Jerry at Legends Hair Salon in Flemington, New Jersey has been cutting my hair since I was 5-years-old. I am not even over-exaggerating when I say that literally only 2 other people have cut my hair since then. Once was in Jersey—I was desperate, and Jerry was unavailable. The other was here in Maryland—I tried to start a new hair stylist relationship near my new home. It didn't go so well.
Lately, I've been avoiding Jerry. I've had short to medium length hair for the majority of my life. I was never one for highlights or crazy colors; I've always tried to keep things pretty simple. I cut my bangs short and straight after college graduation, and since then, I've been on a mission to grow my hair out long. If I had to give a celebrity example of my desired hair style, I'd go with Zooey Deschanel.
However, trying to get my hair to grow past shoulder length has been a HUGE challenge. Admittedly, there's a few reasons for this: 1. I have naturally wavy hair, which sounds cool, but it's not. In order to go "au naturale" I have to load up on product. 2. I wash my hair every day. Sometimes twice a day. 3. I blow dry my hair almost every day. And then I use a flat iron to either curl it or straighten it. 4. I tend to buy really cheap, "drugstore" shampoo of the Garnier Fructis or Herbal Essences variety (the above mentioned Maryland hair stylist gave me a lot of crap when I told her I used Dove shampoo).
All of these things have led to build up, dryness, and damage. And damage always leads to one thing: getting a haircut. But for some reason, telling Jerry, "just a health trim, please!" gives him full liberty to cut off 4 inches. I end up right back where I started.
I'm at the point now where I can say my hair is probably the longest it ever has been, and I'm proud of that. However, the end of each strand looks like a rat chewed on it. Trying to find new ways to tame it every morning is exhausting. So, instead of going back for "just a trim," I'm trying some new, quasi-inexpensive, products and techniques:
1. A boar bristle brush. I purchased this one at Ulta for $11.99. The brand is called Wigo. It's 100% boar bristle, which prevents frizz and adds shine. I picked this one for its softness and ceramic barrel. 2. Redken All Soft shampoo and conditioner. My boyfriend worked for a haircare company for almost 5 years. He recommended Redken to me. I picked the All Soft line since it promotes "gentle haircare for dry, brittle hair." Seemed like a good match. The liters were on sale at Ulta for $14.99 each, and I got 2 free pumps. 3. Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum. While doing some research, I stumbled across this product and decided I had to try it. This serum smoothes hair strands, supposedly eliminating frizz and cutting down dry time. It also smells really nice! I picked up the small trial size from Ulta for only a few bucks.
I'm hoping after two weeks, I will start notice a difference in my hair. Today was day one. Already, my hair feels much softer and lighter, but the ends are still very dry and brittle feeling. Hoping to avoid another health trim. Wish me luck!
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