment.
Curly cuts start at £30 and treatments from £25.
Cococheno
Best for Colour, Relaxers, Weaving & Keratin Treatments
Cococheno is a unisex multicultural salon located in Bristol, founded by stylist Leonie Northey, who has over 20 years of experience in the hair industry. Northey told Refinery29 that she decided to specialise in afro hair because there was a gap in the market for a centrally located professional salon for afro hair textures in Bristol. "Afro hair is only one of our specialisms," she said. "At Cococheno, we specialise in styling and hair care for all hair textures as we pride ourselves on being an inclusive salon, which is accessible to everyone."
The price of a trim for relaxed hair is from £49 and for natural texture starts at £66 (prices include a complimentary conditioning treatment). Cococheno recently won "Hairdressing Retailer of the Year" at the Broadmead Bristol BID Retailer Awards for the third year in a row, no doubt thanks to their excellent customer service.
Freedom Edge Hair & Beauty Salon
Best for Cut, Colour & Silk Press
Located in Birmingham, Freedom Edge is one of few multicultural salons in the UK that does the DevaCut (a hair cutting technique specifically developed for curly hair types.) They also offer expert colouring and treatment services which have been created with 3c to 4c hair textures in mind.
A dry cut starts at £15 and a full head of bleach with toner costs £65-£85.
Hair by Ruth Codinha
Best for Curly Cuts & Colour
Originally from Portugal, Ruth Codinha has over 20 years' experience styling afro and multicultural hair. Curly cuts start at £20 (depending on hair length) and a full head of colour starts at £36.
Hair Lounge by Charlotte Mensah
Best for Treatments
Charlotte Mensah is the name to know in afro hairdressing. She has been awarded "Afro Hairdresser of the Year" three years in a row at the British Hairdresser Awards, and launched her own line of award-winning Manketti oil hair products (R29 rates the Manketti Hair Oil, £48, especially).
Mensah's salon, Hair Lounge, can be found on Portobello Road. The most popular offering? Their exfoliating and steam treatments. The exfoliating scalp treatment (from £30) improves blood circulation that will encourage hair growth, while the steam treatment (from £80) lifts the hair cuticles, allowing the CM Manketti Oil treatment to penetrate deeply into the hair shaft to help repair damaged strands.
Mensah's beautiful editorial work on African hair threading has also been featured on Refinery29.
Unruly Curls
Best for Curly Cuts
Unruly Curls, located in Notting Dale, is a multicultural salon that specialises in curly hair. Director Michael Price has over a decade of experience working with naturally curly, wavy, straight, fine and thick hair types. Price suggests stylists should abandon the view that naturally curly hair must be 'tamed'. Instead, he and his team focus on enhancing the natural movement and bounce of your unique hair texture.
A hair cut and finish starts from £30, depending on the stylist's experience.
Chop-Chop
Best for Cut and Style
Chop-Chop prides itself on diversity, experience and price. Located on Old Street, they offer a set fee of £20 for 20 minutes of dry styling on any length and texture of hair. Their menu includes dry cutting, styling and braiding with booking services online and through their app. Ask for head stylist, Sherman. He is Vidal Sassoon-trained and an expert in cutting and styling afro textured hair. If Old Street is a bit out of reach, they are set to expand with two new salons in north and west London.
Martyn Maxey
Best for Relaxing and Silk Press
Martyn Maxey has been in the hair business for over 20 years, launching his eponymous salon in 1991. The luxury hairdresser located in Marylebone specialises in Afro-Caribbean and multitextured hair, starting at £59 for a cut, shampoo and style. Here's what the founder had to say: "Afro hair salons are often seen as separate but London has a mixture of people so that is unnecessary. You wouldn't have a separate salon for Indian hair or South American hair. At Martyn Maxey, we do all textures of hair under one roof. We source Afro-Caribbean hair specialists and offer services from relaxing to colouring, cutting, canerows and weaves that other salons in central London don't even touch."
Adornment365
Best for Locs (Real & Faux), Afro Cuts and Colour
Adornment365 has been serving loc'd and natural hair clients for 10 years. As a dedicated salon for afro hair, all stylists are qualified to level 3 with a deep knowledge and understanding of how afro hair behaves across all its various textures. A curly trim starts at £18.50 for 30 minutes, while a full head of bleach costs £65. The Adornment team recently styled Wunmi Mosaku for her debut as Idris Elba's detective partner in Luther series 5.
Inspire Beauty
Best for Hair & Beauty Under One Roof
Founded in 2009, Inspire Beauty is a dedicated space for afro, mixed-race and multitextured hair. All team members have at least five years of experience and are led by award-winning stylist, Lisa, who has been in the business for over 20 years. They charge a reasonable £10 for a basic afro trim and are well versed in styling short natural 'fros, transitioning from relaxed to natural or vice versa, hair extensions and colouring. Inspire Beauty also offers nail and beauty treatments, including lash lift and tint, waxing and shellac manicures.
GlamGorgeous
Best for Weaves and Braiding
When visiting GlamGorgeous, ask for Gege, the natural hair supremo of Manchester. Based in Levenshulme, Gege has over two decades of experience working with all hair types. GlamGorgeous is the place to go for natural-looking weaves and a wide variety of braid styles, including box braids, canerows, Senegalese twists, crochet braids, Marley twists and tree braids. A cut and style goes for £20, while a full lace front installation is priced at £150. The salon also offers mobile services and is flexible to meet you at home, work or make hotel visits.
Sen Style
Best for Keratin Treatments and Protective Styles
When Nina launched Sen Style, there were no professional salons for kinky-curly hair in the Woolwich area. She specialises in afro trims starting at £15 as well as relaxing, keratin treatments, weaves and protective styles, backed by 13 years of experience. She told us: "My hair is natural and I love to promote natural options, especially quality keratin treatments that make hair more manageable."
Estate Hair Salon
Best for Braiding, Locs and 4c Styling
"I was self-taught in Nigeria. During lunchtime and after school, my friends and I would braid each other's hair, and from then hair has become a passion of mine." That's Ify Oweka, one of the founders of Estate Salon. She knows what she's talking about and has been doing hair for over 18 years, 11 of those in the UK. The salon offers cutting services, braiding, weaves, and locs with curly cuts starting at £20. "There are so many different types of braids and styles, so in order to tick each customer's wants and needs, I like to learn as much as I can," says Ify.
Beauty Splendour
Best for Braids and Hair Extensions
Beauty Splendour, founded by Promise, is a KM Hair Extension certified salon based in Glasgow. They have been braiding, weaving and installing 100% Remy hair extensions for over 15 years. Their most popular offering - box braids starting at £60, depending on length.
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