By Tammy Goodson of CurlyChics
Sometimes
the process of doing my hair is a nightmare. A nightmare that consist of me being chased by tight curls
and kinks, followed by slowly falling off my deep conditioning regimen, down a
steep hill of tangles and knots.
It is at that point that I am awakened suddenly by what was once hot
water but has now grown tepid at best in the shower because I’ve been in there
so long. As the stream of water
rolls down my back, I try to decipher “was that a dream or was it real?” and
then I realize “yep, it’s real.” I
really do have to spend 3-4 hours out of my already not long enough day doing
my hair today.
the process of doing my hair is a nightmare. A nightmare that consist of me being chased by tight curls
and kinks, followed by slowly falling off my deep conditioning regimen, down a
steep hill of tangles and knots.
It is at that point that I am awakened suddenly by what was once hot
water but has now grown tepid at best in the shower because I’ve been in there
so long. As the stream of water
rolls down my back, I try to decipher “was that a dream or was it real?” and
then I realize “yep, it’s real.” I
really do have to spend 3-4 hours out of my already not long enough day doing
my hair today.
I read
somewhere that women spend 4.5 minutes doing their hair every day. Now I don’t remember the
geographics on that data but I’m guessing the control group for this study did
not include natural haired women.
Granted my shampoo process is only once per week, sometimes less
frequent, however, it can still be a nightmare nonetheless. I usually snap out of the funk by
repeating corny mantras like “no pain, no gain”, “nothing ventured, nothing
gained” and my favorite “anything worth having is worth working for”. The cynic in me says “yeah yeah,
whatever” but the realist in me believes every word. And so, I shake it off and begin imagining the end result.
somewhere that women spend 4.5 minutes doing their hair every day. Now I don’t remember the
geographics on that data but I’m guessing the control group for this study did
not include natural haired women.
Granted my shampoo process is only once per week, sometimes less
frequent, however, it can still be a nightmare nonetheless. I usually snap out of the funk by
repeating corny mantras like “no pain, no gain”, “nothing ventured, nothing
gained” and my favorite “anything worth having is worth working for”. The cynic in me says “yeah yeah,
whatever” but the realist in me believes every word. And so, I shake it off and begin imagining the end result.
This week as I approached the finish line, I was trying to
determine what my look for the week would be. I ran through my mental checklist which included the weather
forecast for the next few days, any special plans, kids’ activities, etc. All of these things I consider before I
can move forward. It may sound
crazy to most but for me, it’s a production and with my limited schedule, I
have to plan every aspect of the production in order to a successful hair
week. The next several days
promised to be hot as h– e– double hockey sticks (like the last 6-8 weeks have
been) with thunderstorms. I had no
special plans where glam was in order but I did have plenty of errands to run. Based on all of these factors, I made
an executive decision that vanity would take a back seat this week. In other words, a simplistic hairstyle
designed to eliminate handling and cuteness at the same time. After my detangling routine, I
generously applied my leave in and my DIY mix and just started twisting. No rhyme, no reason, just twisted. I think there are roughly 15 twists in
my hair that I grabbed and pinned up with bobby pins. #thatisall.
There was no separating or unraveling, no fluffing or coifing, just me
and my bobby pins. It’s not the
flyest look and has zero sex appeal (IMO) but it suffice. I will admit, I have been
overcompensating for my lack of a cute hairdo with statement jewelry and pops
of color but not having to style my mane every day, for at least 4.5
minutes, has been worth it.
determine what my look for the week would be. I ran through my mental checklist which included the weather
forecast for the next few days, any special plans, kids’ activities, etc. All of these things I consider before I
can move forward. It may sound
crazy to most but for me, it’s a production and with my limited schedule, I
have to plan every aspect of the production in order to a successful hair
week. The next several days
promised to be hot as h– e– double hockey sticks (like the last 6-8 weeks have
been) with thunderstorms. I had no
special plans where glam was in order but I did have plenty of errands to run. Based on all of these factors, I made
an executive decision that vanity would take a back seat this week. In other words, a simplistic hairstyle
designed to eliminate handling and cuteness at the same time. After my detangling routine, I
generously applied my leave in and my DIY mix and just started twisting. No rhyme, no reason, just twisted. I think there are roughly 15 twists in
my hair that I grabbed and pinned up with bobby pins. #thatisall.
There was no separating or unraveling, no fluffing or coifing, just me
and my bobby pins. It’s not the
flyest look and has zero sex appeal (IMO) but it suffice. I will admit, I have been
overcompensating for my lack of a cute hairdo with statement jewelry and pops
of color but not having to style my mane every day, for at least 4.5
minutes, has been worth it.
Do you ever sacrifice vanity for simplicity?
Sharing hairstories and life experiences from a curl’s perspective. Find Tammy at her blog, Curlychics, on Twitter, and Facebook.
All the time! It's good tho', gives me an excuse to do a protective style.
I love two-strand twists or twist-outs too. They are so fast to do with a little boy and another baby on the way.
. . .lemon squeezy 🙂
i agree wholeheartedly. . .
yup, that's exactly what i did today and will do for the rest of the week and possibly august if this weather doesn't chill out [pun intended]. However, some how my 5-minute hair do actually turned out to look pretty. It's similar to yours, about 20-30 twists that were braided to stretch, then i did 2 flat twists on each side framing my face and pinned them in the back. Cute and professional 😉
I usually choose simplicity over vanity. And I generally plan my hair based on what's going on in the weeks ahead. I just realized that I most likely won't be able to 2 strand mini twist my hair again until next month. Because it takes a while to do and there are too many events going on. So simplicity is better than vanity when necessary.
I am one of those women who has the type of hair that can't rock wash and gos or twist outs every day and still have healthy hair. My regimine is simple and I keep my hair in pinned up twists or 2 simple flat twists. For one, this is the best way for me to maintain growth. Two, I dont have time every single night to do my hair. & Three, I know how to be sexy and feminine with or without my hair being out.
With two boys and another on the way, I don't have time to spend on my hair. I want to look good, but I have to be practical. Protective styles are a way of life for me.
I come from the school of thought that simplicity doesn't necessarily equate to not caring for your looks. I keep my hair simple AND glamorous. Even when I don't ever do much to my hair, it still looks polished. Mostly, I do a wash and go and load my hair with conditioner and seal with an oil. It takes me less than five minutes to untangle my hair in the shower and I usually put a cute accessory in my hair that will match my outfit for the day. Accessories are a godsend, and it tricks people into thinking you're way more glamorous than you really are! I rarely bother with protective styles and I let my hair do what it wants most days. Because of this, I have found that my hair is growing healthily and at a very fast rate.
I've sacrificed only complexity for simplicity. I found a product that cuts my WNG time down to five to ten minutes in the shower (after washing my body and cowashing my hair, water off!!!). So now all I do is apply after the water is off, then get dressed, on Sunday. Then, the rest of the week, I refresh with a good spritz in the morning, and out the door. I've regained my sanity…
So true!
Same here. My work styles are typically simple, conservative. I do like to jazz things up a bit when I'm off work though.
Oh yeah, I simplify things all the time for the sake of saving time. As long as my hair is styled in a fashion that at least represents I took the time to "do something" with it and it's presentable….I'm good. This is why I rely on headbands, pins, scarves, and even LocSocs. Personally, I think my simple styles tend to receive more compliments that the ones I spend lots of time on.
That's basically what I do, especially when classes are in full swing. I don't have the time, effort, or motivation to do many creative things with my hair. Plus I'm in the awkward length stage right now, and twists are just the best thing for me at this point.
Yes I did today put it up, my wash days is long I fell off my deep conditions too. When I wanna be cute I glam up with twist and curl or braid and curl and wear it out. I wear my tnc and bnc's out for about three days, but for most I am a updo girl even when my hair is straight. So simplicity is more on my list than vanity. I am a laid back person when it comes to my hair it does not be perfect.
Twists are a winner with me too. Big twists, pinned up or left hanging. Easy peasy.
Ha!! Yes I do! Often!! I did a Mish Mosh Mash post (http://hairscapades.com/2012/05/30/mish-mash-mosh/) where my first statement was how my hair is often "unspectacular" for work and I really don't care as long as it's relatively neat … and it often frizzes. If I have a big meeting with the officers of my company, I'll make it neater or will wear it out. But, for the day to day, can't be bothered.
ME TOO! Literally two weeks ago my hair wasn't itself so I twisted it in an attempt to do a twist out (not my go to style because I fail miserably at them). When I was done with the 20 or so twists I didn't have time to sit under a dryer before a Dr.'s appt so I just pulled them back and up and pinned with bobby pins. Ta da! Easy hair. Late Sunday night after doing my hair I didn't have the stamina to do Curlformers so I put my hair in 20 twist again and wore them in a low pony this whole week. I'm telling you- twists are it! I redid the front on Wednesday when they got a bit frizzy and last night I redid the back. It's not the fanciest style but it works and is a major time saver in the morning. I'm kind of in love and not looking forward to a 3 hour curl former set this weekend so the twists may return.
As I continue on this journey to being natural, I realize that it takes more work to keep my hair healthy. Lately, I've been doing protective styles. That helps cut my regimen time down. So, I try to balance the vanity and simplicity thing.
I usually give into vanity. In this summer heat & humidity, however, I'm rethinking.
I don't think we have to sacrafice having a cute style for simplicity, we can have both. I'm a grad student and teaching assistant, so I don't have a lot of time, BUT I have to admit, I do like to keep my hair fly at least 85% of the time. I do this primarily by doing up do's that are simple, fun, chic, and can be worn for at least week at a time. Sometimes I keep two strand twists in and wear those pinned up as well. Maybe you should look into some of those. I get lots of ideas from the tutorials I watch on youtube, etc…
i often try to give in to vanity but i am the absolute laziest person when it comes to my hair…. i even hate putting on a scarf at night. that said…3-4 hours??? even with prepoo, washing, deep condish, and styling i don't think i take 3-4 hours on my hair unless i'm hennaing and that's on a lot of hair.
That's me to a "t". I don't have kids, but I'm extremely busy. I wash on Sundays and that take me a few hrs. I want to prepoo, but that takes up too much time. I don't do anything extra but deep condition, shamppo/cowash, and style. I keep the twists in a few days, twisout for a few days, and puff for two days. I may retwist two days out of the week, but I don't stress it.
I like to keep things pretty simple, so most of the time I'll wear 2 strand twists.
Yep, i think most busy women do!
I don't plan my hair week out as you do, but I probably should. My simple go to do is a Puff that I jazz up by wearing multiple ouch less headbands at once -it turns out cute and I can be done with my hair in about 5 mins.
This sounds like my weekly routine. I have a hectic schedule between working out , being a single mom and a full time career. I like to keep it simple. I will add a colorful scarf to jazz it up. If I have an event I just untwist and style.