Tips & tricks for curly haired chicks

I know from experience , curly hair is a challenge to mange . Whether you are Black , White , or Mexican , curly hair is simply different from straight . There are just certain things you cannot do with curly hair , some things that aren't healthy for it , and ways to make it grow that people wit straight hair don't have to worry about .
Growing up as a bi-racial child , I have endured the curls , the kinks and the poof my entire life . As I got older , my best friend became my hair straightener . I have never been very fond of my curls , and I always wanted long , bone-straight hair like my friends and step sisters . However , as I have gotten older , I have learned to embrace my hair , and take healthiness over personal thought .
I used to be extremely hard on my hair . Straightening it everyday on the highest setting , dying it  , perming it , washing it with sulfate enriched shampoo daily ... These are all HAIR DO NOT'S . I have changed my hair care ways for the better , so here are my tips and tricks for healthy , soft , growing , curly hair . (:
1 : DO NOT wash your hair every single day . I know there is sweat and oils in your hair ; however , the more you wash it , the more you are stripping your hair of it's natural moisture and making it more brittle and susceptible to damage .
2 : Don't flat iron your hair every day . Make it a two or three times a week thing if possible . It's really hard on your hair having it pressed between two plates at 350 degrees , and it breaks down it's strength .
3 : LOVE YOUR HAIR ! Yes , curly hair can be hard to manage , hard to brush , hard to style , it gets frizzy , etc . But it's the hair you were born with , so rock it !
4: If at all possible , avoid relaxers . Yes they are a temporary fix , but they are probably the most damaging thing you can do to your hair , right next to bleaching it . Relaxers , although they don't say it on the box , break down the structure of your hair . It goes into each strand it touches and tells the hair 'Dont Curl !' , but it's breaking and thinning your hair . The relaxed part of your hair will never be the same , and regardless of what you do , it wont be healthy until it grows back out .
5 : By good products ! The worst thing to do to your hair is to fall into the trap of 'If it's expensive , it must work really good' . FALSE ! Read the labels ! I cannot stress that enough . There are things to look out for . For example , you don't want shampoo with Sulfates of any kind in them . Also , avoid conditioners , gels , and foams with Alcohol in them . Although these products may claim to help your hair , the sulfates and alcohol are going to make your hair brittle and breakable . However , you should look for things like olive oil , vitamin A , and vitamin E .
6 : If you are going to use heat products , such as blow dryers , frequently , by a heat protecting spray . Spray it on your hair prior to applying heat , to avoid extensive heat damage .
7 : A common misconception about curly hair , especially in African-American culture , is that their hair doesn't grow . Poppy cock ! It grows just like everybody else's , but curly hair take slightly longer to show progress . The reason for this is that curly hair growing out of the skull has to curl out of the skull , so it takes longer to see progress , whereas straight hair just comes straight down , there for it's faster and easier to see the results .
8 : Trim your hair often . Once a month is recommended , but it is always good to chart the growth of your hair , and see when it is best to trim for you (:
Enjoy your hair , take care of it , love it ! (:
-Elle ♫

Oh wherrrreee is my hairbrush ? ♫♪

HAIR ! Yes , hair . A four letter word , yes I know . But did you also know , its also my passion ? ♥ I have been doing hair since I was about 8 years old . I do everything from cutting , to dying , perming ( relaxing , not texture perms ) , styling , braiding , and I'm learning extension and weaving . I am intrigued by everything about doing hair . Long hair , short hair , all hair . I've even worked with a couple people to get their hair healthy again .

My long term goal is to eventually own my very own hair salon , get big and well known . More short term , I am just focused on getting graduated from high school . I had determined I wanted my own salon , at a young age , in 7th grade . I knew I wanted to do hair , but who wants to work UNDER someone else forever ? Honestly . I wanted the recognition to be on me , I wanted the reputation of being a good quality , trust-able salon . Some people don't want to put in the work or the extra school time to get the degrees to be the owner of their own business , or don't have the time , or can't afford the extra loan debt . I want to be the salon that they want a booth at , that they can feel comfortable working at , so they can start making the money to pay back the loans from their cosmetology degree , cause let me tell you , those degrees are not cheap !




I know a lady right now currently enrolled in Marinello school of beauty . This is a private school , which means no state funding . No Cal Grant , No Pell Grant , No SEOG ... Only loans . That's $32,000 ! Here's the kicker though ! This loan occurs interest over the span of time they have you pay it back in . They normally put you on a 10 year pay back plan , which means if you have a really good loan , it has a 3.5% interest rate , by the time you get to ten years you have payed back $112,000 .
So I completely understand not wanting to go to another school afterwards and occur more debt . However , I am passionate and driven . I will stop at nothing to make this happen for me , and once it does I will be able to hire others who just wanna do hair , not have to bother with business and accounting .
I have gained so much knowledge about hair over the years , and I have done so much with hair . I am happy to give someone a new look that highlights their features and makes them more confident . To me it's not about the pay check . I mean yeah , some salons make bank , but to me the real payment is seeing the look on a clients face when they fall in love with their hair . That's the look I want to see everyday of my life , and know that I made it happen , it's the most amazing feeling in the world <3
Hair can be expensive , it can be hair to manage , it can be a lot of things and propose many of problems . That's where people like myself come in . Yes I know I am only 15 , but you're never too young to be good at what you do . Sometimes with hair , it just needs direction , or color , or a new style . Sometimes thick hair just needs to be thinned , sometimes frizzy hair needs a special treatment , or split ends removed . Things people don't think of that a hair dresser would just envision . That's what I do (: I hope to one day see my blog readers at my salon , I may even give you a discount if you show me this post in the future (;
-Elle ♫
P.S. in this blog post is pictures of work I have done on friends and family , these are not pictures off of Google , and I will link you to my Facebook page for proof .