00:00Even my mother to this day, you would never see her like this.
00:04She's like,
00:04Parece una loca.
00:06El pajón.
00:07Uh-huh.
00:10My name is Val, and I'm a proud Afro-Latina.
00:14Straightening my curly hair was part of what I thought it meant to be a Dominican.
00:18But when I moved to Los Angeles, everything changed.
00:27I grew up in New York City, which has the largest Dominican community in the US,
00:31with Dominican hair salons on just about every corner.
00:35I was raised with the idea that my naturally curly hair was unrefined or messy,
00:40and wearing it that way was not presentable.
00:42It definitely impacted the way I felt about my curly hair for years.
00:47But I never stopped to question it until I moved to LA three years ago,
00:50and I was unable to find a Dominican stylist that specializes in my hair type.
00:54I had no choice but to embrace my natural curls.
00:58But while I learned to love them,
01:00a part of me still missed the experience of a Dominican blowout.
01:03Hi, Ma.
01:03Hi, sweetheart.
01:04What are you doing? How's DR?
01:05I'm good. I'm just at the beach. You see?
01:07Oh, wow.
01:08I just got my hair done by a Dominican, and she charged me 250 pesos.
01:14It's $5. She charged me $5.
01:16Oh, my God.
01:17I'm actually going to go get my hair straightened.
01:19We were able to find a Dominican hairstylist.
01:23Finally.
01:24No kidding. Finally.
01:26Yeah.
01:26I'm glad you finally found a place that's able to do your curly hair,
01:30because unfortunately, being that your hair is very thin,
01:33you know, not a lot of people can specialize in that area to do it, you know, properly.
01:39Every weekend we would go spend like up to seven hours at the hair salon
01:42to get our hair straightened.
01:44Why would you straighten our hair so much as little girls?
01:47People would be judgmental if you had that kind of hair.
01:51Being a Dominican, we bring such a different diversity to the world.
01:54But I felt that to fit in with the kinds of people that we were around,
01:59you had to fit a certain criteria.
02:01And I think that that was the way that you guys were more accepted.
02:05But you know what? If you do your hair curly or if you want to have straight hair,
02:09don't care what people say as long as you feel comfortable.
02:13Talking with my mom left me feeling even more nostalgic for the blowout experience.
02:17I went to Salon Republic in West Hollywood to meet up with Rosa,
02:21a Dominican hairstylist to give me a blowout.
02:24Like me, Rosa has come to embrace both curly and straight styles since moving to LA.
02:28And I'm so excited to see what she does with my hair.
02:31Wow, look at your hair. I love it.
02:34Let's wash it first, and then we'll start.
02:37Cool?
02:38I immediately felt right at home, and I realized quickly how much we had in common.
02:43So, you're a Dominican place?
02:44Yeah. I am. I'm from Santiago.
02:48Oh, okay.
02:48Yeah. Where are you from?
02:50Well, I was born in New York, but I used to live in Santo Domingo.
02:55Okay.
02:57I didn't leave my hair curly until I was 18.
03:01Me too.
03:02And I grew up going to a salon every week, religiously.
03:06I think that's the main thing in, like, Dominican beauty.
03:10We do whatever it takes to look good and feel good, you know?
03:13Absolutely, yes.
03:13It's the culture. You have to look presentable.
03:17Dominicans, they don't go to the supermarket without having their hair done
03:21and their clothes need to be good.
03:23Back in New York, when I'm home, I usually do, like, roller sets.
03:26Roller sets? Okay, yeah.
03:28The roller sets, honestly, makes it smoother and shiny and glossier.
03:33That's like a two-hour process.
03:35Yes.
03:35The Dominican blowout, it's such an essential and, like, vital part of our culture.
03:40Absolutely.
03:41To me, and to you, it's a regular blow-dry.
03:44Exactly.
03:44But for most people, the way we do it, our own technique, you blow-drying your hair in a healthy
03:50way,
03:51with the round brush and actually putting that tension how we do it, it closes the cuticle better.
03:58As Hilsa did my hair, I realized how much I'd miss this.
04:02It felt especially good because this time I was straightening my hair on my own terms, rather than from a
04:07need to fit in.
04:09And after going so long without taking my hair straightened, I was really excited to see it.
04:15You ready to see it?
04:17I'm so sorry.
04:20Oh my gosh.
04:22No way.
04:24Right?
04:24My hair has never looked so bouncy.
04:28What?
04:29This is a Dominican blowout right here.
04:32Yes.
04:33Although I love my curls, getting a Dominican blowout reminded me so much of home and my childhood, which felt
04:38really comforting.
04:39Next, I'm headed to meet up with my friend Gina for lunch.
04:43Gina is a professional dancer.
04:45As Dominicans growing up in New York, we shared a lot of the same experiences.
04:49Today, we're discussing how moving to L.A. has shaped our hair journey.
04:57Thank you so much.
04:59Yes.
05:00Wow.
05:01That looks so good.
05:03I know.
05:03Even though this is not Dominican food, that looks like a Dominican meal, like something my mom would make.
05:08Absolutely.
05:09The platanos.
05:10The platanos.
05:11Platanos is such a vital part of our culture.
05:15Like, it's just platanos with everything.
05:17Yeah.
05:17Basically.
05:17Literally.
05:18Anything.
05:19If there's no rice in it, it's not a meal.
05:21Yeah.
05:22Like, it's just a snack.
05:23It's so hard finding any Dominican spots out here.
05:27Barely any Dominican people, too.
05:29No, literally, I've met like four Dominicans out here and that's it.
05:32What do you find is a struggle for you being a Dominican in L.A.?
05:36It's definitely been a struggle finding a place for someone to manage your curly hair.
05:41I don't really straighten my hair at all anymore.
05:43I just always just keep it natural.
05:45I feel the most beautiful with my hair curly, for sure.
05:48Yeah.
05:48So, when you were younger, you used to straighten it more?
05:50That's why my mom would blow dry my hair all the time.
05:53Go to the salon.
05:54My mom did not want to see me with my, she called it a pahon.
05:58My grandma does, too.
05:59Yeah.
05:59So, Dominicans that move to America kind of emulate more of the European culture.
06:05Mm-hmm.
06:05I think I was always told my whole life, like, you're just Dominican.
06:09Like, you're not black.
06:10Mm-hmm.
06:10And when I went to college, they're like, you know you're black, right?
06:13Like, that's part of who you are.
06:14And like, I just didn't know that.
06:16But it just makes sense, like, when you research Dominican culture, Dominicans, like, where they come from.
06:21Like, all of the heritage and just like the land itself.
06:24Yeah.
06:24It makes sense to be considered an Afro-Latina.
06:27Things that have been hidden or denied in the past as a part of our culture.
06:32It's finally, people are being more accepting towards it.
06:35My mom has just, she's been finally complimenting me on my natural hair.
06:39And it's amazing to watch her growth.
06:41And so it's been so good to, like, finally be, like, the real me.
06:46And, like, just myself in my natural state.
06:47And have my mother finally, like, embrace it and appreciate it.
06:51After some good food and conversation with Gina, I decided that I want to embrace my true roots.
06:57Literally.
06:58I headed over to Ouidad Salon in Santa Monica to meet with Marissa, a curl professional.
07:03I was so excited to get all her tips for happy and healthy curls.
07:09So I'm going to use a leave-in and then a styling gel.
07:12So I'm applying the leave-in mostly to the ends and mid shaft area.
07:17And then I'm going to do a little bit of the gel all over.
07:20So I'm going to have you feel it.
07:22Like, this is how it should feel, nice and slippery.
07:24That's how you know you have enough.
07:26I kind of finger comb to break through, break up the curls.
07:31Once I've done that a few times and it feels nice and smooth, shake it to activate it.
07:36This is where the diffuser really comes in handy.
07:56My hair has never looked so good curly.
07:59Thank you so much, Marissa.
08:01It's my pleasure.
08:02Yay, I'm so excited.
08:06Today has been a day of self-discovery that I didn't know was possible here in LA.
08:10I felt reassured and secure in ways that I wasn't expecting.
08:15From finding out more about where I come from and connecting that to where I am now,
08:19I feel like I have a better sense of self and I'm so ready to bring some Dominican flavor into
08:25the City of Angels.
08:27Thank you so much for watching.
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