Carolina Contreras

Career Contreras began writing a blog in 2012 in Spanish about natural hair after cutting her chemically straightened hair and experimenting with natural recipes to maintain it. At the time, most online resources for natural hair care were in English. Her blog gained popularity among Dominican women who wanted to wear their hair naturally but lacked guidance in Spanish. Curly hair in Dominican culture was seen as "ugly" and "unruly", attributed to the influence of European colonization in the country.

In 2014, after raising funds through an Indiegogo campaign and saving money, Contreras opened Miss Rizos Salon on Calle Isabel La Católica in Santo Domingo. The salon caters to women who prefer to wear their natural curls rather than straightened hair, offering professional styling in a country where straightened hair had traditionally been the beauty standard. The motto of the salon is "Yo amo mi pajón" ("I love my Afro-like hair"). In addition to being a businesswoman, Contreras is an activist, using social media to dissuade negative stereotypes and connotations about curly hair.