My Hair Salon Experience (after about 3 years)

Picture got from Keller Williams on KWSA

Hallo!

Wie gehts?
Been working on my German lately. I love that language :)

Anyways! So, I went to a hair salon! O.M.Geeez!
I also got a weave for the first time in years! O.M.MAJOR. GEEEEZ!

Here's my experience:

Once upon a time (yesterday, actually), in a city known as 'Southampton' lived a girl named, 'Samantha.' Due to it being difficult for her aunt to help her reinstall her crochet braids this time, she went in search of a hair salon that could help her get her hair done before returning to her school in Somerset. Samantha was being very brave by doing this as she had not been to a hair salon in years.
She searched for and wide, in and near the city centre (mostly on foot) looking for a particular salon her mum had found online, but had changed address without updating their website. Eventually, she found the place, but only one person worked there and that person had a client who was possibly on their way and therefore referred her to another salon which was about 5 minutes away, but gave her the wrong street name. So, Samantha, walked over to the wrong street and walked down it and thought to herself, "this street is starting to look pretty dodgy," so she turned around and headed back up the street and to a store known as 'Afro City' where she asked where the salon was and was pointed in the right direction. Sam quickly found the salon walked in and....

Okay! So, extension were picked out and I was placed in a chair with a giant bib-like thing placed round my neck (you know those things put over guys when they get their hair cut?). My scarf was taken off my hair and the stylist/owner of the salon was like, "WOW! Your hair is big and long!" and went on to say, "I've been trying to grow out my hair. How did you do it?" That should have been a red flag for me. It made me feel a little iffy.

Soooo the lady used a product on my hair that contained petrolatum and all sorts of other chemicals that I do not use on my hair and are definitely not CG friendly and I was like, "Sam, it's just once, your hair will be fine." Next I knew, the blow drier was out with a comb attachment on it and she went through my hair, but only made one or so passes of the the hair drier on it (unless she felt she had to comb from the ends up) and I said to myself, "Sam, you haven't used heat on your hair in 4 years, but this is just once. Your hair will be fine." I kinda liked seeing my hair stretched out like that, but mainly because it hanged longer and I could be like, "giiirrrrrrl, APL hair! You did it!"

A lady walked into the salon and the first thing she said was, "look at all that hair! Your hair is huge! It's long too!" and once again, I was asked what the secret was. In case you are wondering, I just told them that I use all-natural products on my hair  and mentioned a few brands before they went on to talk about the products that were in the store (not CG friendly) and other stuff, partially in a different language.

So, the stylist started cornrowing my hair in preparation for the weave and the cornrowing was fine, didn't hurt and I was like, "okay, this is good. Not so bad, not so bad," but then....BUT THEN....OH! HONEY BOO-BOO CHILD! BUT THEN! She started sewing in the weave and I was like, "OUCH!" Why the heck did no one tell me that weaves hurt like crazy?! I don't know if it's that the weave is pulling two cornrows closer together or whatever, but it hurts and when she got to the front, it was like the weave started pulling at my edges and stuff and like pretty much, I am praying that my hairline doesn't recede. This girl does not want to lose her edges after growing them out.

Okay! So, the weave was done and honey, it was not big. My hair is naturally big, as you must have been able to tell from the name of this blog and from the comment made about my hair that I mentioned above. My crochet braids have always been big. Honey, this thing was not big. It looked okay and better from the back, but I didn't like how thin it looked because I am not used to thin-looking hair. The stylist said that I could separate the curls in order to achieve a bigger look and I have done a bit of this, but it's still not as big as I want it to be. I am not used to this.

Final verdict:
This salon experience was not a total disaster. The people who worked in the salon (both black African) were really nice and friendly people. They offered me a cup of tea, gave me advice on life as they found out that I am just finishing college and we had nice conversations. You will have a nice salon experience if you go there (as long as you do not get a weave). People have been commenting since yesterday on how they love my hair even though I am not really feeling it 'cause of how thin it looks (and my brain may just be over-reacting, I don't know).


ANYWAYS, if you would like me to upload a list of natural hair salons in Southampton and in London, let me know. Also, if you would like me to do some research to find some natural hair salons in your area or country, let me know too and I would love to help you find them.

Bumps on scalp!

Okay! so, my mum braided my hair on Monday, and today's Wednesday. Today, I noticed some bumps on my scalp. I remember my mum pulled at my hair like crazy and some of the braids felt tight so, that's what caused this. This happening has led me to decide to talk to you guys today about bumps on your scalp. Ooooh
So, I hope this helps somebody! :) Here we go!

Bumps on scalp are usually made to appear by having tight braids. People braid hair tightly for various reasons like, to have the style last for a long period of time (which many of us want because we don't like manipulating our hair often. I don't like my braids to be tight though). The tight tension for tight braids isn't good for your hair, hairline and scalp. A problem that many people who get their hair braided face is 'traction alopecia.' According to about.com, "traction alopecia is a condition where constant pulling and tension on an area of the hair results in thinning, breakage and/or hair loss. This is commonly seen in women and children who braid the hair too tightly (particularly at the hairline) or wear the same style over extended periods of time, not allowing
the scalp and hair follicles to "rest." "  A way to avoid traction alopecia is to stop getting hairstyles that hurt (or letting your hair be put up tightly). Buns, ponytails, weaves and braids are common hair styles that people love doing, but they shouldn't cause any pain. If your hairstyle hurts, it means that your follicles are being tugged at or pulled beyond what's safe for them and we all know that once follicles die, there's no resurrection, no bringing them back to life. If you're experiencing bumps on your scalp or your head or scalp
hurts after getting a hairstyle done, here are some things you can do about that:

• Use water to loosen up your hair: As you shower, let the water run over your hair. Sometimes, you'll need to scrub a little with your fingers to loosen the braids a little. And remember, don't be concerned about how much time it took you to do that style or how much money you paid for it because what's really important now is loosening up those tight braids and saving your hairline..

• Do not return to someone who braids your hair tight: Some people just normally or for some crazy reason, braid hair tight. This should tell you that those people don't really care about the health of your scalp or they care more about the money they get.

And finally, you can do what I just did and...

• ...Remove them: Remove the braids that are causing bumps to pop out on your scalp. Those bumps appearing is not normal and like I said above, it can lead to hair loss (or in other words, traction alopecia), especially if you have a habit of wearing tight braid styles or braiding your hair the same way often. If your hair hurts when it's being braided, kindly ask the braider to loosen up on it or to restart the braid and not so tight. It's better for it to be done once and for all there than for you to go home suffering from your head hurting and bumps on your scalp.

I didn't loosen all my braids because the bumps on my scalp are just around the endings of the braids so I just removed the braids up to a certain extent and I am planning on braiding them back after a few minutes, but loosely so my hair can recover from this pull.

Don't let braids damage your hair, think about your hair's health and consider it all the way. Try your best to prevent the possibilities of you getting traction alopecia (or severe hair loss due to tight braids that cause bumps)

I hope this has helped somebody (or will help somebody).

Thanks for reading!

~Sam :)