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“Evil Hot Comb” by Leila Noelliste… Yes folks. This is original art I created with the help of Microsoft Paintbrush…

We’ve all been there.

You’re sitting in that chair, and that unmistakable smell of chemically burnt hair wafts to your nose. Your stomach sinks as you realize that your hair will never be the same again — if you even have hair after you get up. Every drag of the hot comb through your already limp strands exponentially increases your feeling of dread.

I’ve had my share of salon horror stories. From my wacky golden-died texturizer when I was 16 (I was going for the Beyonce-in-Goldmember look) to my hairline being yanked out courtesy of extra-tight cornrows, I ‘ve been there. It’s the feeling of loss followed by extreme anger and confusion that you actually have to PAY somebody to f up your hair situation.

This post is in no way to demonize all salons! There are some great ones out there with talented staff (check out our Salon Page for a sampling). But for now I just want to hear the bad and the ugly from your time in the black leather (or pleather) salon chair…

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But that hair is gone after a visit to the salon.

The press…

That lead to the damage…

That lead to the second big chop…

Check it out:

I just wanted to write to you guys to let you know that I had to restart my journey and do another big chop due to HEAT DAMAMGE. I went to get my hair pressed last week at a salon called Styles by Lisa in Charlotte, NC, which completely ruined my hair. I trusted the lady, since she supposedly specializes in natural hair and has natural hair herself, but by the end of the week and by the time I had washed my hair, it was so damaged and smelled like heat the entire time I wore my hair straight. Even after washing my hair about two or three times it still smelled burnt and gave off an eggy/relaxer smell.



I’d like to share this experience with you guys in hopes of saving another head of natural hair. The amount of heat (blow dryer, plus she sat me under the dryer, plus she used a hot comb, and a flat iron) the stylist used was way too much, especially since my hair had also been color treated a couple of months before. The funny thing is, while she was doing my hair she could tell by the vibes I was giving off that I didn’t trust her and that I felt she was using too much heat, but she told me not to worry because she was using a heat protectant. Even so, there’s not enough product in the world that can protect from extreme temperatures.



My hair would not curl up right after I had washed it and I had random straight ends, my hair also still smelled burned when I went to get my second big chop, during which the barber even said my hair was very brittle and would need to be deep conditioned and babied back to health. Please, help me spread the word about the seriousness of heat damage and the stylists who THINK they know what they are doing when it comes to natural hair. To all my natural heads everywhere, if you feel uncomfortable sitting in that chair, go with your first instinct and RUN! lol

Damn! On the plus side Brittany your big chop is gorgeous. So you’re trading one great look for another. But still…

I think stylists are so used to the idea that black women want to exorcise the kinks out of their hair that they aren’t able to grasp that some women actually LOVE the kinks, the curls, the fuzz and all that goes along with it. *Le sigh.

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“My hair is 3 textures, the front- wavy, middle- tightly coiled and back- loose coil. I have been natural for about two years and the middle is still a piece of work and it’s not growing like the rest of my hair. The middle seems to be thin and not as full as the rest of my hair, so when I wear twists it looks uneven. I am contemplating cutting off my hair and starting over.” ~Delani

“So I was going through my hair and noticed a nickle sized bald spot. OMG! Then as I went through my head I noticed a lot of thinning (darn near bald) in the front of my head. The right side of my head is thinner than the right side and I’m afraid to know if there’s more. I know henna can dry the hair out. Maybe I was washing too much (I would wash/co-wash sometimes 3 times a week), or using to many new products without waiting to wean the old product out. Maybe the henna did dry my hair out and make it brittle. So now I don’t know where to pin point the problem. This scared the daylights out of me, and so it’s back to the basics.” ~La’Tesa

For a long time my ‘problem patch’ was a couple inches above the nape of my neck. It just wouldn’t grow. As my moisture and strengthening/conditioning regimen improved, it started to grow out and I don’t even notice it anymore. Covering my head at night helped things drastically too.

What about you guys, do you have problem patches? How do you work with them?

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Click HERE.

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But being on a campaign against relaxers and being natural are two very, very different things.

Yes, from time to time I will see a gorgeous head of shiny, relaxed hair, and I appreciate it. Cuz it looks good. It doesn’t change the fact that the majority of relaxers I see aren’t that great-looking (in MY opinion) and that I find serious danger in the fact that little research has been done on the effects of directly applying and constantly inhaling the sodium hydroxide and ammonium that many relaxers are composed of.

But I have two close friends (one is an active BGLHer) with long relaxed hair, and many times they look fabulous.

But what about you? Do people assume that because you’re natural you think all relaxers are terrible?

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Where do you live?
P: I live in Brooklyn, born and raised! I work as an office manager’s assistant at an advertising agency.

Why did you make the decision to go natural?
P: I went natural in 2007 after a horrible experience at the salon that left me in tears. Relaxers always left burns and sores in my scalp but this time, not only were there burns in the middle of my head like usual, but also all over my hairline and the nape of my neck. I really don’t know how I was able to keep hair on my head after 10 years of chemical burns. My relaxed hair was long and looked healthy but my scalp was severely damaged so there was no way my hair was healthy.

I thought about going natural for years and after that salon experience, I decided to finally take the plunge.

When and how did you transition into natural hair?
P: After that salon experience in the summer of 2007, I decided that this would be my last relaxer. I began transitioning in July 2007 until I big chopped for my birthday in March of 2008. During my transition I wore my hair curly often to blend the two textures. When I got tired of the constant hair manipulation, I wore braid extensions and kinky twists until I big chopped.

Natural hair has completely changed my views on beauty. I went from thinking that my nappy hair was ugly to falling more in love with my hair everyday. I grew up being told by everyone around me that the hair growing from my scalp was a problem that needed to be fixed and I bought into the hype.

Making the decision to go natural forced me to unlearn everything I had been taught through the media, friends and family about what is beautiful and worthy in our society. Making a conscious afford to properly education myself on black hair opened the door to an even deeper interest in African American history. This may not be everyone’s experience with going natural but for me natural hair is that deep. It is a significant part of our history.

What mistakes have you made with your hair that you’ve learnt from?
P: In the beginning I truly didn’t believe that water could ever be my friend! I still had a relaxer mentality where I ran from water and wouldn’t properly moisturize my hair. This caused it to look and feel dry. Now I love the feeling of water hitting my hair and how it has the power to melt away my tangles.

What’s the best/most effective thing you do for your hair?
P: Moisture, Moisture, Moisture!

What do you use in your hair?
P: I love Karen’s Body Beautiful and Oyin Handmade Products. I love Oyin’s Whipped Pudding and the Honey Hemp Conditioner. I also love Karen’s deep conditioner and the hair butter. I also love the Trader Joe’s Nourish Spa shampoo and conditioner.

What is one of your favorite styles?
P: I love two strand twists and twist outs especially when the twist outs are about 2 days old and my hair expands outward. On about that 3rd day it expands upward. I love it!

Two strand twists are pretty easy to do, thats why I always do them (I’m a little style challenged). After I shampoo, deep condition and/or use leave in conditioner on my hair, I start from the nape of my neck and part my hair in rows and start twisting. I make my twists about the width of a pencil. I use the Oyin Handmade’s Whipped Pudding or Karen’s Body Beautiful hair butter on each piece. After about 4 days wearing the twists, I let it out for a twist out for the remaining 3 days.

Is there a blog/webpage where we can find you?
P: www.afroedandfab.blogspot.com

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Summer styles from Annabelle

One thing is very clear — African inspired prints are becoming increasingly popular in fashion and personally I find it refreshing to see modern remixes of traditional designs.

It kind of reminds me of how natural hair — which many people associate with the 60s — is being remixed and reinterpreted in new ways today. And getting more and more mainstream nods.

I think that black people can tend to devalue things associated with their culture. And being a natural hair blogger, I see that most often with kinky hair.

But more and more I feel that suppressing blackness and/or an African aesthetic is an outmoded way of thinking. And a younger generation of black women are refusing to do it.

Do you think more and more people are viewing natural hair as progressive and refusing to dislike/suppress/alter their most ‘black’ features? Or do things like skin lighteners, hair straightening and ‘black as midnight’ jokes have a death grip on black people?

All images in this post courtesy of Fly, an amazing blog that you should check out!

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When did you and your husband meet?
R: My husband and I met the first day of orientation for graduate school in the Summer of 2006. I didn’t think I would like him…but apparently God had other plans!

We got married in Houston, TX on September 5, 2009. It’s so cliche to say this, but it truly was the best day of my life.

How was your big day?
R: I married my best friend and that in itself made our wedding day a true blessing and the perfect start of the rest of my life. It was also organized chaos! Our wedding planner had everything planned to the ‘T’ and we were able to enjoy ourselves with our closest friends and family. It was a humid summer day in Houston and I’m just so glad I wasn’t worrying about sweating my edges out or my hair curling and frizzing up on me.

How did you wear your hair?
R: I wore my hair in a wash-and-go/twist out hybrid. I co-washed and left a substantial amount of conditioner in for my style. At 9 months into my transition, I was using Herbal Essence Totally Twisted. I flat twisted the front of my hair, stopping the twists at about the middle of my head. I let the back airdry and I made sure the twists dried all the way too (my hair is thick so this actually took me 24 hours total). I took the twists out and then my wedding stylist pinned back one side with my bridal head comb, fixed a few flat curls with flexi rods and spritzed with gloss spray.

What was your process of deciding how to style your hair?
R: At 9 months into my transition, I was in an awkward hair place, because of the new growth to relaxed ends ratio. I had the back of my hair stacked in definitive layers to help with how my hair fell and I knew I didn’t want an updo. I also knew I didn’t want to be stressed with a straight hair style that I knew for sure wouldn’t last through the night due to humidity (and even possible rain).

My hair never really ever took to relaxers and as a result, my hair is curly when wet and dries that way if I don’t straighten it.

I know a lot of transitioners aren’t able to wear ALL their hair curly because of the relaxed and processed ends, so I decided to take advantage of this blessing. So a month before the wedding, I started experimenting with how to deal with all the textures on my head without flat ironing or adding hair pieces to my hair. The final product was a well rehearsed wash and go and I’m so glad it turned out well.

My bridesmaids all commented on how comfortable I was with my hair and it was such a blessing to not to have worry about it getting messed up in anyway. In my engagement pictures, which were taken months before, my hair was straightened and in a tight updo, so I did get comments on how my hair looks much better curly.

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