Salon De African Pride

There are plenty of salons in Sydney, but few that are skilled in working with African hair.

Chika Isaac has had many different hairstyles in his lifetime – dreads, braids, and more.

But when he arrived in Australia from Nigeria in 2002 he quickly found there were few salons that could handle is locks.

So he opened his own salon in Sydney’s Newtown neighbourhood in 2007, calling it Salon de African Pride.

And while it specialized in African hair, the Chika says the clientele is varied. His TAFE training means he’s skilled in working with all types of hair.

A woman gets her hair braided - a process that can take hours. Source: Supplied

“40 per cent of my clients are from African background, I will say about 30 per cent is Caucasian and the other 30 per cent is from all over.”

“Dreads and braids, you expect on African. But an African lady will [come in] looking to straighten her hair, while a Caucasian lady [will come in] looking for dreads or braids. It’s all mixed up!” he laughs.

But Chika doesn’t mind. His philosophy is simple:

“Doesn’t matter what race you are, you are welcome in Salon De African Pride.”

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