I can’t think of any part of my look that doesn’t elicit more stress for me than my hair. I get stressed about how to style it, cut it and color it. Is it too big or too flat? Am I too old or too young to wear a certain style? This is an on-going conversation I have with anyone that will listen. With most of my women friends the topic of hair comes up eventually. Usually they either love or hate their hair. There seems to be no in between.
My hair is curly. People with straight hair compliment me on it. I tell them that the grass is always greener. When I was in high school, I tried to straighten my hair. My mother helped me by applying a very smelly chemical relaxer. In order for the relaxer to work, you had to add the element of heat. I would get up for school two hours early every morning to blow dry, curl with hot-curlers, and use a curling iron– all to get a result that wasn’t very straight hair after all. Back in the day, there were no flat irons.
Today I have made peace with my hair. Sort of. I have found a wonderful stylist who makes my curly hair look great. Not many stylists are able to cut curly hair but Laurie Freeman at the Lloyd Trimble Salon in Del Mar is one of the best. The owner’s daughter, April Garcia, is the colorist. She covers the grays that everyone swears they can’t see. Thanks to April. A little recession tip: Clairol makes a root-touch-up for only $7.00. I use number three. It covers the gray and stretches your trips to the salon by several weeks. Sorry April.
Finding the right products to style curly hair can be the most difficult challenge. I have found the perfect combination in Clairol Mouse (3 in 1 Conditioning and Maximum Hold), and Rave Hairspray. This combo keeps the curls a little crunchy but offers enough hold not to frizz them out
If you don’t mind spending a little more, and buying online, I recommend Miss Jessie’s. I heard about Miss Jessie’s from an Esquire Magazine interview with Brad Pitt. He was extolling the virtues of these products for helping tame the hair of his daughter, Zahara, adopted from Ethiopia. From Miss Jessie’s website you can buy all the styling products that turn frizzy curls into ringlets. I use the Curly Meringue to style my hair when it’s wet, Baby Buttercream to freshen up dull curls, and Rapid Recovery for deep conditioning. They also offer how-to styling tips and pictures of their many celebrity clients. http://missjessies.com/)
As I’ve gotten older I’ve tried to learn to accept my hair as it is. Work with what I’ve got and simply be happy that I even have hair. Losing hair can become a reality as you age, so I’m trying not to fight it–Aging and my hair that is.
Stay tuned…next week I talk about removing all your unwanted hair and the struggle of finding the perfect stasis of smooth and hair-free skin.
Valerie Juboori
April 21, 2009I will forward this to my curly-haired sister!
liz
April 21, 2009To my curly-haired writer cuz’: Dick Gregory once said, “If you want to understand Black women, you have to understand their hair”. Inexplicably, this applies to Sephardic Jewish women whose cousins are biracial, and, therefore, also Sephardic biracial Jewish women. I cannot “do” hairspray, because the alcohol is too drying. I would say I’ve just about given up hope on improving my hair. I haven’t had bad hair days. I’ve had bad hair decades. And I was the little white girl whose hair was a source of curiosity and amazement in grade school, hair that was touched for its softness. I had “good hair”, much like Caleb had “good hair” before he hit adolescence. Now it’s not only coarse; it’s coarse AND fine and has a mind of its own, and it’s thinning by the handful. I try not to think about it much. I don’t disguise it like a friend of mine does, with baseball caps and artfully placed ‘porkpie hats’. I take lots of vitamins, try to eat more red meat, protein, coconut oil, etc. I’m even going to go see an endocrinologist to see about hypothyroidism, per your recommendation. I wouldn’t look good, like, say, Natalie Portman does, as a bald woman. I wouldn’t look as bad as our grandmother, but I wouldn’t look all that good. My solution?
A forgiving, blind boyfriend! He’s already quite forgiving. I’m betting heavily that he loses his eyesight while I continue to lose my hair.
Camelia's Skin Care & Massage
April 30, 2009Curly hair is also my blessing and curse!
I found a great product called”Mixed Chicks”. I especially like their leave in conditioner. My granddaughter has had phenomenal results with the deep conditioner. She leaves this in her hair.
I’ve been having Kelly Mendoza, who works at Tina Marie’s, cut my hair. She is has a knack for cutting with the curl. She also talked me into wearing bangs. I never, in a million years, imagined that I could keep any part of my hair straight and smooth looking. Well, the bangs keep pretty straight throughout the day (of course it takes a little product and flat ironing). The unexpected bonus is that I don’t need the Botox for my forehead wrinkles 🙂
Camelia Clum
619-806-3920