Greetings my lovelies! I know, I know! I have been away for a while but I was going through a huge transition the last month! I moved and I got married!! I’ve also been making some amazing developments with my Hair Garden products that I can’t wait to share with you.
I am so happy to be back, however, I return with a heavy heart. We all know I take care of my hair and keep it super simple when it comes to styling. I have had some terrible encounters with stylists in the past that simply do not know how to comb coiled hair! They use the wrong kind of tools (rat tailed combs), incorrect technique and impatience when it comes to some textures of natural hair. As a stylist, some hair styles are difficult for me to recreate on myself, especially the detail in the back, which is why for my wedding day I wanted someone else to create the style I wanted. I came across this beautiful photo on pinterest and knew that was the style I wanted for my wedding!
I was not familiar with any stylists in the area so I had to take a chance. I went to the first African hair braiding shop I saw. I wanted to see their work and salon environment as I do any salon I would go to for any service. When I walked in I saw a young lady leaving with a beautiful natural hairstyle. It was so neatly done and lovely. I was sure I made the right choice and was excited to set my appointment. Now, I am about to tell the story of how my ends went from pampered and full to abused and broken!
The evening before I went in, I shampooed, deep conditioned and blew out my hair after applying a thermal protectant, of course! I went back through and sealed my ends with shea butter and leave-in conditioner and sectioned my hair into 5 sections to make it easy for the stylist to manage. I wanted the least damage done to my ends as possible. I did not have the confidence that she would have as much patience with my hair as I do.
Clearly, my efforts were futile. When sat in the stylists chair she commented on how nice and thick my hair was and pulled out her blow dryer with the comb attachment. I already was feeling waves on anxiety because I rarely blow dry my hair and I had met my quota for the next few months already with my one blow dry! She pulled through my hair and got it nice and straight. That part wasn’t that bad. I could deal. It was the small sacrifice I had to bear to get my style. It didn’t end there. She sectioned through my hair with the rat-tail comb and that was fine. That additional forceful detangling was my problem. I told her several times that she was combing too hard. Perhaps, due to the language barrier she thought I meant she was hurting me? She was not hurting me, she was murdering my ends!
The hair style was beautiful but I could not fully enjoy it without wondering in the back of my mind what damage I was facing once I took the style down. I saw the fluffy black cotton balls that were once my full ends gently floating across the salon floor.
Fast forward, wedding has passed and I have worn the style to its extent. Time to take it down! I manage the pins out of the bun and take that down easily. I saw the ends of my hair that were twisted in the ponytail and they were thin! Now comes the part of taking down the ponytail of my actual hair. The twists that led into my bun were bound tightly with thread. That explained the pain and pulling at the crown of my head. I thought it was just misplaced Bobbi pins causing discomfort. I couldn’t cut through it with scissors so my husband had to use a blade to slice through the layers of weaving thread bound at my roots. Once that hair was loose I felt instant relief! Once I took the twists down, I had to wait a couple of days to shampoo. My scalp was so sore and tender, especially in the areas where the thread was bound!
When I finally did shampoo, I could tell my hair didn’t hold the same weight it once did before. I could tell my ends were stringy but I really wanted to survey the full extent of the damage so I could properly trim it. There were some parts there were badly damaged, but to my relief the extent of the damage was not the same all over my head. Either way, I knew I had to correct the mess that was made. I wasn’t even angry about it. I expected it to be worse, honestly, so I just looked at this an opportunity to experiment with a new look! Below are some photos of the overall damage.
I will update as soon I cut my hair and take some pictures! I will also be chronicling my journey using my Hair Garden products! Be sure to keep checking in for updates!
The Hair Garden Nursery 