Do it yourselfers--motivation? key moment?

UmSumayyah

Well-Known Member
To all the do-it-yourselfers out there (who do your own relaxers and/or most of your own styling, or have a friend do it)
What was the one experience that was the straw that broke the camel's back? The one that made you say "enough is enough" /images/graemlins/mad.gif and fire your hairdresser?
For me, it was my last experience, where my scalp was not properly based and lye relaxer was applied to my scalp resulting in pain and a scabby scalp, and underprocessing since the relaxer had to be rinsed so quickly (it looks like I never had a retouch)
Now I've been doing my research /images/graemlins/bookworm.gif to learn all I can about my own hair. I will be attempting my own retouch on saturday (gw) after two trial runs.
 

londongirl3

New Member
That annoying habit of 'pulling the relaxer through the hair'. I knew it was wrong all along but Miss 'Haircare professional' still insisted on doing it.

I figured I could do my own hair because it was not improving by any means with a hair dresser. It would grow but the length would never show, now I'm determined to make it show.
 

Leshia

New Member
</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
UmSumayyah said:
To all the do-it-yourselfers out there (who do your own relaxers and/or most of your own styling, or have a friend do it)
What was the one experience that was the straw that broke the camel's back? The one that made you say "enough is enough" /images/graemlins/mad.gif and fire your hairdresser?
For me, it was my last experience, where my scalp was not properly based and lye relaxer was applied to my scalp resulting in pain and a scabby scalp, and underprocessing since the relaxer had to be rinsed so quickly (it looks like I never had a retouch)
Now I've been doing my research /images/graemlins/bookworm.gif to learn all I can about my own hair. I will be attempting my own retouch on saturday (gw) after two trial runs.

[/ QUOTE ]'

The only real reason I stopped seeing a hairdresser is because I found one that was my favorite and was too afraid to go to someone else since it took me so long to find "Michelle" *dreamy look*
 

Nita

New Member
Years ago I had a hairdresser that would leave a shop or fallout with a salon owner and be kicked out and the only way I could find her was word of mouth. It was a trip. You never knew where she would be the next week or month. To her credit she could lay some hair. I was also annoyed at going to the shop with a scheduled appointment at like 9 am and not getting finished until 3 or 4.
 

Chakira

New Member
I started doing my hair myself, because i never liked how the hairdresser would do it, and end up going home and fixing it myself. Also, when i did have a relaxer, my hair dresser would "run the comb thru" all of my hair, which made no sense to me. now that i am natural and there are no natural hair care salons near me that i know of, i do my braids, weaves, whatever on my own. plus no one can do my hair like i me! /images/graemlins/grin.gif
 

DDTexlaxed

TRANSITION OVER! 11-22-14
My hair dresser irked me. To get more $, ImO, she would work on many heads at once... that left me w/ a frizzy wave nouveau that I was forced to "remove" myself. I now have short overprocessed hair, thanks to Surge and pre poo honey treatment i learned here, my hair stopped shedding. If things work out my way, I'd like to transition back to natural hair.
 

SouthernGirl

New Member
I've only been to a salon a few times in my life, but they all had one irritating thing in common. The never took care during the detangling process! Even if the style came out nice, they would not take the time I do to detangle from the ends up, so I would lose so much hair during this process.
 

Isis

New Member
When I learned that none of my hairdresser's clients hair was showing any length, no matter how long they were going to her. And they were trying to grow out their hair. Also, I didn't get the individual attention I wanted, especially during a retouch. I didn't want to see her chatting on the phone or eating while my scalp was burning! :confused: I soon realized I relaxed my own hair ok before I went to her and I will keep doing it myself.
 

KathyMay

New Member
My key moment was in March when my stylist switched relaxers on me. SHe went from using Affirm to Designers Touch which I didnt not like to use on my hair and Affirm was great for my hair and she would always trim my hair after relaxers "you know you have to cut your hair for it to grow'' bs. I knew that I wasn't going back to her anymore and it was time for me to do my own relaxers since I know my hair the best
 

JuJuBoo

Child of THE King!
I've yet to find a stylist who does hair as good as my last one. :( So until I have a good friend who's stylist is NOT scissor happy, who's hair looks tight and GROWING, I'll addressing my own tresses.
 

pookeylou

New Member
I had a stylist who was like an abusive husband. He treated me badly, but I couldnt leave him. He could do some hair, but it never failed that I was bringing him lunch or sitting there waiting for him for hours while he ran errands. I put up with it because my hair looked wonderful and I thought I could not do better.

The last straw was I could not get an appointment at my normal salon so I went to "shee-shee-poo-poo" salon and saw how clients COULD be treated. From calling me by name as soon as I walked in the door to being offered something to drink, to having a shampoo bowl that the water did not go cold when someone flushed the toilet, to sitting me under the dryer with an ottoman for my feet. I was in heaven.

However I soon found out they were about KEEPING ME THERE TO GET MY MONEY...even if it meant sacrificing the health of my hair and scalp.

Deciding no longer to go to salons eventually led to my decision to go natural.

I am so glad I finally broke that "chain"!
 

cutebajangirl

New Member
I've always been a do it yourselfer. When I was young my mom was cheap with sending me to the hairdresser and boy did my hair show it! Then I went ot boardign school and wore braids for a year and after that I had hair and just went back to perming it myself. I go very infrequently becuase I don't have a lot of time and I can do it myself faster. Also no one will care for my hair like I will.
 

starz

New Member
My stylist would be mad that I waited 12 weeks or more to get a touchup. So she would tear through my new growth like a lunatic. I would get so much breakage after the relaxer and my hair would also be underprocessed. Now I do my own touchups.
 

genesis

New Member
I stopped going to stylists after I realized that none of them knew what they were doing when it came to hair health. I have been to stylists that insisted that they run the relaxer through to the ends, relax every 4 weeks-with 6 weeks being the most b/c your scalp would start to get irritated by the newgrowth and begin to break off ??? I have been to stylists that burned the heck out of my hair with hot curlers, and flat irons and given me cuts when I only needed trims. To tell you the truth I really didn't know any of this was killing my hair before I came to the board. But since I've been on here I have learned so much, and my hair is really thriving.
 

Boadicea

New Member
I have had several but the two the burned me up the most were:

1. A stylist wore rubber hospital gloves to wash my hair!! :huh: I was so shocked that I didn't know what to do or say.

2. Stylist "detangling" (read: ripping) through my hair with abandon. I still have a patch of hair that's about 3 inches long because this lady swirled my hair all over my head when washing it and then took a comb straight to it after roughly toweling it dry.

I've since had my mom do my rollersets and relaxers for me and I taught my SO how to braid in different styles. I do all other styles myself.
 

nurseN98

Ayiti cherie
What got me was when I went to the hair dresser once and she says you need a little trim...I said ok. She then put my hair up into french roll (this was back in the day :look: ). I take the roll down about a week later and found about 4 inches missing from my hair (it was down my back) I screamed, then cried then told my momma then swore that was the last time that ANYONE was touching my hair. At least she could have said something.....perhaps she was cutting 4 inches of my hair leaving me with shoulder length hair? The bad part was that she was the daughter of my mom's friend so I really trusted her. I eventually forgave her, I didn't hold a grudge, I just never went back to her to perm my hair. I started relaxing my own hair and it grew back just fine.
 

DragonPearl

Well-Known Member
I was complaining to this new hairdresser that my scalp was beginning to burn as she was applying the relaxer, and she replied to me with aplomb that it was ALL IN MY HEAD, that my scalp could NOT possibly be burning me because she was an expert at applying relaxers to sensitive scalps. So, I kept my mouth shut for the next 20 minutes while my head was on fire and kept telling myself, it's all in head, it's all in my head.

Of course after she finished rinsing my hair, and she noticed all the thick pus oozing out of my scalp, she didn't even apologize. My scalp was so burned, you could not even style my hair. It's a wonder I didn't go bald.
 

hottopic

Well-Known Member
I had a really good hairdresser for several years, but she moved far away. I decided to try my stepsister's hair dresser/family friend.... big mistake. She gossips.... big time. The thing about her is that when she gossips she does not pay attention. She burned me with the curling iron several times.... not to mention gossiped about my sister and her friend in front of me. I stopped going to her after the 3rd time. Why the 3rd times…because I believe in giving chances…plus it was a good discount..But in the end it was not worth it.
 

azul11

Well-Known Member
I am trying to gain the confidence to become a do it yourselfer. I feel fear is what keeps most of us from doing it ourselves. We have always been adviced to seek a professional, that our hair will fall out if we dont have someone else do it. All these warnings get to you over time and you continue to go to these stylist even though you may not see any significant difference in your hair. I have no desire to keep wasting my money on treatmentsthat are not benefical to me.


Also I hate hate hate when the stylist scratches my scalp with her damn nails when she is washing it. It feels like razors on my scalp. And she does this after a touchup too!!! :mad: God bless you all.
 

kristina

New Member
I used to get my hair braided at this african shop all the time- the final straw for me was when I asked for burnt ends- the lady ended up burning my hair off in the process and I was so disgusted that it happened I swore I'd never go there again. In a way it was a good thing because it motivated me to take better care of my hair in general.
 

nita4

New Member
I've always done my own hair. The few times when I did attempt to find a stylist and go on a regular basis, always turned out bad. I didn't like the way they did my hair. They didn't respect my time. They didn't advise me on how to keep my hair from breaking or being dry. Just told me it was dry. I've learned more on this board since 2002 then I've learned from stylist. At least now when I have a problem, I know what to do to correct it. And...best of all...I can rollerset like a pro.
 
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LaNecia

Guest
In most things, I'm a do-it-yourself-er. Always have been. I've never had any really bad experiences at a salon but watching my mom go through problems with hair dressers who would intentionally do things to wreck her hair (which is virtually indestructable), I've decided that if I can't do it, it doesn't need to be done.

I see no logic in enduring the paying someone do something to my hair that I don't want done, no matter how many times I tell them what I want.
 
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LaNecia

Guest
Wait, there was one experience that stands out...my mom and I drove to Los Angeles to get our hair done and the stylist was working on 5 different women at the same time, we got there at 9 am....did not leave until 5 pm.

Never went back.
 

victorious

Relaxed/4A/Fine/Thin/APL
Motivation:

My family friend (a licensed stylist) used to do my hair but she moved to Ohio years ago. I haven't found anyone I liked since her. :nono: As a result:

1. I'm tired of paying money and getting disappointed in the end.

2. I'm tired making appointments and leaving salons many hours later.

3. If I screw up, I only have myself to blame.

4. I value the knowledge and support on this forum.

5. I'll probably visit a stylist for some complicated style in the future though.


Key Moment: (about 7/8 years ago)

After hearing my complaints about different stylists and salons, my friend recommended this stylist who did hair out of her house. My friend's cut looked great on her (almost like a boy cut). I then went to the stylist with a pic of what I wanted (a short cut with more length at the top).

She told me my hair was very damaged and needed a major cut. But why did I walk out with the same style as my friend? It was just enough hair on the top to bump with a pencil width curling iron. :mad:
 

shunemite

New Member
I HATED staying at the salon 8 hours while she juggled an overbooked schedule and accepted walk-ins! My breaking point this year Jan was when my best-friend relaxed my hair and did a good job. After she taught me how to do it, I now do my own.
 

Sweet_Ambrosia

Well-Known Member
I've never had any problems with salons, the only thing I didnt like was the time period 3-4 hours just to get a wash,set & style. Also I choose to do my own hair just because I dont trust stylists in general.
 

Desert Skye

Well-Known Member
The thing that made me teach myself to rollerset is when i calculated how much i spend to get my hair done once a week which was 20. Now i am a broke college student so thats alot of money i could be saving in a month. I also notice even though i was going to a salon, my hair was not very healthy. So i decided to just teach myself,get results i want, save money, and get healthier hair.
 

jasmin

Well-Known Member
glossyxlipz said:
The thing that made me teach myself to rollerset is when i calculated how much i spend to get my hair done once a week which was 20. Now i am a broke college student so thats alot of money i could be saving in a month. I also notice even though i was going to a salon, my hair was not very healthy. So i decided to just teach myself,get results i want, save money, and get healthier hair.

glossy..do you do your own touch ups?
 
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