Let's talk hair. I've been watching so many hair videos and learning all the things. For instance...did you know that the synthetic hair that is used for braiding is toxic? The braiding hair that is marketed for women of color is literally a carcinogen. I had no idea. I do remember the smell from back in the day the few times I had braids and they would burn the ends. It did not smell good. Basically most of the hair on the market is plastic, acrylic, and it's recommended to limit contact with that stuff which you can't do when you are literally braiding the hair into your head and it's so close to your nose, mouth, eyes etc. Scary stuff. I did find that there are a few brands that make a healthier hair made of collagen and are black owned so there are other options. I have been wanting to get my hair braided for awhile but I do not want to sit for hours and hours...and I hate having my hair braided so tightly. It's itchy, it hurts, and it puts a lot of tension on your edges so I always talk myself out of it. Also I would be ready to take it out after two days wasting all my time and money.
But we aren't here to talk braids. I really needed a trim/cut and always want to go and get it done but I also don't feel like paying all that money for someone to cut too much or thin out my hair, cause heat damage, and give me a frizzy blow-out. I can do all that stuff to my own hair for free...so that's what I did 😂.
I did cut a little over three inches...and probably should take about two more inches off. I either plan to do it in the fall or little but little this summer. I have resolved to take better care of my hair, stop ripping out tangles and hair etc.
So first things first, I detangled and blew it out last week, but I didn't have my scissors yet so I didn't flat iron. I just blew it out and tried to wear it for the week.
This past Sunday...I did it all again. Wash it, applied some heat protectant and used the viral Revlon One Step to blow out my hair. I love that brush. It made the blow out step so easy. I have stubborn kinks and coils and this just blew it out in no time at all. What takes the most time is detangling. Always takes me at least an hour...up to an hour and a half. Especially now that I am being "gentle". Also I have a lot of hair even though it doesn't look like it when I wear my hair natural.
Then I flat ironed my hair with my ancient Sedu flat iron. I've had it for years and only used it a handful of times. It works so well though.
The end result was really soft and straight hair. So I made two ponytails...one at the top and other at the bottom and cut. It was very satisfying. I am addicted to the sound and feel of cutting hair which is why I have avoided owning scissors for so long. But cutting my hair with regular scissors really split my ends the last time I cut it so it was time to get some hair shears.
And...this is what I was left with. I was surprised that my hair was still so long after I cut it. The back is really surprisingly long. I think I was very surprised because I somehow convinced myself that my hair was thinning and I had thin patches. That's not true at all and I'm not sure how I convinced myself of that. But I'm glad I straightened it and figured out my mind was playing tricks on me. The mind is truly a powerful thing.
At night I have been pulling it up in a ponytail and using the old school foam rollers to "curl" the ends. My hair is still not holding a curl but it's much better than if I don't use anything. I have two packs so I keep one unopened and fresh and use the other pack. Foam rollers for the win- except they can be drying on the ends....
Now to find out if I have any heat damage. I got a bit heat happy and had that iron UP on HIGH. My hair was too hot to touch after a few passes so...hopefully the heat protectant did its job. I'll update the post by Sunday....
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