Guinea Hair Braiding & Lock Installation opens in Westbury
Mariame Diallo opened Guinea African Hair Braiding & Lock Installation in Westbury in August. Credit: Guinea Hair Braiding & Lock Installation
Box braids, locks, cornrows and twists are just a few of the head-turning styles offered at Guinea Hair Braiding & Lock Installation in Westbury.
Salon owner Mariame Diallo named the month-old shop after her West African homeland to beam national pride and to celebrate and promote her cultural heritage. "I love my country. I want everybody to discover it," says Diallo, 32.
She was studying business administration in college in Guinea when she found that she had a special talent for hair braiding. "I was doing it as a part-time job during school," she says, "and I liked it."
Married with two kids, Diallo came to the United States in 2014 and settled in the Bronx. The family moved to Long Island, where her husband grew up, in 2021. Her hairstyling skills and the desire to work for herself inspired her to open a shop.
"Ever since I was young, I always said to myself, ‘I want to be my own boss,’" she says. Before opening her shop, Diallo rented a chair at a Westbury barbershop for several months of hands-on market research. Women of color — "they make up 99% of my customers," she says — turned out for her services.
African hair braiding involves intricately weaving strands of hair into various patterns, often using techniques like cornrows, box braids or twists. Styles can last four to eight weeks. Prices vary, typically ranging from $60 to $200 and up, depending on the complexity and length.
It’s a labor-intensive, time-consuming technique. "Depending on the style, it can take an hour or eight hours or longer," says Diallo. "Luckily, I’m a patient person."
Her customers, she adds, kill time talking on their phones, reading and watching movies. She fills the shop with music, playing a playlist emphasizing artists from Guinea, such as Manamba Kanté and Mimi Paya Paya.
"I love many artists from West Africa," she says. At her Westbury salon, the music gets braided into the welcoming atmosphere.
Guinea Hair Braiding & Lock Installation, 1548 Old Country Rd., Westbury, 929-694-4143.
