Tips for sisters on ‘hooking up’ their hair when traveling abroad, Part Deux
January 10, 2010
Here I am in my two-strand twists, visiting an archeological site in rural eastern Turkey near the Armenian border. My carefree hair made a culturally challenging trip way less stressful.
During a break from a wine-tasting tour, I'm standing in front of the Pont d'Avignon in the lovely Provencal town of Avignon. And this is me some days AFTER my stop to a black hair-care supply shop in Nice. Thank goodness black folks literally live everywhere!
Late last month, I wrote about the “hair issues” we black women often face when traveling abroad—and promised to offer some tips about handling these when you’re overseas.
When I first traveled to Europe in the late 1990s, visiting a friend who worked on a U.S. Army base in Germany, I was doing the relaxed hair thing, toting multiple curling irons and assorted lotions and potions in my always-overstuffed suitcase. But once I started hitting the road with friends, all those curling irons became a royal pain. What a hassle to constantly be plugging in, moving irons from one room to the other, waiting for them to cool down before you could pack them, etc. And then there was always the issue of “what if it rains?”
Now that I’ve been wearing two-strand twist extensions for most of the past five years, that’s no longer a concern. BUT, I have gotten overseas and much to my dismay, realized that I forgot to pack my favorite olive oil sheen or softening lotion. This, my friends, can be a challenge—especially since overseas trips tend to last for more than just a weekend.
But if you find yourself in a city—especially in Europe—and have arrived sans products, I’ve discovered that black folks and Arabs (who frequently have similar hair textures as ours) often live near the city’s main train station. Perhaps it’s the “immigrant effect,” the fact that newer arrivals to a place often live close to the vehicles that bring them. So if these folks first arrive via train, inexpensive housing in the surrounding area might be their first stop.
When I lived in Florence, Italy, between 2004 and 2005, I (mercifully) found the Nigerian-owned barber shop/salon where I got my twist touch-ups done a couple streets away from the city’s Santa Maria Novella train station. (My young stylist Nina would hook up my twists, while her barber shop-owning brother took care of the African and Arab bros in the adjoining room.) I know that Africans live near Rome’s massive Termini station, as I once found myself strolling through the ‘hood in search of an Ethiopian eatery.
And when visiting the south of France last spring, I didn’t pack my Organic Root Stimulator olive oil sheen spray (as usual, my bag was too full and something had to give). But I figured that once I got to the more cosmopolitan town of Nice, surely I’d use my limited French to find some black folks and some hair spray. So after leaving the city’s main train station, I walked half a block to an Internet café with an Arab guy at the counter. Grateful he spoke some English, I asked, “Where can I find a salon for people with hair like this?” as I gently fingered my twists. OF COURSE, there was one right around the block—and hanging out nearby on street corners were African and Arab men, just as brothers often do here in the States. It was like I’d never left the South Side of Chicago.
Not only did I find a salon owned by a kind African woman, but she directed me down the block to a black hair-care supply store where I found EVERYTHING I needed, and then some. I’ve made a mental note of the salon’s and store’s street so next time I’m in the south of France and need a hook-up, I am SO there.
Which leads to my next point: do some research BEFORE you leave home. You aren’t planning to find yourself in a massive rainstorm on your next trip, but what if it happens and you aren’t adept at wielding a flat iron and fixing your OWN ‘do? Might be wise to have the name and phone number of a salon in the place you’re going. Think of it like stashing just-in-case antibiotics or a first-aid kit. If you’re headed to Central Europe, EbonyPrague.com can take care of your hair. If you’re going to the UK (thankfully, with black folks galore), check out ItzCaribbean.com for a host of hair salons throughout the metro London area. And if you’re traveling elsewhere in the world, BlackGirlTravel.com, where founder Fleacé Weaver creates and leads customized tours for groups of African-American women to countries around the world, you’ll find salon listings from Amsterdam to Hong Kong to Dubai. Talk about hooking a sista up!
And just as our moms always told us to use a clean bathroom whenever we found one (since the next ones might be few and far-between), if you’re strolling down some foreign street and see a either a black/ethnic hair salon or barber shop, drop in and ask for a business card. You may not be planning to get your “hair did” in Madrid, but if your curling iron suddenly blows out or a downpour trashes your bob, you’ll be glad you know where to get your ‘do back on again. Think of it as “hair insurance.”
I’d love to hear YOUR tips—as well as about your overseas hair experiences and how you handle your tresses on the road. Feel free to share!
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13 Comments Leave a Comment
1.
Elizabeth | January 11, 2010 at 5:40 am
hey maureen! saw your comment on cassandra’s blog, and just wanted to thank you for reading mine! i’m enjoying reading this blog as well, it’s great! if you ever have time, i’d love to talk about life post medill!
2.
Elizabeth | January 11, 2010 at 5:41 am
oh and i can totally relate to the hair thing…my hair is thick and curly, and never easy to deal with
3.
urbantravelgirl | January 12, 2010 at 3:43 am
Hey there, Elizabeth — thanks for stopping by! Congrats on your internship in Qatar… sounds AMAZING! I love to hear about women embracing challenge — and as someone who’s traveled in Saudi Arabia, I know life definitely can be interesting for Western women in the MIddle East. But WELL worth it!
I would LOVE to chat about life post-Medill (but believe me, being a student is more fun!). Let me know when, and ENJOY your time in Qatar!
Maureen
4.
Devin | January 21, 2010 at 5:13 pm
Hi Maureen!
I’m a student from Southern California and I’m applying to study in Paris this fall. I’ve never traveled abroad and I’m so excited but unfortunately, I have been stressing about, of all things, what to do with my hair when I get there. My hair is long and very thick and I usually get a press and curl or when I do it naturally I have to have my mom help me comb it and braid it because there is just so much of it! I tried a relaxer and it was a disaster…the relaxer is just about done growing out and its been almost 4 years.
Anywho, its nice to know that other women are having this issue too and figuring out ways to deal with it! Have you ever gotten your hair done in Paris?
5.
urbantravelgirl | January 24, 2010 at 9:06 pm
Bonsoir, Devin — and thanks for checking out my blog!! SO fabulous that you’re hoping to get to Paris to study… I’ll bet you fall madly in love with it when you get there!
The GREAT thing about Paris is that there are SO many black folks living there, thanks largely to immigrants from France’s former colonies in Africa and the Caribbean. So you should have no trouble finding a place to get your hair hooked up.
I can imagine that you can get a press-and-curl somewhere in Paris, but perhaps you can consider getting your natural hair twisted or some other low-maintenance style? I just can’t imagine having to deal with all the hair stuff IN ADDITION to having to learn a new culture, way of life, possibly language, etc. Make it easy on yourself, as my mom would say, and save yourself at least ONE headache.
I’ve never gotten my hair done in Paris, but HAVE ANY OF YOU OUT THERE? Please share, if you have!
I’d Google “Paris” and “hair salons” to see what you come up with… or once you get there, ask an English-speaking black woman on the street where she goes to get her hair done. You know we all go SOMEWHERE!
Bonne chance,
Maureen
6.
Dorothy H. | January 25, 2010 at 6:48 pm
Hello Maureen,
I just discovered your blog. I love hearing about African-American women getting out of ordinary! Also, thanks for the great insights regarding the “hair thing”. I am looking forward to traveling abroad this year (hopefully France and Italy) sans the required hair products and styling tools that my formerly permed, down my back hair needed. I have been wearing my natural curly hair short for the last year and talk about freedom! ; ) Anyway, keep us posted and happy and safe travels! Peace and blessings!
7.
Dani | January 31, 2010 at 1:01 pm
Hi Maureen,
I’m like you and wear my hair natural. However, I had just cut my hair before I came to Spain and my father thought that I should equip myself with the address and phone numbers of some salons that catered to black hair. I haven’t had to use them (and doubt I will), but just in case I ever need it, I have their information stored in a binder in my room.
However, the closest city that I could go to to get my hair done is about an hour away and I don’t have a car. Furthermore, I’m not confident that I could direct someone about what to do to my hair in Spanish. With that being said, I’m super happy that I’m natural.
8.
urbantravelgirl | February 2, 2010 at 3:38 am
Ciao e Salut, Dorothy — and thanks for visiting my blog! Yes, travel can be challenging enough without worrying about our hair. Safe travels to YOU when you head to France and Italy!
Maureen
9.
urbantravelgirl | February 2, 2010 at 3:40 am
Dani,
Your dad is a SMART man! Always better to have those black hair salon phone numbers and not need them than to be over in Spain and not HAVE them! (Are you there in school, or working?)
You might not know how to direct a hairdresser about what to do with your hair, but find the “colored folks” and SOMEONE will know how to hook you up! LOL
Maureen
10.
Assisted Living City | February 23, 2010 at 11:50 pm
It is such a nice and useful blog that i come daily to read this blog it has got all the informative stuff that i wanted to know about the postings on this blog are really great thanks for sharing such an important and useful stuff.
11.
Stephanny | February 25, 2010 at 3:25 pm
Hi Maureen,
I am actually studying abroad in Florence and would really appreciate it if you could give me the name of the hair salon you went to that is by Santa Maria Novella. I relax my hair and would find it really helpful to locate a salon that knows how to deal with relaxed hair.
Thanks,
Stephanny
12.
urbantravelgirl | February 27, 2010 at 11:57 pm
Ciao, Stephanny –
You know, it’s been five years since I lived in Florence and sadly, I can’t remember the name of the salon! But I know it was on Borgo Ognissanti. The best way I can explain for you to get there — or to check out if it’s STILL there — is to walk down Borgo Ognissanti starting at Piazza Ognissanti. You’ll know this square because it’s home to the fancy Grand Hotel on one side and the Excelsior on the other — and on the piazza’s opposite side is the Arno River and Lungarno Amerigo Vespucci (the street that runs alongside the Arno at this point.)
Walk toward Santa Maria Novella and on the right side of the street was the barber shop/hair salon where Nigerian stylist Nina worked (her brother owned the shop, and worked in the front). I wish I could remember the name or the phone number, but this should at least get you started.
Let me know if you find it!!!
Buona fortuna,
Maureen
13.
urbantravelgirl | February 28, 2010 at 2:40 pm
Stephanny,
I ran across the name and phone number of ANOTHER black hair salon in Florence. When I was there, it was called Black Beauty, and was located at via Ginori, 44r — not too far from the San Lorenzo market. Here’s a Web page with the phone number and a map with the location:
http://www.cercafirenze.com/dettaglio.php?nome=BLACK%20BEAUTY%20PROFUMERIA
GOOD LUCK!
Maureen/UrbanTravelGirl
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