Before I returned to college for my second year, I wanted a change. I wasn’t happy with my hair; I felt as though it didn’t represent me very well at all. I said goodbye to long hair and decided to cut it to my shoulders, give myself an ombre and trim myself some very cute bangs. Here’s a before and after:
I loved my new hairstyle; I felt more like me, I was happier with my look, and my new do was easier to take care of—or so I thought. I was taking care of my hair the way I always had. I shampooed, conditioned, blow dried and straightened my hair every day. But, seemingly all at once, my bangs started falling out rapidly.
Every time I would comb them, put heat to them, or even rub my head, a tiny shower of hair would fall past my eyes and down to the floor. I would wake up every morning and find that my pillow was covered in broken hair. I didn’t know what to do or even know why it was happening. I considered stress, my diet and the heat I applied to my hair. It could have been all three.
I got my hair done in August, but from the beginning of November to January—the span of two months—my bangs completely fell out, leaving me with nothing but a patch that looked like baby hair.
I was devastated in the last photo, not only because my glasses snapped in two that night as you can see, but because my bangs were reduced to thin tufts of hair that were barely visible. I didn’t know what to do; my hair looked strange even when I swept whatever was left of my bangs to the side; you could still see that hair was missing.
I ended up visiting a salon located a few minutes from my campus; my roommate had just gotten her hair cut, and she referred me. I scheduled an appointment and, upon arrival, told the ladies there about my hair’s sad history. They knew exactly what went wrong.
Firstly, I’ve been using Pantene. Apparently, Pantene suffocates your hair and overtime creates brittle, thin hair that breaks easily. I told them that I was in college and couldn’t afford to buy high quality hair products, but they told me that Suave was a cheaper and healthier alternative for my hair!
Secondly, I’ve been heating my hair all wrong. When flat-ironing or “straightening” your hair, it’s easy to get impatient and run your hair through the iron a couple times in a row; I’m so guilty of it. Most hair melts at 415 degrees, so if your straightener is around 400 degrees and you run your hair through it over and over again, your hair is literally burning. Making sure your hair is completely dry before straightening is also very important!
Thirdly, my health is a huge factor as to why my hair’s strength isn’t so great. I do admit that my diet is not as disciplined as it needs to be (i.e. I heart carbs); plus I’m not getting enough vitamins. Eating good foods with needed vitamins and nutrients will make for a healthier body. Being healthy can improve so many things; everything from the strength of things like hair and nails, your energy and even your mood. The ladies also suggested taking Biotin to both speed up the growth and increase the strength of my hair.
They gave me a nice haircut and helped me part my hair in a way that makes the damage seem less noticeable. I’m happy with my hair now, but I can’t wait until my bangs grow back in. I will definitely treat them better and change my methods of care and styling. If you’re planning on getting bangs or are guilty of any of the bad habits I mentioned, make sure you’re treating your hair nicely and know exactly what it takes to keep your hair healthy and strong; don’t learn the hard way! Your hair will thank you.