Quasi Length Check

57 Months Natural

It has been way too long since my last real length check! While I was taking my blog break, I tried to be mindful and jot down ideas here and there. I KNOW I took pictures of my hair with my length check shirt on, but so much has gone on over the course of the past few months. I've searched high and low for those photos and I can't seem to find them anywhere.

SO! The next time my hair is straightened, I'm going to get things rolling again with more routine length checks. I also need to get a post out to get my blogger legs back, so this post is more than a must.

How Did My Salon Visit Go???

Last Saturday couldn't get here fast enough!! Even though I don't like getting up early on Saturday's because they are my days of rest, I peeled myself out of bed to get to my salon appointment on time! I was excited and anxious at the same time! The salon I went to is called Natural Motion Salon, in Northwest DC. This salon was option 3 and choice #1 in this post. I'll start from the beginning because I know you guys are curious, but I'll try not to make this too long!!

I get to the salon and shortly after I arrive I meet Tammy, my cosmetologist. Off the bat, I got a very nice, friendly, jovial, sweet, and kind-hearted feel from her. She definitely made me feel like I'd been coming to her for years.

Before

I had a short conversation with her about how I'd been looking for a salon since I arrived in DC back in August but had heard some really bad things about salons/stylists here that made me very nervous. I told her I found out about the salon through efikzara's IG page and that efikzara had also made a YouTube video about her salon trip which won me over. She isn't into social media so she was blown away that I found her this way. She was telling everybody in the salon about it and about how she was a celebrity now...lol! After our short introductions, I let her know it was about time for trim anyway but my split ends were the main reason I was there. I also told her I'd been having issues with shedding and dry scalp. Last week, I wore my hair in a ponytail because I purposely skipped wash day. I knew I was going to the salon and I had just about it had it with my hair that week. I was seriously like whatever with it! But, as you have it, here is my before picture.

After I shared all this with her she gave me a run down about what she could do for me today and how she could work with me moving forward. For my trip this day, I got a wash, silicon and steam treatment (acting as the deep conditioner), trim, straighten and curl.

For starters, I'd never had a steam treatment before so it was an interesting experience. I don't really have much to say about it; it was exotic, nor could I feel the moisture seeping into my hair follicles or anything magical like that. It was just like sitting under a dryer (minus the heat) with steam coming out. It was hot or wet and I didn't really feel anything as I was sitting there, it was just steam! She put silicon throughout my hair before I sat under the hood and I was under there for about 15 minutes. This treatment is supposed to add moisture and shine to my hair. It's only been four days and I haven't really been able to tell a difference, but I see my hair everyday. I don't think I'm the best judge.

After my hair was all washed and conditioned, she separated it into about 5 plaits and sat me under the dryer to pre-dry. After my hair was almost dry, she blew my hair out with the blow dryer. She first trimmed the ends (before straightening it), then with the flat iron she straightened and curled my hair at the same time. For the most part, she only did one pass per section...so I have no doubt that my hair will revert. After my hair was straightened, she could tell there were more damaged ends on the hair around my neck so she cut another half an inch off at the bottom. Overall, she cut about half an inch...and an inch around my neck. That's about normal for a trim (minus the extra trim she had to do around my neck). Here are the finished results:

Of course there were differences in the way my hair was done this time versus the way I'm used to having it done at home. I must also be honest, I still wish I could go to my salon back home...and I don't think there's anything wrong with that. I have an attachment thing going on...lol. I just want what's best for my hair. I want to see it grow. I feel like my hair has been stuck at this point/length for a while now, so I'm getting anxious about its growth. I'm so ready to move forward (and for my hair to move down my back) but I know that'll all come with time.

The plan for the future is to micro-trim along the way. All the damaged ends aren't gone and she didn't shape my hair with this trim. I'll be going back just about every two weeks so what will happen is, she'll slowly trim away at the damaged ends as we go. Does that mean that I'll have to get a cut every time? I hope not, but if that's what I have to do, then I'm in for the long haul because my goal is length. I can't get length without healthy hair. I'm hoping the trims will be more like every other time, or every three times...LOL...but they have to go!!

Overall I give my salon experience a four out of five. There was another young lady there who I sparked a conversation with who's been going to Tammy for a few years. She had nothing but great things to say about Tammy and the work she does. I know people say try different salons before settling on one but this salon is in a great location; Tammy has great availability; the prices are super reasonable; there's a fun atmosphere; etc. I was comfortable there and until I'm given a reason not to be comfortable anymore, I will remain.

So, can you tell the difference? I'm sure you can see that it's been "trimmed" and maybe you all can see the moisture/shine in it. I don't know, can you? What do you see that's different about my hair, if anything??
Do you like it??

I'm curious to hear your thoughts because I'm so excited to have found someone!! So SHARE your thoughts with me!

Also, the Spring Break Cash Giveaway is still going on. Enter for your chance to win $200!

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Holiday Salon Visit

Assessing My Damaged Hair

This post will be a painful post for me to type. Some might say that I'm making a mountain out of a mole hill, but I'll let you decide.

Hair is what this blog is all about, so I thought it fitting for this to be the first real post of 2014. In my December Length Check post, I talked about the length of my hair post salon visit. I also made a reference to the trouble I thought I was having with my hair in The Curl Is Back and Straightening My Own Hair. My prognosis was right!! I was dealing with terrible split ends.

When I walked into the salon, I told my cosmetologist everything I thought was wrong. I also told her about all the itching my head was doing and about the split ends I knew I had...I just didn't know how bad they were. She told me that overall my hair looked good and I was doing a good job with it. My scalp looked good too so the only thing she could think would be the culprit of my itchy scalp was my move. I've been having trouble with dry skin lately. I'm not drinking enough water but aside from that I know the water here is different from the water in NC. One of my 2014 goals is to drink more water, so I hope to do better with my skin this year.

My split ends...smh. Well, there's nothing you can do to fix split ends except cut them. She told me the back of my hair was worse than the front. Here's my thing. I do a great job with my hair (overall). I know how to take care of it and maintain it so I can have length retention which is my ultimate goal. Yes, health is important too, but I'm shooting for healthy length. Haircuts don't help with length retention. That's going in the opposite direction. I've never been a fan of hair cuts. I don't even like trims, but I get them because I know it's "necessary".

Look at this picture to the right. You can tell my hair is suffering. I don't like the progress, or lack thereof, I've made.

I told my cosmetologist how I straightened my hair because I knew that was to blame. I was trying to simulate what she does when she dries my hair but I had gotten frustrated because it wasn't turning out like I knew it should. I hurried through it...pulling and yanking with the brush...knowing that it wasn't good for my hair. Working with the hair in the back of my head, always gives me the most trouble because I can't see that hair and trying to maneuver my arms and hands to handle that hair is always irritating. These are main reasons why I needed my boyfriend to help me through the job of flat ironing the hair because split ends is one thing but ruining the curl pattern is a completely different ball game.

I knew I'd have to get my hair cut going into the situation, so it wasn't a shock. I also learned that the split ends were a good part of the reason why my hair wouldn't curl like it should have when it was straight. She ended up cutting off about 1 to 1.5 inches of hair, mostly in the back. My feelings are still hurt from my visit because I had to cut off the growth I'd made in those two months between visits.

What I need to do:

1. Buy an ionic hair dryer with a concentrator attachment nozzle.

• Besides blow drying my hair with frustration, I was not doing the blow drying method properly. I was trying to blow dry my hair; brushing the hair from root to tip. That's NOT right. The first step is to use the nozzle to concentrate the air on my blow drying my roots first. I use a brush to brush the hair away, but I don't need to brush the hair all the way out from root to tip. After the roots are dried, I use the brush to gently comb through to the tips of my hair. I also don't need to apply direct heat. (This sounds more complicated than it is, but I visually have the method down pact.)

2. Ask for help.

• If I think things are going south, instead of blow drying with frustration, I should ask for help.

3. Do some protective styling to give my hair an opportunity to rest.

• I'm manipulating my hair every day. It's experienced most of the elements (rain, snow, sleet, very cold air, warm air, humidity, etc. - the weather's been crazy here!) since it's been damaged and I just want to give it a rest. I'm upset about the length I lost and I shake my head every time I look in the mirror. What makes it worse is that I still have some split ends left...that means more cutting! Who knows when I'll be able to get back to my salon. Best solution for that is to hide it from myself! I'm seriously thinking about getting a sew-in.

4. Length checks every other month.

• It's bad enough that I see my hair every day, but to do monthly length checks doesn't help either. I want to compare my hair to itself only when there's been significant gains made. I think checking every other month will help me see more dramatic growth.

5. Be healthier.

• I'm already working on drinking more water, but I also want to have a more routine eating schedule that includes healthier, heartier foods. I want to provide my body and my hair with the vitamins needed. I'm tired of the dry skin and I want to maximize hair growth as much as possible.

With my two year natural anniversary coming up at the end of this month, I hope to start this third year of my natural hair journey armed with as much knowledge and gumption to do what I need to do to reach my goal. I think I would have my hair reach down to my bra strap by my 2 year big chop anniversary. Not at all unattainable, but I've got to do a better job with taking care of my hair. I have 10 months to go, so let's keep our fingers crossed!!

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