Love is in the HAIR

So, another post about my hair. This time I am happy to say its all about the LOVE.
We knew about this hair salon in Vicenza since last April and now decided to give it a try as I was going crazy with all the new growth to my hair. I thought about going natural but even then I would need to find someone to help me maintain it. Anyway, we ventured out to the salon for my 930am appointment and was happy to be the only ones in the salon. If any of you know black hair salons, you and ten other people could have the same appointment time. There was only one lady working in the salon who is also the owner along with her sister, whom just had a baby and therefore was taking time away from the salon. The lady (sorry I don't remember her name, oh dear!) who is from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic communicated with my BF through me as she spoke limited English. There was nothing fancy about this hair salon which is not what I am used to back in Toronto. But it kinda reminded me of the "around the way" hair salon. You know the ones with a couple of chairs, magazines from 2002 and a few hair dryers.
She set up shop there 5 years ago so I trusted her with my hair. Even though we could not communicate to one another directly I knew that she knew what she was doing. Her hands felt good in my hair, she wasn't afraid to pull, trim or blow dry my hair. Some of the procedures where different, like she roller set my hair before using the blow dryer which I have always wanted my hairstylist in Toronto to do but because of timing her never did it. This process allows your hair to have more body and for someone with thin hair I prefer to have a rollerset. There was also limited use of the flat iron which is always good as it damages your hair. Overall the experience was good. And like all "around the way" hair salons there was some drama....something about a girl who later arrived had been threatened by her husband etc...etc. My BF communicated this to me after we had left.
Anyway, two and a half hours later I came out looking ultra FAB! Sorry I only have this pic to show but believe you me I was happier compared to my last hair salon experience. Stay FAB!

HAIR today....HAIR tomorrow!

The first big question I had for my BF when we decided that I would move to Italy was "who is going to do my hair?". Back home I got my hair did every week at the hair salon. I was totally dependent on Cristos and the team at (http://www.urbantextures.com/) to make my hair look fabulous each week. So when I decided to move that was one thing that caused a lot of anxiety. Many suggestions came to my mind; go bald, go natural, wear a weave, wear braids, you name it I thought about it. I decided with the help of many consultations from my peeps to just go as is and deal with upon my arrival. So, that's what I did.
Four weeks into my arrival I was due for a "touch-up" and desperately needed to find someone to do that for me. With the help of my boss (god bless her soul) she helped me find a hair salon in the city that carried a product similar to what I was used to in Toronto. The days leading up to my hair appointment I was very nervous and was thinking only bad things. I thought for sure that my hair would fall off if not immediately shortly after.
One thing to remember that in Italy there is a hair salon or two on every street, there are no shortage of hair salons here. Woman in Italy love to pass time at the hair salon talking "ish" about their neighbours....lol. The problem I knew I would have is finding a hair salon that was capable of doing a black woman’s hair. Our hair is VERY different than white woman's hair, the care and the maintenance calls for different measures. So the fear, nervousness and anxiety leading up to the appointment day was all called for.
On the day of the appointment the BF accompanied me to the salon as the stylist spoke NO English and me very little Italian. I decided to go the salon with my hair air dried so that the stylist could see the natural texture of my hair. After 2hrs in the hair salon, I was SATISFIED with the end result. He was able to give me a good blow dry but when it came to using the flat iron he was not sure how to use it.
Since the visit two months ago I have not gone back and probably will not go back. I have been doing my hair myself and when it comes time for a "touch up" I will just let my hair grow out until I arrive back in Toronto.
Here are the before and after pics....enjoy!

Hair today, hair tomorrow
Ciao