While North Texas has a large and growing Muslim population, many say they still deal with misconceptions. NBC 5’s Alicia Barrera reports on a Dallas hair salon is creating a space just for Muslim women where the focus is privacy and comfort.
While Dallas has a large Muslim population, there are many accounts of Muslims feeling singled out or that have faced mistreatment due to misconceptions. In an effort to raise awareness and be more inclusive, a top salon on Knox-Henderson created a space with Muslim clients in mind.
Salon 5014 made a few adjustments to its second floor to also offer its services to Muslim women who wear a hijab. The hijab is a symbol of modesty and cannot be removed in front of men that are not immediate family or the spouse of a woman.
The changes came after haircut specialist, Chi Selim, joined the team. Selim markets herself online as a hijab-friendly hair professional.
“I just started wearing mine about a year ago, which is what exposed me to other hijabs here,” Selim said.
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Her own experience opened her eyes to the gap in the beauty industry for Muslim women. "They expressed how it was difficult to find a professional hair salon. Even when they do find a salon that they can go and get their hair done, that they feel a little like discriminated against because they just throw them in a closet, don't even shampoo them and just cut it."
Selim asked salon owner, Rachel Voss if she could create a space to empower Muslim women without compromising the salon experience.
“I spoke to Rachel about it and she was extremely supportive and provided me with a wall barrier,” Selim said. “I have my chair where I can do non-hijabs and then I have a wall divider.”
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Iman Alfakih is a client of Selim’s. She is a Dallas transplant and had searched online for a hijab-friendly hairstylist.
“Wearing the hijab in general is empowering for me. But when it comes to getting a haircut, there is definitely some challenges,” Iman Alfakih said. “Not only are you looking for quality, but also a specific environment.”
Alfakih is thankful for the private space Selim and Voss helped create. As she said, it does not deny a relaxing salon experience or her religious beliefs.
“I didn't have to worry about my privacy because it was taken care of. All I had to do was book an appointment,” Alfakih said.
Selim hopes hijab-friendly salons will become a standard across North Texas.
“I do what I do to make people feel beautiful. And now I can, you know, help hijabis feel beautiful and included,” Selim said.
