Shampoo’ed…A Natural Hair Salon Review

SHAMPOO’ED OFFICIAL LAUNCH

The official launch of Shampoo’ed was Saturday, January 5, 2019, from 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm. Shampoo’ed is located at The Sherman Phoenix, 3536 W Fond Du Lac, Milwaukee, WI. The launch was a success! There was a nice crowd of people that included the owner’s friends, my friends and community residents who were curious about this new natural hair salon.

 

The owner, Latrece, was just putting the finishing touches on my coils. She garnered everyone’s attention and spoke from her heart about her childhood experiences with her hair. Latrece also gave us an earful about the stereotype in regards to black people using grease and how using grease was good for our hair. She gave a great example as well as a history lesson.

 

Latrece informed us that during slavery times when people of African descent were brought to this country, many were made to sleep barns. Black hair was not conditioned for the new climate in this foreign country. Also, the people who were enslaved often were made to sleep on the ground.  As a result of sleeping on the ground, insects would crawl into the enslaved peoples’ heads and eat at their scalp.

 

Soon, the people who were made slaves, starting putting lard on their scalp to prevent the bugs from eating at their scalp. Eventually, the lard that was currently being used by black people, was substituted for grease to be used on their scalp. As time went on, Madame CJ Walker, who invented the pressing comb, also endorsed the use of grease which was used as an agent to help straighten black hair.

 

The owner informed us that many practices that were done in those early colonized times were not healthy for us then and certainly not healthy for us now. Grease has ingredients such as petrolatum and mineral oil. These ingredients have a devasting effect on the scalp more so than the hair.  Grease clogs pores in your scalp and does not allow your scalp to breathe as a result.

 

She also spoke about the myth of black people that think that they don’t need to wash their hair or that dirty hair makes your hair grow. She stated that hygiene is everything and just like your bodies you need to wash your hair on a regular basis. Latrece stated that these myths were false and that we should not believe those myths that have unfortunately been passed down from generation to generation.

 

This conversation was a nice segue to introducing her fiance, Fonz. Fonz is a beautician as well as a barber. He has worked in cosmetology field for the last 30 years, and he also emphasized the importance of washing your hair. Fonz stated that every client that gets in his chair will get their hair washed before any cutting takes place. Good hygiene and sanitation of hair tools like clippers are a number one factor in how he services his clients.

 

 

THE OWNER OF SHAMPOO’ED

Latrece has been doing hair since she was fourteen years old. At her launch, she spoke about the difficulty her mother had in doing her hair. It was so bad that eventually her hair became extremely damaged, as a result, she lost hair. She decided in her youth that she was gonna learn how to do her hair.

 

She first became infatuated with quick weaves. She learned pretty quickly how to put a quick weave in her hair. This sparked her passion to help others who may have experienced issues with their hair. As an adult, she later acquired her first business Prenasis Hair Gallery. This hair salon is located in Browndeer Wisconsin. Prenasis Hair Gallery is a full fledge hair salon designed for customers who relax their hair and those who wear their hair in a natural-textured state located in Browndeer.

 

Latrece also ventured to launch a beauty supply store called House of Weaving. This store is located in the heart of Milwaukee. Her latest business venture is the recently launched natural hair salon called ‘Shampoo’ed’. Shampoo’ed is located at The Sherman Phoenix, 3536 W Fond Du Lac Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53216.

SHAMPOO’ED THE VISION

In her mind, Latrece wanted to create a salon that was a specific niche. She wanted to create a space for women and men to come and get a holistic experience of wellness. The focus she decided would be on natural hair. Latrece also wanted to incorporate aromatherapy, massage stimulation of the scalp, the neck, and the face. The message was clear that in order to be in alignment with yourself, you must start from the inside. Latrece also communicated that each person must take accountability for the choices we make when it comes to what we put in our bodies and how overall we take of ourselves. Hence the birth of ‘Shampoo’ed’.

 

MY SALON EXPERIENCE

I arrived at the salon a few minutes early. In my mind, I wanted to give myself enough time to secure a parking spot. Shortly after arriving, I was greeted by the owner, Latrece. She introduced herself and offered me a blue lemonade or rice milk. I opted for the blue lemonade. It was very sweet!

 

As I waited in the waiting area sipping on my drink, she summoned me to come in. I was greeted again by her fiance as he was cutting hair. She led me to the shampoo area and began washing my hair. Let me tell you…she gave me an INCREDIBLE scalp massage. It was so invigorating! I wasn’t expecting it! After my hair was washed and my scalp massaged she proceeded to massage my neck. WOW!! I was really enjoying this! Soon I became very relaxed. I was then headed to the chair for styling.

 

 

 

She pulled out the As I Am hair products. (I am familiar with these products and have used them frequently in the early part of my hair journey.) I didn’t know exactly what she was going to do so I inquired. She stated she didn’t want to do anything drastic from how I normally wear my hair and decided to coil my hair. I thought ok cool.

 

As she was coiling my hair she instructed a couple of her stylists in training on how to do the coils. My hair was complete in no time.  Latrece was very open about having an open dialogue with your stylist.  Since I have been my own stylist for the last 5 years, I would share with her some of the products that work well with my hair going forward.  I like the As I Am product line, but I have found other products that work better for me.

RECOMMENDATION

Would I recommend this place? Most definitely! Latrece is a woman who understands what wellness looks like. She is very knowledgeable in the field of cosmetology and has truly designed herself as a servant to the health and wealth of our people. I will definitely be coming back!

 

SHAMPOO’ED SERVICES

This salon experience consists of the customer selecting not only the hairstyle but the type of massage, beverage to drink, aromatherapy and music selection. Some of the hair services offered include but not limited to are; silk pressing, wash and go styling, roller sets, haircuts, trimming hair and much more. For a list of styles, services and prices go to her web page at shampooed.me.

 

 

If you enjoyed this review please like, comment and share!