Tag: hair

Frizz

LagosMum5 Comments

I’d been toying with the idea of having that keratin treatment thingy to make my hair straighter/less frizzy. (Have I already given away that I actually don’t know much about it?)

I’m so sick of always having to tie up my hair as soon as I wash it. I’m useless at blow-drying my own hair and if I don’t tie it up after washing it, it dries a bit like this…

big-frizzy-hair

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ok, ok – I’m exaggerating. But seriously, it’s not a pretty sight. Even when I tie it up, it’s always messy and frizzy. It used to dry nicely – when I lived in London. But not here. Not in this heat!

I thought about doing it while I was in Dubai. My sister has had it done there about three times, I think she said. But she also said she found the treatments she’d had in the UK more effective than the ones in Dubai. So I decided against it.

I had my hair blow-dried in Dubai three times, I think. And all my activities had to revolve around getting my bloody hair done. For example, going to the gym or for a swim the next day was a no-no as it would ruin my hair. Ridiculous, right?

Just so you know – I usually wash my hair every day. But if I’ve had a blow-dry, I wait a day before washing it.

Last Saturday I went to the salon for my weekly (if I know we’re going out) blow-dry. There was a lady there having something or other done and I asked the hairdresser what she was doing. He said she was having the keratin treatment.

I didn’t even know they did it at that salon.

He told me a little about the process (some of which I already knew from my sister), the price and some other information.

By that evening I had decided that I wanted to do it.

On Wednesday I messaged my hairdresser to clarify a few points.

1. Did I have to use a special shampoo?

No.

2. If I did it on Thursday morning, would I be able to wash my hair on Saturday?

Yes – but in the evening.

3. How long would the whole process take?

A couple of hours.

Great – I booked my appointment for the following morning.

I was late in the morning – LagosDad’s fault, of course. But that didn’t matter.

To be honest, I can’t even remember half of what the guy did (the hairdresser that did it wasn’t the one I had been talking to about the treatment).

They washed my hair first (and the water ran out – so they were using bottles of water). Then dried it, applied some stuff to it. Left it for a bit. Made me sit under a dryer for a while. Blow-dried it. Flat-ironed it. I don’t know.

It took two hours. Thank God I took my iPad and could alternate between my trashy novel and Candy Crush!

After I finished and paid, I said, ‘So I can wash it on Saturday evening, right?’

He replied, ‘It’s better to wait until Sunday. Or even Monday if you can.’

WHAT?

Does this man not understand that I usually wash my hair every day? And that the thought of waiting even two days makes me feel queasy? Also, if I’d known I couldn’t wash it over the weekend, I’d have waited until Monday before doing it.

So then I asked if I could tie it up.

No. Apparently not. At least, not for the first two days. And after that, very loosely. Like with a scarf or something (which I don’t own).

He told me to come in on Saturday to have it flat-ironed again. Which I did yesterday afternoon. He then told me that I could wash it on Sunday.

By yesterday evening, my hair looked disgusting. It was so greasy, it looked wet.

LagosDad and I wanted to go out for dinner. We had to go somewhere dark – so no one would see the state of me!

So I’m about to go in the shower and wash my hair and I can’t wait

I can’t even think about what my hair will be like – I’m just so excited about it being clean!

 

 

 

Cough, Cough

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When V was about fourteen months old, he had a bad chest infection.  It was so bad, the doctor said he was about one day away from pneumonia.

Ever since then, each cough has sent me into a panic.  Because it’s not just a cough.  Each cough is accompanied by high temperatures and a runny nose.

This year he has had more bottles of cough syrup than I care to mention; and he was on antibiotics three times between February and April.

When the doctor listened to his chest each of those three times, he said he could hear him wheezing and all the phlegm building up in his lungs.  

This obviously concerns me – but the doctor said not to panic and that he was fine, it was normal for children his age to get coughs, etc. 

LagosDad once mentioned that he thought perhaps V was getting so ill all the time because  he wasn’t breastfed (#*%!).

Anyway, so after his last dose of antibiotics, he got better.  His temperature went back to normal, he chucked-up most of the phlegm and he went back to nursery.

The strange thing was that V wasn’t coughing any more, but he was still really phlegmy and his nose was still runny.  His breathing wasn’t clear when he slept and he always sounded like he needed to clear his throat.

When it hadn’t stopped after another week, I took him back to the doctor.  The doctor asked me why I had come back when there was clearly nothing wrong with my child.  He said his lungs were clear and that it might just be an allergy or something.  He told me to give him Clarityne for five nights.

It didn’t work.  

So I continued with cough syrup.  

It didn’t work.

Many people offered me lots of different advice – Vicks, air purifiers, home remedies, all sorts. 

Before I got the chance to test any of them, he was fine.

Just like that.  Practically over night.  Maybe in even less time.

And I realised…

It cleared up after the dog was shaved.

Poor Rolo.  He looks like a little rat when he’s shaved – and it’s usually done every six months.  

Now he’s destined to look like a rat all the time!

Hair Fetish?

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About a year ago I wrote a post about shaving Vinay’s head when he was thirteen months old.

He really was very attached to it – maybe it was much more of a soother than I realised.

This has become a slight concern for me because during his ‘down-time’ (watching TV, feeling sleepy), he likes to stroke my hair.

It doesn’t matter if it’s tied up or not, or even if it hasn’t been washed for two days.  He will stroke it and pull it.  And I don’t know how he does it, but he always manages to get hold of ONE strand and pull.  Hard.

It bloody hurts.

What’s worse is that he’s more inclined to shove his hands in my hair and rub my head when my hair is freshyly blow-dried!

Now when we watch television together, I tell him he cannot touch my hair.  Cue tantrum.  And he says, ‘Touch mama’s hair.  Only gently!’

So I let him stroke it gently.

What can I do to get him to stop?  What if it turns into some kind of fetish?!

Maybe I should buy him a doll with nice long hair for him to play with!

Similarities

LagosMum3 Comments

On Sunday we went to a birthday party.  This was the first time everyone saw Vinay with his new ‘hairstyle’, and most of them said he looks just like my brother.  I understood what they meant, but still wasn’t too sure. 

Then I remembered ‘the chipmunk picture’.  It’s a picture of my brother when he was a year old where his head had been recently shaved.  

Here it is:

Img00213-20111010-2324

And here’s Vinay:

Img_1266

(I showed V the picture of his uncle and he just stared at it.  Then he touched his head for a few seconds before turning back to the picture.  He then looked at me and stroked my hair.  Maybe he’s missing it more than I thought?)

My mum says they look nothing alike – but I’m not so sure.

What do you think?

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

LagosMum8 Comments

Vinay was born with a fabulous head of hair.  When he was a teeny tiny baby, people would stop me in the middle of the street to comment on how much hair he had.  

His curls are gorgeous (if slightly out of control).  When his hair is wet, it goes down past his shoulders.  It’s longer than mine!  I have a whole array of clips and rubber bands to keep his hair neat.  And my sister says he looks like Krusty the Clown when we tie it up.  But I love it.  I love the curls.  I love burying my face in them and smelling his baby scent.  

He’s (obviously) very attached to his hair as well.  When he’s looking at books, drinking his milk, thinking or falling asleep – he often strokes his own hair.  I think he finds it very soothing.

And that’s why I’m so upset.  

Tomorrow, Vinay will have his head shaved.

I knew it was going to happen.  As soon as I knew I was having a baby boy, I knew that we would have to shave his head when he was in his thirteenth month.  But that doesn’t make it any easier!  It will grow back, of course – but it will never be the same.

In the Hindu tradition, the hair a baby is born with is associated with undesirable traits from past lives.  So, at the time of the ‘munan’, the child is shaven to signify freedom from the past and moving into the future (thank you Wikipedia).  Apparently, shaving the hair is also meant to stimulate proper growth of the brain and nerves.

This is just one of his rites of passage *crying*

 

Excuse Me, Mr Salon Owner…?

LagosMum5 Comments

Dear Mr. Hairdresser and Salon Owner,

I have been coming to your salon for many years and I am very happy with how you (YOU) or your other Lebanese hairdresser man blow-dry my hair.  I am also happy that you have renovated your salon and that it looks much nicer than before.

Unfortunately, there are things that I am not happy about.  Please find the list below.

I am not happy that you have increased your prices from N2500 to N4000.  But anyway – I can deal with that.

I am not happy that I (usually) always have to wait at least 40 minutes for my hair to be done (even though I wash my hair before I come).  But anyway, since you don’t take appointments – I can deal with that.

I am a mother.  I loooove to show people pictures of my baby.  But I’ll only show them if they ask!  I am not happy when you put your phone onto slideshow mode to show me every single picture of your child. More so if you are not going to ask to see my photos!

And while we’re on the topic of our children – please don’t tell me that the mats I have in my car are unhealthy for my baby.  Or that I have the wrong kind of sun shade.  Or that I shouldn’t use x, y or z product.  I will decide – thank you.

I am not happy that all your staff (hair washing girls and girls that do weaves, extensions, etc) have conversations by shouting at each other across the salon.  It is too noisy and irritating.

I am not happy when you are all busy and you think it will be ok for one of the girls to do my blow-dry.  Ask me first.  (I know I should say… 😦 )

I am not happy when I see that girl who is about to do my hair has been eating plantain chips and she comes to do my hair without washing her hands first (I did tell her to go wash her hands).

I am not happy when said girl pulls my hair, rips it out of my scalp, burns my ears, knocks me (repeatedly) in the head with the hairbrush and the back of the hairdryer and actually, really doesn’t know how to do my hair properly.  And then expects a tip.

I am MOST unhappy when you then ask me to still pay N4000 even though it was not YOU or your other Lebanese man that did my hair!

I am not happy because going to the salon is meant to be relaxing.  And it really isn’t anymore.

Please spend some time training your staff and learning about good customer service. 

That is all.

Annoyed

 

Pulling-my-hair-out