More Braids!

 Going Mental  No Responses »
May 032024
 

I know…I just can’t help myself. Back in October, I did what I really thought was the last time of braids since they lasted about two weeks before I got annoyed by the look, etc.

The problem, or problems are, is that I get bored easily with my hair and look. My philosophy that hair grows back or can always be made simple again makes it easy for me to make decisions about doing crazy/different things.

So, after I did the last set of braids, I got my hair permed in Japan because I trust my stylist there. I thought it would be enough for a while as my hair grew out as that’s my aim – long hair again.

Then, I got distracted and obsessed – again.

Whenever I see long beautiful braids on my social media feeds, I start to imagine the possibilities. I just love the look of them on others and on me, to be honest. Somehow, I feel it suits even if my sensitive head might disagree as it screams from the tension of the pulled hair to braid or the irritation of the foreign hair on the scalp.

This time, I started chatting with a lady who was advertising her braiding and hair extension services. She is located a bit far away, but her work looked amazing on the videos and pics she showed of her clients. I mentioned about my sensitive head and she suggested I use Brazilian wool instead of “hair”. After a few more exchanges, I think she might have gotten annoyed with me and my lack of knowledge about where to purchase the wool or hair if I just wanted extensions – because I love long hair these days.

In the end, I got back in touch with the original place I have gone to in Rome. She is always affirmative in her answers and I know that when I get there she will explain things. So, I booked myself in.

May 1st seemed a nice day as the first of the month as a new hairstyle start. Off I went on the early commuter train, which was actually very quiet since May Day is a bank holiday in most of Europe. Eight hours later by the amazing hands of Thomas from Nigeria, my hair was complete.

Thomas on the right – rare sight of two men working on hair!

So far, I’ve had two sleeps on it, given my scalp a light wash and rinse, done yoga, and it’s been good. The itchiness is still there, but the look still makes me happy. We’ll see how long I last with it, but as long as my head doesn’t go red, I feel good about it. If it doesn’t last, well, I’ll reassess if it’s worth it for a two-week look in the future… Or, maybe my own hair will get long enough that it can be braided on its own….

Anyway, you know my philosophy – it grows back and can always be adjusted!

~T πŸ”₯πŸ‰β™‹οΈ

Braids!

 Going Mental  2 Responses »
Oct 092023
 

So… I thought I had sworn off doing braids again after having three goes before – each lasting fewer days than the one before. My first round was done at the same place as the two following, but by a different braider. I loved them and only took them out after two weeks because I broke my ankle and got bored with them whilst laying on my back.

The two rounds after that were less than stellar with the last round lasting only a few days after the cornrows pulled out and my head went on fire from whatever gel they used for the braiding. Thus, I said I wouldn’t do them again….

But, then, I looked at pictures and I felt that perhaps I shouldn’t give up on them, but instead find a new place to go. Well, a little search online revealed another option with a nice Instagram account @braidedbywhitney_ located just a bit outside the center of Rome. Through messages, I felt confident to give it another try.

I went back to the first style, and am so in love with the look!

When I got the first set done, M and I pondered if this would be considered a version of cultural appropriation or not. Both of us dislike it when we see people dressing in the cultural dress of another country or when someone sends/says wishes for a holiday that they don’t actually celebrate. So, it was worth a bit of a consideration on whether or not I am being hypocritical by having my hair braided.

In the end, I felt that a) it is not really cultural appropriation as I’m not exploiting the African braids, but rather having my hair done in a style that I love; b) it doesn’t really matter if people think I am or not because well, I don’t care. I do not think I am personally offending anyone and am not promoting nor disrespecting any culture by my preference of hairstyle. So…there’s that!

Besides, I’ll have my hair this way for a few weeks. Then, I’ll take it out before I go to Japan next month as I plan to get my hair permed there and then I’ll have curly hair for a while. The fact is, I like to do different things with my hair because I can and it always grows back! πŸ€ͺ

~T πŸ”₯πŸ‰β™‹οΈ

Hair – Boxed Braids

 Going Mental  1 Response »
Feb 172023
 

Since I had my first haircut and perm, I have been open to trying just about anything with my hair – the only exception being shaving it as I’m not sure on that one just yet.

My philosophy is that hair grows back and so there is no need to worry so much about experimenting with styles. I have colored it purple, shades of blond and browns. I have cut it short, grown it long. I have permed it, straightened it.

Most of the time, I am content with how my hair looks knowing that it grows and can be changed.

Also, I maintained a philosophy that having my hair long in the summer was better than in winter because the heat makes my head hot and I want to be able to put it up and out of my face. In the winter, I keep it down to give me warmth. However, this year, I got tired of my COVID length hair that had grown long.

I decided to cut and bleach it with a sort of ombre style, but also as I wanted to grow my natural hair color out. However, it wasn’t quite the look I wanted so I decided to see about getting a perm. I’ve always preferred my hair curly since the fineness of my hair makes it look flat when straight and short. Getting a perm outside of Japan with coloring is a very hard task. Who knew?

So, while I was in the US, I decided to try it under a misguided belief that it could be done at a beauty school. Of course, it was proven that I could not perm my hair without massive destruction to it. Instead, I got a haircut that went absolutely wrong…. You get what you pay for when it comes to women’s hair!

For the first time in many years, I hated my hair. Even with my mantra that it grows back, every day I hated my hair.

One of my biggest goals with my looks is to avoid looking middle-aged and more importantly like a middle-aged Asian lady. In Asia, there is a certain look that one takes on for each stage/age of life thanks to the group culture. So, having short hair styled a certain way is what makes it clear you are part of the age group. For me, that’s a no-bueno situation. I dislike being put into a box anyway, and who wants to embrace middle-age if it is an expectation?

While we were in London, we happened to walk behind a woman who had beautiful long braid extensions. She was dressed stylishly and her hair looked gorgeous. I somewhat casually said, “I want to have hair like that.”

Well, the idea stayed with me and so I began to look for examples online of Asians with braids and research what it would take. After seeing a few examples and watching a few videos, I decided to try to find a place to do it. Knowing we were going to be in Rome, which had a higher chance of having a decent place to go to, I made a semi-spontaneous decision to reach out to a place with good reviews.

Upon conversing with the shop, discussing with M, we did our doctor’s appointments, had a nice lunch and then M left me to it.

Despite promises that it would cost less than it did and be done sooner than it was, I am very pleased with the results. Although they claim it will last a couple of months, I feel it will be lucky to last one month since my hair is so fine – even after one wash and care of the hair/braids today, the little hairs are sticking out. Still, I don’t mind.

There’s a bit of itchiness and quite a bit of maintenance it seems, but as an experiment of something new for my hair, I love it!

~T πŸ”₯πŸ‰β™‹οΈ

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