Intro: If a person can be judged by her friends, then I'm doing something right for sure! Meet my friend Jo. We met online, because we are both online educators for Head Shape Matters.#Headshapematters I always admire the way Jo gives feedback to the students on their assignments; she has a humorous way of putting words together. Words are Jo's gift, and when she puts them together she creates pictures for me in my head. I'm usually laughing out loud, crying, or warning her 'NO! You can't say that, the picture is too....". So you and I are in luck! Jo has agreed to let me re-post her blogs. I know you'll enjoy her humor and you'll get to know her very well. She is a Curl Specialist #curlspecialist that lives in works in Colorado Spring, CO. She is the owner/curl specialist at Born Blonde A Curly Hair Salon.
One Size Fits None
April 18, 2019|CURLY HAIR JOURNEY
Did you know 60% of folks have wavy #wavy or curly #curly hair? And for every 32,000 curly people there is only ONE curl specialist...Wow, right?!
I failed to embrace my curls until I was well into my 40s...mainly because I didn't realize I had them. The first 25-30 years of my life I had bone straight hair, I could air dry it in any climate, with or without product and it was just a straight, silky, shiny swath of blonde hair. Blow dry it...it was straight. Curl it...it was straight in an hour, you get the picture. Then something changed and I started to struggle. I noticed that instead of the effortless smooth hair I had always had all of a sudden I had days where I looked like I was auditioning for the Lion King...only not in a glorious Simba mane kind of way, I resembled Scar the evil uncle. I purchased flat irons, round brushes and a cabinet full of styling products in an effort to control my hair (any of this sound familiar?). For at least 15 years I fought the good fight, Every. Single. Day. I got into the vicious circle of shampooing my hair daily because my scalp was oily but my ends were fried. I bought products that promised a smooth finish, I bought conditioners that promised to hydrate my locks, I bought every product my stylist used on me and mostly I turned to the internet where I tried everything from apple cider vinegar #applecidervindgar to #castoroil castor oil. Folks, the struggle was real and no matter what I tried or how much money I spent I could not get my hair in shape!!
When I went to cosmetology school the problem got worse instead of better. Now I'm a "professional" and my hair still looks like crap most of the time. How is it possible that I have access to the best of everything and I still can't get it right? Here's my truth: I was fighting a battle I was never going to win. My hair was not meant to be tamed with silicone's, #silicones blow dryers and hot tools. I attended a training course in Florida where another stylist friend said "Hey, why are you fighting your curls?" I laughed and said I was fighting my frizz, #frizz not my curls and that conversation started my curly girl journey. This quest led me down an educational path where I discovered ingredients do matter and techniques are just that...some work and some don't.
What does it all mean? For me it meant everything I read and saw on the internet wasn't necessarily true. Just because an IG influencer said something worked didn't make it true and don't even get me started on YouTube videos! It can be really hard to get past the noise and find the truth. And my truth will not exactly match your truth because no two heads of curls are the same. It is tempting to look at pictures of hair and say "YES, that's what my curls resemble so I'll do what that person does." Mirroring another person's personality is creepy, so please don't mirror another person's hair either. Curls aren't one size fits all or even one size fits most. The waves and curls on your head are as unique to you as your fingerprint and as long as you are trying to make your curls look like my curls you are still fighting a battle you won't win.
My commitment to you is that I will always do my best to educate myself and share what I've learned. This is a marathon, not a sprint, and I'm happy to help you where ever you are in your curly hair transformation!
Cheers! Jo
Our trip to Soho Manhattan, New York for Deva Level 2 advanced.