Adjunct: Yoga Love

I have several clients who are interested in yoga, so I thought I would write a bit on why I love yoga, as well as talk a bit about where I do it....

My job is standing-intensive. One doesn't realize this fully until you do yoga. :) In that sense, yoga is ESSENTIAL to my performance as a stylist.

I do yoga because it makes me aware of where my body is in space. It brings my consciousness back to the building blocks-- breath, muscle, movement, heart. When I finish with a yoga class, I carry it with me throughout the week. I remember to tuck my pelvis forward when my back hurts after a long day on my feet. I remember to slide my shoulder blades down my back to help my arms release and move better around a head of hair. I feel more grounded in my work; I breathe slower and deeper.

I also do yoga because I have found no better way to obtain and maintain strength. Using one's own body weight as resistance is an experience in intensity that working with weights and machines can't duplicate. The first time you truly feel your arm muscles engage in a pose like plank is exhilarating. I feel powerful as well as fluid.

I practice yoga at The Yoga Center of Minneapolis in the warehouse district on 3rd Avenue North. It is a lovely, airy, natural studio with a very calming and grounding atmosphere. I chose that studio because they offer a class aimed at larger women and men that is designed to keep the psychics of your body in mind when you go through poses and breath work. It's inspiring to see women of all sizes being so strong and flexible and graceful. It is essential in a yoga class to feel completely comfortable in your own skin, and being a bigger woman it is encouraging that such a place exists.

The Yoga Center also offers classes that range from deep meditation to the most vigorous of yoga flows. Countless workshops and events are offered, and the studio strives to really build a community out of its practitioners.

If you are looking for a yoga studio, I can't recommend The Yoga Center enough. Visit their website and look around-- you will most likely find something that speaks directly to you. :)

http://www.yogacentermpls.com

Curly Meet-Up...

I'm toying with the idea of starting a local meet-up group for curly folks to get together and talk hair, culture, etc.

Still working out the details, like where to have it. :)

More to come...

Humor in Hair...

One of the best things about my job is that I get to laugh a lot.  When one sits in the stylist’s chair, the various goings-on of the past few weeks come pouring out, often with a great deal of shared humor.  But the one thing that all of my clients seem to have a great sense of humor about is their curls.  This, to me, is no coincidence.

            When one grows up as a curly kid, we get noticed because of it.  From adults it is usually favorable (until you reach a certain age and a few people get it into their head that curls aren’t “appropriate” for a grown, professional woman or man).  From fellow children it can be a mix that ranges from envy to curiosity to taunting.  A lot is often assumed about the kid with curly hair—she/he’s going to be a bit quirkier, a bit nuttier.  When you get older and start getting real haircuts, you get used to hearing the phrases “it will grow out” and “it doesn’t look that bad, honey.”  You might cry a bit, but you learn to toughen up after a few of these haircuts and roll with the punches, as it were.

            As an adult, your hair is often one of the first indicators used to describe you.  You are often known as the “friend with the curls.”  At this point, if you have grown to not only accept but love your hair, you wear this label with pride.  If you then find a stylist who understands and respects curls, you will eventually relay your entire hair history to her.   And if she also has curls she’ll relay her own stories right back to you.  But we all do this with a knowing look and a slightly sarcastic grin.  This is a common, shared history. 

            When people ask me about my clients, one of the first things I think of to describe them as a whole is “personality.”  Each one of my clients has one or several hair horror stories to tell, and I in turn will share my own.  Laughing and joking about it helps us realize that in the end we are the ones victorious, for we have thrown down the round brush and flat iron, looked our crazy, curly self right in the mirror and laughed our head off in celebration. 

A Word About Hairspray...

The product line I use at the salon (Deva) does not have a hairspray.  It is one of the few curl-specific lines that does not.  That being said, I wouldn't be surprised if we see a spray within a year (the recent deep conditioner--Heaven in Hair--and pomade/hair dressing--Set Me Up--were added due to customer demand).  

I get asked about hairspray ever so often by my clients, and I feel that if a curly client wants to use it, she or he feels that it will produce a very specific feel or look that runs contrary to a natural, soft fall of curls.  What I have found through experimenting on my own hair is that one CAN utilize spray in a very effective manner while still keeping a soft feel and appearance.  Again, it's a combination of two aspects:  product type and method of application.

When would one use a spray?

Hairspray on curly hair is best employed when you desire your curls to have a more specific placement, e.g., curls moved away from the face so they don't fall forward, or, keeping a bit of height on top.  Also, for finer hair, spray works as an added hold factor to help stave off mid-day drooping.

What type of spray do I use?

For all curly types, I recommend aerosol over pump spray.  Aerosol dispenses in a much finer mist and goes on much dryer than a pump.  It is easier to control the amount of spray applied with an aerosol as well as where it is applied on the head.  Pump sprays are far too concentrated and prone to heaviness, which may weigh your curls down.

Also, you want to avoid sprays that are labelled "soft hold," "moisture hold," or "flexible/movable hold."  These softer sprays contain a higher level of humectant, and since your cleanser, conditioner, and styler all contain softeners, a moisturizing spray is overkill and will weigh down the hair and not set properly.  Look for a spray labeled "firm," "finishing," "volumizing," or "freezing."  These sprays will often have the softest mist and the lowest level of moisture, so your spray will not be adding any weight to your hair.

What about silicones?

Since we are in an era where shine is everything, one is hard-pressed to find stylers without one or more type of silicone, including hairspray.  Most curlies look to avoid silicones as they have a cumulative coating effect on the hair that is hard to remove and eventually leads to a dull appearance and feel.  I have yet to find a hairspray that does not contain silicone.  HOWEVER...the amount of silicone in a firm-hold hairspray is minimal and since you are applying only about 1/4 teaspoon total of product, only trace amounts will be applied to the hair.  This is another reason to chose a firm-hold spray-- the lesser the hold factor, the higher the amount of silicone.

How do I apply hairspray?

Never apply spray wet.  Wait for your hair to completely dry and for the curls to be set.  My favorite method is to bend forward at the waist, shake my hair out, and spray a fine, even, quick mist all over the hair from about 6-8" away.  Then, quickly scrunch your curls to avoid a "cast" feeling and to help distribute the spray.  Be mindful not to over-scrunch-- stop when you feel the product is integrated.  Next, flip your hair back over and tilt slightly back, shaking your curls out.  Once more, mist all over about 6-8" away to set the hair away from your face.  Wait a few seconds, then tilt back up to normal.  If desired, you can then target specific spots, making sure to hold the product at least a few inches away to avoid over-saturation.  

As with any product application, practice makes perfect.  You will learn quickly what is too much and what is not enough.

As for specific brand recommendations, my personal favorite is Kenra, with either their no. 25 Volume Spray or no.26 Finishing Spray.  Both products have an extremely fine mist, as well as a non-obtrusive fragrance.  Kenra is a professional brand so one can purchase it from either a salon or a professional beauty supply store.

In short, if you have wanted to try a spray, but have been fearful of the look, fear not!  One can indeed successfully integrate hairspray into daily styling.

Curl Nostalgia...

While recently thrifting for some new kitchen wares, I stumbled upon a copy of Modern Salon Styles from 1972.  It was seventy pages filled with all sorts of sprayed and meticulously coifed creations, which by the early 70s were on their way out.

On the back page was a feature titled "7 Steps to a more beautiful you!"  Among the pearls of wisdom was step 3:

"Perm, Baby, Perm!  Today's hair fashion world is a curly world.  To keep up with curl, a perm's the answer ... unless you're a too-curly girl ... then it's straightening for you.  Let your professional curl specialist show you the way to natural looking locks full of body and bounce."

Damned if you have, damned if you have not, indeed.

The wondrous irony of it all is the notion of using chemical alteration for "natural looking locks."  The sad realization, however, is how much of the professional styling world still sees hair as something to be controlled, lest it get out of hand and take over one's head.  ;)

Slowly but surely, I feel we're getting better at this.  Wouldn't it be wonderful to hear the follow-up to "I love your curls!" be "I bet you love them, too!", rather than, "I bet you hate them"...  

I eagerly await that day.  :)

Important read... Complex Curls: Issues of Race and Curly Hair

This is an unpublished piece presented at the 2009 annual meeting of the American Sociological Association in San Francisco by author Ja'Nean Palacios of San Jose State University.  

Her paper does a fantastic job of linking our perceptions of race with those of curly hair, analyzing how women and men of various cultural backgrounds connect with their own curls. 

I am hoping to locate Palacios' master's thesis which deals with the experience of having curly hair.  If I locate it, I will post the information here.

The link below is to the paper's abstract.  Scroll down the page to "Get This Document" for two links to a PDF file:

http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/1/0/8/9/5/p108957_index.html

All Sorts of Curly Heads!

As I mentioned in a previous entry, I recently worked with Genevieve Ruebel on my first photo shoot featuring my clients.  It was a TREMENDOUS success!  The pictures came out beautifully and I hope to see them up on the salon's website very soon.  But until then, I can share some of them here...

Thanks goes out to all the participants for your time and your lovely hair!

All photography by Genevieve Ruebel