A Drybar customer wants Black women to boycott the establishment after she alleged that she was treated poorly while getting her hair done.
In a viral video by TikTok user Ke’Era Battin (@keerabattin) that has been viewed over 390,400 times as of this writing, she raised concerns about the salon’s treatment of women of color.
“PSA: We need to stop giving our money to establishments who do not deserve our money,” the woman began in the clip. “We honestly need to boycott them so they could all shut down.”
Ke’Era accused Drybar of discriminating against Black women and used her experience to demonstrate the discrimination.
Allegedly, the company charged her extra to get her hair done, even though she said she never received any special services.
“I go to check out, and I see a $15 charge extended fee,” she said. So, she asked why she was being charged extra.
“She proceeds to say, ‘Oh, well, um, once we go over an hour, we have to charge you,’” Ke’Era said the hairdresser responded.
Then, the hair stylist reportedly blamed the texture and length of the TikToker’s hair for why the service took longer than it typically does.
“I said, ‘The texture of my hair? What is the texture of my hair?’” Ke’Era said.
Drybar is a salon chain that specifically provides hairstyling services called “blowouts.” In its Diversity & Inclusion Statement, the company said it wants “everyone to feel welcome, respected and included” across “all hair types, races, ages, gender identities, sexual orientations or religions.”
Still, Ke’Era felt like Drybar was prejudiced against women with textured hair.
@keerabattin @drybar Your Establishment is bad for business and prejudice!!! Drybar sugarland ##drybar##drybarsugarland##fypシ゚viral##fyp ♬ original sound – Ke’Era Battin
In the comments section, many were surprised that the TikToker would go to that salon as a Black woman.
“What black woman in their right mind looked at the dry bar and said oh yea let me go there?” user Jorruto wondered.
“Nothing about a Drybar says it Is for Black women…” another viewer added.
Others noted it is very common for hair salons to upcharge depending on the length and texture of a client’s hair.
“A lot of salons charge extra for texture hair,” user E B O N I wrote.
“It’s not fair but Almost every stylist I go to charges me an up charge for length,” user MRS Mrs Martin said.
Other TikTok users of color have also reported better experiences with the salon. One Black woman used the platform to celebrate the great job her Drybar stylist did on her hair. Another Black woman TikToker advised women of color to check to see if their local Drybar has stylists of color before committing to getting their hair done at any establishment.
The Daily Dot reached out to Drybar and Ke’Era Battin via email for comment.
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