25 Tweets That Capture the Agony and the Ecstasy of the Dominican Hair Salon

Much has been written about Dominican hair salons – from criticism that they peddle an ideal of pin-straight hair to scholarly articles about their place as a center of female socialization. The salons have developed a cult status even outside of the Latina community, for their affordable wash and sets and flawless blowouts.

But why do Dominicans have the salon game on lock? The secret to their success seems to come from expertise in handling the spectrum of Afro-textured hair. Ginetta Candelario’s Black Behind the Ears, for example, makes the case that they bring empowerment to Latinas and African-American women. “If, as some feminist scholars and activists have argued, for white women in the United States the beauty shop and beauty culture have been manifestations of misogyny and vehicles for patriarchal oppression, for Latina and African American women who belong to racially and economically marginalized groups, the ability to invest in self-care and self-beautification is an expression of a sense of entitlement to economic, emotional, and social well-being and an effort at its attainment.”

Suffice it to say, the salon is as much a beauty ritual as it is an important cultural expression – perhaps best expressed in the thousands of tweets about what a day at the salon is like.

Here, we rounded up the best tweets that capture things you’re sure to experience at the Dominican salon: