Quick summary - I was hesitant to try the salon because of my hair texture and experience with heat damage at the hands of "professionals". The staff at Drybar were friendly, welcoming and knowledgeable. They listened to my desires and gave me a cute "do" in under an hour. If I ever need a quick blowout & style for an event, I would definitely consider Drybar. Bonus - it's pretty inexpensive!
Let's set the stage: I'm a black Napturalista who has heard of, but never been to, Drybar and rarely subject my hair to heat in fear of heat damage. So I had my guard up before walking into this establishment. So much so that I called the main number to ask about the stylists' knowledge of natural, ethnic hair. I was told that all of the stylist are well versed in all hair types and I had nothing to worry about. Yeah right, as someone who has put their hair in the "trusted hands of professionals" to end up with root to tip heat damage, I was still skeptical.
Drybar is located in the trendy Avalon shopping center with easy access from North Fulton or Gwinnett County locations. Upon entering, the business was very vibrant with light chatter and overall welcoming appeal. All of the staff that I interacted with were pleasant and seemed to enjoy their work environment. Of course, to quote my fears, I yet again asked about the stylists' knowledge of caring for my hair type, and received the same response with a smile. After being offered a beverage of choice, I patiently waited for my stylist to greet me and for the fun to begin.
Out comes Krystal with a little slip that had my name on it and off to the back we go. With my glass of white wine in hand, Krystal sat me down, explained the process and styling options and then whisked me to the shampoo station. The charcoal shampoo (can't remember the actual name) smelled nice and did not feel too harsh on my hair, she followed up with a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner before heading back to the styling area. I asked her not to use too much heat and explained that I didn't need my hair to be perfect, as I was just there for an event and had no intention of my style lasting longer than 24 hours. Krystal listened to my requests, kept the heat low but worked to make sure my hair looked well styled. As we chatted away about NY, hair and Drybar, I was able to get a good understanding of why some people frequent this place.
Less than 1 hour from the time she greeted me, Krystal washed, conditioned, blew dry and lightly flat ironed my hair. For someone who hates spending hours in a salon, this made me happy.
Due to my hair's very fine nature, the curls started to drop as expected and just as I originally planned, the next day I washed and deep conditioned my hair after a great workout. Thankfully, my curls bounced right back! {happy dance}
Krystal gets 4.5 stars for her awesome service, professionalism, knowledge and amazing scalp massage. Plus no heat damage!!
Drybar experience was a 4 overall. read more