Monday 30 March 2009

A Voyage of Awareness-A Prelude to Action

Covering the History of Blackness in America.


Until a few years ago I had long really beautiful hair. It was the kind of hair people would stop me in the street to comment on. It was thick and wavy and a stunning caramel color of blonde. But one day I can't pin point exactly what prompted me I decided to go blonder. Looking back maybe it was a new job? A divorce? Dating again? Feeling too much like a mom? My Fear of getting older? Once the decision was made however there was no turning back. I decided to color my hair at home on my own. Not in and of it self a big deal since I had a cosmetology license; but did I mention I never worked as a hair colorist?

Well, my hair turned out great and everyone loved it. So the next time I decided I would go a little blonder and the time after that blonder, then one day I decided it was too blonde, and I wanted another change so I went red then blonde again then darker, a lot darker on my own, with no advice from the Clairol Color Experts, or old beauty business buddies, nope not me with the beauty license, I was saving tons of money by doing it myself, besides I was too proud to ask for advice, or was I embarrassed? Or fearful they would tell me to put down the box and call a hair salon specializing in color correction. With the darker color over the already damaged light blonde my hair turned green!

That is when the trouble really began, because I became obsessed with fixing it. I thought just one more trip to the late night drug store for one more box in a shade that will lift out all that brown, that will fix it. I had become addicted to the lure of the 20-minute instant makeover power of hair color. What ever was going wrong in my life I was sure changing the color of my hair would fix what ailed me.

Thankfully, I survived the emotionally crisis of my brief but harrowing hair color obsession and enthusiastically sought out a professional most amazing hair dresser and a more amazing friend for some damage control. Her advice went something like this "You could walk around looking like a blonde hooker or we can cut it off and you can start from scratch, you have the face for it." In the end I opted for the haircut and was relived to have less hair to be tempted to color.

The irony of this story is that in a world of long hair my very, very short hair (think Pink, Mia Farrow from Rosemary's Baby days or Brigitte Neilson or now Victoria Beckham) has been unexpectedly liberating. I no longer spend time working on or about my hair I am out the door in half the time, I need less make up and people tell me I look younger and hipper. That is what really short blonde hair does for you; if it suits you, it is a look. Albeit it is not for everyone, but for me there have been valuable lessons learned. One, you are not your hair long or short, if your life is missing something find out what is and fix it inside. Two, when it comes to changing your look drastically seek out an expert for advice no matter what the cost.

You simply do not need to shell out the big bucks in order to look your best on your wedding day. Don't neglect your beauty and skin care because you feel you can't afford it.

Learn more at my website http://www.do-it-yourself-wedding-make-up.com where my beauty experience as a free lance make-up artist helps me help you make good beauty choices and helps to encourage and teach you how to feel more beautiful on your wedding day or any day.

clairol