Dec 15 2009
December’s Featured Stylist - Carmen Tavarez of Keller/Dallas, Texas!
Tons of our RoundBrushHair.com Members in the Dallas, TX area have been dying for a Dominican stylist! We recently updated our Dominican salon locator with Carmen Tarazez who has a salon in Keller, TX which is just outside of Dallas!
RoundBrushHair.com Team Member Diana Flecher talked to Carmen for the inside scoop on what brought her to Texas, how she relates to clients and of course - her favorite Dominican hair products!
RoundBrushHair.com: Carmen, congratulations on being our featured Dominican stylist for the month of December! Give us a little bit of background information about yourself…
Carmen: Thank you for choosing me! Well, I was born in Santiago in the Dominican Republic. I’ve been doing hair for about 30 years in the United States; I graduated in 1981 in NYC of (estilista/stylist) so I have 28 years of experience doing hair.
RoundBrushHair.com: That’s a long time. So you studied in NewYork? What prompted the move to Texas? That’s a pretty big move.
Carmen: Yes, I know it’s a huge change, but after my kids got married I decided to move to a more peaceful area. Also, New York is very cold during winter and life is “fast” all the time. I love the weather we have here in Texas – nothing like New York. And I love the friendly people and the sense peacefulness here.
RoundBrushHair.com: Just talking to you makes me wish I was there – you make it sound like a paradise. And now that winter is here with all this cold weather, I really wish I was near some sunshine! Your salon is actually located in Keller right? I know Dallas is the closest major city to you – about how far away is it?
Carmen: Yes, Dallas is the closest major city to me. It takes about 30 minutes to here from Dallas, it depends on traffic but it usually takes about 30 minutes. Keller, is a really nice area, it has parks, nice malls, and the structure of its buildings is pretty, and you can find lots of restaurants mostly Tex-Mex. There are people from everywhere…so you will see lots of cultures.
RoundBrushHair.com: Speaking of different cultures, do you work with a wide range of hair textures? Does that make recommending products difficult?
Carmen: I work with a lot of different textures. But before recommending a product I first check for two things with a person’s hair: 1. See what texture they have 2. See if it’s damaged. If the hair is damaged I recommend a trim immediately. People need to know that even if they use conditioners and oils and the hair is extremely damaged they still need to cut off the ugly hair and split ends so they can have better results when using the conditioners. After accessing those two things, then I decided which product I should use. I care about the health of hair first and always. For example, many people ask me why I do the rolos if it takes more time than a regular blow out. They just know it’s the Dominican technique, but I like to explain that it’s worth the extra time and that is not just a technique. The rolos under the heat are less harmful for the hair, because your hair is just sitting there drying up with no “pulling” like some stylist do. I don’t do my job just for the money or to just get a costumer for 1 day, I like to have clients that come regularly. I love what I do for them and in return they bring more people to the salon to have the same experience they had.
RoundBrushHair.com: So coming from a stylist who obviously cares a lot about the health of hair rather than the overall style. What are your thoughts about the Keratina Straightening Treatment? A lot of salons are starting to offer this service? Are you offering them to clients as an alternative to relaxers?
Carmen: Well it depends on the hair’s texture. The Keratina Treatment is a miracle, no doubt! But is not for all hair textures and I don’t recommend it to everyone…its good for very curly hair and it helps with dryness because it moisturizes and makes your hair soft. It differs from a relaxer because the Treatment can last for about 3 to 4 months. The most important thing about the Treatment is that you have to go to a place with a license to use it. It’s for professional use only.
RoundBrushHair.com: I’m still out on the verdict with the Keratina – I’ve heard a lot of things about it, but I’m just not sure how I feel about it. But one this is for sure, if I were living in the Dallas area I would come in and have you look at my hair! But since I can’t, let’s offer some help to women and men like me who do their hair at home but need help choosing the right products. I created a “mini-game” where I’ll shout out a “hair issue” and you say one or two Dominican hair products that are good for that issue. Sounds good?
Carmen: [laughing] Ok!! It sounds fun - but let me first remember all the products because there are so many!!
RBH: Damaged Hair Carmen: Emergencia Conditioner.
RBH: Hair Loss Carmen: Cinnamon Oil and Conditioner.
RBH: Dry Scalp Carmen: Coco Conditioner, La Bomba with Avocado Conditioner.
RBH: Split Ends Carmen: Emergencia Conditioner, Avocado Oil.
RBH: Dry Hair Carmen: 10 en 1 Conditioner, La Bomba with Avocado Conditioner
RBH: Thin hair Carmen: Emergencia Conditioner, Apretadora Conditioner
RBH: Weak hair Carmen: La Bomba with Avocado, Olive Oil Conditioner
RBH: Color Treated Carmen: 10 en 1 Conditioner
RBH: Shedding Carmen: Emergencia Conditioner, Olive Oil Conditioner
RBH: Growth Carmen: Crema de Seda Conditioner, and La Bomba Conditioner.
RoundBrushHair.com: You were fast! Out of these products you named, do you have any favorites?
Carmen: I love two products: The Emergencia and the 10 en 1. They treat dryness, damaged hair and colored hair. They also give shine, moisture and much more. I recommend the 10 in 1 if you are looking to hydrate your hair, and if you use a lot of heat in your hair, you must use the Emergencia.
RoundBrushHair.com: Well Carmen it has been a pleasure talking to you. Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule for this interview. I know everyone who will read this will find it very helpful!
Carmen: No problem! And I thank you.
You can check out Carmen at Legacy Day Spa:
1530 Keller Parkway Blvd.
Keller, TX 76248
(817) 637-5892 (Call for appointment)
For directions to this salon, please use our Dominican salon locator and type in your zip code
CARMEN is simply amazing! Now that I’ve found her, she is a keeper.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! Finally there is a Dominican Salon in the Dallas area. I thought I would never find one in this area, it seems like NYC and Jersey were the only places you could find them. I have heard people talk about the great results they hair experienced at these salons. I am calling Carmen today and making an appointment. Muchisimas Gracias Roundbrushhair for providing us with this outlet which allow us to get Dominican products and easy access to finding Dominican Salons. Que Dios los sigan bendiciendo.
ay gracia a dios; ill be going to this salon. im so happy we have more dominincans here so i can really get my hair done. ive gone to a lot of places and my hair is falling out, and last summer i went back home to DR and they put so much life back into my hair. pa k sepa yo soy prieta y mi pelo es bien hard to manage so its always nice to find someone who can work with it.
Thank you! Thank you!! I’m so glad to have found Carmen- I have difficult, thick, long curly hair and I have to say that few have been able to blow it out like she has. I’ve been getting compliments everywhere about how pretty my hair is- its’ all thanks to Carmen.
Finally!!………..Carmen you have 4 new dominican customers: my mom, my aunt, my cousin and I. We were actually planning to go to Washington Heights. N.Y. (Strange to some people,but yes we’ve talked about it several times) Just to do our hair! I will defin..call and make an appointment for all of us!!
Hi Carmen, O have been looking for a Dominican salon for the past couple months so I hope to get an appointment in your chair. I’m from up north and am bran new to dallas but I have been trying to manage my relaxed hair myself since I been here. I will be giving you a call for sure….sounds like your the real thing.
yes! i have natural shoulder length hair type 4/b. i’m moving back to the dallas area and would love to try out a dominican salon since i’ve learned so much about dominican products from my friends while living here on the east coast these last couple of years. i will definitely be booking an appt. with you once i’m all moved in.
wow you look like you know what you are really doing..i have been trying to find a dominican hair salon in baltimore