I was going through my typical morning routine; I showered, moisturized my face with aloe vera and lotion, then I moved to my hair. My Cantu Curl Activator bottle felt light in my hand. My heart sunk. Suddenly, as if I had a vision of the future, I visualized myself walking through the streets of Florence with unmanageably dry, frizzy hair. My curl cream was the most important part of my hair styling process. I still had two months left in Italy, so how could I enjoy my stay if I wasn’t happy with my appearance? That may sound conceited, but being unhappy with an important aspect of your appearance can alter your whole mood. I began to panic. I realized I should have brought extra bottles of hair products, but this thought was about a month too late.
During one of our many pre-departure meetings for my study abroad program, we were blatantly told us to leave our hair products at home. They reassured the room full of girls with straight hair that they would find a similar, if not the same, hair products in Italy. I immediately winced and rolled my eyes.
This assumption was directed towards a vastly white group of people without any regard to people of different colors or hair textures. There was no information geared towards people of different colors within the endless amount of handouts we received; all of the information was very generalized and exclusive to people with 1-2 hair types. I was left feeling anxious about what I should bring since there was no discussion or information for someone like me within my study abroad program.
Would I actually find products for my curly hair in Italy? Would it be easy to find? Would there be a natural hair section specifically geared towards 3-4 hair types like they do in stores in America? Would it be silly to pack multiple of all my hair products? Luckily for you, I have all the information you need to know about what to do and where to look.
Why is traveling with curly hair difficult?
Maintaining natural hair can be difficult. It requires a lot of time to manage, wash, and style. Frequent wash-and-goes are not always an option for all curly hair types, nor is it healthy for every hair type. It is important to understand that as someone with 3-4 hair type traveling to popular European destinations, it will be difficult to find hair salons or hair products that cater to your hair type. Take the steps to avoid having issues with your hair, such as sticking with a protective style, or finding ways to maintain your hair without using up most of your luggage space. But, if you have to bring a lot of products,
it is better to be safe than sorry. It is important to bring the essentials. Moisturizer, gel, and curl cream are my must haves. What are yours?
Precautions made don’t always work out.
Despite taking the steps to buy extra containers for styling and keeping my curls happy and moisturized, it was not until a few weeks into my stay in Florence that I realized I was going to run out of product within the next month. I began to frantically search for black/natural hair stores or salons in the area, because unlike in The States, there are not specific sections within local grocery stores designated for hair types past straight and wavy hair. Do not expect to easily find natural hair products in the typical hair stores or grocery stores around town. You’ll have to do some research.
Even before I knew I was going to run out of hair product, I began looking around Florence, out of pure curiosity, for natural hair stores, or even curly hair products within grocery stores. I came across many hair product stores, salons, and grocery stores that carry a vast variety of products for 1-2 hair types. I knew I probably wouldn’t be able to find Cantu or Shea Moisturizer, but I at least expected to see hair mousse, a possible emergency product I could use for my 3C hair. I didn’t. I seemingly had no options for what I could use for my curls.
Don’t be disheartened. Do research.
Realizing that my options were virtually nothing, I tried to do some research. Googling “black hair salons in Florence” can be a bit misleading. The first pictures to come up are of white Italian women with box-braids. I laughed out loud.
In The States, it’s a common reaction for African-Americans, or anyone with any knowledge of black protective styles, to immediately cringe when seeing a white person wear box-braids. Not only are there cultural issues surrounding the topic, but protective black hairstyles are very damaging to 1-2 type hair patterns. I immediately believed that these salons would not have what I was looking for.
I slowly continued my research within a span of a week or two, never finding anything useful. I looked up the prices of my hair products on Amazon and saw that I would be paying double the price if I were to order it online. Also, receiving something in the mail has been a rather unpredictable experience for me. One package took a month to arrive while another arrived in less than 24 hours; needless to say, it was a little too risky for me. I shied away from that option. Still, at this point, I had zero options for what I could put in my hair.
Let curiosity lead you.
On my way back to my apartment from class, I passed a storefront that was decorated with colorful Afros that sat on top of black mannequin heads. This display made me backtrack to peer into the windows of the store. This sight was pretty unusual within Florence. Black Beauty was printed boldly on the side of the building, and part of me thought it was some poor joke, especially after only seeing white women with box-braids through my google searches as well as the handfuls of white girls and middle aged Italian women that proudly wore this protective hairstyle. Also, the only people I saw wear Afro wigs in Italy were Italians.
As I perused the various wigs from outside the store, my eyes suddenly landed on familiar bright orange that my favorite hair product was packaged in. I nearly screamed with joy. There, sitting on one of the various shelves crammed with hair products, was Cantu. Without thinking twice, I ran inside the salon. There were only about four Cantu products offered, which were obviously bought in bulk and shipped from The States. Thankfully, the salon carried my most precious cream that was the crown during my daily hair ritual. At this point, I was on the brink of almost finishing my last bottle. It was exactly what I have been needing.
What type of products does Black Beauty have?
I noticed that there were many hair product options that were lined all around the store. Most of the products were unfamiliar brands that were seemingly shipped from different places of the world. From perm creams, to natural hair products, and hair dyes, Black Beauty carries various product options for those with type 3 and 4 hair. If you are unsure of what products you need, come prepared with your questions written or typed out in Italian so that the salon owner can help you the best she can. Although she is not fluent in English, she is very kind and willing to help!
Who does Black Beauty cater to?
Black Beauty caters to everyone. Customers include both locals and tourists of all colors, though her main customer type are college students, particularly students studying abroad. Do not be afraid to try new hairstyles you have been wanting to try, the hairstylists are very helpful and ready to discover what may work best for you. But please do research on new hairstyles you have never tried before. Depending on your hair type, certain styles can be damaging and painful.
What services are offered?
Box-braids, dread-locking, sew-ins, extensions, haircuts, and wig styling. Various different types of wings and extensions are carried within the store.
What are the prices?
The prices are relatively similar to the prices one would find in The States. It will be around 80-100 euros depending on how many braids or dreads you would like and what their length is. Extensions/ sew-ins begin at 100 euros and can go up to 200 or more, also depending on the amount of extensions and their length. Communicating with the salon owner is the best way to understand what your true price will end up being, considering that she offers so many services.
Travel with confidence.
Maintaining any hair type can be difficult. If your hair isn’t to your liking, it can be upsetting, causing you to become a little bit more self-conscious. Since study abroad programs lack information for 3-4 hair types, it may be confusing or even difficult to know what’s best for you. Finding a shop that carries you hair products may be hard while traveling, but Black Beauty is the store to go to if you cannot find anything for your curly hair. Need your dreads re-twisted? Unhappy with your natural haircut? Are you craving to have braids to avoid constantly styling your curls? Black Beauty has your back so you don’t have to travel feeling any less confident than you should.
Location and Contact Information
Address: Via de’ Ginori, 44/R, 50123 Firenze FI
Number: 055 289408
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday from 10 AM- 7 PM
