Detangling Services are on the Rise!

Since the inception of detangling services at Glass Door Salon less than two years ago, we have had the privilege of providing detangling services for seventeen guests!

Some of these services have taken a few hours; others, a few days. If we could, we would offer these services for free because we care so much for these guests and their emotional well-being. Even though this is a service that is charged by the hour, it’s always challenging to offer estimates (more like “guesstimates”) as several factors influence our timing:

1. How many vinegar soaks will we need to do? Have you tried fixing this at home with your own products? Though intentions are good, sometimes when a guest has taken matters into their own hands, the conditioners and oils that they’ve used in the process have not been able to fully exit the matting. Over time, that product solidifies and the hair starts to feel like a stone. Vinegar and baking soda soaks can help us to dislodge some of that matter; but, much like an onion being peeled in layers, the solid matter is also dislodged in layers. It is critical to remove skin cell and product build up as the space it leaves behind allows the hair to move more freely through detangling.
2. How close to the head is the matting? We’ve found that the closer the tangles are to the scalp, the longer the process can take.
3. How sensitive is your scalp? Some of our longer appointments have actually been because we’ve needed to adjust our techniques to accommodate scalp tenderness.
4. For how long has your hair been tangled? The sooner we can address it, usually the faster we can resolve it. Suzanna recently spent two hours and 45 minutes detangling some mats that were the result of somersaults in the pool. These tangles were less than 24 hours old.
5. Will you let us snip some hairs here and there in the process? While we are happy to honor requests to never get our shears out, sometimes we can spend 45 minutes getting a trapped ball of shed hair off of one attached strand. The question is, do you want to pay for 45 minutes of detangling to save the one strand? Or do you want us to use our discretion and sometimes snip a few hairs in the interest of time? In that case, we are always careful to try to avoid snipping anything that would be noticeable when the service is complete.

This before/after image is the result of three days of detangling with a second stylist assisting on the third day (two stylists for four hours vs. one stylist for eight hours). Tatiana and Ale have really taken the reins with our detangling services, but it’s not uncommon to see other stylists popping in to volunteer some pro bono assistance if they have a free minute.

It’s been interesting to hear the stories behind the tangles. One woman in particular had been hospitalized for a while. She didn’t have friends or family who could come visit her. While the nurses did their best to brush around her face, the back of her head that was constantly on a pillow became extremely matted and needed many hours of detangling. So whether it’s been a bout of depression, hospitalization, or distraction, just know that there’s no shame in asking for help! We are ready to get you feeling like yourself again!