Part 2: 3 Instafamous Hair Salons for Naturalistas in Nairobi

Spritz Hair Studio had been on my mind for the longest time before I eventually decided to entrust them with my hair...

So, I made my appointment about 2 weeks in advance and made sure to book one very early in the morning so that the salonist would take their time and hopefully give it their best.

Before I share my experience at Spritz, it is important to mention that the main reason I hadn’t gone to Spritz sooner was the mixed reviews the salon has online.

Their prices are on the higher end and their past clients didn’t always feel that they got value for their money.

Like I mentioned in Part 1 of this review, when you have spent years nurturing and investing in your hair, it takes a lot to entrust another person with it.

On that fateful Saturday morning, I arrived almost 30 minutes before my appointment- even I was impressed with myself. I was pleasantly surprised to find almost half of the salon chairs occupied.

The reception by the staff was a bit colder than I was used to but I let that slide because all that mattered in that moment was that I was at Spritz and my hair was about to receive some TLC.

Once again, I was cheating on Diana from Maya’s, whom I had vowed would always be the one to trim my hair 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️.

How it started...

I walked in and stated my purpose at the establishment to the receptionist, who then seated me on one of the chairs. Some minutes later, I was greeted by a lady (let's call her The Stylist) who started working on my hair. She explained to me the first process, which would be to detangle my hair with a conditioner.

So far, so good, right? Well, not exactly.

I think she could have been a lot gentler as she detangled my hair.

Fortunately/Unfortunately, some of us have built resilience after years of experience as children at the hands of salonists, and even siblings. I’ll never forget my sisters telling me “Beauty is pain” when I would ask them to be gentler as they undid my braids.

When she finished detangling my hair, The Stylist left and another lady came to direct me to where my hair would be washed.

Again, it was explained what would be done and I was shown which products would be used and their benefits to my hair, which I commend them for.

In the middle of my hair being washed, something I consider to be unprofessional happened.

The lady washing my hair noticed that some hair at the back had not been properly detangled (I had walked in with some twist outs).

As I was seated there, she proceeded to call one of her colleagues to complain and gossip about The Stylist, who had done the detangling. All this within earshot.

A moisture treatment was applied, I sat under the steamer for about 20 minutes. Soon enough, I was back to the sink to rinse off the product.

This time, with more clients streaming in, the lady washing my hair had pressure to quickly finish washing my hair, resulting in a lackluster wash.

The Stylist took over from there.

Off-days!

I have off days. Everybody has off days. Those days where you’re not really on you’re A-game at work. Perhaps, you are distracted by things that are happening in your personal life or you are fatigued.

It seems that this is what The Stylist was experiencing that morning and needless to say that I was very UNpleasantly surprised by how she handled my hair.

I felt that she was using high heat on my hair as she blow-dried it and when I asked her to reduce the heat she gave me an ultimatum that I have been given severally by salonists since I was a child.

“I can reduce the heat but the style won’t turn out like it should. So, if you want your hair to look good, I have to use high heat”, she said.

At this point, I honestly just wanted to leave the salon and walk over to Diana at Maya's. I asked her to reduce the heat because protecting my hair from heat damage was more important than having my hair lay flat.

I also had to ask her to be gentler during the blow-dry. The silk press was less hectic but at that point, I just wanted to get it over and done with and go home.

I paid my KES 6,000 and walked out of Spritz feeling highly dissatisfied.

I could have stated my grievances before leaving but I try my best to not give feedback when my emotions are running high. I prefer to take my time to calm down and assess my experiences when I am more objective.

So, that is what I did and still, I felt aggrieved.

Then, a few days later, after sharing my review on Google, I received a call from Sheila (the owner). She apologized for the negative experience I had had, which I truly appreciated.

Props to Sheila for the business she has built. I can only imagine how much effort and investment she has put into her business to grow it to the level it has attained.

Naturalista friendliness score- 3/5

Final thoughts

This post- and Honest Reviews KE as a whole- is in no way meant to put down Spritz (or any other business). If anything, part of its goal is to unravel areas in which the business can improve and grow.

My expectations were very high for Spritz, despite the mixed online reviews and it’s unfortunate that they were not fully met during my first visit.

Nonetheless, I would consider giving them another try in future. Although, I wouldn't bank on it if I was them.

As promised, here are some lessons that I can pick out from my experiences at these instafamous natural hair salon:

• Salons need to do a better job at balancing their increasing clientele and quality of service. As difficult as I am sure it probably is to achieve this in practice, I believe that it's also possible to achieve this. Customers need to know that they will get value for their money from each visit and that their continued patronage is not taken for granted.

• To you, dear naturalistas- speak up! "Closed mouths don’t get fed", they say. If you feel aggrieved or prefer your hair being handled in a certain way or want to understand which product/process is being applied to your hair, speak up. Really, your silence does not benefit you or the salon owner/stylist. Just remember to be polite, be honest, be kind when you do so.

I still look forward to trying out some more natural hair salons in Nairobi. Do you have any in mind that you could recommend? Please share in the comments section below.