Latino Force

With the ever-growing Latino community comes opportunities for salons to attract new clients. According to a multisponsor survey published in the American Salon and American Spa Green Book 2008, 36 percent of Latina women visit a salon at least once every six weeks, so if you're not already addressing the needs of this expanding market, now is the time to start. Asia Gonzalez-Dent, owner of Lift Hair Studio in Queens, NY, says she caters to the growing Latina market by offering the latest trends in haircutting at reasonable prices. "Latinas now are educated and professional," she says. "They're not the Latinas of old who wanted a roller set and a blow out. They want the latest looks." Also key, according to Gonzalez-Dent, who was named one of the Top 10 Latino Hairstylists in America by Latina Magazine, is that stylists should know how to tend to the thicker, curlier hair that many Latinas have and create looks that flatter them. "We grew up with the idea that beauty equaled blond hair and blue eyes, but Latinas just don't look natural like that," she says. —N.G.