Carleen Sanchez

Naturally Curly Hair and Color Artistry by Carleen Sanchez in Reno, Nevada

Self Care without the Guilt!

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I have learned some pretty big things this crazy 2020. My intention at the beginning for the year 2020 was for “Radical Self Care “ and I had some pretty big plans. 

Then the pandemic happened and I wasn’t allowed to be your hairstylist while our state was shut down. Then I had nothing but time to work thru my issues.

I started to realize I was feeling guilt for spending time on selfcare. 

I used to just feel so selfish & had guilt surrounding me every time I decided to take a sauna or spend a day in bed or just do whatever the heck I wanted that was just for me.

I learned some coping mechanisms & now I don’t feel that guilt. Well, At least 90% of the time I’m guilt free. I still get that little voice every now and then telling me I should be doing something else. 

What I did to get over this guilt feeling was getting in touch with my wooo-woo side.  I really needed to break down the barriers & negative attachments in my subconscious mind. Bring on the crystals & incense and Reiki therapy!

I earned my level one Reiki certification this year. 

What is Reiki?

 Reiki is hands-on natural healing using the universal life force energy. the term comes from the Japanese words “rei,” meaning universal, and “ki,” which means vital life force energy that flows through all living things. reiki, an abundant, gentle spiritual energy is not tied to any specific religion or nationality.

This gave me the energy tools to work on myself and to infuse myself & inanimate objects like crystals and even shampoo with positivity and reiki. 

Maybe you noticed a difference in your salon experience? I’ve incorporated Reiki into my haircuts and the salon environment. 

And so with that powerful healing tool, I was able to spend more time practicing self care rituals & healing. 

Next on the 2020 Self care tour bus…  healing my subconscious mind. By listening to hypnosis tracks at night while I’m sleeping and then also fresh upon waking in the morning I am retraining limiting beliefs and subconscious negativity. 

So far these have been really helpful practices and you can find tons of information and free options to listen to and learn from on YouTube. 

Please reach out to me if you would like the exact ones I’ve been using lately to quiet my mind.

Last but not least, I got into crystal healing. Having crystals all around the salon and house in strategic places with feng shui has really helped me with self-care and moving positive energy around the space.

Anyways, I hope that you can carve some time out in your life for self care and I don’t want you to feel guilty about it. 

Remember, you need to love yourself first. I really appreciate you choosing me to be apart of your self care. 

I love you, friend.

Xo,

Carleen Sanchez

Naturally Curly Hair & Color Expert

7 ways to have FANTASTIC hair while you sleep.

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No melatonin or ambien needed..

Hello Curl Friend,

Confession…I sleep crazy. like super duper active mover.


I start out at the top of the bed like a normal person and then wake up completely sideways.
I don’t know about you but protecting my hair overnight has always been an issue.

This is an age old problem and one out ancestors had a handle on.
Can you believe that our grandmothers and great grandmothers had a very specific way they would sleep?


Grandma would get her hair washed and set once a week and then sleep on her back ( YIKES) with her nightcream on and hair wrapped in a satin bonnet on her silk/satin pillowcase.

This super sharp woman was onto something!

The rest of this is my 7 tips for waking up with Fantastic hair while you sleep. FYI Some tips borrowed from grandmas playbook.
You can skip reading the rest if you are a video watching Queen and
WATCH THE VIDEO HERE https://youtu.be/camODofxqdY

1.Satin Bonnet or Silk scarf on your head to protect your hair from your sleep destruction. You can find some cool bonnets on Etsy with a simple search of the terms Silk or satin sleep bonnet. Silk scarfs are really fun to shop for at thrift shops.

2.Hair Buffs AKA Multifunctional head ware. Hot tip: Sleep with it covering your ears and eyebrows or even better over your eyes (pretend its your new eyemask) .

3.Pineapple in loose satin or silk scrunchie on top of your head like the retro goddess you are!

4.Take that pineapple goodness one step further and add the hair buff aka multi functional headware.

5.Satin or Silk pillowcase is my #1 for my lazy girls out there. You can count me in with this tip.
I actually use 4 satin/silk pillowcases on my bed.

6.Short hair can be helped with a form of clipping called “Medusa clipping” or maybe 2 pineapple ponytails.

7.When you wake up the next morning and take your hair down, please walk away from the mirror.
Give your hair 10 minutes to let your hair relax into its natural stake before you step in to do a refresh.

Reach out to me for my refresh tips and tricks @ carleenrocks@yahoo.com

Sweet dreams sunshine!

~Carleen Sanchez
Nevada’s Curly Hair & Color Expert
775.721.2969

How to Fix Bleach Damage on Natural Curls

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Going from almost BLACK to a light shade can be curl murder. But don’t worry! It is totally possible to fix bleach damage on natural curls. Here’s how.

Lightening your hair from a dark shade really needs to be done with care in a salon with an experienced CURL loving artist. A hair colorist who specializes in naturally curly hair and hair color will take the necessary steps to prevent damage to your precious curls.

Image of bleach damage on curly hair by Naturally Curly Hair and Color Artist Carleen Sanchez in Reno, Nevada 775-721-2969


If your stylist is blowing and ironing out your curls or trying to talk you into a “keratin or smoothing treatment,” they are NOT a Curl loving artist. They probably rock and are amazing at straight hair, and you should refer all your straight hair buds to them. Read more about the damage of smoothing treatments on this blog post.

Going forward, this naturally curly goddess will be going to curly hair artists who are also hair colorists that will be kind to her curls… but the initial bleach damage was already done. So how did I fix this bleach damage?


It was CHOP CHOP time! We established a length she would be comfortable with and cut off a majority of the bleach damage. If you have more questions on how to fix bleach damage on natural curls, feel free to contact me!

Carleen Sanchez Logo

Carleen Sanchez Curl & Color Expert
1002 Broadway Blvd, Reno, NV 89502
775-721-2969

Curly Hair Stylist Confessions: My Personal Curly Girl Journey.

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I had NO idea that I was a blessed with curly hair, I just needed to learn how to nurture it. I had spent so much of my life with what I called frizzy hair, 80’s rockband hair, dried, fried, and petrified hair.

I spent 34 years of my life struggling to find the perfect cut and style for my unmanageable hair. I found myself never being truly happy beyond the one day it was cut and styled by the hairdresser. I had resigned myself to the flat iron and spending hours of my life as a slave to it.

You might right now be thinking “You are a hair-designer, don’t you even KNOW your own hair?'” Nope, they do not teach you how to truly love and care for naturally curly hair in beauty school. They teach you to blowdry it and straighten it before you cut or color it (such terrible education).

I had played around with “curly hair products and a diffuser” and always kinda liked what I saw but was usually put down by my family or loved ones who were used to the very fake, prim and proper, blowout with a curling iron finish. Now, I’ve put together a list of my favorite products.

When the keratin treatments to straighten and smooth your hair came out, I was first in line, burning, breaking and frying my hair with over 400 degrees of heat pulled repeatedly and slowly down each precious strand of hair. No wonder I couldn’t grow it past my shoulders. it ALWAYS looked like it needed an inch or more cut off.

Two years ago I said enough is enough, I decided to learn the Curly Girl method and see what would happen. Day by Day and month by month my hair transformed. It went from barely a bend to juicy waves and curls. No need for curling irons or hours of my life wasted.

My Curly girl method journey and progress. Carleen Sanchez Reno, NV
My Curly girl  journey. In the picture on the left I was one year in to the curly girl method and thought I was having a good hair day. It just keeps getting better. (Carleen Sanchez Reno, NV)

I think having this curl suffocating past is crucial to why I can help other curly and wavy people of the world learn unconditional love for themselves and their curls.

I love my hair now in its natural and free wavy/curly state I no longer wish for straight hair. Now my hair styling life is easy and filled with great hair days and the super long mermaid hair I have always wanted.

I celebrate my uniqueness and I cant stand the thought of another person walking around another day with negative thoughts about the gift of texture and wave and curl they have on their head.

Now I am in the part of my journey where I literally feel like a Curl Missionary. Every curly or wavy or frizzy head of hair I see I want to reach out and love them, celebrate them, tell them they are special and that I want to help them.

How I am trying to help the world love their curls. I can only physically serve 175 guests in my private, organic, Curly hair boutique salon in Reno, Nevada. So I have taken it upon myself to train and share my skills with the world through mentoring carefully selected licensed passionate Cosmetologists through my 1000 hour paid mentorship program and teaching hairstylists at International education events to spread the Curl Love and Knowledge. I also post videos on my YouTube channel and this blog to help reach and educate curly people of the world.

Carleen Sanchez Logo

Carleen Sanchez Curl & Color Expert
1002 Broadway Blvd, Reno, NV 89502
775-721-2969

Q & A with Naturally Curly Hair and Color Artist Carleen Sanchez by Curl Magazine

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My work was recently featured in Curl Magazine! Curl Magazine interviewed me in a Q & A, asking about my background, my work, and of course, curly hair!


How long have you been a Curl Specialist?
I have always cut hair dry so I have been attracting a wavy/curly clientele for 16 years. I only feel I have become a Curl Specialist in the last 7 years of serving waves/curls after learning how to hydrate the hair.


What additional curl education have you undergone?
Curly Hair Artistry, Deva Advanced Academy, Cut it Kinky, Cultivate Your Curls, Style Your Curls with Confidence, Curls Hold Magic, Atoya Bass Stylist Class, and I spend 1 hour minimum each day learning more.

What additional curl education have you undergone?
I ask them to come fully styled as if they are going on a hot date. The better my Goddesses look when they come in the better they look when they leave.

How long is a typical appointment with you and what does it include?
I work with a team of 3 fantastic Curly Hair & Color Artists and we all cater to you and your needs so you get a rockstar experience.


2 hours and 15 minutes is the average amount of time and that includes:

  • Personalized aromatherapy
  • Dryhair cutting and shaping using multiple techniques
  • Olaplex/Deep Hydrating Conditioner OR Dimensional Shine Boosting-HairColor
  • Curlights-Scalp/neck and hand/arm massage
  • Beauty bar treatment (think parrafin hand dip or rockstar under eye treatment etc.)
  • Your choice of style finish: Hydrate & Define, Volume to the Moon, or fancy Braid set with Olaplex or deep conditioner
  • Option for foot massage while your color or hair treatment is processing
  • Back massage while you are drying under our fancy CHI hood dryer
  • You will get gifts each visit and drink from an extensive complimentary drink list (most people want champagne or margaritas)
  • I also have a yummy snack bar if you get the munchies

If you’re a new guest, your visit will take an extra 15+ minutes and includes:

  • A visit thru our Wavy/Curly girl show & tell basket
  • A take home customized CurlScription. The Curlscription is where all the instructions for technique and products used just for you are listed.
  • You also get a new guest gift bag that has multiple gifts inside to help you on your wave/curl journey.

What is one thing you wish all curlies realized?
That you are SO LUCKY! You won the hair lottery!!!

Who inspires you?
I have been coaching Curly Hair & Color artists and watching them grow and gain confidence and become AMAZING in their unique ways is so inspiring. I also find inspiration daily in my online curlfriends & fantastic curly hair artists located all around the world.

What is your favorite part about specializing in curls?
Every guest is a totally different hair story. Everything I do is customized to that unique wave/curl type and the lovely human attached.

Is there a curl myth you’d love to bust?
I’d LOVE to bust the belief that curls aren’t professional. It breaks my heart when curlfriends straighten their hair for work or special events and say that straight is more professional. Waves/Curls are a gift and you look way more professional being your confident self.

What celeb’s hair would you love to get your hands on?
Weird Al Yankovic has some epic curls I’d love to get my hands on.

Carleen Sanchez Logo

Carleen Sanchez Curl & Color Expert
1002 Broadway Blvd, Reno, NV 89502
775-721-2969