Thermal Reconditioning is GREAT...until you want your curly hair back

As some of you know I've had thermal reconditioning done on my hair about 2-3 times in the last couple of years. I really loved the results, I've basically never had straight hair and it was great to wash it and go, literally, and have super straight hair. One day I woke up though and looked at myself in the mirror and I said, that's it, this is not me. I like it but I want my curly hair back. And that's when the very painful process started -- probably since last December. See there is no way to UNDO thermal reconditioning unless you actually grow your hair back out. I asked, can I perm it? NO. Can I get it out? NO. I asked and asked and asked and the only two answers were -- you can either blow dry your hair as the curls grow in so that it's ALL straight, or you can actually blow dry the hair, then curl it with a curling iron, so that it's all CURLY. None of those were viable options for a time-starved, sleep-deprived mother of two. So I did the "matronly" thing. I tied my hair up in a ponytail -- since APRIL basically when the curls really started showing. And I cut an inch here and there to get the curls out. Every 3 months I would go and get as much as I could out.

Until Saturday, I went to my early spinning class, and came home and washed my hair. I had a haircut appointment set up for tomorrow and planned on doing the "cut an inch here and there", nothing drastic. But then on Saturday after I washed my hair instead of tying it in a ponytail I let it hang down and went to Kroger. When I came back my hair was dry and as soon as I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror I pretty much passed out. It was like this MUSHROOM thing - all poofy and big at the top and then cascading down at the bottom. HORRIBLE. UNACCEPTABLE. Gabi even said to me: "Mom did you fall down and that's why your hair is all LOCA?". Call in for back up!

So I called Tanya's and asked for my regular, Stephanie. She wasn't available. So I said, do you have ANYONE who knows how to work with curly hair, THIS IS AN EMERGENCY! So they referred me to Laura, apparently winner of the 2008 CURLY HAIR CUTTER PERSON. And let me tell you, that she was. She took ALL THE STRAIGHT away and left me with pretty short hair. I had been trying to avoid the short hair cut the whole time, but I just couldn't take it anymore.

Gabi came with me to the salon, and she had a blast. She got orange nails for Halloween, she got a haircut, and she got some braids, very cute hairstyle. The ladies at the salon where in love with her. Which means two things: 1) I spent way more than I was supposed to and 2) now she wants to go to the salon EVERY DAY. Of course she does. Anyway, the point of this story is, if you have EVER considered thermal reconditioning, either be sure that you will do it for the REST OF YOUR LIFE, or remember the GROWING PAINS. And don't forget Laura.

The Halloween joke was then that I had dressed up as my sister for Halloween. If you know my sister you'll get the joke.