Be the Boss of your own hair: Part 1





How many times have you gone to get a professional service done on your hair, and you soon realize that the health of your hair is not the "stylist's" primary concern?  I can recall visits where braiders or  hair stylist would rip  through my hair as if they were taking out there frustrations on my head, and that is just unacceptable.  I'm sure all of us can recall a situation where a professional hair care expert did not do what was best for our hair but whether it's braids that are too tight or too small, overuse of heat, a trim that turns into  hair cut, balding edges,  or bald spots... but, at the end of the day we all have to take  some responsibility for the health of our own hair.

We have to be honest with ourselves and what we are experiencing when we are having a service done at salons. But how do we do this without offending or underminding the person'' expertise or profession? We do it with up front communication. Before the stylist ever puts his/her hands in your head you must be upfront about what you want and don't want. This way if you have to do give a small reminder, there should be no awkard moments, because they've been previously made aware of where you stand.  Open communication brings understanding and can build a perfect client /stylist relationship. 

 


Last year, I had an experience where a stylist used too much heat to straighten my hair and it resulted in heat damaged curls that I had to cut off.

 Although I did blame her for using too much heat, when I look back, there were many times where I could've communicated  more directly what I didn't want. I didn't want more than one or two passes with the flat iron, and I didn't want her using a marcel (stove) flat iron on my hair.  I hinted around by telling her that I heard this caused damage and would rather her use a regular ceramic iron, but she insisted it was what my hair type needed? I was very skeptical about this flat iron  but like like a dummy, I let her use it, and not only that she did so many passes with it to get my hair straight that  I lost count!  So, when my hair came up damaged, I couldn't blame anyone but myself, because I knew better . So moving forward,  I will always lay down a few ground rules, and you should do the same. A stylists,braider, or weave specialist  would appreciate this if they care anything about your hair. 

 Here is a list that you can follow to ensure you stay in charge when it comes to the continued health of your hair when visiting salons or someone you trust.

Always request a consultation to discuss your hair care needs, and to get a good understanding of what their specialities are. (I typically stray away from salons that only care about a "Fly" style at any cost.)

Seek out reviews from people you know or have access to that have used their services, to get an idea of how the stylist really operates. This will help you decide if you and your hair will benefit from there particular style of hair care. 

Make it known to your stylists "during your appointment" if you start to experience something you don't like i.e, too tight braids. Stop them in their tracks.

Don't  be afraid to open your mouth,  I know most stylists, braiders, etc. have really big personalities and confidence in their work. But at the end of the day, it is your head and you have to walk around with it 24/7.

Get up and Walk out, if you feel like your hair is being damaged. I know people who will sit there,(I've done it!) and let someone pull, burn, break, snap, and fry their hair off, and will sit there quietly until it's over.  It may seem dramatic or over the top to walk out, but afterwards you'll be glad you did, and your hair will thank you for it.  

Do it yourself. If you have decided that you know your hair better than anyone, and will not damage it. Then be your own stylist. There are many women that have increased their knowledge ,sharpened their skills, and have taken control of their healthy hair journeys.  

Until next time! Be blessed...

Tangle Teezers: Pay Attention...

The Tangle Teezer....

Okay so if you are at all into hair, : ) I'm sure you've heard of this new detangling tool called the Tangle Teezer.   It claims to detangle, smooth, and minimize breakage. When I first noticed The Tangle Teezer taking off in the natural hair community I really wasn't interested because I figured it was just another fad that would blaze in and out of the natural hair community like the denman brush.  But, after many convincing reviews and youtube video's I decided I had to give it a try.  And here's my assessment:

Pro's:  After the first use I must say that it did detangle with EASE, as well smooths, and stretches the hair making it easier to apply twists, and braids for my stretched out styles. I also loved  that it gave my hair a blow out look without having to use the blow dryer. That to me was very impressive. It also took less than 8 minutes for me to detangle my hair. Awesome, loved that!

Con's: When used with water or product the brush slips out of your hand a lot, (no biggie, I could deal with that. But, what I couldn't accept were the short broken pieces of hairs, that I noticed in my brush afterwards?  I believe this Tangle Teezer was breaking off my ends.



My Tangle Teezer



Now, I don't know if you can see this, but what I am showing you are short little pieces of hairs that came off in my brush. That's not good! Short hairs typically means your hair snapped off!  The first time it happened I was somewhat in denial. I tried my best to ignore it because this brush seems to work so well!   So I gave it another try, making sure my hair was wet, and saturated with product, and I was a lot gentler with it. Still small broken hairs. I even tried it a Third time!(I obviously didn't want to give up on it) The third time wasn't as bad because I was extra gentle, however,  I've decided that the Tangle Teezer it's not worth the potential damage to my hair.  

 I don't want to look up 3 months later and my hair is shredded to pieces because I didn't want to take the time to detangle my hair the proper way. (with my fingers, in the shower, followed up with my Jibree showercomb!) Even when I was using the denman brush I never noticed broken pieces of hair after a dentangling session? So the Tangle Teezer is a no go for me.  Thankfully, I noticed early on, the potential damage it could be doing to my hair.  

 If you are currently using this brush, and can't see departing from it, consider the possibility of having to depart from your precious strands because this brush caused you to have a ton of split ends or breakage. I"m not saying that this will be everyone's experience, but I will say be careful, and pay attention to the hairs in your brush. Are they long shed hairs, or short broken off pieces? Also, examine your ends more regularly and see if you notice a difference. And if so, you may want to consider doing what's best for your hair, and stop using this brush.  (I've found another use for it, I've taken it to my Manican's head, and if I had a dog, I'd use it on him/her?)  Just my two cents!!! 

 Healthy Happy Hair growing!!