"Black Hair"

I've been trying to grow my hair out from a very short style since February last year. I had it shaped once in April last year but not cut at all since.

My hair is very fine, but I have a ton of it, and the ends for about 2" were so dry, that even conditioning wasn't doing much anymore.

So since Thursday was my 50th birthday I decided to treat myself today to a manicure and pedicure and a hair cut/style.  After my mani/pedi I went to a salon that I'd never been before. 

I walked in and all of the staff were men and women of colour, and all of the pictures on the walls featured women and men of colour with various "black hair" styles.

I know that some salons who cater to the black community won't cut any types of hair because they specialize in the treatment of "black hair".  But I thought I'd ask if they could give my hair a good trim and some shape.  One of the girls said that she would. I got some funny looks from some of the other customers because I was the only "white" face in there, hehe. 

My hair was washed and treated with an extra moisturizing conditioner, and the girl cut my hair and then straightened it with a flat iron!  My hair is very fine but I have alot of hair.  My hair isn't exactly curly, but it has some hefty big waves in places, and in other places not so much. It drives me crazy because it doesn't hold curl very well, at least not at the length it was (I don't think it was layered enough) and it looks terrible if left alone to dry naturally.

I'm so thrilled with my hair cut! It's nicely layered and because I have so much hair she kind of thinned it out a bit after she did the layering.  And I can't believe how shiney my hair is! I could be in one of those shampoo commercials! It's soft and silky and very shiney!!!  I just love it.  

I'm definitely going back. It's closer to my home than the other salon I had been going to, and so far as the cut/style is concerned, comparible in price.

The girl also confirmed what a girl at work told me.  If you have curls in your hair, it needs to be cut a certain way to maximize the curls. If you cut it the wrong direction, the curls tend to not look so nice.  So I'll see how it looks tomorrow when I wash it and let it dry naturally.

Anyway, gotta go. My brother is picking me up for my birthday party!!! 

Happy Birthday hun, so glad that you are happy with your hair. My hair is very thick and supposed to be curly but more wavy, there are only some hair dressers that can style and cut it to a manageable state for me.Would love to see a pic. xx

Happy Birthday! 

Yeah, the flatiron will make your hair very shiny, unless it's used too much then it does a lot of damage. I love my hair straightened, but can't do it too much, also you always want some kind of heat protective product on your hair before frying it with a flatiron.

Happy birthday!  Have fun tonight!!

That's funny about those looks.  I go to a predominantly black church and have since I was 12; so I've kind of grown up around those differences.  Like finding out a "perm" for a black person doesn't make your hair curly. hehe 

One of my favorite up-do's of all time was for my homecoming my junior year of high school.  One of my friends from church did it.  No one else has ever done such a good job!!  Not even for my wedding!  I was thinking later I should have asked that friend to do my wedding style; but she was in my wedding.  Another girl from my church braided my hair when I did a winter camping trip once.  It held all 3 days!  Most people can't get it tight enough for that.  My hair is thick and has a little wave.  If I air dry it I have to pull at least some of it back to be presentable.  I have used a flat iron on it and it helps manage the waves and tames the body in the right places.  My hair is the kind that is harder to manage when it's short because it means I have to put work into it with a flat iron or curling iron.  And I don't have time for that most mornings.  Not a morning person!  So I don't do it too often.  It feels good when I do take the time to do it though!

I do not have much Native American blood, but I have enough that my hair is heavy, thick, straight as a board, and has a thick shaft.

"Indian hair"

Not everyone can work with it well, lucky for me my hairdresser has two adopted girls that are Native American, so she's very familiar and comfortable working on my hair.

Glad you love your new 'do' and have a great birthday!

I am pale as can be, but I have extremely thick and curly hair. I've found that ethnic hair care products and hair stylists work best for me! I sometimes get weird looks shopping in the black hair section of the store, but I swear by it! Lol!

AimerLee said:

I am pale as can be, but I have extremely thick and curly hair. I've found that ethnic hair care products and hair stylists work best for me! I sometimes get weird looks shopping in the black hair section of the store, but I swear by it! Lol!

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You just made me think. I have very curly-wavy hair, that if I don't straighten it, it looks really dry and rather frizzy. Is there a product for "ethnic" hair that can help me!! I'm all over that!!  Caucasian hair products get absorbed almost instantly, like my hair was sucking it in through a straw. 

I've lived on this earth 45 years, I lived in the City for 30 of those years, and never thought of this. I guess I'm out from under that rock now! 

I can say that the BEST thing to do for curly hair is to avoid products with sulfates in them. A lot of shampoos, conditioners, and gels have them. I stopped using them a few months ago and my hair isn't nearly as frizzy anymore! 

I use one of these every week or so in the shower and it makes my hair soo shiny. They cost like $1.50  at the grocery store and I usually get 2 or 3 uses out of each packet. It says to put it all over your whole head, but I usually put it on my ends only or else my hair gets greasy.


Another great product is Moroccan or Argan oils, but they can be really expensive. I buy Marrakesh oil instead, and it works just the same and smells wonderful! It takes me 6 months to get through a $13 bottle so it's well worth it!

SwampWitch said:

Happy Birthday! 

Yeah, the flatiron will make your hair very shiny, unless it's used too much then it does a lot of damage. I love my hair straightened, but can't do it too much, also you always want some kind of heat protective product on your hair before frying it with a flatiron.

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She did put a heat protector product on before she started to blow dry.  No other hair dresser has ever done that.  I now find myself wanting to invest in a flat iron.