*****UPDATE*****
This story was originally posted on December 8, 2009. Tanesha, a professional model, dealt with some serious hair damage on the job and was on the fence about whether big chop again. Well she went ahead and did it and it’s gorgeous! Check it out…
I have attached a few photos to show you what measures I went to in order to get back the much desired afro haha.
I went in to see a good friend of mine who owns a salon here in Austin. He was horrified by what happened to my hair to say the least. It was at his salon that I had my first big chop. Anyway…he was more than excited to go at it with the clippers lol. Most stylists LOVE chopping off women’s hair and he is no exception.
The photos speak for themselves but I would like to add that getting my hair buzzed was one of the most liberating things I have ever done. It takes some getting used to (seeing myself with almost no hair) however, I would rather see these teeny weeny curls than that mess of a coif you guys saw the last time I let you in to my little world of hair trauma.
I must say though, it is nice having to do pretty much nothing to my hair in the mornings. I do miss my all night hair twisting marathons but they will soon return :) At least these baby curls are a reminder of what was and what is possible with patience patience patience.
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This story was submitted by BGLHer Tanesha, a professional model.
Hi BGLH!
I love your blog and I have learned so much from you all and all of the members that contribute to it. I went natural about 9 months ago and grew my hair to about 5 inches during that time. My natural hair is tightly coiled and springy. I love love love it!
A few days ago, I had to go to a reputable salon to have my hair prepped for a photo shoot, as I am a professional model. Before I went natural I had relaxed hair with extensions. This looked good but it was rather boring. On my own, without any guidance from my agencies I removed my extensions and chopped off my relaxed hair! This was a personal decision and it is one of the best things that I have ever done.
My agencies and clients were skeptical at first, haha, of course. There was a lot of….”What did you do to your hair?!” I fixed it, that was not my hair before. sigh…well. To make a long story short I had to get my hair flat ironed and they wanted to add extensions as well.
The stylist used a heat setting that was waaaay too hot for my hair. Now, my hair is fried and looks processed. My hair has been washed and deep conditioned with sad results. My curl pattern is so weak that it is almost non existent.
She is not admitting to her mistake in any way. She flat ironed my hair not once but twice that day. I know I should not have allowed this looking back. But I trusted her judgement as a professional stylist
I fear that I will have to do a big chop all over again and that this past year of transitioning and stellar hair care has all been washed down the drain.
Any advice you have would be so appreciated. I went online and looked up the validity of her cosmetology license and it is EXPIRED. I have taken steps to reconcile this matter with the board of cosmetology in my state (Texas).
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I directed Tanesha to an article J wrote on heat damage a few months back. (Click HERE.) Jc of natural hair science blog The Natural Haven also has a great article on heat damage HERE.
Unfortunately the effects of heat damage are irreversible. Still, Tanesha wanted her article posted as a warning to others.
