The athletes competing in Paris this summer have had mixed experiences in the Olympic Village. Some couldn’t get past the cardboard beds, while others couldn’t stop eating a certain chocolate muffin. Air conditioning didn’t come standard in everyone’s room (Team USA has portable units!), and for many, the dorm-like atmosphere is a little too reminiscent of freshman lodgings in college. Similarly, Black female Olympians have frequently faced outsized criticism for their hairstyles during the intense competition. However, at the very least, a Black woman can reportedly get a decent blowout or braid refresh on-site; the Paris Olympic Village has almost everything an Olympian needs, including stylists capable of styling afro-textured hair — with products from a Black-founded brand.
Before track star Gabby Thomas took home gold during the women’s 200-meter final on Tuesday, she gave her TikTok followers a crucial update about her time in the Olympic Village: she got a surprisingly good blowout at the village salon.
“So I just left the hair salon in the Olympic Village because I wanted to try it out,” Thomas began, grinning from ear to ear as she flipped shiny, freshly styled long ombré waves.
“A couple of girls said that they liked it, and I was a little bit nervous because I know a lot of people don’t know how to do afro-textured hair. So I was expecting to come out of there crying,” she continued. “But she actually did a pretty good job.”
Explaining that she has keratin-tip (or K-tip) extensions, Thomas added, “I feel… I don’t know. I feel cute.”
The successful hair adventure had Thomas beaming as she said, “This really just made my day — like, I don’t know, I’m really happy. It’s just the little things that a lot of people take for granted. I can’t just walk into any hair salon. I’m ready to race tomorrow!”
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According to a release, the salon, sponsored by Procter & Gamble, offers free products and styling services from major P&G brands, including Mielle, Pantene, Head & Shoulders, Gillette, and Braun, to those living in the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Village. There’s also at least one Black haircare professional on staff. A “carefully curated” lookbook released ahead of the games offers 20 styles with punny Olympic names for curly or textured hair, long hair, medium-length hair, short hair, facial grooming, and nails.
Among the styles for curly or textured hair is a blowout dubbed “smooth start,” a braid refresh named “gold-standard length,” a “champion curl” wash-and-go, a “cream of the crop” haircut, and a “competitive edge” shape up. Styling products used include Mielle’s viral rosemary oil.
Beyond the salon, P&G has also opened the first-ever Olympic Village nursery, a dental clinic, and laundry rooms, as well as outfitting bathrooms throughout the village with menstrual products.
While those now-infamous beds may not be contributing to teams securing the gold, at the very least, the salon experience seems to have come correct.
