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Embracing My Wavy Hair

I turn 30 years in 4 months, and I am just beginning to embrace my wavy hair. How does this make sense??? 

Growing up in the 90's with a Mexican mom meant my hair was almost always pulled back in a tight pony tail and my scalp was brushed with one of these bad boys...

Did any of you flinch like I did?

This was definitely a painful and poofy time "OH, THE HORROR!!!"

The frizzy times continued into my teenage/high school years simply because I didn't know any better. I kept my hair short so you can only imagine the poofiness that was my life. It wasn't until I began working that I decided I needed to do something about my hair. This was one of the biggest mistakes of my life! (Yes, even bigger than the frizz and poof!)

I bought a blow dryer and hair straightener! That wasn't even the worst part of this horror story, I didn't do research on what steps I needed to take to protect my hair. I don't even remember how long I went without using kind of product to protect my hair against the hell I was putting it through. I would shower, shampoo, condition, towel dry for a few minutes, blow dry and straighten. It was so bad! My hair looked pretty from afar, but up close it was a dry, brittle, wire-like mess. My split ends were awful and there were times they would just break off. By the time I began to use heat protectors, it was too late and my hair was far too gone.

I realized how bad my hair had gotten so I decided to do something extreme and chop it all off. I cut it above my shoulders and began to get it trimmed every few months BUT that didn't stop me from using the heat. My didn't get too awful after this because I had been using the heat protectors and once my hair got a bit longer I began to use gel and hairspray a few days out of the week and let the wavy come out and play. 

Fast-forward to 2015 when I thought enough was enough and I quit heat cold turkey. It was difficult at first, but I learned to style my hair and wear it different so I didn't need to use the heat. That is when a small part of me embraced the wave.

Skip to now, I am faced with a new scary hair time. About 6 months ago or so, I noticed the hair on the crown of my head is thinning out. I feel like I'm losing a lot more hair when I'm in the shower, but it could be that I am freaking out about going bald that it only seems like i'm losing more. I know studies show that mothers tend to lose hair after pregnancies and after back to back pregnancies (my eldest was 6 months when I got pregnant again), it could explain a lot. 

I've recently been looking into videos on YouTube about wavy hair and hair health in general. So far these are some of the cardinal rules that I've put together and need to start applying to my life and my hair.

Rule number 1: Embrace your natural hair type. As you've read, I've been working toward this one for a few years now. If you're a curly/wavy, STOP using heat and harmful chemicals to make it straight. If you're hair is straight, STOP using harmful chemicals to make it wavy or curly. Don't get me wrong, we all want to change it up now and then, but not on a daily basis.

Rule number 2: Do not shampoo on a daily basis. Uggghhh... This is the one I struggle with so much! My scalp is oily so by the next day, my hair feels gross and heavy and flat. So what do I do? SHAMPOO! It's a vicious cycle, my hair creates more oily to compensate for the oil I strip when I shampoo so it becomes to oily and I need to shampoo again. Its a hard cycle to break but I am working on it. I'm going to start with every other day and work my way up slowly. 

Rule number 3: Trim your hair every few months. I'm not always on top of this but I have become a little more aware of the benefits. I don't get split ends as much, but trimming it stop any I do get in it's tracks. My hair always feels a lot more healthy after a trim because all that dry at the bottom gets taken away.

Rule number 4: Stop using towels in your hair. This rule is especially true if you have wavy or curly hair. This is going to help prevent frizz. I'm no scientist or anything but this is my thought process: The fibers in towels are small and rough and cause your hair to separate and get tangled in them. It causes friction and in turn causes frizz. I'm not even too confident in microfiber cloths because I feel like they still have the lifted fibers that towels do. I am sticking to long sleeve t-shirts that I can "plop" my hair in and tie around my head. (comment if you want more info on how I plop)

Rule number 5: Be aware of how you detangle. I'm not sure what the protocol for straight hair peeps is. I know that for wavy/curly hair, you should NEVER brush wet hair after your shower. All you are doing is compromising your wave/curl and promoting frizz. I know some wavy/curl peeps brush before showering on shampoo days. I personally detangle with my fingers in the shower when I apply conditioner.

All in all, try out new things and see what works for your hair. What works for my wavy hair may not work for your wavy hair. Let me know what your hair routine is and if you have suggestions for me! 



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