When junior Charlotte Miller decided to bleach her naturally brown hair, she thought she would be saving herself time and money by doing it herself at home. What was left after the process was an orangey, ratty nest with missing patches of hair.
"It was the worst experience ever," Miller said. "I freaked out and called my mom who, ironically, is a hair stylist."
Her mother, who lives out-of-state, advised her to go to a professional, and after three sessions she was able to undo most of the damage, Miller said.
"I should have known better since my hair is very fine," Miller said. "And taking the easy way out ended costing me more in the end."
Hair bleaching mishaps are not always from trying to do hair at home.
Senior Cindy Salazar is still suffering from the effects of a hairstyle gone wrong. Even though it happened more than a two years ago, her hair still does not grow past a certain point, she said.
"I went to a salon to get highlights all over, and the stylist left the bleach in too long," she said. "My scalp started to bleed and my hair turned gray."
Men have bad hair days, too
Senior George Ellis wanted to please his girlfriend, but ended up looking like a fool, he said.
"She told me she liked men with dark hair, so I dyed my hair, eyebrows and goatee jet black," Ellis said. "I immediately regretted it, and all my girlfriend did was laugh at me."
Because his eyebrows are really bushy and thick, his girlfriend said it looked like there were giant, black caterpillars across his forehead, he said.
Hair care can be hair kill
Though many students can relate to stories of hair misfortunes, simple steps and solutions can be helpful.
"The biggest mistake I see with people and their hair is at-home hair color," said Crystal Lawther, a stylist at Dimensions Salon on Broadway Street. "People often pick the wrong formula because they don't know what to use."
If someone wants to color his or her hair at home, they should absolutely not use bleach, Lawther said. Companies that sell hair bleach in stores make the formula so it can work for everyone's hair, blonde and brunette alike, so a lot of peroxide is in it.
With summer approaching, Lawther recommends adding products with SPF to hair, she said
"People will put sunscreen on their skin but often don't think about their hair, which is very important," Lawther said.
Men should also take hair care into consideration, she said.
The right haircut and a little bit of product can go a long way, Lawther said. But men should invest in quality gel, because the cheap stuff will probably flake and require using more gel than necessary.
Picking salons can be tricky
When it comes to men and women choosing a stylist, blindly picking one from a phone book isn't the best way.
"Recommendations are key," Lawther said. "And don't necessarily judge the stylist's hair - look around at the other people working there, because they will often do each other's hair."
Hair care can be cheap
"You don't need a whole haircut, just get a bang trim or regular trim, (it) will cost a sixth of a full cut," Lawther said. "And if you have highlights, many salons will charge a small fee per foil instead of for a whole head of highlights."
If students are on a budget and want to treat their hair, some home remedies can help hair stay healthy.
Stylist Aneta Stevens from Bidwell Hair Cottage on the Esplanade said, "A cheap, at-home remedy is put about two tablespoons of virgin olive oil in hair, which will condition hair and is better that mayonnaise and eggs."
Students can also make a mixture of vinegar and water, spray it into hair and rinse it out after a few minutes, she said.
Product research crucial
Overall, one of the most important things someone can do is look into the product they are putting in their hair, she said.
Professional products are better, Stevens said. But if students want to buy store brands, they should do research because some products have a slimy consistency. People think a lot of conditioner is in the product when it is actually drying the hair and making it brittle.
"If you take caution with home care and don't overprocess, bad hair days will be far and few between," she said.
Be the first to comment on this article!