Up In Smoke

As a writer, I'm really liking this blogging thing. I find it pretty cool. It is like writing an essay and the readers are your teachers. Readers give you feedback. Good, bad or indifferent; many have much to say about what you write and of course, how you write. Nothing beats the feedback from my grammar Nazis who informs me when I have a grammar faux pas. 

one day.....

So while blogging connects me with many wonderful inquiring readers from near and far via the internet, believe it or not it also connects me with some in real life! Nothing makes anybody feel more cool than being spotted or questioned as to who they are like, "you famous" or something. It rarely happens to me. But 'er now and then, I will be out in the public and someone will say, "Hey aren't you..." And I gets to blushing, smiling, hand gesturing and all that jive. Well, a few weeks ago, it happened again. I was in the store and this woman was looking over in my direction. I don't know about you, but I can feel when someone is staring at me. So, I looked in her directions a few times. Before I knew it, she was tapping me. She said, "I know you don't know me, but I follow you on all of your social media and I think you are pretty cool. I like what you are doing helping us common folk with our hair." I smiled and said, "Alrighty there! I appreciate you." Then she went into the famous, "I hate to bother you while you are shopping, but..." 

You know me, I am the queen of loquaciousness. Did someone say talk? If you think I can write. You should here me talk. Girlaaaaaah! "Shoot," I replied. She went on to explain her discontent with her hair stylist. She was frustrated that her hair styles were not lasting. She felt her hair was limp and dull. She also asked me touch her hair because it felt like it was coated with something. So, what's a wanna be celebrity blogger turned Children's book author to do? Oblige her. 

After I did my "in store in between the clearance section at TJ Maxx (yes, I'm a a Maxanista) consultation," I responded, "Do you smoke?" She bashfully replied, "Well yes, but I am trying to stop."

Ok, let's pause for the cause. This blog is not in any fashion an attempt to put down smokers of any kind. If you want to smoke or like smoking what ever it is that you smoke, it is most certainly your prerogative. But. I know there is always a but. But understand, that I am aware that smoking soothes, calms, relieves, helps, replaces, in lieu of and so on for many. Just understand that aside from the obvious physical and mental side affects smoking has on the body and person, let's go there about what it does to hair and skin. 

As much as I want to drag this blog out with facts, data and research, I ain't. I'm gonna cut through that ( as much as I don't want to) and shoot straight from the hip. Stop. Stop smoking. Smoking is so awful on hair. All smokers are aware of the film smoke leaves on any surface. They are also aware of stench it leaves in your clothes, hair and breath. Right? They also know that no amount of perfume, deodorizer, or air cleaner will remove the odor of smoking. Ok, so I'll type it again. Stop. Stop smoking because the film that it leaves on your hair is not easily removed with shampoo. Shampoos are primarily formulated to remove oil, dirt, a small degree of hair product build up, flakes and slight odors. As for films, heavily coated hair, excessively flaking hair, pasty scalps, scaly scalps, they will never work. They will clean the obvious, but that is about it. 

If you insist.

In the case of this young lady concerns about her hair, the film left behind on her hair from smoking is the culprit to all what she did not like about her hair. She hated the reality that her hair did not shine, it was dull, limp, thinning, lacked volume, would not hold a style and it felt funny. Her expression, did not change much when I asked if she smoked. I am of the understanding she is aware of the impact smoking has on her hair. I am certain she was not of the understanding that it is NOT her hair stylist fault. 

Hair stylists are not magicians. We can only work with the hair fabric you enter the salon with. If the hair fabric is good, you will have a good hair style. If the fabric is compromised...well. Compromised, damaged unhealthy, fragile, over processed, under processed and unkempt hair fabrics takes just as much time as it does money to repair. Understand, the time and money is NOT spent in the salon. No hunty. That time and money will be spent at home. Hair styles and treatments are for the moment. After the moment, it's all back on you. You know kinda like talking to the nutritionist about weight concerns. They can give you great meal planning ideas and recipes. Tell you what stores to shop at and where to buy those cute lil' containers. They can even tell you how and what to cook it on. But after that, it's on you. 

Hair care and hair styling starts at home with what you put or what you do not put into your body. Give your hair the life you want it to have so it can look and feel the way you want it to look. You know? Just like your body. 

As much as I knew she was looking for the magic answer with the magic hair care product and the very magical hair stylist who could fix it like Jesus. I also knew that she intuitively knew that like Jesus, only she could sincerely fix it. 

Ok now...

Your hair is an extension of you in ever facet. Socially, emotionally, financially, culturally, spiritually and physically; your hair reflects all of that. Do not dupe yourself, do not remove yourself from you. Your hair is truly as alive as you are. And while we can do many things to enhance or change what we like or dislike about our hair, ultimately the ownness is on you. Of all the things you can do to enhance or change about your hair; do it. But whatever you do, don't blow it up in smoke. 

Remember the surgeon general and yo momma been warning you about that smoking for quite some time. Go ahead make your day and give #stopsmoking a try. It won't kill you. It will make your hair look nice though!