Are you as addicted to hair straighteners as I am? Ever since I first used them about ten years ago, I’ve never looked back. I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with my thick, wavy hair – curls are cute when you’re a child, but when you become a teenager frizz is much less appealing.
Discovering hair straighteners suddenly allowed me to have sleek, smooth hair – to feel tidier and more pulled-together. But then you become totally reliant on them – you’re always the one hiding behind a hood and an umbrella when it rains, feeling desperately self-conscious when your carefully styled hair turns into a crinkly thatch at the merest hint of moisture.
It occurred to me the other day that I hadn’t let my hair be natural and do its own thing in pubic for at least a decade. Since having my hair cut short a few weeks ago, it’s been a struggle to keep it under control. It feels like it’s really fighting the style. So I decided to ditch my straighteners for a week and embrace wavy hair.
How I achieved my style: I used this serum to tame it a bit, then gently blow-dried it a little whilst scrunching the hair up to make it curlier. I then left it to dry naturally to avoid too much frizz and volume. Later on, I used tongs to gently encourage a bit of extra curl in the right directions.
Things I liked: After feeling a bit self-conscious at first, I began to really enjoy how different it looked. Shorter, bouncier and, for once, I didn’t have to worry about bits sticking out in the wrong direction. Not needing to wash it very often – only twice during my experiment.
Things I didn’t like: There’s something a bit quirky and messy about a wavy bob, and it makes me feel like I have to tone everything else down. I find that clothes have to be more simple and plain to avoid straying into looking kooky and eccentric. It felt a bit wiry and helmet like – once it’s been ‘set’ in a wavy style, you can’t really change it unless you wash it. It was also a bit House of Eliot at times – which I love, but everyday? I’m not so sure.
Overall, I really enjoyed embracing my wavy inner-self. I think my hair felt happier too, if that’s possible. I think I’ll relax my iron-grip on the straighteners from now on, but sleek and smooth will always be my preferred style!
What about you? Do you embrace your natural hair, or are you always fighting against it?
Your hair is really nice Lizzy, straight or curly. I have straight hair a similar style to you only a little longer, my hair is fine but plenty of it. We all feel that our hair defines who we are, if we are not happy with our hair we are not happy!! I have a Cloud 9 straightener which also curls but I need a few lessons, love products by Philip Murphy they suit my hair, have you tried them. Hair colouring is a whole new subject, I wont get started on that!!!!
Love your hair..
Marie x
Thank you Marie! I think I’m lucky really, that I can do either style with my hair. If it was really, really curly it would be so much harder! I’m having mine dyed again next week… x
You look gorgeous with straight or wavy hair. I really like your hair wavy, don’t worry you look beautiful not kooky! I think the grass is always greener with one’s own hair. I’d love mine to be thicker.
Aww, thanks Jo! Yes, the grass is always greener… looking forward to catching up xx
Spooky – I was looking at those pictures thinking “very house of elliot in a good way” and then you said it yourself! I think it looks lovely but then I’ve always had straight fine hair that refuses to hold a curl and thus spent most of my teenage years wishing I had the hair of a Botticelli beauty.
I think it looks lovely. You should go with it every now and then. Also, I’ve had a hair curling wand in my ‘saved for later’ amazon basket for about 2 years and still haven’t bought it. Maybe I should do an exact mirror of your experience and hit the buy button?! xx
Yes, buy it! Or you could try twisting it and pinning it when wet, which is more budget friendly? xx
Oh Lizzie – KEEP IT, KEEP IT! I’m not a good one for uniformity within me, which is odd since I really am with the house and so I LOVE your wavy hair. It’s not that I don’t like the straight but when I think of “sleek” and “smooth” to describe people, it’s not necessarily complimentary. Untamed, wild, unique, individual, YES kooky and quirky they are much more preferable traits (although I’m an Aquarius, we fear following the crowd). You’re not alone though, I have one friend with the most beautiful curly hair and in the now 12 years I’ve known her I’ve seen it once. She lives and breathes for her hair straighteners. My hair is similar-ish to yours as if my hair was that length it too would be bouncy and has quite a few waves, but the problem is that I’m rubbish at getting my hair cut so it either needs to be above the jaw to suit me, or half way down my back as it is now since I last had it cut 2 years ago. The in-between lengths do me no favours. Love it, did I say that? Xx
Thanks! I agree about the in-betweeny length, they’re such hard work on thicker hair! I love mine when it’s really long too – it’s just a shame it takes so long to grow xx
I love your natural hair – it looks lovely. I’m definitely in the “going natural” camp – I just can never be bothered to do very much with my hair. When I had long hair, it always ended up being tied back in a plait – I feel a bit sad now that I never learned to do anything more interesting with it.
Your hair looks very pretty like that with the waves. I really like it. Gemma xx
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Thanks Gemma! It definitely makes a change, although I must say I’m itching to get my straighteners out again now!
I’m in camp wavy! Don’t get me wrong both styles very much suit you, the curly just edges it for me :). I too have wavy/curly hair and have got far too lazy with it so I am a frizz ball more often than not. (I used to use waaay too much product on it as a teenager and have just gone too far in the other direction!). Do you find you spend less time on your hair overall leaving it curly? x
Thanks! I have to say I actually end up spending more time styling it when it’s wavy – as it needs more tweaking and fiddling on the subsequent days after washing it. When I straighten it it tends to need less work (unless it rains, argh!)
I have the same hair as you but I’m no way never giving up my straighteners. The waves start off really nicely in the morning but then I end up with the biggest bush head by the end of the day. My hair gets bigger and bigger. Plus, you’re right, it alters what clothes I wear too. When my hair is sleek, I feel like I can throw on anything. When it’s wavy, I go smarter to counter the mess. Straighteners, all the way!
As I type, I’m back to straight hair…Even when I straighten it though it tends to get thicker and thicker as the day goes on. Day 2 after a wash is definitely better! Hair straighteners are such great invention!!
I have been using the karmin hair straightener and works really well for my hair, can`t live with out it 🙂