When my girls were little their hair was so stinking cute! With their little curly tops, people always stopped us to say how cute they were and that they looked like Shirley Temple . . .
But as they got older, it started getting thicker, courser & curlier! But, still it was manageable . . .
From the time they started Kindergarten they would make comments like "I want straightened hair like so&so!" It makes me think of the scene in My Big Fat Greek Wedding when the little Greek girl brings her traditional lunch to school & says she just wanted to have a Wonder Bread sandwich like all the blond girls!
It's true I guess that we all want what we don't have. People tell my girls all the time "I paid big bucks to get that kind of curl!" But It's little constellation when your so frustrated trying to care for it!
We've had to pay full adult Haircut prices for them since they were about the age of 10 due to the amount of hair they have. And I don't know how to take care of it either, my hair isn't near as curly & it is MUCH thinner! I've even wondered if a Jeri Curl would work on white girls hair! :)
They almost ALWAYS wear it pulled back in a pony tail or in braids. It's just easier for them then walking around with a bush on their head!
I remember being a teenager & complaining about my hair & my mom telling she'd give anything to have my hair. I just want them to love who they are! And that includes these heads of hair they've been given. But I'd almost given up hope it could happen.
Then last week we were in Target, looking at what else: Hair Care products, and another lady who was shopping commented on their hair & started telling us that her daughter (who is a twin as well) has a friend with hair just like my girls' & goes to this salon in down town Gilbert (where we live) that specializes in curly hair. I had John look it up on his iPhone right then & there & get the number. I thanked the lady & told her she may have been a God send for us!
It's called Curls Gone Wild! Love the name! I looked at their website, click here to see it. I called to make appointments and the girl on the phone told me how glad she was we had found them while the girls are still young, so they can start now knowing how to take care of & yes, even LOVE their curls!
The girls started talking about what it might be like to be able to actually wear their hair down. Erica said "hopefully my hair can go from being a Lion to being a kitty cat!" :) We started getting excited. I was afraid we be disappointed.
Today was the day! The website tells you the first appointment will take an hour and a half & they will teach you how to care for your curls. The girls are on spring break this week so it was perfect timing!
They taught us how to cleans (& not shampoo!) their hair. To moisturize it, which is the key. And the do's & dont's of styling it! And every chance they got they threw in how wonderful (not burdensome) curly hair is! And how lucky & blessed the girls are to have it. :)
Melanie (in the black & white) is the owner of the salon & has children with hair just like my girls, and had to learn how to take care of it. And wanted to share that knowledge with others, so Curls Gone Wild was born. And I for one am glad it was!
They cut curly hair entirely differently than straight hair. And I love that they really took the time to talk to my girls & to me. We were there for just about two hours, but the time really flew by!
They didn't bat an eye at how much hair my girls have. Trust me other salons have. And then let me know they have to charge us extra because of it. (Can you tell this has become a sore spot in our lives?!) Well hopefully not any more!
And when all was said & done, the girls looked very different from how they walked in there, and as you can see, not much hair had been cut off, but where's the frizz?! We wont miss it!
Thank you Priscilla & Melanie for all your help today! We will be back!
They also gave the girls a website to check out, full of tips on how to continue to care for their hair. It's NaturallyCurly.com
Lexi before & after:
Erica before & after:
Curls Gone Wild!
What a great find! Your girls look gorgeous. And who wouldn't want hair that looked that beautiful? How lucky was it to meet that stranger in the hair care aisle? And thank goodness she was brave enough to speak up and give you the tip. Thank goodness for people who are not too shy to "butt in".
ReplyDeleteI'm a Curls Gone Wild client too. Your daughters are beautiful, their hair looks great! I found CGW because my curls had dried out living here (Florida transplant), and looked ragged. Following the advice in the book, I now only use shampoo once every few weeks, and moisturize like crazy- and sure enough the ringlet curls I love are back. Knowledge is power.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes see naturally curly girls, especially ones around your daughter's age that I can tell are battling their hair, and your post has encouraged me to find a way to say something. Even though we live in the information age, most of us don't even think to search it out- took me years!
Oh, my goodness, I'm so glad your girls are realizing how absolutely beautiful they are! I loved their hair even before, but it's perfect now. As the owner of a fine-haired, stick straight, thin head of very oily hair, it took me a long time to learn to do ANYTHING with mine, so I know how frustrated they must have been.
ReplyDeleteAnd not only do they look beautiful, their beautiful spirits shine through!