Happy Wednesday, ladies!
It’s time for our middle-of-the-week poll. This time, the question is: do you chemically treat your hair? (came up with this when I was washing my hair last night. Tee hee.)
And by chemically treating you hair, I mean either colouring, perming and/or straightening your hair.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve probably messed up my hair enough times to know that I have. And still do. I can’t really recall how old I was when I first had my hair straightened. It was probably straight out of secondary school. I went for a hairwash, and the hairstylist thought it would be fun to use the hair iron on me.
Now if you’ve known me since I was wee, you’d know that I do not have the best-looking hair in the world. In fact, it was so sorry-looking, that my friends in school nicknamed me “Iron Hair”, or “Steel Hair” (or something of the like). Buns of steel, step aside, here comes hair of steel. *drumroll*
It was coarse, it was wiry, it was awfully frizzy. Worst of all, it was short (boy-cut), which made the frizz a lot worse. I started growing out my hair in Form 5, and the weight of my hair pulled it down, thus making it a little more manageable.
Anyways, so back to the hair iron story. So I had my hair temporarily straightened for a bit (no chemicals were used then), and I loved it. I loved how easy it was to manage my hair, without having to slick it back with water every few minutes. However, it was expensive straightening my hair back then (not that it’s any cheaper now, but I was only a student then), so after a wash, my hair went back to its original condition.
During my university days, I tried colouring my hair once, with a red dye from Clairol Herbal Essences. Sadly, there was no difference. You couldn’t even tell when the sunlight hits my hair. Gah, I ruined my hair for nothing 🙁
It was only when I returned to Malaysia for good, and started working, that I had my hair properly straightened and coloured. And coloured my hair, I did. I’ve had my red-hair phase, auburn-hair phase, almost-orange-hair phase (the colourist did a bad job then), and burgundy-hair phase, before I finally dyed my hair back to its original colour. And you know what, in the end, I actually looked better with the original hair colour. Go figure eh?
I’ve also had my hair permed once. It was during my training days in Japan, when almost every Japanese girl I saw would have their hair permed. Call it peer pressure, but when I came back to Malaysia for a break, I had my hair permed.
HUGE MISTAKE.
It made my head look really big, worsened the condition of my hair, gave it plenty of frizz, and I had to use a lot of hair products to tame it down. It was awful. After three months, I finally had enough, called it quits, and straightened my hair back. That was another mistake, as my the condition of my hair really went downhill then. Split-ends were emerging like crazy. That was my first and last time I would ever have a perm.
So now, other than straightening my hair once every 6-8 months or more, I no longer do anything to my hair. It’s getting better by the day, which is a huge relief. I can even hear my hair thanking me.
So what’s your story? (sorry mine was so long) Do you chemically treat your hair? Ever had it coloured, straightened and/or, dare I say it, permed? Spill! 🙂
my hair is v hard to tame too! i have been rebonding my hair…since…6 years ago and i can’t stop now 🙁 once i stop, it will look like some rusted barbwire. bahhhhh. and i started coloring my hair since 4 years ago too.
I’ve colored my hair so many times that i don’t even know what is my original color anymore! During my college days i change my hair color on a monthly basis! Thankfully nowadays i have more sense (or issit getting more and more stingy as i age!! lol!! XD)… i only do my hair once a year for CNY! 😛
I’ve rebonded my hair twice… same goes for perming! I think i’m addicted to curly hair though them perms fry my hair silly… still, i miss my big hair!! 🙁
Yes, I am guilty with this too! I had my hair straightened when I was in China…Pressure from the hair dressers..lol I colored my hair many times! 🙁 🙁 🙁 my hair is battered 🙂
Oooo I’ve done practically everything you can think of to my hair since the day I finished high school (I was a goodie prefect back in school, so no funny business with hair whatsoever). At the moment, it’s permed, coloured, highlighted, and straightened (fringe). >_<
hey tine, great story!
I havent touched my hair chemically for the last 2 years but i do tease/back comb it ALOT since i have such fine hair that needs volume. I think backcombing does extreme amount of damage as well cause my hair was split in every direction, some of my split ends where 5 inches long, terrible! the breakage was terrible as well, at one point i could run my fingers through my hair and a few pieces would just snap off!
your post came at a good time too – i was just thinking about getting my hair permed cause i love big bouncy waves. but i think i should pass… im sure chemicals + backcombing is deadly!
Of course I do XD My hair is naturally wavy… well, it’s neither wavy nor straight. And coarse. I used to straighten my hair, yes straight hair is very low maintenance but the regrowth was very obvious and annoying and had to get the straightening procedure done rather often, which leads to brittle, damaged hair.
Now I’ve permed my hair- it’s high maintenance, but I only perm my hair like twice a year. Even if the curls “loosen” I still get wavy hair, and the regrowth isn’t obvious because it blends in with the curls/waves.
I also dye my hair 😛 Brown with blonde highlights. My hair is super dark and takes a very light colour to show, and I love my natural hair colour, but alas black hair with curls/waves isn’t as nice as highlighted curly/wavy hair.
I perm my hair before too! And I hated them, sometimes I just dont trust the hairdresser…:/
I’ve done the whole works that I don’t even recognize what my natural hair is supposed to look like anymore since I have it chemically straightened annually!