Adventures in Cosmetology School!

Sorry for the long absence! For those of you who didn't know, I am currently a cosmetology student at IBMC College. My first day was September 30, 2013, so I have been busy learning about all things related to beauty. I anticipate taking the State Board Exams in March 2015!!

My decision to start beauty school was largely in part due to the independent research I did to grow my hair in the healthiest shape imaginable. I learned to trim (search and destroy) my hair on my own so I wouldn't dread going to a stylist to take off 6-12 months worth of growth. My brushing routines for every morning and night were set and a great way to start and end my days. I learned about henna and indigo as alternative hair coloring methods. Once my hair started getting healthier, I noticed those wonderful waves, which lead me to "Curly Girl: The Handbook" by Lorraine Massey. There were hair communities (The Long Hair Community, Naturally Curly, and Wavy Hair Community) I joined and learned from all the wonderful people from their respective groups. The knowledge I gained was PHENOMENAL!

It wasn't enough, though. I grew impatient trying to find a like-minded stylist. It became increasingly difficult to find someone who shared my passion for all things hair. So I decided to turn my hobby into my career to help other hair-savvy people out there. I could have just went with a hairstyling license, but it made the most sense to become a full cosmetologist. It has been an adventure!

I went into the program with this luxurious mane:

Everyone told me I was going to chop it all off. I disagreed, but it proved to be true. There were so many different shapes and colors to play with!

My first "chop" went from the above to this:

Later, I went even farther up and played with minimal ombre highlighting (with lightener/bleach):

That short length STILL didn't stop me from experimenting. I hated the way the bleached parts felt in my hair, so I decided to do a super short right-sided undercut:

I grew tired of the asymmetry and cut it into a pixie. Then I had the bright idea I absolutely HAD TO have silver hair. So I lightened a ginormous panel and colored it silver:

After trying to keep up with the silver for 2 months, I began to color it my natural shade. I was determined to let it grow out and just trim the back until I could grow it out one-length. It would have worked had I not lightened it.

But I did. So it started to break off at the four month mark (two inches of healthy, virgin hair.) This was after hitting it with protein treatments, deep conditioning treatments, nightly oil and brushing with a boar bristle brush and never using another heat tool on it. It wasn't enough to save it. So I had to chop it off so I wouldn't have a mullet. We're talking only two inches of healthy hair to play with. It didn't leave me with many options:

That was September 9th, 2014, five days after my initial haircut. What's sad is that there are still some lightened hair I didn't have the heart to cut. As you can see, I am dealing with the dreaded "poofball" look and some MAJOR growth pattern issues. Currently, I am taking Hair, Skin and Nails by It Works!, performing daily boar bristle brushing, shampooing every 3-4 days, no use of hot tools (not even a blow dryer) and have dabbled in the Monistat Challenge (I'll have to leave that explanation in a future post.)

This is where I am at now: (Two-and-a-half weeks after the "poofball" chop)

It's not my most flattering haircut ever, but it's a FRESH START! I am impressed with my two-weeks of growth and I hope it will continue to grow faster as I research new methods of growth habits. This was a good lesson for me. I now know what hair is psychically capable of doing when stretched to the limits. I know how to ask the right questions when performing a client consultation. Basically: I know how to learn from my mistakes!!

Also, I learned that I had no idea what fine, medium and coarse hair meant. I used to think I had fine hair. After being able to play with hair from people from all different walks of life, how my hair responded to a SUPER short cut, my hair classification has been changed to 1c/C/ii. My hair behaves more like Caucasian hair with weight and ideal conditioning. My hair now is behaving like it's 100% Asian. No fineness here!

Happy Hair Day to each and every one of you readers!!

Next post: How to grow your hair!

Classifying Your Hair

To start things off, it is important to know what you are working with.  Have you ever classified your hair?  In this post, I will be using Fia's Hair Classification from LHC.  There are a few ways to determine your hair properties:

First, let's deal with pattern. Do you have straight, wavy, curly or kinky pattern to your hair?  On the LHC, they recommend you clarify your hair (either with shampoo or a baking soda rinse), rinse your hair and DON'T TOUCH IT AGAIN until it is COMPLETELY dry.  If you manipulate your hair during the drying process, you may have different results.  Also, no conditioner.  We need to see your hair in its natural state.

There are 4 different patterns: Straight (1), Wavy (2), Curly (3) and Kinky (4)
The different letter modifiers after the pattern number indicate the curl strength (a/b/c).

1s:  Most people with straight hair are in this category.  It has little to no curl pattern, although 1b and 1c hair might have more body and/or volume to it.  Your hair is easily straightened and may be hard to hold curls or waves in it - even with plenty of product and tools.

     1a - Stick, straight hair.  You hair has absolutely no bend to it.  It is straight from root to tip.
     1b - Straight hair that bends in one area - either mid-shaft or at the ends.
     1c - Straight hair that is starting to form a loose "S" shape.  1c hair usually has more body and movement.

2s:  Wavy hair.  Hair can vary from loose ringlets (stronger "S" shape) to loose corkscrews.  Your hair may or may not hold up to different curl styling.  Wavy hair is finicky as it can vary from straight to curly depending on your environment, weather, dew points and other factors.

     2a - Loose waves with a tighter "S" shape.  2a hair cannot decide to be straight or wavy.
     2b - Stronger wave pattern is there. Looks like braid waves.
     2c - Hair is not curly, but there are spirals that show up every now and again.

3s:  Curls, curls and curls.  People with a 3 pattern in there hair usually have spirals and ringlets in their hair that can be achieved without styling and/or products.  Your hair can be prone to frizziness - especially after brushing.  Hair like to stay in clumps and curl up together.

     3a - Hair is mostly is ringlets and spirals.  There should be 2" - 3" of shrinkage from your wet hair to dry.
     3b - Tighter curl pattern.  Hair likes to boing!  You get anywhere from 3" - 5" shrinkage.
     3c - Tightest curl before heading to "Z" curls.  Shrinkage is anywhere from 5" - 7".

4s:  Also know as Kinky hair.  People who have 4 texture have the strongest curl pattern as, instead of "S" shapes, hair is in a "Z" pattern.  Kinky hair usually responds well to heavier cream- and oil-based products.

     4a - "Z" pattern hair.  Hair can be difficult to straighten.
     4b - An even stronger "Z" shape in the hair.  Hair is also difficult to straighten.

Here is a very basic drawing I did to illustrate this:  (Yes, I did it on MS Paint.  Classy, right?)

Now onto your hair's texture.  There are 3 different classifiers, (F) Fine, (M) Medium and (C) Coarse.

F:  Fine hair is thinner in diameter.  It may seem transparent when held up to light.  If you run your hair in-between your fingers, you may not feel anything at all.  It will feel like rubbing a thin, silk thread.  Also known as "Gossamer" hair.

M:  Medium hair has a bit more substance to it.  Hair will feel like smooth, "all-purpose" thread when rubbed between finger pads.

C:  Coarse hair is very thick.  It is very thick in diameter and it should feel like thick, cotton thread on the finger pads.Many people of Asian descent or Native-American descent have coarse hair.  

Here is when we measure our hair's thickness.  Just because someone is classified with fine hair, doesn't mean their ponytails are more narrow.  Gather your hair in a mid-ponytail without using a bulky hair tie, grab a measuring tape and measure the circumference of the ponytail.

i:  Thin hair - Circumference is less than 2"

ii:  Normal hair - Circumference is 2" - 4"

iii:  Thick hair - Circumference exceeds 4"

For the record, when using this system, I am a 1c/F/ii:

Next up: Understanding Porosity

Barely Wavy Welcomes You!!

Welcome, Wavy Adventurers!

If you found my page, it is because you would like to learn more about your hair.  Straight, wavy, curly or kinky, I sincerely hope that you will be able to take away something useful from my blog.  May the hair gods smile upon you each and every day!!

Hair is my hobby and obsession.  As a full disclaimer: I am not a licensed hair stylist.  Anything I post here is from my own research.  Many are trial-and-error procedures and reports on what I have discovered about my own hair.  I do hope that you will find my blog helpful.

If you are on the Naturally Curly Forums, Wavy Hair Community or Long Hair Community, you may know me as tambalina.  As I mentioned, I am obsessed with how to care for hair.  Each community I have joined has given me so much knowledge.  Please feel free to say, "Hi!" if you see me on the boards.

My hair has been every length from shaven to classic.  For most of my life, I was anywhere from stick-straight to bendy-straight.  It's only recently decided to start acting like wavy hair, which prompted me to relearn everything I thought I knew about how to care for my tresses.

There will be product reviews, tutorials, videos and LOTS of pictures to peruse within these pages in the time to come.  Happy reading!

- barelywavy