A hair story: natural texture validation

[nomadhome]

I have an acquaintance/friend, a sweet and interesting person, who has straight, waist length hair. When we first met her, my fiance mentioned afterward that he thought her hair might be flat ironed and damaged (this is a man with a shaved head talking-- he's learning :D) and I agreed.

One day I saw her natural texture: a potentially gorgeous 3a, at least. Recently, during a hug, I unavoidably touched her straightened hair. I thought it might break off in my hands. It was dry, pokey and straw-like. No wonder I never, ever see her touching her hair!

Don't get me wrong, she's a sweetheart and cute girl, but touching her hair did sort of affirm me in my own decision for natural texture. There is a price to pay for that kind of styling, beyond the extra time it takes her to get ready when we go out. There really is. Of course I already knew that, but this was a good reminder.

I'll be staying on the LHC natural texture hair care train. Toot toot, get on board! :p

[Peggy E.]

Good for you! Too bad your friend doesn't have your confidence and sense of self acceptance. Maybe you could help her out a bit?

Of course, you don't want to hurt her feelings, but there might be some ways you could casually work hair care into your conversations. Maybe you could "try out" some styles for your eventual wedding, for instance?

Simply being an excellent role model and good friend will come into play some day, when her hair is falling out and breaking off. It would be nice if she could begin to save it before it gets to that point, though.

Good luck with your friend and congratulations on your journey down the right path!

[Dvips]

:thumbsup: Good for you indeed!

It's always nice to get a reminder to help motivate staying on the course we want to be on.

[rubyann]

I can't help but feel sorry for her poor hair!

I'm on board the train, too. I like my hair best when I just leave it alone.

[k_hepburn]

When we first met her, my fiance mentioned afterward that he thought her hair might be flat ironed and damaged (this is a man with a shaved head talking-- he's learning :D) and I agreed.



He sounds like a keeper! :)

katharine

[Blueneko]

My good friend at work has highlighted, blow fried, flat ironed, then TEASED hair. It is baby fine, so she thinks it is helpful to flatten it, then tease it for body. Her broken hair halo is horrific. And there I am across the aisle with hair washed only twice a week and natural thickness and wave.

P.S. Everyone in the Midwest seems to have that stacked, rooster-in-the-back, highlighted, flat ironed hair. I need to get back to California!

[nomadhome]

P.S. Everyone in the Midwest seems to have that stacked, rooster-in-the-back, highlighted, flat ironed hair. I need to get back to California!

I hear ya! Here in the south, hair seems to be more intensely and frequently mistreated than in other places I've lived (Northern California, New England, etc.)

[nomadhome]

Peggy-- Thanks! I'll work on bringing it up when there is an opening. I suspect that you're right about the levels of confidence.

[psvzum]

Good for you!!! I sympathize with her though. I also have 2C/3A hair and love how it would look when it was flatironed/blown dried. But....I love my hair and want it healthier so I have come to embrace my curls : )

[*BelievingAgain]

It's a really nice, comforting feeling when you come to terms with health being more important than fashionable appearance...I think irons have their place, just not every day!! Hope you can help your friend to see a different side to her beauty.

Jess :flower:

[MotherConfessor]

Sigh, I hate seeing my friends abuse their poor hair. My general reaction is too just go absolutely nuts and give them tons of compliments when they leave their hair natural. Usually they give me a weird look and say that they just did not have time to do it in the morning, but I am hoping that my compliments will pay off in the long run. I actually think they might be leaving their hair down more often!!!!!!!!
:cheese::cheese: Heres hoping!!!

[florenonite]

Sigh, I hate seeing my friends abuse their poor hair. My general reaction is too just go absolutely nuts and give them tons of compliments when they leave their hair natural. Usually they give me a weird look and say that they just did not have time to do it in the morning, but I am hoping that my compliments will pay off in the long run. I actually think they might be leaving their hair down more often!!!!!!!!
:cheese::cheese: Heres hoping!!!

I do this too! I've got a friend with hair roughly 2c that she straightens every time she washes it. She had it waist-length, with fairytale ends, then cut it to shoulder-length but wants to grow it back out, so whenever I see her hair curly I point out how nice it looks and she just gives me a funny look.

[DecafJane]

The sad part is that if you flat-iron it all the time, it is hard to get the natural curl to come back, even if you want it to.
I like my hair straight, but I love the curls and health even more, so my flat iron is packed far, far away! :)

I wonder how long it would take somebody with waist-length hair to straighten??? The time and effort alone would be horrific, without even considering the damage!

[flapjack]

P.S. Everyone in the Midwest seems to have that stacked, rooster-in-the-back, highlighted, flat ironed hair. I need to get back to California!



Everyone here does the flat ironing... plus this...


http://www.lfhair.com/assets/images/vw-strd-bond1.gif

[Nevermore]

What...is that?

[Nevermore]

I can't imagine how people with type 3/4 hair manage to flat iron it straight. At all. I have wurly hair and I attempted the flat iron thing several times, when my hair was straighter anyway, and never accomplished anything but frizz. Then again, I was doing it without product and with a cheap iron and this was quite a few (6?) years ago, so maybe they're hotter or something now, but it still baffles me.

[Katurday]

My brother's girlfriend has the most beautiful curls on earth.
She used to straighten them (which ironically did nothing for her round face...) and I, being the anti-straightening goon that I am, told my brother to tell her that she looks ugly with straight hair.
(My brother hated her straightened hair too)
So anyway, he did, and she stopped.

Then, months later she straightened it once.
She looked at the mirror and frowned.
She thought she looked hideous and missed her curls.
So...Its mostly a matter of "getting used to it" and stuff.

AND ANYWAY STRAIGHTENERS ARE FOR DEMONS AND NOT JUST BECAUSE I'M SLOW WHEN IT COMES TO USING THEM.

[freznow]

I had a friend where we lived before who had lovely curls (though floofy and I think she could have enjoyed them more with some LHC care ;) ) Recently I saw a picture of her hair flatironed and I nearly screamed! (In my head, of course) I pointed out how I loved her hair curly, and hope she doesn't wear it like that often these days...

[j4zzin]

Everyone here does the flat ironing... plus this...


http://www.lfhair.com/assets/images/vw-strd-bond1.gif

:confused: Please explain what this is!

[flapjack]

Sorry, I was offline! Hahaha. They're tracks from hair extensions.

[spidermom]

On the other hand, my DD tells me that she would rather have to cut her hair short and start over than stop doing things to her hair. She'll break out the flat iron and do the same section of hair over and over again until it's stick straight and I'm covering my eyes so I don't have to look at it (well, no, actually I just walk away). She keeps her hair between shoulder-length and 3-4 inches longer, and her hair grows pretty fast, so the damage doesn't have a chance to compound - thank goodness! Otherwise she'd be sporting straw.

[Saranne772]

Poor poor girl. I guess there is a smidging of not known the effects- I never straightened much and such before LHC but not because of the effects- because I couldnt be bothered as it took too long to do with waist hair. Now I know the damaging ness I sold my hair straightening etc kit on ebay!

[Nynaeve]

I have an acquaintance/friend, a sweet and interesting person, who has straight, waist length hair. When we first met her, my fiance mentioned afterward that he thought her hair might be flat ironed and damaged (this is a man with a shaved head talking-- he's learning :D) and I agreed.

One day I saw her natural texture: a potentially gorgeous 3a, at least. Recently, during a hug, I unavoidably touched her straightened hair. I thought it might break off in my hands. It was dry, pokey and straw-like. No wonder I never, ever see her touching her hair!

Don't get me wrong, she's a sweetheart and cute girl, but touching her hair did sort of affirm me in my own decision for natural texture. There is a price to pay for that kind of styling, beyond the extra time it takes her to get ready when we go out. There really is. Of course I already knew that, but this was a good reminder.

I'll be staying on the LHC natural texture hair care train. Toot toot, get on board! :p


That's so sad. :( I hate it when people want their hair to look good so badly that they just destroy it. It's depressing.

I'm also on the train with you! :cheese:

[backtonature]

Those are fused extensions like Brittney Spears and Paris Hilton have done. The take hair extensions and fuse it by melting a bonder onto the clients hair near the root. I'm not sure how anyone who is trained on hair care (ie. keeping the hair healthy) could do this. But thats what many so called high end salons offer in Hollywood do and it is now popular across the country as a easy way to get length. But it absolutely reuions the hair.

chu chu...I'm on the train with you:thumbsup:

[flapjack]

I've heard it can also damage the scalp itself, as well. I know a couple girls who have permanent semi-bald spots in the back of their head... it's been almost two years for one girl and the hair that has grown back is very very sparse so you can see her scalp and she can't wear certain hairstyles anymore without it showing through.

[backtonature]

Yikes, thats so sad. I wish people could see that its just not worth it.