I am a biracial girl (in case you haven't figured that out or haven't read my "About Me" tab at the top of the page). As such, I find myself hovering somewhere between White people's hair (fine hair strands) and Black people's hair (um, curly. Hopefully you all know that :P). So that's what's up: my hair is relatively fine - not thin, exactly - but thinner than most black hair. Yet I have very curly "s-shape" mixed with "corkscrew" curls. Theoretically this should mean that I have the best of both worlds, and to a certain extent that's true. There are days (and certain curling methods) that give me the most fabulous (and dare I say enviable) curls ever. But for the most part, my hair drives me nuts.
I've always loved bangs. But as any curly-haired girl knows, bangs simply won't do. Sigh. I guess the grass really is greener on the other side. I've had countless people tell me they love my hair and it's so hard to take the compliment graciously because for every "good" hair day I have there are hundreds I wish I could just forget about. What I would give for beachy, wavy hair!
But for the most part, I have come to accept my hair texture. On some days I even would say I've embraced it. It was only until I came across the website, http://www.naturallycurly.com, about curly hair (not just ethnic) that changed my life - I'm not even kidding. It opened my eyes to the versatility and beauty of all things curly. Also it helped me figure out how to take care of my hair. My mom is white and she was a single mother so she didn't know much about styling black hair (god bless her :P). So I grew up most of my life going to the salon to get it straightened (luckily I skipped over the relaxer disasters that so many black girls are subjected to). This website helped me realize that magazines and media are geared towards - SHOCK! - not black hair. They give tips like, "use a quarter-sized amount of conditioner on your hair," and "use clarifying shampoo to get all the gunk out!" But those things, and more, are TERRIBLE for curly hair!!! Not to mention it only shows a one-dimensional image of beauty (but that's a conversation for another time). Our hair needs moisture above all which means load up on the conditioner and skip the clarifying shampoos (they have laureth sulfate in them which dries hair follicles and strips color out if your hair is dyed).
The most important thing I probably learned from this website, above all, is to look at the ingredients in your hair products! I've made the shift to almost all of my hair products being made of relatively natural ingredients. depending on you curl type (I'm a 3b :D), different ingredients are bad/better for your hair. For instance, I need to stay away from protein-rich products (that would primarily be keratin) and use products like creams and gels that really saturate the follicle. I hardly ever straighten my hair these days.
So, the point of this whole post is a precursor to my newest hair look. I've never had the same hairstyle for more than a year (still not kidding). I wanted to do something dramatic, bold, and edgy. I've been feeling like I'm blending into the background lately and I want some attention! (Is that wrong, haha?) I was originally thinking really short and platinum blond. But after reading blogs and chat rooms about upkeep, I was like, "ummm....no." I'm pretty low maintenance when it comes to hair. So what could I do then? Well...scroll down to see more, mwahaha! (Trust me, it's not crazy. I don't want attention THAT bad!)
I've always loved bangs. But as any curly-haired girl knows, bangs simply won't do. Sigh. I guess the grass really is greener on the other side. I've had countless people tell me they love my hair and it's so hard to take the compliment graciously because for every "good" hair day I have there are hundreds I wish I could just forget about. What I would give for beachy, wavy hair!
But for the most part, I have come to accept my hair texture. On some days I even would say I've embraced it. It was only until I came across the website, http://www.naturallycurly.com, about curly hair (not just ethnic) that changed my life - I'm not even kidding. It opened my eyes to the versatility and beauty of all things curly. Also it helped me figure out how to take care of my hair. My mom is white and she was a single mother so she didn't know much about styling black hair (god bless her :P). So I grew up most of my life going to the salon to get it straightened (luckily I skipped over the relaxer disasters that so many black girls are subjected to). This website helped me realize that magazines and media are geared towards - SHOCK! - not black hair. They give tips like, "use a quarter-sized amount of conditioner on your hair," and "use clarifying shampoo to get all the gunk out!" But those things, and more, are TERRIBLE for curly hair!!! Not to mention it only shows a one-dimensional image of beauty (but that's a conversation for another time). Our hair needs moisture above all which means load up on the conditioner and skip the clarifying shampoos (they have laureth sulfate in them which dries hair follicles and strips color out if your hair is dyed).
The most important thing I probably learned from this website, above all, is to look at the ingredients in your hair products! I've made the shift to almost all of my hair products being made of relatively natural ingredients. depending on you curl type (I'm a 3b :D), different ingredients are bad/better for your hair. For instance, I need to stay away from protein-rich products (that would primarily be keratin) and use products like creams and gels that really saturate the follicle. I hardly ever straighten my hair these days.
So, the point of this whole post is a precursor to my newest hair look. I've never had the same hairstyle for more than a year (still not kidding). I wanted to do something dramatic, bold, and edgy. I've been feeling like I'm blending into the background lately and I want some attention! (Is that wrong, haha?) I was originally thinking really short and platinum blond. But after reading blogs and chat rooms about upkeep, I was like, "ummm....no." I'm pretty low maintenance when it comes to hair. So what could I do then? Well...scroll down to see more, mwahaha! (Trust me, it's not crazy. I don't want attention THAT bad!)
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| Before... |
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| Processing... |
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| ...After! (I love it!!!!) |
Yesssss, blonde-ish brunette! This is literally the perfect outcome for me. Since the my hairstylist Mary (she's awesome) used bleach to lighten my hair, I don't have to worry about color fade. And since she faded the color into the roots, which stayed darker, I don't have to go in every two to four weeks to get the roots touched up (I am so stoked about this!) I love it because it's not like I have a ton of money laying around to spend on my hair so often. I'll go back in around christmas I think (~6 months) and get the color processed again (Mary says this will make the color more dimensional). She must be like a magician or something because I have yet to notice any damage to the ends. My hair is actually incredibly soft. Lesson to learn: ALWAYS LET A PRO COLOR YOUR HAIR!!!! (Especially if you're going blond and especially ESPECIALLY when you have curly hair).
I have an OOTD post coming up soon so you all will be able to see my new do from a different perspective. I'm hoping perhaps this post will give some other curly-haired woman the courage to make a change and stand out! It feels awesome. Have a lovely day, my lovelies!
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