I have an appt for a perm or other type of chemical process this Saturday at around noon. I had 2 kiddos 15 months apart in July 2007 and November 2008 and during both pregnancies my normally stick straight hair grew out of my head kinky curly! Yes, very amazed by this. Well, my shoulder length hair now has 2 rows of curly hair striped by 3 rows of straight and I am sick to death of wearing my hair in a pony tail every day. I do not have time to straighten nor curl it (DS gets me up before my alarm everyday around 530 and I work long hours at work). I am a professional and honestly, you can only wear a pony tail so often. So, advice -- do I straighten it? Or, do I have it permed (even a body wave) with the hope it will blend the curlier stuff in better? Any advice or tales of similar woes would be greatly appreciated!
UPDATE: Yes, I am breastfeeding -- going on 8 months now (and plan to keep it up for a year or so). I have a freezer full of milk so I can pump and dump until I am able to wash my hair if I really feel strongly about the perm solution or if little DS doesn't like the smell but all the evidence has shown that perms and hair dyes are safe while breastfeeding. Thank you for your advice.
So- I got the perm...a gentle perm with mid-sized rollers and they cut and layered my very thick hair beforehand. It looks great :) I can finally wear it down and it all blends in and has direction. Thanks for all the advice! I am not planning to try for another kiddo for another year so at least I will be able to manage my hair with some style for the next year before my hormones go all out of whack again! I went to Forbici in Arlington Heights and saw Melinda -- she was great!
I straightened my hair and colored it all three of my pregnancies and had no problems. Don't worry.
I had a mild wave to my hair, whch become more curly after I had my first, and more curly again after I had my twins.
I think in your case, it depends on what you are more comfortable with. If you like it straigh, then get it straightened, if not get the straight part curled to match the rest.
I would personally curl it b/c it is less maintenance. All you do is wet it every morning put like a leave-in conditioner and the some moose and let it air dry or freeze it with a diffuser. One the other hand with straight hair you still have to dry it staright or flat iron or curl in the ends. When you want a change or are going out with curly hair you can always go to the salon and get it blowdried out for a change and when you wet it it will go back curly. Good luck
How frustrating!!
What do you prefer? Curly or straight?
I have wavy hair in the back, straight in the front. I choose to straighten mine (I recommend Matrix Opti-Smooth, I had a rusk product not be strong enough-stylist didn't listen- and when redone a month later it fried my hair).
Part of the reason I choose to straighten mine is that the top grows out straight and it's not obvious as it grows out. For that reason, I would recommend curly for you.
PS I went to cosmetology school as well and I still struggle with my hair if it isn't chemically straightened.
I don't know which way you should do your hair, but I just wanted to let you know that I had stick straight hair my whole life, which then got very curly after my first pregnancy. In fact, when I go to salons, hairdressers are always amazed at what "natural" curl I now have.
It is too bad that only parts of your hair changed. That makes it more complicated...good luck!
I am African-American and had the opposite experience. The birth of my first son took my hair texture from kinky to curly and I had to stop relaxing my hair. I totally understand having to adapt to a new texture. Personally I love being free from relaxer and would never go back even if my texture went back.
I can't tell from your post if you mean relax or curl when you use the term "permed" -- if you intend to relax your hair chemically I would say no. You don't know if the changes are temporary or not and the less harsh chemicals on your head the better.
There are places like http://www.naturallycurly.com/ that have products for curly hair textures. They have a section devoted to helping you determine your exact curly texture and have kits for each texture. Each kit lists the products and you can shop around the web for cheaper pricing.
I forgot there is also a new product out there that is marketed to curlier textures who want to straighten without using chemical relaxers. They now carry it in the salon I go to it is called La-Brasiliana. http://la-brasiliana.com/
It is supposed to last for six - eight weeks much like a relaxer but it is a conditioning treatment that does not harm the hair or scalp. I like my curly texture but they make a spray on finishing product that I use at home when I want to flat iron my hair that also helps straighten the curl and keeps my hair from frizzing after I flat iron. It may be worth a look.
Good luck and enjoy nursing your little one. I am nursing my third (a beautiful girl) who is 14 months and is just beginning to transition to food.
First off, are you breastfeeding? If so, I would do NOTHING! Whatever you put in or on your body you in your breastmilk. If not breastfeeding, I would perm if you have to, but know that your hormone levels are probobly out of whack and you could still have hair issues. It took me a year and a half for my hair to behave no matter what I did. Perming will be longer lasting over straightening or body wave, and it's great too just for evening out your hair even if you put a flat iron to it everyday.
I am currently in cosmetology school and would advise that you ask for a mild perm using fairly large rollers. This will give you an even and uniform curl instead of the problem you have now. Chemical relaxers can be very hard on your hair and scalp, I would really advise against it. Good Luck!
That is a tough one! My sister has her hair chemically straightened about every 6 months because she doesn't like to mess with a straightening iron every day. She washes it and lets it air dry or blow dries it and it looks great without any further fussing. However, a word of caution, she had it straightened during her pregnancy (about 4 months ago) and she does not think it "worked" this time. She thinks her hormones must have messed with the process. So, I would just encourage you to talk to your stylist and have her ensure you there is some sort of guarantee with her services. Even though you are not pregnant, if your hair has changed that much due to pregnancy/hormones in the past, you never know. And I know that my sister's straightening was way more costly than a perm. And by the way, I think a low ponytail in corporate America is very chic ;)
