After opening the first all-natural hair salon in the Dominican Republic, now Carolina Contreras is bringing her salon to New York City.
Contreras, affectionately known as Miss Rizos, was born in the Dominican Republic and has spent a great deal of her career teaching Black Dominicans how to care for and style their natural hair. What started as a hair care blog eventually grew into a salon called Miss Rizos in La Zona Colonial, Santo Domingo.
Now Contreras is slated to open another Miss Rizos in Washington Heights, New York City in 2020. The new salon will serve those with natural hair and will offer services such as cuts, transition styling, and protective styles. The space will also serve as a positive and welcoming environment that aims to help clients in loving and caring for their natural hair. As Contreras explains, "Through the techniques and knowledge that I’ve learned throughout the years, I can bring [it all] together to help cause change in this space."
Image Credit: <i> Yael Duval.</i>
What's Driving This Trend
- Natural Hair Salons
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop new natural hair products and techniques to cater to the growing demand for natural hair care.
- Cultural Hair Education
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create educational platforms and resources to empower individuals from underrepresented communities in taking care of their natural hair.
- Positive Hair Salon Experience
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Design hair salons that prioritize inclusivity, diversity, and positive experiences for clients with diverse hair types.
Who This Affects Most
- Beauty and Personal Care
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop a line of natural hair care products specifically catering to the needs of individuals with diverse hair types.
- Education and Training
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Establish training programs and courses that focus on cultural hair education and provide specialized knowledge and techniques for hair care professionals.
- Hospitality and Wellness
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create wellness retreats or spa experiences that cater specifically to natural hair care and provide holistic treatment options for individuals seeking to embrace and care for their natural hair.
