Irish Fae
May 8th, 2014, 11:20 AM
Good evening/afternoon/morning to all of the lovely ladies and gentlemen of the LHC!
I am a month late, but I am celebrating my third year on the forum! I can't believe it! It seems like only a year ago that I signed up after completely freaking out over how much damage my hair had sustained from its "emo Jareth from the Labyrinth" hairstyle (straightening almost every single day and a horrendous razor cut!). Seriously, that is the look I was going for at the time. Jareth is awesome, and his hair is awesome, but I absolutely do not have the correct hair texture for it!!!
Everyone here was immensely kind and helpful from the start, and I especially appreciated how many of the members put my mind at ease and assured me that my hair wouldn't be ruined forever! It was hard to accept at the time, and I remember feeling very anxious about the damage. However, I focused on learning how to care for my hair properly, and I ditched my straightener other than on my fringe, which I trim on a regular basis. I haven't straightened my length for over a year, and I only blow-dry on special occasions or at my semi-annual haircut.
Thankfully, I was able to embrace my natural 2a/2b texture after coming to the conclusion that if it is good enough for elves and mermaids, it must not be too bad! I always wanted silky, straight hair as a child, but I am finally learning to appreciate my wild, wavy mane that gets frizzy if you simply look at it wrong. Little did I know, at the time, that brushing it too much was a bad thing and that it needed more hydration and oil! Coconut oil has been a lifesaver, as well as elements of the curly girl method! I believe it was last spring that I finally reached my goal of waist-length hair. I am maintaining at approximately that length, gradually trimming off all of the damage. My hair is probably an inch or two longer now. I may grow to hip, but I haven't decided yet.
These are some of things I learned here that have truly changed my hair's life:
- stop trying to make your wavy hair look straight and you might actually love your waves!
- braids are amazing!
- coconut oil is amazing!
- you can get away with washing only twice a week (I use a dry shampoo that I love in between washes, but this alone made a huge difference for me)
- S&D can save your ends from a big trim!
- Hair toys are beautiful... oh my goodness... so many stunning hair toys!
- your hair truly can grow long if you take care of it!
Also, this beautiful Nene Thomas painting became my fantasy hair inspiration/ideal that also helped me to accept my hair's natural texture:
http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa336/captainlonewolf/nenequeenoffate_zps5858eaa1.jpg
On an unrelated note, I discovered BPAL because of this forum as well, and now I am completely addicted!!!!
Photos:
Due to the LHC crash/server upgrade a while ago, I lost the horrendous photos of my hair from when I very first joined. I didn't save them on my computer because I didn't want to see them ever again! However, the oldest photo I could find was from a few months after I joined. My hair already looked much better here than it did, but you can see the damage, frizz, and thin, sad ends. I believe I was using henna glosses to achieve this colour, but it often faded and looked brassy.
http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa336/captainlonewolf/IMG_6724.jpg
Fast forward a few years!
This was my milestone of hitting waist. My hair is not really this dark in person, but it is darker than it was in the photo above and I use semi-permanent dye to achieve the colour I like.
http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa336/captainlonewolf/DSC00776_zps1a435101.jpg
And this is from my most recent hair trim, which I usually have done several times a year and allow myself the special treat of having my hair blow-dried. It changes the texture, but I absolutely adore the way my stylist does it, and it always feels so long and silky afterwards!
http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa336/captainlonewolf/April22nd_zps0a1db291.jpg
This next photo is from Beltane. My friend is a Renaissance hair braider and was kind enough to do this for me:
http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa336/captainlonewolf/April30th_zps457a4320.jpg
As a bonus, this is from one of my most recent photoshoots for a business I model for, and I was able to showcase my hair with its natural texture.
http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa336/captainlonewolf/RedDress_zpsb43eefa3.jpg
Thank you to everyone for three wonderful years here, and hopefully many more! :flower:
Cheers!
Irish Fae
I am a month late, but I am celebrating my third year on the forum! I can't believe it! It seems like only a year ago that I signed up after completely freaking out over how much damage my hair had sustained from its "emo Jareth from the Labyrinth" hairstyle (straightening almost every single day and a horrendous razor cut!). Seriously, that is the look I was going for at the time. Jareth is awesome, and his hair is awesome, but I absolutely do not have the correct hair texture for it!!!
Everyone here was immensely kind and helpful from the start, and I especially appreciated how many of the members put my mind at ease and assured me that my hair wouldn't be ruined forever! It was hard to accept at the time, and I remember feeling very anxious about the damage. However, I focused on learning how to care for my hair properly, and I ditched my straightener other than on my fringe, which I trim on a regular basis. I haven't straightened my length for over a year, and I only blow-dry on special occasions or at my semi-annual haircut.
Thankfully, I was able to embrace my natural 2a/2b texture after coming to the conclusion that if it is good enough for elves and mermaids, it must not be too bad! I always wanted silky, straight hair as a child, but I am finally learning to appreciate my wild, wavy mane that gets frizzy if you simply look at it wrong. Little did I know, at the time, that brushing it too much was a bad thing and that it needed more hydration and oil! Coconut oil has been a lifesaver, as well as elements of the curly girl method! I believe it was last spring that I finally reached my goal of waist-length hair. I am maintaining at approximately that length, gradually trimming off all of the damage. My hair is probably an inch or two longer now. I may grow to hip, but I haven't decided yet.
These are some of things I learned here that have truly changed my hair's life:
- stop trying to make your wavy hair look straight and you might actually love your waves!
- braids are amazing!
- coconut oil is amazing!
- you can get away with washing only twice a week (I use a dry shampoo that I love in between washes, but this alone made a huge difference for me)
- S&D can save your ends from a big trim!
- Hair toys are beautiful... oh my goodness... so many stunning hair toys!
- your hair truly can grow long if you take care of it!
Also, this beautiful Nene Thomas painting became my fantasy hair inspiration/ideal that also helped me to accept my hair's natural texture:
http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa336/captainlonewolf/nenequeenoffate_zps5858eaa1.jpg
On an unrelated note, I discovered BPAL because of this forum as well, and now I am completely addicted!!!!
Photos:
Due to the LHC crash/server upgrade a while ago, I lost the horrendous photos of my hair from when I very first joined. I didn't save them on my computer because I didn't want to see them ever again! However, the oldest photo I could find was from a few months after I joined. My hair already looked much better here than it did, but you can see the damage, frizz, and thin, sad ends. I believe I was using henna glosses to achieve this colour, but it often faded and looked brassy.
http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa336/captainlonewolf/IMG_6724.jpg
Fast forward a few years!
This was my milestone of hitting waist. My hair is not really this dark in person, but it is darker than it was in the photo above and I use semi-permanent dye to achieve the colour I like.
http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa336/captainlonewolf/DSC00776_zps1a435101.jpg
And this is from my most recent hair trim, which I usually have done several times a year and allow myself the special treat of having my hair blow-dried. It changes the texture, but I absolutely adore the way my stylist does it, and it always feels so long and silky afterwards!
http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa336/captainlonewolf/April22nd_zps0a1db291.jpg
This next photo is from Beltane. My friend is a Renaissance hair braider and was kind enough to do this for me:
http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa336/captainlonewolf/April30th_zps457a4320.jpg
As a bonus, this is from one of my most recent photoshoots for a business I model for, and I was able to showcase my hair with its natural texture.
http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa336/captainlonewolf/RedDress_zpsb43eefa3.jpg
Thank you to everyone for three wonderful years here, and hopefully many more! :flower:
Cheers!
Irish Fae