She Wanted Her Hair Done for a Special Day. She Left the Salon in Tears.

A Black woman is pushing for changes in the hair industry after claiming in a lawsuit that she and her 7-year-old were turned away from an Ulta Beauty salon in Manhattan because of their hair texture. The problems started before Lauren Smith and her 7-year-old daughter could even remove their hats at a hair salon in Manhattan last summer, Ms. Smith said. They were scheduled for blowouts at an Ulta Beauty salon on the Upper East Side ahead of a photo shoot for new head shots. Ms. Smith said her daughter "had been excited about this all week." But once they arrived, an employee told them that their assigned stylist was "not comfortable" doing their "type" or "texture" of hair, Ms. Smith, who is Black, said in an email to The New York Times and in a recently filed lawsuit. She is suing Ulta, claiming that what occurred was not only humiliating, but also constituted a possible violation of civil rights law. There are thousands of salons in New York City, catering to all different hair types. But because the landscape is so vast, it can be hard to vet them and know exactly where to go without a recommendation. Many people turn to national and regional chains like Ulta to take the guesswork out of it. New York law mandates that licensed cosmetologists be trained across all hair types, the lawsuit said. But people with textured hair may struggle more than others to find stylists who are up for the task, people in the industry say. Sign up for the Race/Related Newsletter Join a deep and provocative exploration of race, identity and society with New York Times journalists. Get it sent to your inbox. "If you don't have the experience or confidence to do the work well, it's better to acknowledge that than to deliver a compromised result," said Nick Arrojo, the owner and founder of Arrojo NYC, a cosmetology school. But a client's experience should be protected, he said, "even when that means referring them to a colleague with the right expertise." Ms. Smith said she "offered to speak with the stylist directly and walk her through the process myself," but the employee told her that the stylist still refused. A manager reached by phone at the Ulta salon that Ms. Smith went to declined to comment. A spokeswoman from Ulta Beauty's corporate office said in an email that the company was "not able to comment on pending litigation, but we're working towards a resolution." The stylist eventually came out, Ms. Smith said, and accused her of "getting an attitude." By the end of the exchange, which took place in front of other customers, Ms. Smith said, her daughter was in tears. They left without receiving the blowouts. In the lawsuit filed, Ms. Smith's lawyer, Wendy Dolce, said that the mother and daughter were denied the appointment because of their race, which goes against civil rights law. They are seeking industrywide anti-discrimination training and enforcement of The Crown Act, which prohibits discrimination based on hair texture and protective hairstyles such as locs, braids and twists. A similar case was tried in 2019. Black employees at the popular Sharon Dorram Color at Sally Hershberger salon on the Upper East Side described being discouraged from working with clients whose hair textures fell outside the salon's stated expertise. According to the complaint, box braids, Afros and locs were said to clash with the salon's upscale image. As part of a settlement with New York City's Commission on Human Rights, the salon was required to work with a cosmetology school to teach its employees how to care for and style Black hair. Mr. Arrojo said styling and caring for tightly coiled and textured hair is different from caring for straight hair because it is naturally drier and often more fragile. Improper handling, whether through excessive heat, the wrong tools or insufficient moisture, can result in damage. Last month, the state published an update to the styling and cosmetology educational standards curriculum for natural hair. Starting in September, 220 hours of hair braiding, locking and weaving, as well as 245 hours of styling, like hair pressing and silk press, will be required. The publishing of the changes, which were passed in 2023, was previously reported by The New York Post. Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages, who coauthored the bill behind the new requirements, said in a statement, "By embedding comprehensive instruction on diverse hair types into existing programs, these changes expand skills and improve service without increasing hours or cost." But the rules apply only to new students, and current licensed stylists will not have to undergo additional training. Some chains have policies that supplement training. A company spokeswoman for Great Clips said that it offers "ongoing education covering all hair types and textures." Ulta Beauty is relaunching its texture training series for its stylists to better serve guests with textured, curly and coily hair, a company representative said. In 2008, when Michaella Blissett Williams opened [salon]718, a chain of salons in Brooklyn, she wanted to offer inclusive, comprehensive hair care. "Salons and churches are the most segregated places," she said. "It was very important to me to create a place where everyone can get their hair done." Stylists at [salon]718 train for six months and are tested on their ability to perform different skills across a spectrum of textures from straight to natural, coily hair, she said. "As far as training people, everyone should have the basic knowledge of hair types," Ms. Blissett Williams said. "It's a sensitive point for people and nobody should feel like their hair isn't good enough. We have a responsibility to make everyone feel welcome."