Stepsisters Nataly Medina and Cynthia Michelle Jasso believe there’s a symbiosis between cutting and styling hair and nurturing and growing plants. So it only seemed natural for the pair to open a combination hair salon and plant shop in the Bishop Arts District. Because Medina’s father is from Mexico and Jasso’s grandmother migrated from Cuba, the women wanted their new business to embrace their culture and roots in some way. Crecer means “grow” in Spanish, and when the doors to Crecer Dallas opened in 2021, the clientele did just that.
The salon is unafraid to be the younger, alt version of the ones I grew up with. Here, Latino kids come for a trendy shaggy cut. Grateful clients whose hair was chronically misunderstood by former hairdressers finally achieve a hair color so far from natural it demands a double take. Being in the salon, with its chill, kicked-back vibe, feels as if you are hanging out at Grandma’s house with all your cooler cousins.
Right after graduating high school, in 2011, Medina enrolled in the now-closed Oak Cliff Barber College and received her barber license a year later. “I faced a lot of toxic work environments being a female barber,” she says. Her experiences shaped her vision for her own salon, a unisex and inclusive space.
Noted: “I faced a lot of toxic work environments.”
The trials and errors of cutting and coloring typical Latino hair can be the source of frustration for many in the community, but Medina and her team personally relate to the hair goals of their clients, which range from corporate types to goths. “We are all familiar with thick, dark, and curly hair,” she says.
The shop itself is like a greenhouse, with vanity mirrors and swiveling chairs installed amid the plants. Jasso, who worked in the kitchens of Gemma and Bullion, has the green thumb. She inherited it from her grandmother, so she brings a generational kind of love to all floras. One of Jasso’s specialties is terrariums. Moss, stones, soil, and various plants are all carefully placed in glass jars, creating charming little fairy worlds with tiny stone steps and grassy terrains.
Add in botanical-based drinks and plant-enriched hair products, and the end result is equal parts eco and friendly—a place where a client can walk out with a modern-day mullet and a succulent to match.
This story originally appeared in the March issue of D Magazine with the headline “Green Energy.” Write to [email protected].
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