Turning a 45 cent investment into a 45 dollar return

You may be wondering what does a stamp have to do with hair? Well, it is a long story . . . As you know, I have been "flat iron free" for about a year and a half now - and it has been the best decision for both me and my clients that stuck with me.

Well, before I went "flat iron free" I had a client that swore that the flat iron was not healthy for her hair. I was not ready to believe this. All the hair shows were pushing "flat irons" as healthy. So eventually, she discontinued patronizing my salon. Her words as with all of my clients' feedback stuck in my head.

After finally seeing a consistent pattern of results from the use of the ionic flat irons, I stopped using them and went back to the traditional stove and marcel irons. Oh boy, I still had a learning curve to get used to the old school stove and heat, but finally, I got my rhythm and everyone is back on the right track with their hair. I am so happy of my decision and now, I cringe every time I see a flat iron being used on television or youtube video. All I am thinking is: "they are cooking their hair from the inside out" and they do not even know it. It pains me, but life will go on.

So one day recently, I decided to write this former client a nice little thank you note saying "You were right!" The flat irons are damaging to the hair. I was not ready to receive the information back then, but I sincerely appreciated her feedback. I was listening to her, and I just wanted her to know that I appreciated her past patronage.

Well, believe it or not, she came back for hair services over and over again. It turns out that she had just received a relaxer that was too strong, and she knew that I was the only hairstylist that kept a variety of treatments and product lines for all the different hair types. She was asking God for a sign of what to do next, and my "thank you" letter arrived in her mailbox.

God works in mysterious ways. After about five to six visits, her hair is back on track, and we both are happy. I hate that I was not able to fulfill her hair needs during my "flat iron" phase, but no one is perfect. I thrive for perfection, and as far as the changes that I continue to make in improving my service offerings . . . I am now on a million dollar track. Of course, I am dependent on manufacturers not to alter their products, and that I make sure I keep fresh product, but life is good in my hair world . . . a salute to healthy hair!

Hair Review: First Lady Michelle Obama

Photo credit: More magazine October 2008 (Historical photos and flipped hairstyle)

Clearly, the beautiful, First Lady Michelle Obama has a type 4 curl pattern judging by her beautiful afro in her graduation picture. (source: More, October 2008)

Clearly, during the months surrounding the Inauguration of her husband, she wore her hair very sleek, straight, and with a lot of movement. The ionic flat iron was more than likely used to achieve these looks of uninhibited movement. (source: People magazine, Special Oscar Guide 2009 Inauguration Trendsetter photos)

However, at what cost? As my followers know, I am totally against the ionic flat irons because of the long term damage that they cause. I had been following Michelle Obama's hairstyles for years because I knew that if she continued the flat iron hairstyling that she would be continuously fighting breakage and potential shedding. Photo credit: Flipped hairstyle photo came from More magazine, October 2008.

Photo credit: People magazine March 9, 2009 (Pink outfit), Better Homes and Gardens magazine August 2011 (yellow sweater), Ladies Home Journal magazine September 2010 (bluegreen dress), More Magazine February 2012 (red outfit).

She can select updos and other protective styling to allow the hair to grow out, but ultimately, as long as she continues to be styled with an ionic flat iron, she will not stabilize past her current length which looks to be chin length at the side burns area.

During the late 2008 and early 2009 timeframe, her side burns area was below chin length and in a bob hairstyle.




The length of her hair in bluegreen dress (September 2010) is the same or possibly longer than her length in February 2012 (More magazine) in red attire. In summary, a year or more later and her hair is the same length or shorter and possibly thinner. It looks to be layered more than her traditional bob hairstyle. Layers can give thinner hair more body.

Many people do not want to believe that the ionic flat iron is causing damage because it takes potentially years for the damage to show up.

Also, the flat iron manufacturers market the flat irons for shine, smoothness, and repair. However, when the damage from extended flat ironing over the years finally presents itself, it will be an on-going fight until the damaged hair is trimmed away and the ionic flat irons are no longer used on the hair that is not as damaged.

Michelle Obama's hairstyle is neat and beautiful, but clearly she has been losing length. This may be on purpose or possibly not. I am offering food for thought. Pictures are worth a thousand words.

Photo credits: Entertainment Weekly magazine Special Oscars Guide 2009 (Inauguration year photos), More magazine October 2008 (Historical photos and flipped hairstyle) , People magazine March 9, 2009 (Pink outfit), Better Homes and Gardens magazine August 2011 (yellow sweater), Ladies Home Journal magazine September 2010 (bluegreen dress), More Magazine February 2012 (red outfit)

Tool Review: Golden Supreme Starter Set

As you may know, I also service clients at a nearby mall. I finally bought a new set of marcels for that location. That way, I do not have to transport tools between locations. I am especially excited about this purple set because my stove is adjustable temperature. The idea is that I can keep my irons warm without overheating them. It has been about ten months since I converted to marcel irons for heat styling, and I am fully commited to them even to the point that I am denying flat iron service requests. I would rather for a client to go someone else for flat iron services than to know that I contributed to flat iron damage. Sometimes the clients feel that they know more than the hairsylist; sometimes the client does know more than the hairstylist. Case in point: Deciding which relaxer strength to use . . . I remember telling a hairstylist to use a mild strength relaxer because I knew that my scalp was very sensitive. I probably should have told her why I requested a mild strength, but about five minutes into the relaxer application, my scalp was starting to burn. I immediately asked the hairstylist, is this a mild relaxer? Her response was "no, it looked liked you needed a regular strength relaxer." Oh my God, it was not a good day! That situation happened to me in a New York hair salon. Let me not get into my long list of my own hair horror stories. I actually am dedicated to this blog because I believe knowledge is power for the stylist and the consumer.

Unfortunately, because I was a "flat iron only" hairstylist for several years . . . I have grown many ladies' hair to mid back with quality maintenance products and protective styling aids, but I also have seen some of my hard work go down the drain with continued use of flat irons at high temperatures. It is not worth the risk to me, and for those clients who relate the flat iron usage more to "hair growth," I have an uphill battle that I am willing to lose. It took me several years to give up my flat iron addiction even after I remember being told a few times to consider going back to stove and marcels. I was not ready to receive the message, then January/February 2011 (this year), the light came on. My compounding experiences with long-term flat ironing plus what I was seeing over the years really made me go "cold turkey" and I am not going back. Knowledge is power.

Flat Iron Review: Ceramic versus Ionic Showdown!

Which side do you like best? On the left side, you have hair straightened with a $20 (on sale) ceramic only flat iron. On the right side, you have hair straightened with a $120 ionic/ceramic flat iron. Same strand of hair. However, the left side still has more body along with its straightness. The right side looks more stringy to me. It is sleeker but more lifeless. So which side do you like best? The infrared heat in the ionic technology makes a difference. Is this difference good? Healthy? In my opinion, "no."
To eliminate the fact that the cuticle could be upside down with the previous flat iron test on the same strand, I cut three strips of hair wefts. The first curl strip on the left was completed by the ionic flat iron. It was a sleeker, thinner look. The middle curl strip was from a large barrel curling iron. The curl strip on the right was completed by the ceramic curling iron. The curling iron and the ceramic flat iron really delivers more body and thickness than the ionic iron. Some people are trying to eliminate body and volume. For short time, the ionic iron can serve that purpose.
I just purchased this Conair ceramic straightener/flat iron for $18.79 on sale at a CVS drugstore. Regular price around $28.00. I trust this ceramic only flat iron.

If you prefer a flat iron over a curling iron, then look for this ceramic only technology. It is only $20 with 25 heat settings. It takes longer to heat up since it is NOT Ionic. It is a healthier flat iron option.

As far as the Ionic blowdryers, which I still use heavily, I am undecided on whether I should discontinue using them. Since only the air flow is hitting the hair and scalp, I feel the concentrator nozzle is blocking any potential damage that it could cause. Again, I am undecided. I do have a twin turbo hairdryer that is not ionic. I may put it into service as my main hair dryer. Decisions, Decisions, Decisions.

Please see my flat iron free pledge/article.

Relaxers: Alternating between Mild and Regular?

Please don't call the relaxer police! Yes, I did it again . . . 3 weeks 6 days later . . . I relaxed my hair again.



However, I used the Mild strength of the True Indulgence relaxer. As you can see from the pictures, it did not straighten my hair as well as the regular strength did. However, my new growth at about 4 weeks was giving me a "fit." I had a mini-afro underneath the already relaxed hair. You can get away with a mini-afro if you have really long hair, but it is harder to camouflage when sporting a shorter haircut. As you can see from my picture at the end of this article, I did not lose much hair. This was all the hair in the bowl after completing the whole relaxer service. For some people, the amount of hair pictured in my hand is equivalent to a normal non-chemical shampoo. So it was a very safe relaxer service. I fear that I will have to relax again within another four weeks. I will have to decide if I want to use mild strength every four weeks until I get a solid three inches of hair in the back, then go to regular strength every 7 weeks? Or do I want to try alternating between mild and regular strength every four weeks? I am thinking the regular strength will correct the mild strength plus give me a little straighter roots. Since I used the regular strength True Indulgence relaxer about four weeks ago and still needed a touch up four weeks later . . . I really will have to see if this mild strength will get me to the four weeks mark before I can decide on a relaxer touchup regimen that works for me.

With that said, remember every one's hair is different. I have more coarse, resistant, type 4c hair. So "what works for me" may be "overkill" for a fine, type 4c hair.

Also, I noticed a number of bloggers and youtube videographers who were very focussed on achieving "bra strap length (BSL)" or "armpit length (APL)." However, if they continue using ceramic flat irons, then they may get there, but it will eventually break back off. They will forever battle maintaining their length. I have seen it time and time again. (i.e. the reason that neither my clients nor I use flat irons in my salon.) The flat irons are not a friend to "long, curly hair." I have quite a few recent articles including the flat iron free pledge. Also, if you take the flat iron free pledge, then you can NOT cheat! No more flat irons at all . . . if 200 to 300 degrees will not straighten your hair, then 400 degrees may straighten; yet, you will be causing internal damage. Internal damage will come back to bite you one day with continued abuse.

While on the topic of length, I am also focussed on long term length for my own hair. However, for the short term, I am keeping the back trimmed. That Chi Deep Brilliance Super strength relaxer really fried/dried some my ends out. I think that I have about trimmed away the last of them. I know a few of the new followers are probably thinking why did you use a super strength relaxer anyway? Well, I used the super strength in the Paul Mitchell relaxer system quite regularly and loved it. It was not strong enough to hold my hair straight so I had concluded that the "White/mainstream" super relaxers are not as strong as the "Black/ethnic" super relaxers. Oh boy, the Chi/Farouk Super strength relaxer proved that theory WRONG. That relaxer was absolutely ridiculously drying to my hair and it did not even straighten it all the way. I even got a chemical burn down my neck from the runoff. I am going to assume that I got a defected batch of this Super strength, but Lord knows -- it is off my list of ever trying again. Also, I noticed the "Vietnamese beauty supply" stores are selling the very same relaxer to regular people without a cosmetology license. Please see my article on "Hair Battle Wounds" if you want to live through that relaxer experience.

One last topic: Determining when it is time for a relaxer touchup? If you are tempted to use the curling iron everyday because your new growth is showing, then it is time for a relaxer touchup. Everyday heat from a curling iron is going to still cause damage. Luckily, you will see the damage more immediately than if you are flat ironing it. Damage is still damage. Whether you see it sooner or later, damage is what you are trying to avoid. With that said, box relaxers are a "no no." Any relaxer that you have to mix is a "no no." The safest relaxers are sodium hydroxide based relaxers. Some of the lithium hydroxide relaxers are "no mix." However, I think that the lithium hydroxide relaxers leave buildup in the hair similar to the "box" relaxers which are usually calcium hydroxide based.

Hopefully, I have tackled all angles on choosing relaxer touchup over excessive curling iron use. Also, this article serves as a review on the mild strength True Indulgence relaxer. My clients and I are still very, very pleased with the True Indulgence relaxer. I had a client yesterday mentioned how her daily maintenance has been so much easier with this relaxer. I was happy. For me, my search is over. I really like the True Indulgence relaxer system. Stay tuned. I will keep you posted on how long this mild strength touchup lasts . . .

Two Weeks Followup Since August 2011 Hair Battle

This is another gluefree quickweave style with my own hairline out. The two other pictures included in this article is of my hair without the gro-protect solution and one with the gro-protect solution.


As promised, I have included pictures of the back of my head following my double relaxation within a two day time period. Please do not try this at home. Smile. I am totally against it, but it is not fatal as you can see. Overall, I had a small setback in length, but I have been completely happy with my hair since I discontinued use of the flat irons. I have been overjoyed. I really, really can tell that my hair can take more abuse and still remain in tact. On the contrary, when I was using the flat irons to straighten my hair, I just never seem to be going in the right direction. No matter how often I shampooed; no matter how many leave-in conditioners and flat iron sprays. My hair just always seemed vulnerable. No more. Within two more years, I should be at 12 inches all over, and I am excited about the future! The relaxers are cool. I have about three more brands to try within the next six months. As for styling, I decided to go back into my gluefree quickweave. My own hair is out in the front, but this is a great option to have a more corporate look without so much fuss! I have been trying to perfect the crystallization phase so that removal will be as easy as the demo videos. For hair types with tightly closed cuticles, the removal of the gluefree quickweave has always been pretty easy. For those who have more curly, porous hair - filling the hair with curly hair leave-in conditioner followed by styling gel seems to give me the smoothest, slickest mold. I am soooo looking forward to a carefree removal. The extra time in application will be well worth it if the removal is quick and easy. If it works, then I will post the product combination that worked.

Tired of Starting over! Six Months Flat Iron Free!

So one day you find your hair is absolutely damaged? So the dermatologist says "cut it all off" . . . then the new hairstylist says "cut it all off" . . . everyone says "cut it all off" so after you have cut it all off several times within a twenty year life span . . . You get "freak'n tired" of starting back over! No wonder so many people go natural . . . locks, twists, afros . . . .

The problem with starting over is no one ever tells you why after all of the products and due diligence that you do to take care of your hair . . . your "nappy hair" just keeps getting damaged. Enough is enough!

Guess what? Sensitive scalp relaxers (yeah the ones that you have to mix; they come in two parts) are more damaging than regular lye relaxers. Do your research! Research DEEP! It is true! Unfortunately, those with sensitive scalps can not bare lye relaxers without burning too soon. So the number of "non-burning" lye relaxers (conditioning lye relaxers) are few and far between. So far - I have only found Paul Mitchell, Design Essentials' Time Release Regular and possibly NuExpressions Gold VS. (I am still researching the NuExpressions relaxer).

So I eliminated sensitive scalp (i.e. no lye) relaxers about two years ago . . . so scalp improvement and thinning were eliminated. Manufacturers will still try to sell those box relaxers to you. Just like cigarettes and alcohol . . . use at your own risk! They need to make their money!

However, after elininating the scalp issues; I still found my hair strands to be so tempermental. So something else had to be causing me problems. So after eliminating every other possibility; I discovered that the culprit was none other than the flat iron . . . Whether you spend $350 or $100 on a brand name flat iron . . . they are absolutely damaging long-term. So now, I am flat iron free six months. I texturize/texlax about every six weeks. I am the happiest I have been ever! See my picture! Yay!!!! It may not mean a lot to those born with carefree hair . . . but for those sistahs whose natural texture is far from being European, six months past starting over again, this is a great picture of a bright future!

Full steam ahead!!!!

Do's and Don'ts: The Flat Iron Free Pledge

Do NOT use the flat iron to curl your hair with. Why? The hair stays in contact with the flat iron for too long of a period of time. Also, according to my findings, after the third time using the flat iron to curl with- your hair stops holding curls. Consider using a curling iron with adjustable temperature settings to curl your hair. It will give you more body the next day.

Do NOT use the flat iron if you any type of allergic reaction to the scalp from surgery, medicine, etc. Why? According to my findings, the flat iron seems to reactivate the allergy symptoms and may cause hair to shed. The main concern is the scalp. If you have long hair and your roots are straight, and you just want to pass the flat iron through a few ends of long hair for a quick styling touchup, then you should be safe. If you have short hair or curly hair - I would completely avoid the flat iron until there is no chance of activating an allergy.

Do NOT use the flat iron on the same day as a relaxer service. Why? According to my findings, relaxers and flat irons are a bad mix. Many blame the relaxer for their hair problems. The relaxers can be a potential issue, but more than likely the flat iron is causing the thinning of the ends and possible breakage. Without a relaxer, regardless of your race, flat irons can cause hair to thin, get stringy and break.

Do NOT use the flat iron to straighten really curly hair. Why? Most people have to pass the flat iron through sections of curly hair over and over again to try to straighten out the waves. I have found that these multiple passings are doing more long-term internal damage to the hair shaft and overexposing the scalp to any "radiation-type" side effects since the roots usually present the most resistance in straightening. This scalp "overexposure" can result in shedding. The hair should be blowdried as straight as possible before using the flat iron. Ideally, the hair should require one pass through of the flat iron to get you your desired straightness.

Do use heat protection serums and sprays when using the flat irons. Why? They will help prolong the potential damage to the hair.

Do try lower temperatures first before using a high temperature on your flat iron. Why? Fine hair and chemically treated hair are advised not to use the flat irons on high at all. Also, when using a curling iron, I used to never turn the curling iron to maximum so why should a flat iron be used at top temperatures? If your curling iron dial goes from 1 to 25. Try 13 to 17 range. Most of the time, that is all the heat that anyone will need.

Please consider going flat iron free for two months. No cheating at all. Promise? If you do not see a difference in the one inch of new growth compared to the previously flat ironed hair - then go back to your flat iron. If you do see a difference, then remain flat iron free and grow the flat iron damaged hair out.