“I was actually influenced by the influencer’s influencer, @melissaswardrobe. I saw that she had gone to Elite Hair Lounge for a silk press and, after looking at their page, I really wanted to try out the treatment. In the past I’ve had many iron presses but a silk press was new to me so I wanted to trial it. Elite was opening a new branch literally 10 minutes from me so I called up and booked in a wash and silk press. It was a very straightforward procedure.”
“There wasn’t any consultation or explanation of what was going to be done. They washed my hair and then started the silk press. From my recollection, she did spray my hair before starting, which I assume was heat protectant but at this point who knows? There was smoke coming from my hair during the straightening process but I pushed the thought to the side because I thought that it could be from my hair still being damp. In hindsight, my hair was obviously burning.”
“The area manager called me and offered me a complimentary protein treatment. I kindly refused as I didn’t want them touching my hair again. I asked her what caused my hair to burn like this and why if the silk press caused it to which she responded “I’m not too sure why you keep badgering when I’ve offered you a solution to your problem.” I was in utter shock. In the end I just asked for a refund, which I chased them for but finally received a month after.”
“This whole situation affected me mentally so much. My hair is everything to me, it’s my identity. And [I think] many other black women would agree that hair is when saying hair is so important. Everyone knows me as Amber with the gap tooth and curly hair, but after my hair burnt I felt like I lost a part of me. It did get to me emotionally. I couldn’t do anything with my hair but have it in a bun because it was completely singed. I went back to my original hair dresser (who I will never cheat on again). They said that this type of damage can’t be caused by just heat alone and the salon must have put some sort of chemical in my hair. They started me on an Olaplex treatment in October 2020 and I haven’t used anything else up until now and, honestly, the results have been life changing. Even from the very first time I used the products. I would say within the last month or so though, I have really seen a change in my hair and I’m finally able to wear it out and curly.”
“My greatest hair hack would be to scrunch! After brushing my hair in the shower I scrunch it, when drying it (with a microfibre towel or t-shirt) I always scrunch and I also scrunch dry my products into my hair. This really enables the curls to have bounce and volume and helps them sit in their curls. Especially if you’re recovering from heat damage, its a great way to help the curls back into their pattern."
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